InterviewKore-eda explores human nature, imagination in 'Sheep in the Box'Renowned Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda has focused on the concept of unseen imagination as the ultimate message of his new sci-fi film "Sheep in the Box." The movie, which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival last month, follows human parents (Haruka Ayase as the mother and Daigo Yamamoto as the father), who adopt a 7-year-old "humanoid" robot Kakeru (Rimu Kuwaki) to replace their deceased son. The film’s title is inspired by an episode in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novel “The Little Prince,” where a pilot draws a box and tells the prince a sheep is inside to satisfy the boy's imagination. Kore-eda gave the film an ambiguous ending where the parents leave the robot boy in a forest because he believes there should be a certain emotional distance between humans and an entirely different entity, like the adopted humanoid. "The adults do not go into the forest. Instead, they return. It doesn't end with 'everyone lived happily ever after,'" Kore-eda told The Korea Times at film distributor NEW’s office in Seoul, Friday. "But I believed those who returnJun 7, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Review‘Pilgrims’: Korean SF animation utopia that chooses to fall shortWhat would it take to walk away from a world without grief, illness or heartbreak — and is that kind of paradise even worth staying in? “Pilgrims,” the new Korean animated feature adapted from Kim Cho-yeop’s widely translated short story of the same title, poses that disquieting question. The film centers around a group of young adults who abandon a meticulously utopian planet where pain and sorrow have been engineered out of existence for a flawed and wounded Earth and confront the emotional and ethical costs of a life without suffering. In recent years, Korean SF, particularly by female writers like Kim, has been increasingly recognized for centering questions of care, otherness and the limits of progress. Rather than racing toward distant galaxies or celebrating technological conquests, these works dwell on relationship, fragile bodies and ethical ambiguities of “improvement,” in quiet contrast to the long-dominant strain of Western mainstream SF. The film arrives with substantial anticipation against that backdrop. Kim’s “If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light,” whicJun 5, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Zombie thriller 'Colony' hits 4 mil. admissionsThe Korean film "Colony" continued its upward streak, drawing more than 4 million admissions since its release last month, data showed Thursday. The star-studded blockbuster reported 4,043,762 accumulated admissions as of Wednesday, adding 331,493 admissions from the previous day, according to the data released by the Korean Film Council. The milestone came on the 14th day of its release, marking the fastest pace by a film released in South Korea this year. "Colony" is the latest zombie thriller from director Yeon Sang-ho, whose previous works include "Train to Busan" (2016). It follows biotechnology professor Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun) and a group of survivors who fight to escape a building quarantined due to a virus outbreak. The blockbuster also stars Koo Kyo-hwan as a lone wolf researcher who controls zombies, and Ji Chang-wook and Kim Shin-rok as survivors battling the zombies, alongside Jun. "Wild Sing," a Korean comedy featuring Gang Dong-won, meanwhile, logged 160,760 admissions Wednesday, ranking No. 2 at the box office, according to the data.Jun 4, 2026By Yonhap
Eerily nostalgic liminal spaces become destinations in Korea's crowdsourced 'Backrooms Map'Horror movie "Backrooms" opened in Korea May 27, drawing in nearly 400,000 admissions in its opening week and quickly rising to the No. 2 spot in the box office amid heavy competition with highly anticipated blockbusters. "Backrooms" is a horror movie directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons and based on his miniseries on YouTube of the same title, featuring infinitely sprawling and vaguely nostalgic rooms and passageways — in-between spaces beckoning the foolish and the foolhardy to enter. While the iconic mildewed wallpaper and the hum of fluorescent lighting are hard to find, the aesthetic of liminality — of being in between destinations — is one that has resonated with many viewers. Following the movie's release, a crowdsourced "Backrooms Map" launched, allowing for intrepid urban explorers to visit spaces around Korea that seem transient and half-remembered. Liminal horror draws in younger audiences The concept of the Backrooms, originating in a post to an anonymous image board in 2019, is the face of liminal horror, a modern subgenre of horror that focuses around transitionary spaJun 4, 2026By Kim Young-moo
Can Korean cinema sustain its rebound?After years of struggling to recover from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea's film industry is finally showing signs of life again. Driven by a string of local box office successes led by the historical drama “The King's Warden,” Korean films have regained momentum in theaters this year, raising hopes that the industry may be emerging from one of the most difficult periods in its history. According to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the nation's theaters attracted 31.9 million admissions during the first quarter of 2026, up 53.2 percent from 20.82 million a year earlier. Total box office revenue rose 58.7 percent year-on-year to 318 billion won ($211.2 million). Korean films accounted for much of that recovery. Domestic films generated 233.3 billion won in ticket sales and drew 24.01 million viewers during the January-March period, more than double the previous year. The biggest contributor was “The King's Warden,” which became a rare phenomenon in the postpandemic era. The film, which opened on Feb. 4, attracted 15.73 million viewers in the first quarter aloneJun 3, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
