'Extraordinary Attorney Woo's' take on autism spectrum becomes sensation Actress Park Eun-bin plays the title role in ENA's series, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” which has become very popular recently. Courtesy of AStory, KT Studio GeniePopular drama takes 'open-hearted approach' to people with disabilitiesBy Lee Gyu-leeAutism spectrum characters have popped up in Korean dramas or films once in a while. Yet, it seemed very rare for those characters to become the center of the show's spotlight, as they are rather placed in minor or supporting roles. However, the recent series, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” not only challenged such notions by having a lawyer on the autism spectrum as the lead character, but it also has proved that it can hit the right note and become a sensational series. Local cable network ENA's legal series, which also streams on Netflix, revolves around a character named Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), who is a genius but autistic newbie at a top law firm. Starting her first job after graduating from a prestigious law school at the top of her class, Woo tackles challenges and prejudice in and beyond the courtroom wJul 21, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' tops Netflix viewership chart for 2nd week Scenes from the Korean legal drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” / Courtesy of ENAThe Korean legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has topped Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows for the second consecutive week, the global video streaming service said Wednesday.The TV series, which has aired every Wednesday and Thursday on the cable channel ENA beginning June 29, marked 45.6 million hours of viewing for the week of July 11-17 to lead Netflix's official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, according to the company.It debuted at No. 1 on the chart last week and became the second Korean-made TV series that is simultaneously streamed on a local TV channel and on Netflix to rank No. 1 on the official viewership chart, following the romantic comedy "Business Proposal" (2022).The 16-part drama is also the eighth Korean-language show that has topped the weekly chart for the category that includes Netflix originals, like the global sensation "Squid Game" (2021) and "All of Us Are Dead" (2022).The series made the top 10 on Jul 20, 2022
Seoul drama awards to collect viewers' votes on best Korean, Asian actors By Kim RahnThe logo of the Seoul International Drama Awards / Screenshot from the SDA websiteDrama fans around the world are being encouraged to vote for their favorite stars for the 2022 Seoul International Drama Awards (SDA), according to the organizer of the event, Tuesday. The organizing committee of the annual SDA said it will collect votes for the three categories of awards: Outstanding Asian Star, Outstanding Performance (in a Korean drama), and Best OST. The voting for the 17th SDA will open from Aug. 1 for one month on Idol Champ, an app developed by Neowiz and MBC Plus, where fans can vote for various competition programs, having some 8 million users.For the Outstanding Asian Star category, fans will select up to five actors and actresses from Asian nations except for Korea. Last year's winners were Marcus Chang from Taiwan for “Lost Romance,” Amanda Manopo from Indonesia for “The Ties of Love,” Kentaro Sakaguchi from Japan for “Signal Special Episode,” Lusi Zhao from China for “Chang Ge Xing ― the Long Ballad,” and PP-Krit AmJul 19, 2022By Kim Rahn
August to offer many new drama series premieres Posters for KBS' new series, “If You Wish Upon Me,” left, and tvN's series, “Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist” / Courtesy of KBS and tvNKBS will release drama series 'If You Wish Upon Me,' legal romance series 'The Law Cafe'By Lee Gyu-leeAugust will see the premieres of an array of different genre series, from legal to period comedy dramas. KBS is set to roll out the new legal romance series, “The Law Cafe,” starring actor and singer Lee Seung-gi, who is returning from his powerful role as a psychopath in last year's mystery crime series, “Mouse.Based on the web novel of the same name, the new series, set to premiere on Aug. 29, revolves around two friends of 17 years, Kim Jeong-ho (Lee) and Kim Yu-ri (Lee Se-young), who run a combination law firm/cafe. Jeong-ho used to be a gifted prosecutor but is now a building owner. He joins hands with ferociously passionate lawyer Yu-ri to help clients with legal services through the cafe and law firm they run. The series is directed by Lee Eun-jin, who helmed the 2010 hit drama series, “Bread, LoveJul 18, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
INTERVIEW Jung Eun-chae felt cathartic playing role in series 'Anna' A scene from Coupang Play's original series “Anna” / Courtesy of Coupang Play Jung Eun-chae felt drawn to her role in series “Anna” from startBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Jung Eun-chae, who is familiar to global audiences for starring in the SBS fantasy series “The King: Eternal Monarch” and the Apple TV+ original “Pachinko,” shared that her recent role as a self-centered character in the Coupang Play original series “Anna” felt cathartic. The six-part drama series, which released its final episodes earlier this month, follows the life of a woman named Yu-mi (Bae Suzy), who was born to poor but loving parents. She has always been the intelligent and beautiful kid among her friends, but life doesn't seem to go in her favor as she grows up.Burdened by her parents' hopes and expectations and faced with constant failure, she steals the identity of her wealthy, bratty employer, Hyun-joo (Jung), going by her English name Anna. Under the new name, she attains the