Korean content industry on alert as Trump eyes 100% tariff on foreign filmsU.S. President Donald Trump's plans to impose a 100 percent tariff on movies made outside his country could, if realized, significantly threaten the thriving Korean content industry, which is heavily reliant on global streaming platforms, industry experts said Tuesday. Kim Dae-jong, a professor of business administration at Sejong University, said the actual implementation of a 100 percent tariff on foreign films and content "is highly likely to violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, and diplomatic friction with allies is inevitable." He said, "Currently, Korean content is distributed globally through streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney and Amazon. As Korean dramas and films have a significant proportion of overseas exports and investment, they could be directly hit if the U.S. strengthens regulations.” The professor warned that high tariffs or other trade restrictions could result in financial losses for Korean content companies and cause them to cut back on spending and new projects. “It is more reasonable to view the impact as a slowdown in growth rather than a completSep 30, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Korean remake of 'The Intern' confirms cast, begins filmingThe Korean remake of the globally successful film “The Intern” has finalized its cast, featuring top actors Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee, and officially began filming Monday, production companies Warner Bros. Korea and Anthology Studios said. The film is a localized adaptation of the 2015 Hollywood hit “The Intern,” which starred Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway. The Korean version, tentatively titled “Intern,” tells the story of Seon-woo (Han So-hee), the passionate CEO of a fashion company, who hires retiree Gi-ho (Choi Min-sik) as an intern; his wealth of life experience leads to an unexpected and meaningful workplace relationship. The production companies said the remake will be directed by director Kim Do-young and will also include actors Kim Kum-soon, Kim Jun-han, Ryu Hye-young and Kim Yo-han. Choi, arguably one of Korea's most famous actors, will portray a retiree who takes the internship to start a new chapter in his life — a role expected to showcase the actor’s irreplaceable presence and deep-seated acting skills. Han takes on the role of the charismatic CEO of aSep 30, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Yeom Hye-ran defies expectations in ‘No Other Choice’Actor Yeom Hye-ran said her latest role in Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” has allowed her to discover sides of herself she had never explored before. In the film, Yeom plays A-ra, the wife of Beom-mo (Lee Sung-min), a once-proud man who spirals into lethargy after losing his job. A-ra points out that the real problem lies not in his unemployment, but in how he responds to it. In a recent interview, Yeom recalled how Park drew on his own past for that scene. “The director once shared that after making ‘Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance’ (2002), he was crushed by a sense of failure. His wife told him, ‘The problem isn’t failure itself, but how you deal with it.’ That experience shaped A-ra’s line,” she said. Although she had long admired Park, Yeom admitted she was initially intimidated by his invitation to join the cast. “I’ve never been good with violent films, and some of his works scared me,” she said. “But even the smallest choices, like whether a line should use ‘this’ or ‘that,’ showed his meticulousness. Working with him sharpened all my senses.Sep 29, 2025By Hankookilbo
'No Other Choice' claims No. 1 spot in opening weekendPark Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" topped the weekend box-office chart, drawing over 600,000 moviegoers, data showed Monday. Released Wednesday, the black comedy attracted 609,274 viewers from Friday to Sunday, bringing its total admissions to 1.73 million, according to the Korean Film Council. 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. Two Japanese animated films — "Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc" and "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle Arc" — came in second and third with 311,706 and 116,881 moviegoers, respectively, during the weekend. Yeon Sang-ho's "The Ugly" ranked fourth with 90,000 admissions. The mystery drama, which premiered Sept. 11, has accumulated 907,387 viewers.Sep 29, 2025By Yonhap
BIFF 2025 30th Busan film festival closes on high noteThe 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) concluded its 10-day run Friday, solidifying its status as Asia’s top cinematic event and making a successful debut as a competitive film festival. Despite the challenges faced by the domestic film market, this year’s festival drew a total of 175,889 visitors, around 20,000 more than last year’s event. The festival introduced its new competitive section, the Busan Award, as it enters its third decade. The grand finale took place at the outdoor stage of the Busan Cinema Center, where the inaugural Busan Award winners were announced. The Best Film Award, regarded as the top honor, was given to Chinese director Zhang Lu’s “Gloaming in Luomu.” The movie was unanimously chosen by the jury, and Zhang, who won the festival's New Currents Award for new filmmakers in 2005, expressed his deep connection to the festival. “I stand here again after 20 years,” Zhang said. “I hope to be on this stage when BIFF celebrates its 100th anniversary.” “Gloaming in Luomu” depicts a woman’s journey to trace a former lover’s presence inSep 28, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
