Bae Suzy, Yang Se-jong to lead new Netflix series Actors Bae Suzy, left, and Yang Se-jong will star in the new Netflix original series “Lee Duna!” (direct translation). Courtesy of Management Soop, Blossom Entertainment By Lee Gyu-leeActors Bae Suzy and Yang Se-jong will co-star in the new Netflix original series, “Lee Duna!” (direct translation).The streaming platform announced, Monday, that the two actors have confirmed the leads in the upcoming series, led by celebrated director Lee Jung-hyo, whose previous works include the hit series, “Crash Landing on You,” and the drama series, “The Good Wife.”“Through 'Lee Duna!' director Lee Jung-hyo will present a heart-flattering, yet unfamiliar romance which people in their early 20s experience,” the platform said in the statement.The new romance series, based on the webcomic “The Girl Downstairs” by Min Song-ah, follows an ex-celebrity living with ordinary college students at a share house. Bae will play the title role, former K-pop star Lee Du-na. She used to be enormDec 13, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Local OTTs turn to reality shows to compete in streaming war From left are the posters for Wavve's reality show, “Merry Queer,” Tving's “High School Mystery Club,” and Coupang Play's “Workplace Romance.” Courtesy of Wavve, Tving, Coupang Play By Lee Gyu-leeLocal over-the-top (OTT) platforms are putting more emphasis on reality shows for their original content, seeking to acquire a comparative advantage in the heated competition among streaming services here. Tving unveiled its lineup of upcoming original shows for next year, which included 12 new shows and six franchised sequels or spinoffs. Of those, there are 11 reality shows, ranging from music documentaries and food shows to popular producer Kim Tae-ho's new variety show. “We intend to continue to expand our platform and its comparative advantage in 2023, based on Tving's strategy, which has made original shows successful,” the platform said in a statement, Monday.The upcoming reality shows include a baking survival show, “The Desert,” produced by the production team of dDec 12, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Pachinko' listed on AFI's best TV dramas of the year A poster for Apple TV+'s original series “Pachinko” / Courtesy of Apple TV+ By Lee Gyu-leeApple TV+'s original series “Pachinko” has been named one of the best TV programs of the year by the American Film Institute (AFI).The film organization announced this year's recipients of the AFI Awards, Saturday, recognizing 10 films and TV programs that are culturally and artistically representative of the most significant achievements this year. The eight-part series, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee, unfolds the survival and life of a Korean immigrant family across four generations from the perspective of the family's matriarch, Sunja (Kim Min-ha and Youn Yuh-jung). The epic saga follows the devastation, tragedy and survival of Koreans during Japan's 1910-45 forced occupation of Korea and as immigrants struggling to find a sense of belonging in a foreign land while holding onto their roots.The series has garnered acclaim since its release in Dec 12, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Under the Queen's Umbrella' writer responds to accusations of historical inaccuracies A scene from tvN recent series “Under the Queen's Umbrella” / Courtesy of tvN By Lee Gyu-leeThe writer and creator of tvN's “Under the Queen's Umbrella,” Park Ba-ra, responded to allegations that the period series contains inaccurate descriptions of Korean history.“I've looked through a countless number of journals, historic documents, and books to write one line while I scripted 'Under the Queen's Umbrella,'” the writer said in a written interview by the network. “And in the series, tons of gorgeous, traditional sceneries of the country appear, along with beautiful hanbok, binyeo (a Korean traditional hairpin), and Korea's traditional food like kimchi.”The 16-part period series revolves around a queen, Im Hwa-ryeong (Kim Hye-soo), who is a dedicated mother of three rowdy sons. Throwing away her pride and grace as a queen, she does what it takes to mold one of her sons into becoming the king of the Joseon Kingdom.The series has garnered popularity since kicking off Dec 11, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
New seasons, series galore due out later this month Posters for “Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area,” from left, “Missing: The Other Side,” and “Alchemy of Souls” / Courtesy of Netflix and tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeA string of new seasons of series like “Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area,” “Alchemy of Souls,” and “Missing: The Other Side,” are set to be released later this month. Netflix's original series “Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area,” a remake of the Spanish hit series, is rolling out Part 2 of the series, Friday, picking up the story of a group of bank robbers pulling off a heist at a mint operated by a unified Korea.Unlike the first season, which stayed faithful to the original series, the second season will invite a new character, Seoul (Lim Ji-yeon), a member of the team led by a criminal mastermind called "The Professor" (Yoo Ji-tae).The second seasons of the TvN series, "Alchemy of Souls” and “Missing: The Other Side,” will also go on air on Dec. 10 and 19, respectively. The fantasy romance series “AlchemDec 9, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Unlock My Boss' to unfold multigenre comedy detective story From left, actors Chae Jong-hyeop and Seo Eun-soo, director Lee Chul-ha, and