The Korea Times

Netflix series 'Aema' revisits Korea's legendary erotic film of 1980s

“Madame Aema,” the 1982 film widely regarded as the beginning of Korea’s erotic cinema boom in the 1980s, has been reimagined for the 21st century. During the military regime of Chun Doo-hwan, the government implemented the so-called “3S Policy” — screen, sports and sex — aimed at pacifying the public and diverting attention away from politics, which created the conditions for a rapid boom in the erotic film industry. The Netflix drama “Aema,” to be released Friday, tells the fraught journey of top star Hee-ran (Lee Ha-nee) and rookie actor Joo-ae (Bang Hyo-rin), who bravely confront the dark realities hidden behind the dazzling spotlight of that time in the process of bringing “Madame Aema” to life. “In the early 1980s, erotic films were actively encouraged and produced as a matter of policy. Ironically, there was also strict censorship and rampant cuts, meaning there was virtually no freedom of expression. By revisiting this irony from today’s perspective, I thought I could reinterpret it in 2025 and explore its meaning in a way that delivers a new message,

Aug 18, 2025By Park Jin-hai

Netflix series 'Aema' revisits Korea's legendary erotic film of 1980s

Travel & Food

Hollywood stars show love for K-food

Hollywood stars are expressing their affection for Korean foods. Model and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian shared a glimpse into her daily life during a trip to Korea. In an Instagram story posted on Saturday, she uploaded photos of a convenience store aisle filled with various cup noodles and a traditional Korean meal at a restaurant featuring side dishes such as seasoned vegetables and kimchi. Her posts revealed her enjoyment of Korean cuisine. With meat sizzling on the grill and soju to wash it down, she attracted significant attention for her engagement with Korean culture and cuisine. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow also recently uploaded a video on her Instagram, featuring herself making Korean-style steak and eggs. She revealed her love for Korean cuisine by saying, “My take on Korean steak and eggs — made with love, a little heat, and packed with flavor. ” In the video, Paltrow skillfully combined various seasonings such as soy sauce, gochujang (red chili paste), garlic and ginger. The response was enthusiastic, not only from international fans but also Koreans. One commenter marveled,

Aug 18, 2025By Park Jin-hai

People & Events

Rapper Sean raises over $1.6 mil. for descendants of independence fighters

Rapper Noh Seung-hwan, also known as Sean, successfully completed an 81.5-kilometer marathon in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Korea’s Liberation Day and donated over 2.3 billion won ($1.6 million) to build homes for descendants of independence activists, his agency YG Entertainment said Saturday. The 2025 815 Run, hosted by Sean and Habitat for Humanity Korea, is an annual charity marathon held to reflect on the significance of Liberation Day and express gratitude to independence activists. Despite heat exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, Sean completed the run in 7 hours, 50 minutes and 22 seconds. While Sean and 44 others completed the entire distance, a total of 19,450 runners participated in shorter courses, with approximately 4,000 taking part in an 8.15 kilometer run at World Cup Park in Seoul's Mapo District and others doing courses of 3.1 km or 4.5 km. Proceeds from the event, along with donations from 10 sponsoring companies, amounted to 2.38 billion won. The funds were donated to Habitat for Humanity to construct new homes and support housing improvement projects for desce

Aug 17, 2025By Park Jin-hai

Rapper Sean raises over $1.6 mil. for descendants of independence fighters

Shows & Dramas

80th Liberation Day Must-watch dramas, films on Korea’s independence struggle

This year’s Liberation Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of colonial Japanese rule, offers a moment to remember both the atrocities committed by Japan and the sacrifices of Korea’s independence activists. One way to reflect on this history is by watching a drama or film that brings these stories to life. The Korea Times asked five experts to recommend dramas and films that embody the spirit of this historic occasion. The panel includes culture critic Jung Duk-hyun; Kim Hern-sik, culture critic and professor of social and cultural studies at Jungwon University; Yun Suk-jin, cultural critic and professor of Korean language and literature at Chungnam National University; CedarBough Saeji, assistant professor of Korean and East Asian studies at Pusan National University; and Lee Ha-na, associate professor of history at Seoul National University. Among their recommendations, four standout titles emerged: the acclaimed drama "Mr. Sunshine"; the gripping thrillers "The Age of Shadows" and "Assassination"; and the poignant black-and-white classic from the Japanese colonial perio