‘No Other Choice’ tops box office with record 330,000 moviegoers on opening dayDirector Park Chan-wook’s latest film, “No Other Choice,” drew more than 330,000 moviegoers on its opening day, taking the top spot at the box office. The film attracted 331,518 viewers on Sept. 24, according to the Korean Film Council, marking the highest opening day score of any Park film. It surpassed the debut numbers of “Decision to Leave” (114,589), his highest-grossing work “The Handmaiden” (290,024) and “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” (279,413). The strong debut is especially notable given the current slowdown in theater attendance. It also edged past recent box office hits such as “Exhuma,” which opened to 330,118 last year on its way to 10 million admissions, and “12.12: The Day,” which launched with 203,813 viewers in 2023 before becoming the year’s most-watched film. Park’s signature humor resonates “No Other Choice” tells the story of Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), an office worker who believes he has achieved all he could want in life until he is suddenly laid off. Struggling to protect his family and home, he embarks on a fierce battle to reenter theSep 26, 2025By Hankookilbo
Films to watch at Chuseok this yearWith a full week of Chuseok and other holidays ahead from Oct. 3 to 9, there’s no better time to escape into the big screen. From dark comedies and gangster spoofs to touching animations, this year’s lineup offers something for every kind of moviegoer. This year’s box office race is heating up with highly anticipated domestic films — Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice,” the gangster comedy “Boss” and Yeon Sang-ho’s low-budget feature “The Ugly,” alongside Hollywood film “The Wedding Banquet” and animated features such as “Bad Girl: Run Hani,” “Your Letter” and “Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc.” The movie lineup for the holiday season presents a fascinating mix of genres. “Oldboy” director Park’s “No Other Choice,” which premiered on Wednesday, is a black comedy about a man’s desperate battle to regain control of his life after being abruptly laid off. Starring Lee Byung-hun, the film has already garnered praise at the Venice, Toronto and Busan film festivals. While the story is dark, the film is noted for being more accessible thanSep 26, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
InterviewAudiences may find healing in slow pace of sincerity in 'Your Letter,' says directorDirector Kim Yong-hwan sought to translate the original comic version’s emotional impact into a unique animated experience in his debut feature film, “Your Letter.” "When I first read the original work, a beautiful resonance remained," Kim told The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul Thursday. "The sincerity contained in the letters and the characters' kind actions created a powerful emotional echo. Translating that unique sensibility into the animation was crucial." Adapted from the webtoon of the same title, the film follows transfer student So-ri as she embarks on a nostalgic scavenger hunt, guided by a series of mysterious letters she finds in her desk. Though he considered various plot approaches in the early stages, Kim thought maintaining the core of the original was essential. "Our primary mission was to effectively translate the webtoon's emotional strength into animation," he said. The team expanded on the 10-episode source, adding new settings and story layers to create a distinct cinematic version. Kim believes the central role of the letter is what helps the film stand out iSep 25, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
New killers expand ‘Kill Boksoon’ universe in thriller ‘Mantis’Upcoming Netflix movie "Mantis" expands the universe of the 2023 action thriller "Kill Boksoon," this time focusing on a new generation of contract killers. "It's a spin-off of 'Kill Boksoon,' a story about Mantis, who was mentioned about twice in 'Kill Boksoon' as being on vacation. Because of Gil Bok-soon (Jeon Do-yeon), M.K. ENT (a killer organization) is in chaos," director Lee Tae-sung said during a press conference at a theater in Seoul Thursday. "If Gil Bok-soon and Cha Min-kyu (Sul Kyung-gu) were the top figures of their generation, this film describes stories of younger generation killers." "Mantis" is an action movie that depicts the showdown for the top position in the contract killing industry among Han-ul (Yim Si-wan), an A-list killer also called Mantis, who returns after a vacation; his trainee contemporary and rival Jae-yi (Park Gyu-young); and retired killer Dok-go (Jo Woo-jin). Lee explained that he co-wrote the script with director Byun Sung-hyun, who directed the previous film, and wanted to tell a story about what happens after the killer organization M.K. ENT collapSep 25, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ puts global spotlight on Japan’s colonial pastThe worldwide popularity of the Netflix animated series “KPop Demon Hunters” has unexpectedly drawn attention to the atrocities committed under Japanese imperialism. The trigger was curiosity about a tiger character dubbed Derpy, which set off what some online users are calling a butterfly effect. TikToker Jay posted a video on her channel on Sept. 15, with a caption saying, “Just found out Japan took out all the tigers Korea had for generations last century from watching and searching up the tigers history in kpop demon hunters...” The video, showing Jay’s dismay, went viral, gaining more than 1.2 million views and 190,000 likes as of Wednesday. The tiger, who appears alongside the magpie character Sussie in the film, was inspired by traditional Joseon-era (1392-1910) paintings of tigers and magpies known as “hojakdo.” Together, they guide the protagonists Rumi and Jinu between the land of the living and the afterlife. Jay said she was drawn to Derpy’s charm, which led her to discover the history behind the extermination of Korean tigers. During the Japanese colonial perioSep 25, 2025By Hankookilbo
