INTERVIEW Park Se-young feels emotional bond with character in 'Mental Coach Jegal' Actress Park Se-young plays the role of a counselor in the tvN series, “Mental Coach Jegal.” Courtesy of tvN Actress returns to small screen after 3-year recharging periodBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Park Se-young has made a small screen comeback with “Mental Coach Jegal,” picking up her acting career again following a three-year hiatus after the 2019 action series, “Special Labor Inspector.” Actress Park Se-young / Courtesy of CLN Company The actress, who has taken part in a series every year since her debut in 2011, said that returning after taking some time off has changed her approach to acting.“I usually get really nervous (when I'm acting). I'm a perfectionist so I have so many thoughts going on in my head and (now,) I consciously try to tell myself to let loose,” Park said during an interview with The Korea Times, held at the office of her agency, CLNov 14, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Kim So-hyun to lead new mystery romance series By Lee Gyu-leeActress Kim So-hyun / Courtesy of IEUM#Actress Kim So-hyun has confirmed the lead role in the upcoming mystery romance series, “Useless Lies” (direct translation), according to her agency, IEUM#. The new series will revolve around a murder suspect and a woman who has a special ability to detect lies coming together to uncover the truth to exonerate the suspect. Kim will play the role of the woman, named Mok Sol-hee, who has the ability to tell whether people are lying or not. Although she takes this special ability as a curse, she tries to make it useful by taking a job as a “liar hunter.”The series, which is expected to go on air next year, will be led by director Nam Seong-woo, whose previous work includes the 2018 period series, “100 Days My Prince,” and the 2021 romantic comedy series, “My Roommate is a Gumiho.”Kim, who debuted as a child actor at the age of eight, has played the lead roles in various series, including Netflix's romance series, “Love Alarm,” and the KBS' period series, “The Tale of NoNov 13, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
INTERVIEW 'Bargain' director expands short film into disaster series Tving's original series, "Bargain,” is based on the 2015 short film of the same name. Courtesy of TvingNew series helps boost Tving's subscription By Lee Gyu-leeTving's new series, "Bargain," which is adapted from a 2015 award-winning short film of the same name, extends the original plot into a crime, disaster dystopian series. Director Jeon Woo-sung of the series, "Bargain" / Courtesy of TvingFilmmaker Lee Chung-hyeon's short film follows a schoolgirl and a man bargaining for her services as a prostitute.But it turns out the girl lured him to the motel to steal and sell his organs. The plot was picked up for a six-part series, which was released on the streaming platform on Oct. 28. The new series developed the story into what happened after the original short film's ending. Amid the bargaining, the man, Noh Hyung-soo (Jin Seon-kyu), and the young woman, Park Joo-young (Jun Jong-seo), encounter an earthquake and get trapped in the building.Along with a few other survivors, including Ko Keuk-ryul (Chang Ryul), a customer who was desperate to buy an organ for his father, the twNov 10, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae cast for Disney+ original Star Wars series Leslye Headland, right, director of the upcoming original Star Wars series "The Acolyte," as well as series leads Lee Jung-jae, center, and Amandla Stenberg, left, are seen in this behind-the-scenes photo taken from the official Star Wars website. YonhapSmash-hit Netflix series "Squid Game" actor Lee Jung-jae will star in "The Acolyte," an upcoming Star Wars series to be streamed on Disney +, according to production company Lucasfilm."The Acolyte" is a mystery thriller written and directed by Leslye Headland for Disney+ and has begun production in Britain, Lucasfilm said in a release posted on its website Monday (local time).Among other main cast members are Amandla Stenberg of "The Hate U Give," Manny Jacinto of "Nine Perfect Strangers," and Dafne Keen of "His Dark Materials". The show will focus on the emergence of dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic Era, it said, without releasing its release schedule. (Yonhap)Nov 8, 2022
OTTs seek to diversify portfolio in streaming war The streaming service, Watcha, started a webtoon service in October. Courtesy of WatchaBy. Lee Gyu-leeThe over-the-top (OTT) service has been a booming industry in recent years, especially with the COVID-19 outbreak pushing people to stay inside.However, as the pandemic restrictions ease and competition intensifies in the OTT industry, platforms are seeking alternatives to diversify their business portfolios to secure their footing in the heated streaming war. Local streaming service, Watcha, has made its way into the webtoon business, servicing a series of original webcomics on its platform. The platform debuted eight original webcomics on Oct. 13, including the webtoon adaptation of its original reality series, “Join My Table.” It will update new episodes of the digital comics each week for subscribers to enjoy along with other video content on the platform at no additional cost.“Watcha has expanded its service to include webtoons and has initiated the process to develop into a multi-content platform beyond video streaming,” the company said in a statement. Nov 4, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