Aug 13, 2025By Park Jin-hai

[80th Liberation Day] Must-watch dramas, films on Korea’s independence struggle

Trends

KOFICE chief envisions Korea as Asia’s cultural hub

Park Chang-sik, president of the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE), witnessed the spread of Korean content around the world firsthand. As a former television producer, he made “Years of Upheaval” (1992) and “Sandglass” (1995), two of the most popular drama series broadcast in Korea in the 1990s. He also led renowned production company Kimjonghak Production when it produced “Lee San, Wind of the Palace” (2007), a historical drama starring Lee Seo-jin and Han Ji-min. All three programs were exported to other countries for viewing. Of the 50 or so dramas Park had his hands on, many found audiences outside Korea. “To be honest, the reason we first started exporting content was out of necessity. It was around the late 1990s that we began selling dramas to Japan and Taiwan. Back then, we often wondered, ‘Why is this even working?’ But starting in the 2000s, K-content began to gain real attention, and that’s how today’s ‘K’ was born,” he said in a recent interview with The Korea Times at the KOFICE headquarters in Yeongdeungpo District, S

Aug 13, 2025By Park Jin-hai

KOFICE chief envisions Korea as Asia’s cultural hub

Shows & Dramas

From warm meals to cold shoulders: 'One Meal Show' faces dilemma in changing era

Observation-style entertainment that intimately showcased the daily lives of celebrities once captivated audiences, but that focus is now shifting and ordinary people are stepping into the spotlight. JTBC's "One Meal Show," a sequel to beloved variety series "Let's Eat Dinner Together," which concluded in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, has adapted to the change. Unfortunately, the show isn't performing well. In "One Meal Show," hosts and chefs embark on spontaneous neighborhood visits, ringing doorbells at random, sharing the stories behind each door and crafting meals from whatever ingredients are inside the hosts’ refrigerators. Yet, in a recent episode filmed in Seoul's affluent Gangnam District, Kim Hee-sun, Tak Jae-hoon and chef Lee Yeon-bok found their welcomes far from warm. Despite hopeful doorbell ringing, many people shut their doors with polite refusals. The KBS show "Heart on Wheels" rolls out a mobile convenience store stocked with essentials into rural villages, spending nights immersed in their stories. Despite its bold ambition to foster "communication with ordinary

Aug 8, 2025By Park Jin-hai

From warm meals to cold shoulders: 'One Meal Show' faces dilemma in changing era

Shows & Dramas

‘Better Late Than Single’ wins global hearts with awkward but honest approach

The Netflix dating reality show “Better Late Than Single” wrapped up on July 29, becoming a sensation amid a flood of dating programs. The 10-episode show featured 12 men and women, all around 26 or 27 years old, who have never had romantic relationships. After a six-week preparation period, which included appearance makeovers and counseling sessions, the participants opened up to love for the first time during a nine-day group stay. As they challenged themselves to find romantic connections, two couples were formed in the final episode. Producers revealed that more than 4,000 people applied during the selection process for the show. From the very first episode, the participants drew attention not only for their desire to date but also for their earnestness and sincerity in wanting to change themselves. However, once they were thrown into the dating reality show, their inexperience in relationships made it difficult to mingle, with male and female contestants staying awkwardly apart from each other. Among the male contestants, one froze and couldn’t speak in front of women. One stru

