Entertainment - The Korea Times

'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' rises to third on global Netflix chart

A scene from Korea's legal drama series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" / Screencaptured from ENAKorea's legal drama series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" is becoming a sensation in a growing number of foreign countries, having cracked the top five in a global Netflix TV program chart.The 16-part series placed third on the streaming analytics company FlixPatrol's daily global chart for popular TV programs on Netflix on Thursday, about a month after it went on air.By country, the show topped the top 10 TV program chart in a total of 20 countries, including Korea, Bahrain, Bolivia, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.It ranked second in Bangladesh, Chile, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, Jordan, Morocco, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and El Salvador, and third in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India and Panama.In the United States, the show debuted on the regional top 10 list at No. 9.The legal drama, which revolves around Woo Young-woo, a genius but autistic rookie attorney at a top law firm, has captured the attention of viewers in Korea and abroad. Aire

Jul 29, 2022

'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' rises to third on global Netflix chart

'Spicy' R-rated talk show 'Witch Hunt' returns for season 2

A poster for Tving's talk show, “Witch Hunt 2022” / Courtesy of Tving By Kwak Yeon-soo“Witch Hunt,” an R-rated talk show that received a huge amount of attention among young people by talking frankly about sex and dating while giving out practical relationship advice, is returning for a second season after seven years.The first season, which was aired on JTBC between 2013 and 2015, not only addressed topics that are popular with young people, but also included viewer involvement by inviting audience members on the talk show and letting them share their relationship problems. The term, “green light,” which translates to a “good sign of love,” was popular among young people after being used on the show.“Dating culture is constantly changing, but there is not enough content that deals with two sides of love: one bright side and the other dark side. I wanted to create a show that openly discusses how young people engage in romantic relationships and what makes them happ

Jul 28, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Spicy' R-rated talk show 'Witch Hunt' returns for season 2

A look inside BTS' mansion from 'In the Soop 2'

Seen above is a two-story mansion in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, July 25. It was featured in the second season of the “BTS In the Soop” reality show. Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo'BTS In the Soop' mansion available on Airbnb for $7 per nightBy Kwak Yeon-sooPYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― For BTS fans who cannot help but wonder if they could escape the stress of city life and relax in the countryside like BTS did in HYBE's “In the Soop” docuseries, there's a one-of-a-kind stay package to experience it for themselves. For just one night in August for just one lucky person and one companion, Airbnb will rent out the place where the global superstars enjoyed a brief getaway from the pressures of fame in the second season of “BTS In the Soop.” The residence is located in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, which is about a three-hour drive from Seoul. The 2018 Winter Olympics host city is well-known for its dense forests and mountain scenery.Multiple ski resorts as well as ranches with frolicking sheep and wind turbines are situated across mountain r

Jul 28, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

A look inside BTS' mansion from 'In the Soop 2'

Chinese online shopping malls hit for unauthorized use of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' images, piracy

Clothes shown in the Korean drama, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” are being sold on Chinese online shopping platform, Taobao. The images from the show were used illegally, with most of the products on it believed to be counterfeits. Captured from Taobao By Park Han-solChinese online shopping malls are cashing in on the popularity of the hit Korean series, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” through the unauthorized use of the show's images and sales of counterfeit goods. On Taobao, one of the biggest online shopping platforms in the country, vendors have been appropriating images from the show in order to assist in selling clothes and other items donned by actress Park Eun-bin, who plays the role of Woo Young-woo.They seem to offer everything from coats, blazers and skirts to leather shoulder bags and heels ― which came to form Woo's signature look ― at a wide range of price points, sometimes higher than that of genuine goods.The drama itself has also become subject to una

Jul 27, 2022By Park Han-sol

Chinese online shopping malls hit for unauthorized use of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' images, piracy

Director, writer of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' eager to tell story of those on autism spectrum

Writer Moon Ji-won, left, and director Yoo In-sik of ENA's hit series, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” pose during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of ENA Creators acknowledge shortcomings of seriesBy Lee Gyu-leeThe creators of the ongoing hit series, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” said that they wanted to tell the story of a person on the autism spectrum. “Normally for a story that features an autistic person, many creators would set the narrative to be from a non-autistic person and depict the autism spectrum from that person's perspective,” the series' writer, Moon Ji-won, said during a press conference at a hotel in Mapo District, western Seoul, Wednesday.“I wanted to put Woo Young-woo as the sole lead (of the series) and let viewers resonate with her directly without having any mediator in between.”ENA's 16-part series, which also streams on Netflix, follows Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), a genius lawyer on the autism spectrum, tackling challenges in

Jul 27, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Director, writer of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' eager to tell story of those on autism spectrum

