InterviewSul Kyung-gu on tackling enigmatic role in Netflix black comedy ‘Good News’Veteran actor Sul Kyung-gu confessed he struggled with the mysterious role of Nobody in the Netflix film “Good News,” but ultimately put his faith in director Byun Sung-hyun for their fourth film together. "This was a role I'd never done before," Sul said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Monday. "It was the first time I was given such an abstract character, and I felt confused. I questioned my own acting until the very end." He explained that Byun intentionally crafted his character Nobody to be detached from others and exaggerated. He added that the character's unusual nature sometimes required him to act as a commentator, looking directly at the camera, which he found awkward. "The director said that all the characters are somewhat 'floating,' and I had to 'float' even more. I developed the character by trying to look flashy and dramatic, like someone putting on a show for those in charge,” he said. Released on Oct. 17, “Good News” is a black comedy-drama inspired by the 1970 Yodogo hijacking incident, where members of the Japanese Red Army FactionOct 20, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Park Chan-wook wins best director at Sitges for 'No Other Choice'Director Park Chan-wook has won the Best Director award for his latest dark comedy, "No Other Choice," at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain, the movie's local distributor, CJ ENM, said Monday. The celebrated Korean auteur was honored during the 58th edition of the festival, which has been renowned for celebrating fantasy and horror genres since its inception in 1968. Based on the 1997 satirical thriller novel "The Ax" by American novelist Donald E. Westlake, the film follows the story of Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun), a desperate father of two who wages his own personal war for survival after losing his long-time job. Park is a frequent honoree at the Spanish festival. His previous wins include Best Film for "Oldboy" in 2004 and the Grand Audience Award for the erotic thriller "The Handmaiden" in 2017. The Sitges honor is the latest in a string of international accolades for "No Other Choice." Last month, it won the International People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and competed for the prestigious Golden Lion at this year's Venice International Film Festival.Oct 20, 2025By Yonhap
‘Your Letter’ shines on global stage with pre-sales in 166 countriesThe Korean animated film, "Your Letter," achieved a milestone by securing overseas distribution and pre-sales in 166 countries, its distributor Lotte Entertainment said Monday. Among the countries where the film has been pre-sold are Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Italy, Spain and the U.K., highlighting its broad international appeal. “The film's overseas release schedule began with Vietnam on Oct. 10, [which will then be] followed by Indonesia on Oct. 22, Malaysia on Oct. 23 and Singapore and Thailand on Oct. 30. It is scheduled to meet audiences in North America in early 2026,” Lotte Entertainment said. Directed by Kim Yong-hwan, “Your Letter” is an animated feature film that tells the story of So-ri, a transfer student who accidentally discovers a mysterious letter in her desk drawer. Following the hints in the first letter, she embarks on a journey to find the subsequent messages. The animation gained attention as singer Lee Su-hyun of duo AKMU performed the voice of So-ri and also sang songs for the soundtrack of this film. The film has already demoOct 20, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
'The World of Love': quietly powerful film that celebrates life's resilienceAt 18, Lee Joo-in (Seo Su-bin) seems to have everything. She's the class president, a top student and effortlessly popular among her peers. While her main preoccupation seems to be romance, she navigates life with a bright, confident energy, living a full and seemingly ordinary life despite a shadow in her past. Her world is shaken when news breaks that a notorious child sex offender is being released from prison and returning to live in her very neighborhood. Alarmed for his younger sister, Joo-in's classmate Su-ho (Kim Jeong-sik) starts a petition to protest the man's return. Every student in the school signs without hesitation — except Joo-in. She refuses, objecting to the petition's wording, which leads to a tense confrontation with Su-ho. In a burst of anger, Joo-in blurts out something that stuns her classmates into silence. Soon after, she begins receiving mysterious, anonymous notes. "The World of Love" marks the long-awaited return of director Yoon Ga-eun, six years after her acclaimed films "The World of Us" (2016) and "The House of Us" (2019). Known for her sensitive and autOct 20, 2025By Yonhap
Korean film industry seeks lifeline amid crisis of investment, creativityKorea’s burgeoning cultural content industry is facing a serious financial crisis, with the local film sector, which currently relies heavily on a single success formula such as “The Roundup” series, facing structural challenges that many believe cannot be solved by government emergency funding alone. On Thursday, Chae Hwi-young, minister of culture, sports and tourism, sounded the alarm at a cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jae Myung, saying that Korea’s cultural industry has become a significant tool to raise national brand awareness, but faces serious challenges. “K-culture is not merely a cultural phenomenon. It is a core engine of our economy and a future source of growth,” the minister said at the presidential office in Seoul. “However, the K-culture production scene I have visited indicates a tremendous crisis with no breakthrough in sight. Emergency government funds are desperately required to serve as a catalyst for recovery. Money must circulate first.” The culture minister highlighted the domestic film industry as the most desperate sector. He notOct 17, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