Aug 3, 2025By Park Jin-hai

‘Better Late Than Single’ wins global hearts with awkward but honest approach

Shows & Dramas

Kim Nam-gil says 'Trigger' is about people, not guns

Netflix series "Trigger," which was released Friday, is a gun disaster action thriller that tells the story of two men who take up arms for their own reasons amid a continuous stream of gun incidents and the delivery of illegal firearms from unknown sources in Korea, a country widely perceived as being gun-free. With its release coming just days after a rare and shocking shooting in Korea involving a man in his 60s who killed his son with a homemade gun on July 20, the story presented by "Trigger" became highly timely, to the point where it can no longer be dismissed as unrealistic. Lead actor Kim Nam-gil was surprised and felt very sorry for the victims when he heard the news of the real-life shooting. "I only learned about the incident through the news and since I don't know the full circumstances, it's hard to say anything definitive. However, I was surprised that such an incident occurred in our country. I thought this only happened in other countries," he said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul on Tuesday. "As a real-life incident occurred, my attitude towar

Jul 29, 2025By Park Jin-hai

Kim Nam-gil says 'Trigger' is about people, not guns

Shows & Dramas

'S Line' director depicts world where secret sex lives appear as red lines

The Wavve original drama “S Line,” concluded last Friday, drew much attention immediately upon its debut with its provocative premise — in which a red line connects people who have had sexual relations. The six-part drama, starring Lee Soo-hyuk, Lee Da-hee and K-pop girl group Oh My Girl member Arin, depicts the conflicts and desires of people after special glasses allowing anyone wearing them to see the once-hidden lines, triggering social chaos. “Being able to see the red line, called S Line in the show, is an expanded concept of the way we get curious about others' private lives while watching TV. Everyone wants to see, but no one wants to be seen,” director Ahn Joo-young said during an interview with The Korea Times at streaming platform Wavve's headquarters in Yeouido, southern Seoul, Monday. Hyun-heup (Arin), a key character in the series, is born with the rare ability to see the secret red threads. After the special glasses emerge, those who obtain them also gain a twisted sense of power, and as they begin using the lenses to satisfy hidden desires, they soon face grim

Jul 28, 2025By Park Jin-hai

'S Line' director depicts world where secret sex lives appear as red lines

Shows & Dramas

China suspected of copying Korean Netflix hit ‘Culinary Class Wars'

Controversy is brewing as Tencent Video's new cooking survival show, "Chef of China," is accused of copying the popular Korean Netflix show, "Culinary Class Wars." The claim extends beyond surface-level resemblance in concept or idea. Viewers point out the Chinese program is "nearly identical" to its Korean counterpart in key aspects, including its major concept, set design, the hierarchical casting structure of the competition and even specific production details. "Chef of China," which premiered on July 17, features 16 celebrity chefs alongside 84 aspiring culinary talents, just like "Culinary Class Wars." It even has a structure where a few star chefs compete against a larger number of rookie chefs. These contestants use nicknames instead of real names, and the stage arrangement, with famous chefs observing from a higher vantage point, is almost identical to the Korean program. "Culinary Class Wars" features Korean restaurateur Paik Jong-won and three-star Michelin chef Anh Sung-jae as judges, and prominent chefs such as Choi Hyun-seok and Lu Ching Lai as competitors. Upon its releas

Jul 25, 2025By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

Netflix series 'Aema' revisits Korea's legendary erotic film of 1980s

Hollywood stars show love for K-food

Rapper Sean raises over $1.6 mil. for descendants of independence fighters

80th Liberation Day Must-watch dramas, films on Korea’s independence struggle

KOFICE chief envisions Korea as Asia’s cultural hub

From warm meals to cold shoulders: 'One Meal Show' faces dilemma in changing era

‘Better Late Than Single’ wins global hearts with awkward but honest approach

Kim Nam-gil says 'Trigger' is about people, not guns

'S Line' director depicts world where secret sex lives appear as red lines

China suspected of copying Korean Netflix hit ‘Culinary Class Wars'

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