'Colony' director seeks experimental turn in AI era“It has been 10 years since I started making commercial films,” director Yeon Sang-ho said. “During that time, I spent years collaborating within commercial cinema and streaming platforms. While shooting 'The Ugly' last year, I began longing to work within a new system. For the next 10 years, I want to work in a different way from the past 10 years. I have a strong desire to try more experimental things.” Yeon, who helped expand Korean zombie cinema with "Train to Busan" and "Peninsula," has returned with his third zombie thriller, "Colony." The film follows survivors trapped inside a building sealed off after the outbreak of a mysterious infection. Its central idea is the "evolved zombie," a concept Yeon connects to questions about the collapse of individuality in the age of artificial intelligence. In a recent interview at a Seoul cafe, Yeon said he focused on expressing "collective intelligence, evolution and the harm they can cause" in an intuitive way. "I thought about how far humans and groups can evolve," he said. Since opening May 21, "Colony" has sold more than 3.1 millioJun 2, 2026By Hankookilbo
Haenam County turns Na Hong-jin's 'Hope' filming site into retro tourist drawHaenam County, South Jeolla Province, plans to turn the main filming location of Na Hong-jin's Cannes competition title "Hope" into a 1970s and '80s-themed tourist draw. The county announced Thursday it is developing the project in the rural village of Namchang. The area served as the fictional Hopo Port in the Demilitarized Zone during a 100-day shoot that began in October 2023. The county will invest 1.1 billion won ($730,000) to merge the film sets with local resources. As part of the initiative, the local bus terminal will be remodeled to resemble the film's police station and serve as a visitor information center. Commercial storefronts will reinstall signboards used during the production. The street will also feature movie props, including sculptures of aliens and mysterious creatures, as well as a vintage Hyundai Stellar police car. The county plans to expand tourist infrastructure by installing information boards detailing the film's background and production process at key locations. Additionally, photo zones will connect to historical sites such as Dallyangjinseong Fortress, HaJun 1, 2026By Hankookilbo
'Colony' tops weekend box office, breaking 3 mil. admissionsThe zombie thriller "Colony" topped the weekend box-office chart, drawing more than 3 million admissions since its release, data showed Monday. The Korean film had logged 3,474,934 accumulated admissions as of Sunday, adding 971,034 admissions over the weekend, according to the data released by the Korean Film Council, which compiles admissions from Friday through Sunday for its weekend chart. It hit the 3-million milestone on its 10th day of release Saturday, faster than the 14 days it took the megahit "The King's Warden" (2026) to reach. "Colony" is the latest zombie thriller from director Yeon Sang-ho, whose previous works include "Train to Busan" (2016). It follows biotechnology professor Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun) and a group of survivors who fight to escape a building quarantined due to a virus outbreak. The blockbuster also stars Koo Kyo-hwan as a lone wolf researcher who controls zombies, and Ji Chang-wook and Kim Shin-rok as survivors battling the zombies, alongside Jun. It premiered at the Midnight Screenings section of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival last month. On the weekendJun 1, 2026By Yonhap
InterviewUm Tae-goo showcases unexpected rapper charms in 'Wild Sing'Actor Um Tae-goo is widely recognized for his deep, husky voice and quiet personality. Having built a reputation through intense, dark roles, the actor has rarely been associated with high-energy comedy. However, the 42-year-old is set to shock audiences by transforming into a rapper in the upcoming comedy film "Wild Sing." Um portrays Sang-gu, who constantly talks in a high voice, loves hip-hop and even makes cute faces while dancing. The actor said Thursday that taking on this unconventional character was a terrifying challenge that pushed him to his physical and mental limits. "Everything about this role was a burden, including the comedy genre itself, the rapping and keeping the character's tension so incredibly high," Um told The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul. "Intellectually, I always knew that comedy is the most difficult genre of acting, but experiencing it made me realize how truly challenging it is to make someone laugh. I now deeply respect actors who specialize in this field." Directed by Sohn Jae-kon, "Wild Sing" follows Triangle, a former idol group that attempts a comebackMay 28, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Review'Wild Sing' revisits K-pop's early days with heart and humorAt a time when retro is back in style, a movie filled with the late 90s, early 2000s aesthetics of the K-pop scene paying homage to first-generation acts, such as H.O.T. and Shinhwa, does not come as a complete surprise. In the Korean comedy "Wild Sing," starring actors Gang Dong-won, Uhm Tae-goo and Park Ji-hyun and directed by Son Jae-gon, the ensemble faithfully reenacts the earlier days of the K-pop industry as top-ranking idol dance group Triangle. Gang plays Hyun-woo, the group's good-looking but somewhat clumsy leader, while Uhm and Park portray Sang-gu, the youngest member of the group and rapper, and Do-mi, the trio's sole female member who serves as the actual leader of the group behind the scenes, respectively. The film does a solid job in reviving the aesthetics of the past, ranging from a sand-filled playground (which have been mostly replaced with urethane foam blocks) where Hyun-woo practices his head spins to televised broadcasts featuring live telephone votes by fans for top singers of the week. In terms of music style, it also captures the mid-90s mood of the K-pop scenMay 27, 2026By Yonhap