actor Park Sung-woong pose during an online press conference for ENA's new series, “Unlock My Boss,” Wednesday. Courtesy of ENA By Lee Gyu-leeLocal network ENA's upcoming series, “Unlock My Boss,” based on the webtoon of the same name, will unfold a genre-bending story, stretching from comedy to thriller. The 12-part series revolves around IT developer Kim Sun-joo (Park Sung-woong), who is the founder and CEO of a large IT company. One day, on his way to pick up his daughter, he gets into a near-death accident and mysteriously becomes trapped inside a smartphone. When unemployed, down-and-out Park In-sung (Chae Jong-hyeop) finds the phone, Sun-joo offers In-sung 10 billion won to temporarily take over his CEO duties on his behalf while helping him find whoever is responsible for the accident along with his secretary, Jung Se-yeon (Seo Eun-soo). The series is led by director Lee Chul-ha, whoDec 8, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' 2nd-most searched keyword by S. Korean users in 2022: Google A scene from the Korean drama, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” / Courtesy of KTThe title of the mega-hit Korean TV series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" was the second-most popular search keyword on Google among South Koreans this year, the U.S. tech giant said Wednesday. The legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," aired on local cable channel ENA in June and available on Netflix, was just behind "climate change" on the annual trending list in South Korea released by Google."Ultrashort-term precipitation prediction" came in third on the search list, followed by "2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup" and "Itaewon crush," a tragic disaster in Seoul that claimed nearly 160 lives on the eve of Halloween.Netflix's Korean original crime thriller "Narco-Saints" placed seventh on Google's trending chart."Woo" is one of the hottest TV series in South Korea in 2022, featuring a lawyer who is brilliant with an outstanding memory but lacks social skills and empathy due to being on the autism spectrum.Its popularity continued overseas, topping Netflix's weekly viewership chart for non-English serieDec 7, 2022
Kim Hye-soo says she learned about motherhood in 'Under the Queen's Umbrella' A scene from tvN's series "Under the Queen's Umbrella" / Courtesy of tvN By Lee Gyu-leeActress Kim Hye-soo said that her role as a determined, eager queen in tvN's recent series “Under the Queen's Umbrella” taught her what a mother's love is. “I respect every mother in this world. (Through the series,) I've learned a lot about the power of a mother's love and love in general. I hope (the series) gave everyone in this world a sense of comfort,” she said through the network.Led by director Kim Hyung-sik, whose previous work includes the period series “Secret Door” (2014), the period drama series revolves around a queen (Kim) who is a dedicated mother of three rowdy sons. Throwing away her pride and grace as a queen, she does what it takes to mold one of her sons to become the king of the Joseon period, against her competitors. The 16-part series ended on Sunday with its highest viewership rating of 16.9 percent. Kim expressed gratitude toward the series' wrap, thankinDec 7, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Korean webtoon 'Romance 101' to debut as Japanese drama This image taken from TV Asahi shows the upcoming Japanese drama "Romance 101" based on a Naver webtoon. YonhapA Japanese drama based on popular Korean web-based cartoon series "Romance 101" will be aired on Japanese channel TV Asahi next month, according to industry sources Tuesday. TV Asahi and Naver Webtoon's Japanese-language service Line Manga teamed up for the campus romance drama starring rising Japanese stars, including Honda Kyoya, Toyoda Yudai and Otomo Karen. It is the first time that Naver Webtoon's intellectual property is being used for a Japanese drama production. The major Japanese broadcaster will air the drama's first episode on New Year's Day, which will be also available on its streaming service, Telasa. Since its release in 2017, the romance webtoon has been translated into eight foreign languages and attracted over 800 million views. It will be TV Asahi's second Korean webtoon adaptation, following "Roppongi Class," the Japanese remake of 2020 hit Korean series "Itaewon Class" based on a Kakao webtoon, aired in July. Roppongi is an entertainment district in TokyDec 7, 2022
2 Korean dramas nominated for Critics Choice Awards “Pachinko” is scheduled for release on March 25. Courtesy of Apple TV+ / Korea Times fileTwo Korean-language dramas, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" and "Pachinko," have been nominated as best foreign language series for this year's Critics Choice Awards.According to the nominations announced by the Critics Choice Association on Monday (U.S. time), Korean legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," aired on local cable channel ENA and available on Netflix, and Apple TV+ original series "Pachinko" were listed in the TV category, along with seven other series.Extraordinary Attorney Woo/ Korea Times file"Woo" revolves around a lawyer named Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), who is brilliant with an outstanding memory but lacks social skills and empathy due to being on the autism spectrum."Pachinko," based on the 2017 bestselling novel by Korean-American author Lee Min-jin, is a sprawling, multilingual epic that examines four generations of a Korean family during the Japanese occupation of Korea and the subsequent racism that followed.Winners will be announced at the 28th Critics ChoicDec 7, 2022
