Entertainment - The Korea Times

'Money Heist: Korea' ranks No. 2 on global Netflix chart

A still from Netflix's Korean production “Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area” / Courtesy of Netflix Netflix's new Korean series "Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area" rose to No. 2 on a global popularity chart for TV series available on the streaming service.According to data released by streaming analytics company FlixPatrol, Tuesday (local time), the Korean remake of the streamer's smash-hit series "Money Heist" placed second on its daily global chart for TV programs on Netflix, four days after it was released.The ranking was up one notch from third place Sunday.By country, it was the most popular TV show in 16 countries, including Korea, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Maldives, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.It ranked second in 13 countries, including Japan, the Bahamas, Ecuador, Kenya, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, and third in nine countries, including Italy, Colombia, Ba

Jun 29, 2022

'Money Heist: Korea' ranks No. 2 on global Netflix chart

INTERVIEW Park Hae-soo talks about differentiating his character in 'Money Heist' remake

INTERVIEW Park Hae-soo talks about differentiating his character in 'Money Heist' remake

Actor Park Hae-soo plays the role of Berlin in Netflix's new Korean series “Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area.” Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeFollowing his global breakout role as a smart, cunning player in Netflix's “Squid Game,” actor Park Hae-soo has taken on another memorable role in the platform's new series “Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area.”The Korean remake of Netflix's smash-hit series “Money Heist” revolves around a gang of thieves, led by a criminal mastermind known as "the professor," who take over the mint of a newly unified Korea while holding hostages inside.Park plays the role of Berlin, the most wanted man in North Korea who escaped one of the rogue state's internment camps. He is the charismatic second-in-command of the gang, and instills fear in others to bring them under his control, which causes conflict among the hostages and the criminals inside the mint. “The biggest thing I focused on in playing the role of Berlin was trying not to imitate (the original character). I tried to portray the

Jun 29, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Park Hae-soo talks about differentiating his character in 'Money Heist' remake

'Money Heist: Korea' ranks No. 2 on global Netflix chart

'Money Heist: Korea' director says he expected mixed reviews

A scene from Netflix's Korean production “Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeDirector Kim Hong-sun, who led Netflix's latest Korean production, “Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area,” shared that he had expected a mixed response from the audience on the remake of the Spanish smash-hit series “Money Heist.”Director Kim Hong-sun / Courtesy of Netflix“Many have seen the original series and there were a lot of people who regarded it highly. So we knew that there will be both favorable and unfavorable responses (after seeing the remake),” the director said in an interview with The Korea Times via a video chat, Monday. “We tried to take in the strong elements that the original work had and thought it would be interesting to add our own story to it. So I think it's natural that we are getting such varied reviews.”The new thriller crime series follows the plot of the original series, in which a band of thieves plan to pull off the country's biggest heist ever at a mint, led by a criminal

Jun 27, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

'Money Heist: Korea' director says he expected mixed reviews

Lee Jung-eun to join season 2 of mystery series 'Missing'

Clockwise from top left are actors Go Soo, Heo Joon-ho, Lee Jung-eun, Ha Jun, Kim Dong-hwi and Ahn So-hee, who will star in the second season of “Missing: The Other Side.” Courtesy of tvN By Lee Gyu-leeActress Lee Jung-eun will star in the new season of the mystery series “Missing: The Other Side,” slated to air in the latter half of the year.The series' network, tvN, announced its cast for the second season, which included the previous season's stars Go Soo, Heo Joon-ho, Ahn So-hee and Ha Jun, along with new faces including Lee and actor Kim Dong-hwi. The drama series revolves around handsome con artist Kim Wook (Go) who happens to stumble across a mysterious village where the spirits of missing dead people are gathered. Partnering up with Jang Pan-seok (Heo), another person who knows the place, Wook helps solve the cases of those dead people and recover their bodies in the real world.The first season has garnered popularity with its palm-sweating murder-mystery th

Jun 27, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Jung-eun to join season 2 of mystery series 'Missing'

INTERVIEW Yoon Kye-sang enjoys returning to rom-com with 'Kiss Sixth Sense'

Actor Yoon Kye-sang plays the role of Cha Min-hu in the Disney+ rom-com series “Kiss Sixth Sense.” Courtesy of Disney+ Singer-turned-actor plays straightforward boss in workplace romanceBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Yoon Kye-sang, who made a strong impression with action films like “The Outlaws” (2017), has taken on a romantic comedy, playing the lead in the Disney+ series “Kiss Sixth Sense,” for the first time since 2015's “A Dramatic Night." “The biggest emotion a person can have is love. I really like the feeling of melodrama. It can turn a person into a fool or into a hero, so I like romance,” the actor said in an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in downtown Seoul, Thursday.“My agency recommended me the script (for this series) saying, 'you can show your attractive side with this piece.' So I read it and it was really sweet. I felt that someone more handsome and younger should play the character but they offered me the role. I hesitated for a moment but I felt thi

Jun 26, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Yoon Kye-sang enjoys returning to rom-com with 'Kiss Sixth Sense'