affluent, sophiJul 17, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Kang Daniel to host 'Street Man Fighter' Singer Kang Daniel / Courtesy of CJ ENM By Kim RahnK-pop star Kang Daniel will emcee “Street Man Fighter,” the male version of the dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter,” to be aired next month. CJ ENM said, Friday, that Kang will host the survival dance program on cable channel Mnet, which already gained a lot of public attention and brought a dance boom to Korea with its two previous shows last year, “Street Woman Fighter” and “Street Dance Girls Fighter.” On both shows, Kang was also the emcee.With the programs, the former B-boy has been dubbed a “dance-specialist host,” helping viewers better understand dance moves and rules of dance battles with easy explanations. He also danced with the contestants to draw cheers and reactions from the audience.“It is an honor to be an emcee of a dance program again with 'Street Man Fighter.' The upcoming show will be more exciting and more dynamic (than the previous ones), and I'll be the link between the dancers and tJul 15, 2022By Kim Rahn
Ji Chang-wook to lead KBS' new series 'If You Wish Upon Me' Posters for KBS' new drama “If You Wish Upon Me” / Courtesy of KBS By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Ji Chang-wook will play the lead role in the upcoming KBS series “If You Wish Upon Me,” directed by Kim Yong-wan, who helmed tvN's 2020 series “The Cursed.” The new drama revolves around Yoon Gyeo-rae (Ji) who works in a hospice center and fulfills the last wishes of terminally ill patients.Yoon is barely hanging onto life with no motivation to live. Growing up, he moved from an orphanage to a correctional facility and then to prison, which made him believe that rebuilding his life would be almost impossible. However, he opens up to people gradually in the hospice center and regains the will to live.Actors Sung Dong-il and Choi Soo-young will also star in the series. Sung will play the volunteer group leader while Choi will be a hospice nurse.The 16-part series will premiere on KBS2 on Aug. 10 at 9:50 p.m. and air every Wednesday and Thursday. Ji made his small screen debut in tJul 15, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korean drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' tops Netflix's weekly viewership chart A scene from the Korean drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" / Courtesy of ENAThe Korean drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has topped Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows, the global video streaming service said Wednesday.The TV series, which has aired every Wednesday and Thursday on the cable channel ENA from June 29, marked 23.9 million hours of viewing for the week of July 4-10 to lead Netflix's official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, according to the company.It became the second Korean-made TV series that is simultaneously streamed on a local TV channel and on Netflix to rank No. 1 on the official viewership chart, following the romantic comedy "Business Proposal" (2022).And it is the eighth Korean-language show that has topped the weekly chart for the category that includes Netflix originals, like the global sensation "Squid Game" (2021) and "All of Us Are Dead" (2022).The series made the top 10 on the most-watched non-English TV show table in 12 countries over the one-week period and topped the list in three nations,Jul 13, 2022
'Squid Game' wins 14 nominations including best drama series at Emmys This image released by Netflix shows a scene from the popular Korean series "Squid Game" which was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards, including one for best drama series. AP-YonhapThe survival drama "Squid Game" earned 14 nominations including best drama series at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the first Korean TV show to compete at America's biggest honor for the broadcasting industry.The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Tuesday (U.S. time) unveiled the final list of nominations for the 2022 Emmys awarded to best primetime TV programs from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022."Squid Game," a Korean-language Netflix original series, was up for 14 prizes, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Lee Jung-jae), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Jung Ho-yeon), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Oh Yeong-su and Park Hae-soo), Outstanding Directing and Writing For a Drama Series (Hwang Dong-hyuk) and Outstanding Guest Actress In a Drama Series (Lee You-mi)."Squid Game" is the first Korean-made content to be includJul 13, 2022
After investing big in dramas, Netflix targets unscripted shows Yoo Ki-hwan, the manager of content (non-fiction) at Netflix Korea / Courtesy of Netflix By Kwak Yeon-sooAs a move to expand its entertainment offerings, Netflix Korea is aggressively investing in various forms of unscripted series. The streaming giant unveiled four new forthcoming unscripted shows, including a dating show, a travelogue and a competition show.Netflix has released only six reality shows over the past four years: “Busted!” “Twogether,” “Paik's Spirit,” “The Hungry and the Hairy,” “New World” and “Single's Inferno.” Four of them have been released since October 2021. Yoo Ki-hwan, the manager of content (non-fiction) at Netflix Korea, explained that the streaming service is just in the beginning stages of expanding its slate of unscripted content.“We admit that, until recently, many viewers accidentally watched Korean unscripted TV shows after scrolling down for dramas and films. We've been slow in launching new reality shows. Beginning in the second haJul 12, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
