INTERVIEW Lee Sung-kyung felt liberated with her character in 'Call It Love' Actress Lee Sung-kyoung played the character Shim Woo-joo in the Disney+ original series “Call It Love." Courtesy of Walt Disney Company KoreaBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Lee Sung-kyoung shared that playing her apathetic, despairing character in Disney+'s original series, “Call It Love,” has been a liberating experience. Actress Lee Sung-kyoung / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea“Now I think of it, since filming wrapped, I felt so free playing the character of Woo-joo. I didn't see it during the filming because I was so focused on working on it. But when can I ever have another chance to be completely relaxed in front of so many people and just be myself, like you are allowed to not put effort into putting on a face,” she said, during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday, held at a cafe in Jongno District, central Seoul. “I could just focus on my own emotion because I played Woo-joo, which I really liked. I think it was liberation.” The 16-part melodrama series, which began releasing two episodes every week since Feb. 22, follows a woman naApr 12, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
Kim Seo-hyung waited 6 years for female-centric series 'Pale Moon' From left, actors Seo Young?hee, Kim Seo-hyung, and Yoo Sun pose during the press conference for the new thriller series “Pale Moon,” held at Lotte Cinema World Tower, in Songpa District, Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of KT Studio GenieBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Kim Seo-hyung expressed that she fell in love with the strong female-centric story of KT Studio Genie's new thriller series “Pale Moon,” and had been wanting for the past six years to join the project.Led by director Yoo Jong-sun, whose previous work includes the 2018 rom-com series “What's Wrong with Secretary Kim,” the new series revolves around a stay-at-home mom, Yoo I-hwa (Kim). In a childless marriage, Yoo lives a comfortable but somewhat empty life, dealing with her ambitious and power-hungry husband's indifference. One day, she gets a job offer to work at a bank. And when she starts stealing money from the bank's VIP clients, her life soon heads toward a pit of misery. The series, which kicked off Monday, is based on the Japanese novel “Paper Moon” by author Mitsuyo Kakuta. The novApr 11, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
Actor Kim Young-kwang conveys nuanced sadness in 'Call it Love' Actor Kim Young-kwang is seen in this photo provided by Disney+. YonhapKim Young-kwang has tried his hand at romantic comedies with good looks in his early career and steadily worked his way up to become an actor capable of delivering emotional depth with Disney+'s sad romance series "Call It Love."The model-turned-actor has taken several lead roles in romantic comedies since his debut in 2008, but he has recently captured attention with a serial killer role in Netflix thriller "Somebody" (2022) and a depressed, lonely male character in "Call It Love."The series follows Woo-joo (Lee Sung-kyung), who is kicked out of her home after her unfaithful father dies leaving his mistress. She decides to take revenge on the mistress' son, Han Dong-jin, played by Kim, but increasingly falls in love with the man.Kim introduced Dong-jin as a callous character who has become aloof to others due to pain stemming from his past relationships and family background. In the drama, his extravagant, selfish mother represents his major weakness, and his ex-girlfriend left an indelible scar on him. "Acting fApr 10, 2023
Yoo Hae-jin, Lee Je-hoon to co-star in director Choi Yoon-jin's new film Actors Yoo Hae-jin, left, and Lee Je-hoon / Courtesy of Keyeast and Company OnBy Lee Gyu-leeActors Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Je-hoon will co-star in the new film, “Moral Hazard” (tentative title). The film's distributor Showbox announced that the two actors have confirmed their roles and are set to begin filming this month. The upcoming movie will revolve around Korea's top soju manufacturer, on the brink of bankruptcy. Yoo will play the role of Pyo Jong-rok, who is the CFO of the distillery, while Lee will play the role of a global investor, Choi In-beom, who wants to acquire the company. The film will be helmed by director Choi Yoon-jin, whose previous work includes the mystery drama film, “Steel Cold Winter” (2013). and the thriller film, “Office” (2015). Yoo recently starred in the thriller period film, “The Night Owl,” which notched eight nominations at this year's Baeksang Arts Awards, including the best director. The awards are scheduled to be held on April 28. This will be Lee's first lead role in a movie since he starred in the 2020 Apr 8, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
'Duty After School' creators on breathing life into popular webcomics The series “Duty After School” follows a group of high school seniors fighting insect-like creatures. Courtesy of TvingBy Lee Gyu-leeThe creators of Tving's original series “Duty After School” said that they felt overwhelmed at first to make a live adaptation of the hit webcomics.“Duty After School” series director Sung Yong-il / Courtesy of Tving“The original webcomics were very popular and there are fans of that original work. So there was a lot of pressure on how they might accept the parts that changed” the series' director Sung Yong-il said during an interview with The Korea Times via video chat, Thursday.Based on the webcomics of the same name by the popular cartoonist Ha Il-kwon, the action thriller series follows students at Sungjin High School, fighting against insect-like creatures. When mysterious beings start to invade the world and attack humans, the Korean government makes it mandatory for all high school seniors, both boys and girls, to enlist in the armed forces. With only 50 days left to their university entrance exams,Apr 7, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