‘Assassins’ unites Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, Lee Min-ho in tense political thrillerVeteran director Hur Jin-ho’s upcoming film, “Assassins,” has unveiled a powerhouse cast featuring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho. The film dramatizes the shocking attempted assassination of President Park Chung-hee on Aug. 15, 1974 — one of the most turbulent days in modern Korean history — through an intense, suspense-driven narrative. Produced by Hive Media Corp., the studio behind acclaimed hits such as “Yadang: The Snitch,” “12.12: The Day,” “The Man Standing Next” and “Inside Men,” the film is already generating strong anticipation ahead of its 2026 release. Yoo, one of Korea’s most versatile and beloved actors with four “10 million viewer films” to his name — including “Exhuma,” “A Taxi Driver,” “Veteran” and “The King and the Clown” — plays a police inspector who witnesses the fateful incident firsthand. Known for his sharp intuition and dogged determination, his character is expected to bring depth and intensity to the film’s investigation. Park, who previously worked with Hur in “The Last Princess” and deliveredOct 16, 2025By Hankookilbo
From SM trainee to Billboard No. 1: EJAE credits early struggles for global triumph of ‘Golden’For years, EJAE’s low, husky voice was dismissed as a flaw in the polished world of K-pop. Today, it’s the sound behind “Golden,” the soaring anthem from Netflix’s hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” that catapulted her to global fame. The Korean American singer-songwriter, who both composed the track and performed it alongside vocalists Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, reflected on her path to becoming the voice of the film’s protagonist Rumi during a press conference in Seoul Wednesday. “Thinking back to my time as an SM trainee until I became who I am now, I believe everything happens when the time is right. Everything seems to have a reason,” EJAE said. EJAE, whose real name is Kim Eun-jae, wrote other songs for the film’s soundtrack, including “Your Idol” and “What It Sounds Like.” The sudden international attention she’s received since the film’s release has been both overwhelming and gratifying. “Two months ago, I was just a composer, but suddenly I’m receiving such great love and attention, which is very new to me,” EJAE said. “Every day is amOct 15, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
AI takes lead in 'Run to the West,' leaving narrative behindThe promotion of the action-fantasy film "Run to the West" has focused more on its use of artificial intelligence (AI) in creating visual effects than on its own cinematic merits. As a result, viewers are left to analyze the technical execution of the AI-assisted visuals, rather than becoming immersed in the narrative itself. The sentiment is also echoed by the cast. At Monday's press conference, lead actor Byun Yo-han joked that he felt as if he was attending "some kind of a scientific hearing" and he feels "like I need to prove something here." The actor portrays Jang-won, a national intelligence officer tasked with protecting Jae-beom (Yang Se-jong), a presumed billionaire who amassed his fortune through illegal gambling operations in the Philippines. While engaged in a car chase, Jang-won, Jae-beom and others are suddenly caught in a car accident. The next thing they know, they have been transported to "the intermediate world," a concept from Buddhism referring to the space where the soul stays after death before moving on to their next life. In this chaotic, in-between realm, they arOct 15, 2025By Yonhap
Black comedy 'Good News' reimagines real-life hijacking for modern eraThe upcoming Netflix movie "Good News" is based on a true story but will present a narrative that can resonate with the current generation through reimagined characters, director Byun Sung-hyun said. "This film was inspired by the true story of a plane hijacking incident that occurred in the 1970s. It doesn't completely follow the true story," Byun said during a press conference at a hotel in Seoul Tuesday. "We incorporated a story that can be relevant to the current generation. We wanted to show this through recreated characters, not real people." The black comedy film is based on the Yodogo hijacking incident, a 1970 event where nine members of the Japanese communist group Red Army Faction hijacked a plane traveling from Tokyo to Fukuoka and demanded the pilots fly to North Korea. Yodogo was a nickname for the aircraft. Sul Kyung-gu, one of the lead actors, plays Nobody, a mysterious troubleshooter whose name is not known. Sul said he had many concerns about playing the character. "This character was neither this nor that and just called as Nobody. So, honestly, I was confused," said SulOct 14, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
The ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ composer who made her own hit ‘Golden’ too high to singSinger-songwriter EJAE, best known for her work on the record-breaking Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” opened up about the challenges of performing her own hit song “Golden” live. During her guest appearance on KBS Cool FM’s “Lee Eun-ji’s Gayo Plaza” on Monday, EJAE spoke candidly about the pressure that comes with performing a song she composed herself — especially one that dominated the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks. In the film, EJAE provided the singing voice for Rumi, a member of the animated girl group Huntrix, and also wrote and composed “Golden” — the movie’s centerpiece song. She also arranged several other key tracks featured in the film. “Of course there’s pressure,” she said when asked whether the song’s high notes make live performances difficult. “It’s an animation, and the story behind the character was more important. If I had written it for real singers, I would have made it differently.” EJAE explained that the song intentionally includes extremely high-pitched sections to reflect Rumi’s emotionaOct 13, 2025By Xportsnews