From Song Joong-ki to Kim Rae-won, series with big stars set for November From left, posters for the series “Reborn Rich,” “The First Responders,” and “Behind Every Star” / Courtesy of JTBC, SBS, tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeA string of series, starring big named stars like Song Joong-ki and Kim Rae-won as the leads, will go to air this month. JTBC's new fantasy series “Reborn Rich,” starring Song and Lee Sung-min, is finally slated to kick off on Nov. 18 after eager anticipation.Based on the webcomics of the same name, the upcoming series revolves around a loyal employee Yoon Hyun-woo (Song) who has dedicated his life to working for a wealthy conglomerate chairman Jin Yang-chul (Lee), and the chairman's family. Despite his loyalty, he gets framed for embezzlement and is murdered. He wakes up in the body of the family's youngest son and seeks to take revenge on the family while trying to discover who is behind his death.The series is led by director Jung Dae-yoon, who helmed hit series “W” and “She Was Pretty,” and is scripted by screenwriter Kim Tae-hee, whose previous work includes “SungkyNov 3, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Tving dating show 'EXchange2' garners worldwide popularity By Lee Gyu-leeThe poster for Tving's original show, “EXchange2” / Courtesy of TvingLocal over-the-top (OTT) platform Tving's original dating show, “EXchange2,” is enjoying popularity globally. According to the Hong Kong-based streaming service, Viu, which streams the show overseas, “EXchange2” has had a good performance on the streaming charts throughout September and October. In countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand, the show has remained in the top five on the streaming chart for unscripted shows. “Korean reality shows, along with Korean dramas, are very popular (nowadays). The amount of interest the viewers are taking toward 'EXchange2,' which stars ordinary people instead of celebrities, is just impressive,” an official from Viu said in a statement. Viu has been streaming several Korean dramas and reality shows that aired this year, including the heartfelt series, “If You Wish Upon Me,” the legal series, “Why Her,” and Tving's other original show, “Young Actors' Retreat,&Oct 31, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Yoo Seung-ho to lead Wavve's new series By Lee Gyu-leeActor Yoo Seung-ho / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentActor Yoo Seung-ho will be taking on his first over-the-top (OTT) original series with Wavve's new thriller, “Deal” (tentative title). The local streaming platform announced that the actor has confirmed that he will take the lead role, along with the rest of the cast members, actors Kim Dong-hwi from the film, “In Our Prime,” and Yu Su-bin from the series, “Crash Landing on You.”“From Yoo Seung-ho to Kim Dong-hwi and Yu Su-bin as the leads, the series will have these talented, young actors and strong characters. We ask for your anticipation and support,” it said in a statement. Based on the webcomics of the same name, the crime thriller series will revolve around two men in their 20s who kidnap their friend for a billion won ($701,500). Yoo will play Lee Joon-sung, who used to be an aspiring soccer player in high school but has since been struggling after giving up on his dream. As he tries to get a fresh start in life, he gets involved in the crime to abduct his friend.Kim Oct 30, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Korean reality shows surge onto global stage From left, posters for the music shows, “I Can See Your Voice,” and “King of Masked Singer,” and the dating show, “EXchange 2” / Courtesy of Mnet, MBC, Tving Korean unscripted show formats see high demand in global marketBy Lee Gyu-leeKorea has been taking center stage in the global entertainment industry, enjoying a boom with hit movies like “Parasite,” series such as “Squid Game” and a wave of K-pop artists including BTS. However, one area of entertainment, has, in the past, struggled to break through until now. Unscripted, reality TV shows have often failed to translate into major global successes, largely due to the language barrier and cultural differences as well as failing to present themselves as interesting and appealing to global audiences.Yet, more recently, Korean unscripted shows have been steadily garnering the spotlight from networks and production companies around the world, which are interested in buying the program formats in order to remake them iOct 28, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Suho, Lee Sang-yi talk about traveling together in 'Besties in Wonderland' Actor Lee Sang-yi, left, and EXO's Suho star in the new traveling reality show, “Besties in Wonderland." Courtesy of SBSBy Lee Gyu-lee K-pop boy group EXO's Suho and actor Lee Sang-yi gave a glimpse of their new reality show, “Besties in Wonderland,” saying that viewers will be able to see a new side of them through the program.SBS' traveling show, which kicks off at 9 p.m. Thursday, follows a group of celebrity best friends ― actors Lee Sang-yi, Lee Kyoo-hyung, Suho, Cha Seo-won, Lee You-young and Lim Ji-yeon ― going on a trip to Queensland, Australia. As they travel around different spots in the country, they experience various activities, from skydiving to scuba diving. The show is led by producer Lee Ji-won, who previously led the popular reality show, “Law of the Jungle.”“I have been wanting to travel somewhere with my friends, instead of for work. Although it was for the show, (when offered to join) I said I wanted to go right away without even checking my schedule because it was a trip with my friends from college, the Korea National UniversOct 27, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
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