Netflix unveils reality show lineups spanning different genres From top-left, clockwise, producers Jung Hyo-min, Kim Jae-won, Jung Jong-yeon, Park Jin-kyoung and Lee Eun-kyoung pose during Netflix's press conference for unscripted shows, held in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeNetflix Korea is set to roll out a string of unscripted shows across different genres this year, ranging from dating and zombies to game competition.Yoo Ki-hwan, Netflix Korea's manager for unscripted content / Courtesy of NetflixYoo Ki-hwan, Netflix Korea's manager for unscripted content, said the platform will release seven more reality shows throughout the year ― a raunchy talk show called “Risque business,” “Siren: Survive the Island,” a female version of the “Physical: 100” competition show, zombie survival program, “Zombieverse,” a new season of the hit teen dating show, “Single's Inferno 3,” called “Nineteen to Twenty,” and survival game, “The Devil's Plan.”“This time around last year, we said we will launch Korean unscripted shows and we are grateApr 5, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
Lee Dong-wook's 'Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938' set for May premiere A poster for tvN's new fantasy series “Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938” / Courtesy of tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeTvN's fantasy series, “Tale of the Nine-Tailed,” starring Lee Dong-wook, will return for a second season in May. The network announced the series will go on air on May 6.The cast of “Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938” includes original actors Lee Dong-wook, Kim Beom and Kim Yong-ji, along with new cast members, Kim So-yeon and Ryu Kyung-soo. The 2020 series followed a mystical nine-tailed creature, or “gumiho,” named Lee Yeon (Lee), who comes to the world of humans to find his long-lost love, Nam Ji-a (Cho Bo-ah) while hunting down demons.The second season will be set in the 1930s, where Lee Yeon is summoned after an unexpected incident. With his loved one back home, Lee must find his way back to the present day.Kim Beom will reprise his role as Lee Yeon's younger brother, Lee Rang. Kim So-yeon will play the role of Ryu Hong-joo, who is a guardian spirit and the owner of a high-end restaurant in the city. Lee Yeon's appearance intrigues her amApr 4, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
Period drama 'Joseon Attorney' faces fierce ratings battle with 'Taxi Driver 2' A scene from the MBC's period legal series “Joseon Attorney” / Courtesy of MBCBy Lee Gyu-leeMBC kicked off its new period legal series, “Joseon Attorney,” on Friday, but the viewership ratings for the drama's premiere fell somewhat short of the broadcaster's lofty expectations. Having scored an average nationwide rating of 2.9 percent, it faces a fierce battle with SBS' 'Taxi Driver 2' whose ratings soared to all-time high of 18.3 percent.Based on the webcomic of the same name, it follows the revenge story of a lawyer named Kang Han-Soo (Woo Do-hwan) during the Joseon Dynasty. After his parents' tragic death, Kang becomes a lawyer to avenge those responsible for their murder. But as he takes on cases to defend people in need, he begins to learn the true meaning of seeking justice.The series is led by Kim Seung-ho, who co-directed the hit romance series, "Twenty-Five Twenty-One" (2022), and is scripted by Choi Jin-young, who penned the 2017 period romance series, "Queen for Seven Days." The Friday and Saturday episodes showed Kang moving to the capital city, HaApr 3, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee
Co-stars' romance blossoms behind scenes of 'The Glory' Actors Im Ji-yeon, left, and Lee Do-hyun monitor their performance during the filming of Netflix drama series "The Glory." Screencaptured from YouTubeBy Kim Se-jeong On April 1, actors Im Ji-yeon and Lee Do-hyun, who played roles in the popular Netflix series “The Glory,” confirmed that the two are dating. In the drama, Im plays the role of Park Yeon-jin, who bullied Moon Dong-eun in high school, the main protagonist, while Lee plays the role of a medical doctor who helps Moon take revenge.As Im and Lee appeared together in only a few scenes, Saturday's news made many wonder how they came to be a couple. According to local reports, 28-year-old Lee first became interested in Im and made advances to the 33-year-old actress who thought of him as a younger brother at first.The two got closer last summer following a team party of cast members.Since then, Lee reportedly never missed after-shooting cast and crew dinners of “The Glory” that Im attended and took the events as opportunities to get to know her. Last winter, people also spotted Im and Lee having a snow fiApr 3, 2023By Kim Se-jeong
Actors in Netflix series 'The Glory' dating A combined image of actors Im Ji-yeon, left, and Lee Do-hyun, each provided by their agencies ― Artist Company and Yue Hua Entertainment. YonhapActors Im Ji-yeon and Lee Do-hyun, who starred in the popular Netflix revenge thriller series "The Glory," are dating, their agencies said Saturday. In the drama, Im, 33, played the role of Park Yeon-jin, who took the lead in bullying protagonist Moon Dong-eun, while Lee, 28, played the role of a medical doctor helping Moon seek revenge. Im's and Lee's agencies ― Artist Company Co. and Yue Hua Entertainment, respectively ― said the actors "are cautiously getting to know each other with good feelings," confirming media reports that they were in a relationship. The agencies did not elaborate further. Im and Lee are rising stars in the Korean entertainment industry.Since debuting in 2011, Im has starred in various movies and dramas, including "Obsessed" (2014) and "Tazza: One Eyed Jack" (2019).Lee debuted in 2017 and has starred mostly in dramas, including Netflix's monster horror series "Sweet Home" (2020) and "Hotel Del Luna" (2019). Their latApr 1, 2023
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