'United Fathers' to show different cultural parenting styles Cast members of MBC's reality show, “United Fathers” ― from left, Alberto Mondi, Kim Na-young, Jang Yoon-jeong, In Gyo-jin, producer Lim Chan, and cast member Jiao Ji-ing ― pose during an online press conference for the show, Thursday. Courtesy of MBC By Lee Gyu-leeMBC's new reality show “United Fathers,” which debuted as a two-part pilot show in June, has earned a regular slot, set to kick off on Sunday. The reality show, hosted by singer Jang Yoon-jeong, actor In Gyo-jin and TV personality Kim Na-young, follows the parenthood of expats living in Korea. The show will invite fathers from six different countries ― Italy, China, India, Azerbaijan, the U.K., and South Africa ― to share their parenting styles while discussing the cultural differences and practical childcare skills with other cast members and hosts.“We've made a unique, global reality show. It's very interesting and refreshing, so I feel that (viewers) will be interested and empathize with it a lot,” KimAug 26, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Seo In-guk says he took on challenge in 'Cafe Minamdang' role KBS' series “Cafe Minamdang” ended on Tuesday with a 5.7 percent viewership rating. Courtesy of People Story CompanyBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Seo In-guk, who played the lead character in KBS' comedy crime series “Cafe Minamdang,” has expressed gratitude to viewers, saying the drama was a meaningful challenge in his acting career.The series ended on Tuesday on a good note, scoring its highest viewership rating of 5.7 percent with its final episode.“During the eight months that I lived as Nam Han-jun (the lead character) in the series, I've found a new side of myself and had a blissful time. 'Cafe Minamdang' was a new experience and challenge, but I'm truly thankful that many people showed love,” the actor said through the network. “'Cafe Minamdang' will remain as a series that I can always look back on and reminisce about how fun it was. I hope you can keep a part of Han-jun and all the characters in your heart to remember it for a long time.”The 18-part series, based on the web novel of the same name, revolves around a former criminal profileAug 25, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Tree featured in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' to become natural monument An old hackberry tree in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, which was featured in the hit legal drama series, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" / YonhapAn old hackberry tree shown in the TV sensation "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" will be designated as a natural moment, a government agency said Wednesday.The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said it will put up a public notice on its plan to preserve the tree as a natural monument next Tuesday.The tree, presumed to be 500 years old, is located on a hill in Dongbu Village in the southern city of Changwon. It has gained public interest since it appeared in last week's seventh and eighth episodes of the legal drama, which revolves around an ingenious rookie lawyer with autism spectrum disorder.The CHA reached the decision during a meeting of its cultural heritage committee held earlier in the day in Seoul.Any decision made by the committee is usually announced to the public about a week later, but the latest one was unveiled right after the meeting, apparently in consideration of high public attention on the matter.The cultural heritageAug 24, 2022
'Snowdrop' most talked about K-drama on Twitter in 2022: company Poster for JTBC TV series “Snowdrop” / Courtesy of JTBC"Snowdrop," a romance drama TV series starring Jung Hae-in and Jisoo of BLACKPINK, has been the most talked about K-drama in the world across the social media platform Twitter so far in 2022, the company said Wednesday.According to Twitter, "Snowdrop," which aired on JTBC from December of last year to Jan. 30, was the most tweeted K-drama show from Jan. 1 to last Thursday, followed by tvN's "Twenty Five Twenty One" and "Business Proposal" of SBS at second and third place, respectively.The Netflix-produced zombie series "All of Us Are Dead" and "Our Beloved Summer" of SBS came in fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by "Semantic Error," produced by South Korean streaming company Watcha, and "Extraordinary Attorney Woo."A scene from "All of Us Are Dead" / Courtesy of NetflixThe hit Joseon-era period drama "The Red Sleeve" of MBC and tvN's all-star cast show "Our Blues" were ranked eighth and ninth, respectively. Last year's global smash hit Netflix show "Squid Game" came in 10th place. The ranking was compiled by coAug 24, 2022
'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' tops Netflix chart for non-English series for 4th consecutive week A poster for drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” / Courtesy of KTThe hit legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has topped Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows for the fourth consecutive week even after it finished airing in South Korea, the global video streaming service said Wednesday.The TV sensation, which aired every Wednesday and Thursday on the cable channel ENA from June 29 to Aug. 18, marked 77.43 million hours of viewing for the week of Aug. 15-21 to lead Netflix's official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, according to the company.It is the 16-part Korean show's sixth No. 1 finish. The drama failed to make it onto the top 10 list in the first week of its release but rose to the top in the second week boosted by favorable reviews. It has since stayed atop the list except for its fourth week (July 18-24), when it placed second after the Spanish show "Alba.""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 duAug 24, 2022