'Ultimate Weapon Alice' presents thrilling action, teen romance

Actors Song Geon-hee, left, and Park Se-wan pose during an online press conference for Watcha's original series “Ultimate Weapon Alice” in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Watcha By Kwak Yeon-sooWatcha's new original series “Ultimate Weapon Alice” features a rather unusual mix of action, humor and teen romance.It follows the story of Gyeo-wool, who hides her identity as a trained assassin when she enters high school. There, she befriends a traumatized student named Yeo-reum, who gets beaten up often by school bullies. The pair grow emotionally closer as they get chased down by a mysterious criminal organization. The original script was co-written by Lee Byoung-heon of the 2019 hit comedy film “Extreme Job” and director Seo Sung-won of the short film “I Go through The Summer.”Seo said he wanted to depict the dark side of teens to subvert traditional high school drama cliches. “The drama showcases action, but at the same time, has a romantic arc in it and vice versa,” he sa

Jun 24, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Ultimate Weapon Alice' presents thrilling action, teen romance

Kang Han-na tries to show changes in character in 'Bloody Heart'

Actress Kang Han-na played the role of Yoo Jeong in the period romance, “Bloody Heart.” Courtesy of KEYEAST By Lee Gyu-leeActress Kang Han-na expressed that working on her latest series, period romance, “Bloody Heart,” gave her a valuable experience. “I'm very grateful for this series, as I felt I've grown a lot after meeting my character, Yoo Jeong, and it gave me valuable experience. I feel this role helped me show my different sides in terms of acting so this piece will be remembered as a very meaningful and valuable work to me,” the actor said in a release, according to her agency, KeyEast, Wednesday.The 16-part romance series follows the love story between King Lee Tae (Lee Joon) and the daughter of a noble family, Yoo Jeong (Kang).Caught up in an intense fight for power, Lee Tae was forced to give up his love, Yoo Jeong, to pursue his goal of taking full control as a king without powerful high-ranking government official Park Gye-won (Jang Hyuk). Meanwhile, Yo

Jun 23, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Kang Han-na tries to show changes in character in 'Bloody Heart'

Netflix 'Money Heist' Korean remake to incorporate story of divided peninsula

Crew and cast members of “Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area,” a Korean remake of Netflix's 2017 series “Money Heist,” pose during a press conference for the series at Coex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap'Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area' follows group of thieves taking over mintBy Lee Gyu-leeNetflix is set to launch one of this year's most anticipated series, “Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area,” a remake of the platform's hit Spanish crime thriller series “Money Heist” (2017). The creators of the upcoming Korean original, director Kim Hong-sun and writer Ryu Yong-jae, shared ― in a press conference ― that the fictional story of a divided Korean Peninsula under the process of unifying will make the adaptation unique.“The hardest part we struggled with, from the beginning, was making the story convincing: how we can make it believable for the viewers that this could really happen in real life,” the director said during a press conference for the series held at Coex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Wednesday.

Jun 22, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Netflix 'Money Heist' Korean remake to incorporate story of divided peninsula

Female-centric series, stars' small screen comebacks set for July

A scene from MBC's crime series, “Big Mouth," where actor Lee Jong-suk will make his small-screen return after three years / Courtesy of MBC By Lee Gyu-leeA string of new series, from crime thriller dramas to female-oriented stories, are set to roll out in the upcoming month. Actor Lee Jong-suk is returning to the small screen with MBC's crime series, “Big Mouth,” about three years since his last series, “Romance Is a Bonus Book,” in 2019. Led by popular director Oh Choong-hwan, whose previous work includes hit series like “My Love From the Star” (2013) and “Hotel Del Luna” (2019), the upcoming series revolves around lawyer Park Chang-ho (Lee), who barely makes a living with his low win rate of about 10 percent.Despite his struggling career, he has a tendency to boast about himself, earning him the nickname, “big mouth.” One day, he takes on the job to defend a client on murder charges. But the case bites him back when he is mistaken as the king of the criminal worl

Jun 17, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Female-centric series, stars' small screen comebacks set for July

Paramount+ joins hands with Tving to launch service in Korea

Mark Specht, Paramount's executive vice president and managing director for Central and Northern Europe and Asia, speaks during the media day event for the streaming service's launch in Korea with the partnership of Tving, held at Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno District, central Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of TvingBy Lee Gyu-leeParamount+, the streaming service of Paramount Global, has set foot in the competitive streaming market in Korea through a partnership with the local streaming platform, Tving, Thursday, taking a step toward expanding into the Asian market. “South Korea is a vibrant market for both streaming, the subscription business and content, as we all know. Therefore (the launch of Paramount+) is a milestone for our premium streaming business,” Mark Specht, Paramount's executive vice president and managing director for Central and Northern Europe and Asia, said during a media day event held at Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno District, central Seoul. “Asia is the future ― the future of the population, technology and creativity. Asia is the continent to be on if

Jun 16, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Shows & Dramas