Break up or make up: dating shows featuring ex-couples enjoy boom

A poster for Tving's dating show “EXchange” / Courtesy of Tving Dating shows feature former couples exploring former or new love By Lee Gyu-leeThe reality show, “We Got Divorced,” featuring former couples reuniting after their split, kicked off in November 2020 and created a buzz with its concept, as it was rare for divorced couples to star in a show together in Korea. The show that featured former celebrity couples reflecting on their relationship saw a strong viewership rating, earning a second season, which ended this month. Following the success of the show starring formerly married couples, a wave of dating reality shows for ex-couples, such as “EXchange” and “First Love, Again,” have hit the entertainment scene.Streaming platform Tving's reality show, “Exchange,” kicked off its second season on July 15, after garnering popularity with the first season in June last year. The show brings former couples, who broke up for various reasons, to live together. While r

Jul 26, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Break up or make up: dating shows featuring ex-couples enjoy boom

'Squid Game' actor, 'Street Woman Fighter' dancer to promote performing arts

Actor O Yeong-su, left, and dancer Monika, center, pose with Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Bo-gyoon in Seoul, Monday, after being appointed honorary ambassadors to promote Korea's performing arts. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismBy Kim RahnActor O Yeong-su and dancer Monika have been named honorary ambassadors to promote the nation's performing arts. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Monday, gave the honorary positions to O to promote performing arts-centered tourism, and to Monika to promote the 2022 Welcome Daehangno festival, which will be held later this year, in an attempt to better promote Korea's performance shows and relevant festivals as well as the Daehangno neighborhood, a mecca of plays and theater performances in the capital.O started his acting career by joining the theater company Kwangjang in 1967 and has appeared in more than 200 plays at theaters mostly in the Daehangno area. Although he had been familiar to Korean audiences for numerous supporting roles on TV, the 78-year-old rose to international fame last year for his rol

Jul 26, 2022By Kim Rahn

'Squid Game' actor, 'Street Woman Fighter' dancer to promote performing arts

Hackberry tree in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' draws visitors to small village

A hackberry tree sits atop Dongbu Village in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, which is witnessing a large number of visitors after it was recently featured in the series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.” The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) decided to review whether to designate it as a natural monument. Courtesy of CHA By Kim RahnA small farming village in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, is seeing a sharp increase in the number of visitors after a large hackberry tree there appeared recently in the hit series, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”The 500-year-old tree was featured in episodes 7 and 8 last week, where a fictional village called Sodeok-dong faces damage due to a road construction plan that bisects the hamlet and requires the tree to be cut down.Located atop a small hill at the center of the village, the so-called “guardian tree” symbolizes the value of the village in the ENA drama. A government review initiated to designate the tree as a natural m

Jul 25, 2022By Kim Rahn

Hackberry tree in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' draws visitors to small village

Seo Hyun-jin says 'Why Her' taught her more about herself

Actress Seo Hyun-jin played the role of Oh Soo-jae in SBS' recent series, “Why Her.” Courtesy of StudioS By Lee Gyu-leeActress Seo Hyun-jin said that her recent role as determined lawyer Oh Soo-jae in SBS' legal romance series, “Why Her,” led her to reflect on herself. “I learned more about working on the set and about me as a person through this series,” Seo said in an interview through her agency, Management Soop, Sunday, a day after the series ended. “This particular work had a long production time and required me to put energy into various aspects of it. It feels like the time went by so fast so I'm rather sad (that it's over).”Led by Park Soo-jin, who directed the romance series, “The Hymn of Death,” (2018) the 16-part series revolves around the youngest partner at Korea's top law firm, Oh Soo-jae, who is talented and is on her way to becoming the firm's best attorney, driven by a relentless desire to win. However, one day, she takes on a case that causes an un

Jul 24, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Seo Hyun-jin says 'Why Her' taught her more about herself

Park Bo-young, Yeon Woo-jin to star in new Netflix original series

From left, actors Jang Dong-yoon, Park Bo-young, Lee Jung-eun, and Yeon Woo-jin pose during the table reading for Netflix's upcoming original series, “Daily Dose of Sunshine.” Courtesy of Netflix By Lee Gyu-leeActors Park Bo-young and Yeon Woo-jin will be leading Netflix's upcoming original series, “Daily Dose of Sunshine,” led by director Lee Jae-Gyu, who previously led the platform's zombie apocalyptic series, “All of Us Are Dead.” The streaming platform announced Thursday that the two have confirmed their roles in its new series, along with Jang Dong-yoon and Lee Jung-eun. The drama series, which follows the story of people in a psychiatric ward, is based on the webtoon of the same name by Lee Ha-ra. The webtoon creator wrote the story based on her real experience as a psychiatric nurse. Park takes the role of a nurse, Jung Da-eun, who used to work in a different department and has been newly transferred to the psychiatric ward. As she becomes familiar with her n

Jul 22, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

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