INTERVIEW Park Eun-bin talks about pressure of role in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' Actress Park Eun-bin plays the character of Woo Young-woo in the hit series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.” Courtesy of ENAChild model-turned-actor gains global attention for heartwarming portrayal of autistic lawyer in hit dramaBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Park Eun-bin, who set foot in the entertainment industry at the age of four as a child model, has had her fair share of projects throughout her 26-year acting career, working in diverse genres such as the feel-good 2016 series “Hello, My Twenties!” and the 2021 period romance “The King's Affection.”Actress Park Eun-bin / Courtesy of Namoo ActorsBut it wasn't until this year that the actress finally found a sensational role ― as a genius lawyer who is on the autism spectrum in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” rising to massive global prominence.ENA's heartwarming legal series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” about an autistic lawyer called Woo Young-woo (Park) tackling challenges in and beyond the courtroom, has been an enormous hit, ending with its highest viewership rating of 17.5 percent onAug 24, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
INTERVIEW How Kang Tae-oh brought life to his character in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' Actor Kang Tae-oh / Courtesy of Man of CreationActor enjoys global popularity thanks to success of series By Dong Sun-hwa“Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” a Korean legal drama series about an autistic genius lawyer named Woo Young-woo, wrapped up on Aug. 18 with its highest viewership rating, 17.5 percent, according to Nielsen Korea. The 16-episode drama has propelled actress Park Eun-bin, who played Woo, and many other actors, including Kang Tae-oh, to massive stardom. In the series, Kang took the role of a legal assistant named Lee Jun-ho, a warm-hearted man who falls in love with Woo against all odds. For Kang, however, portraying a “less impactful” character like Lee was quite demanding in the beginning.“Lee is such a nice guy in the drama, but I thought he could be seen a bit flat,” Kang said during a media interview at a cafe in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, Aug. 18. “I did not have many lines compared to other actors, but I still had to express Lee's emotions ... Nevertheless, I believed Lee had his own role and charm. So I just tried Aug 22, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk-ku to star in new Netflix thriller series Actors Choi Woo-shik, left, and Son Suk-ku will star in Netflix's new series, “Murder DIEary.” Courtesy of Management SOOP, SBD ENTBy Lee Gyu-leeActors Choi Woo-shik and Son Suk-ku will be playing the lead roles in Netflix's new thriller crime series, “Murder DIEary.” The streaming platform's new original is based on the webtoon of the same name, which won an award at the Korea Content Awards given by the Korean Creative Content Agency in 2011. It follows an ordinary man who murders evildoers.Choi will play the main character, Lee Tang, who is an ordinary college student. One day, he unwittingly kills a person who happens to be a serial killer. After finding out that he has the ability to sense those who have committed heinous deeds, he himself becomes a serial killer.Son will play a detective who investigates the murders Lee commits. The series will be led by director Lee Chang-hee, who is known for directing the 2018 thriller film, “The Vanished,” along with OCN's thriller series, “Hell Is Other People,” (2019) and scripted by the newAug 21, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Music show 'Hidden Singer' returns for season 7 From left, TV personalities Song Eun-I and Jun Hyun-moo, and chief producer Cho Seung-wook pose during a press conference for JTBC's music show, “Hidden Singer 7," Friday. Courtesy of JTBC By Lee Gyu-leeJTBC's long-running music show, “Hidden Singer,” is back with a new season, celebrating its 10th anniversary since its premiere on the network in 2012. The music show, hosted by TV personality Jun Hyun-moo, runs on the concept of singers competing with impersonators. For each episode, a famous singer is invited as a guest along with several imitators, who can mimic the voice of the known singer. They go through four rounds of performances behind blinds while an audience of 100 people guess and vote to eliminate the imitator in each round.The seventh season started on Friday, inviting back season 1's first guest, Park Jung-hyun, to open up the new season after about a two-year hiatus since the most recent one in late 2020. Competing with the imposters, Park survived tAug 21, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
INTERVIEW Jung Woo shapes his character for Netflix's 'A Model Family' Actor Jung Woo plays the role of Dong-ha in Netflix's new original series “A Model Family.” Courtesy of Netflix Jung plays cash-strapped professor in new thriller action seriesBy Lee Gyu-leeRising to stardom overnight with the lead role in the hit TV series “Reply 1994” in 2013, Jung Woo has proven himself to be a versatile actor, from playing a crusading lawyer in the film “New Trial” (2017) to a short-tempered detective in the comedy series “Mad for Each Other” (2021). Actor Jung Woo / Courtesy of Netflix In Netflix's latest Korean original series “A Model Family,” Jung has taken the role of an everyday man who falls into the deep seedy underbelly of crime in Korea. “(After getting the script,) I flipped a page to see what it's about and it was really interesting. The script was tightly-woven and detailed. Not just the lines but several characters Aug 18, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
