'My Name' director Kim Jin-min to head another Netflix series Director Kim Jin-min / Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeDirector Kim Jin-min, who led the two Netflix hit original series “Extracurricular” and “My Name,” will be directing another Netflix series, “The Fool at the End of the World.” The global streaming platform announced, Monday, that it has confirmed the star director will be at the helm of the new sci-fi series.Adapted from the novel of the same name by Kotaro Isaka, the series follows the story of people confronted with a natural disaster. NASA announces that an asteroid is heading towards the Earth and the collision will occur in 280 days, with the Korean Peninsula to be one of the regions affected by the impact. The people in the country react with mass fear and chaos, leading many to attempt to flee the country to avoid the impending disaster. The series will touch on the lives of the people facing certain death and the choices they make to save themselves and find meaning in life. The series is scripted by writer Jung Sung-ju, whose previous work includes the TV series “Secret Affair&Dec 21, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
'Snowdrop' continues to face 'distorting history' controversy Actors Jung Hae-in, Jisoo, and director Jo Hyun-tak pose for pictures during the media conference for JTBC's new series, "Snowdrop," Friday. Courtesy of JTBC By Lee Gyu-leeJTBC's new series, “Snowdrop,” which was embroiled in a controversy over distorting history since before it even aired, has stirred up a further backlash, with viewers accusing the series of distorting the history of Korea's pro-democracy movement.Since it premiered on Saturday, the romance series, set in 1987 amid the period of political unrest, has faced growing calls for its cancellation, with some of the companies dropping their sponsorship of the show. The series, starring K-pop star Jisoo of BLACKPINK and actor Jung Hae-in, follows a romance between a first-year student at a women's university, Eun Young-ro (Jisoo), and a North Korean spy, Lim Soo-ho (Jung), who is hiding his identity under the cover of being a graduate student. One day, Soo-ho jumps into her dormitory covered in blood. MistDec 20, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
Lee Jae-hoon, Moon Chae-won to present new audio-only thriller series Actors Lee Jae-hoon, Moon Chae-won, Kang Shin-il, and director Lim Ji-hwan pose for pictures during an online press conference for the audio-only series, “Floor,” Thursday. Courtesy of Naver Vibe and Storywave PicturesBy Lee Gyu-leeActors Lee Jae-hoon and Moon Chae-won will be presenting a new type of audio content via Naver's first audio-only series, “Floor” (direct translation). The suspense thriller, set to be released Dec. 27 through Naver's music streaming service Vibe, revolves around a mysterious murder that occurred in a residential building, where the residents were suffering from noise issues with their neighbors.Profiler Kang-ho (Lee) teams up with detective Ji-ho (Moon) to investigate the building's residents, who become suspects in the murder, and to trace clues to find the killer. Unlike previous audiobooks, this six-part series will feature the voice acting of the cast members, topped with realistic sound effects, as well as visual effects of the characters' lines and computer graphics. It is directed by actor and filmmaker Lim Ji-hwan, who direDec 16, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
'Queendom 2,' 'Street Man Fighter:' Mnet to air sequels of popular shows K-pop girl groups featured in the first season of Mnet's competition show, “Queendom” (2019) / Courtesy of MnetBy Dong Sun-hwaThe upcoming year 2022 is set to be another big year for cable channel Mnet, which is planning to launch a slew of sequels to its most popular programs. The first in the lineup is the second season of “Queendom” (2019), a competition show for high-profile K-pop girl groups. Mnet recently revealed that the new season will hit the air in March, but it has not yet revealed who will be the cast members.The first season of “Queendom” was a big hit. All the artists featured in the program ― MAMAMOO, Lovelyz, AOA, (G)I-DLE, OH MY GIRL and soloist Park Bom ― were brought into the limelight for their gripping performances. In particular, (G)I-DLE made waves on several music streaming charts with “Lion,” a single that was premiered on the show, and OH MY GIRL became the talk of the town for its unique reinterpretation of Lovelyz's 2018 release, “Destiny.” The success of “Queendom” also led to the crDec 16, 2021By Dong Sun-hwa
'Squid Game' is a beneficiary of OTT era: KOCCA president The Korea Creative Content Agency's president, Jo Hyun-rae, was newly appointed on Sept. 3. Courtesy of KOCCAKOCCA president vows stronger support for hallyu content By Lee Gyu-leeJo Hyun-rae, president of the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), said on Wednesday that Netflix's smash-hit original series, “Squid Game,” is a prime case of Korean content creation that has benefited from the rise of streaming services, noting that its global popularity shows the power and utility of over-the-top (OTT) platforms. “We would never have a chance to see such a series if it were back in the times dominated by terrestrial broadcasters,” he said during a news conference held in Seoul. “Especially if it were a weekly aired soap opera, I don't think it could have garnered this much success. It was made to suit this OTT era.” Jo, who was newly appointed as the agency's president on Sept. 3, added that the series' global popularity raises the growing importance of intellectual property (IP).“I believe there are certain limits to OTT platforms in making thDec 15, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
Netflix series 'D.P.' renewed for 2nd season A scene from the first season of the Netflix series, “D.P.” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeThe Netflix Korean original series “D.P.” will be returning for a second season, according to the streaming platform, Tuesday. The new season will be led by the first season's director, Han Jun-hee, who will also co-script the season with writer Kim Bo-tong. Based on the webtoon "D.P. Dog's Day," (direct translation) by Kim, the series follows the story of Private Ahn Joon-ho (Jung Hae-in) who is newly assigned to a special unit called Deserter Pursuit, known as “D.P.” The unit specializes in tracking down military deserters and bringing them in. Teaming up with Corporal Han Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan), Joon-ho and Ho-yeol confront different backstories of soldiers who flee from the military, as they chase them down. The first series garnered popularity soon after premiering in August, soon topping the daily streaming chart in Korea and making it into the top 10 charts in various countries, including Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. Earlier this month, the series Dec 14, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
Lee Dong-wook, Wi Ha-joon to show their bromance in new series 'Bad and Crazy' Actors Wi Ha-joon, left, and Lee Dong-wook pose for pictures during the online press conference for the tvN's new crime action series, “Bad and Crazy,” Monday. Courtesy of tvN By Lee Gyu-leeActors Lee Dong-wook and Wi Ha-joon are set to bring their chemistry to the screen in the tvN's upcoming crime action series, “Bad and Crazy,” scheduled to premiere on Friday. “We hit it off really well (on the set) as if 'we are one.' Our bromance chemistry was undeniable,” Lee said during an online press conference for the series, Monday.Wi, who rose to international fame after starring in Netflix's smash-hit series, “Squid Game,” also noted that the two will show a real friendship of two men through the series. “Personally, I am aiming to win the Best Couple award at next year's Baeksang Arts Awards. That's how good our on-screen chemistry will be. It's a real friendship bromance, like we would always bicker over everything, yet we would miss each other when we're not around,”Dec 14, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
'Squid Game' earns three nominations at Golden Globes Visitors take photos a model of the doll named 'Younghee' that is featured in Netflix's series "Squid Game" displayed at the Olympic park in Seoul, Oct. 26. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's sensational survival drama "Squid Game" has been nominated in three categories, including the best TV drama series, at the 79th annual Golden Globe Awards.According to the nominations announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) on Monday (U.S. time), the Netflix original was listed in the categories ― Best TV Series-Drama, Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Drama and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role on TV."Squid Game" will compete for the best TV drama series prize with "Lupin," "The Morning Show," "Pose" and "Succession."Its lead Lee Jung-jae was up for best TV actor in a drama series with Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong of "Succession," Billy Porter of "Pose" and Omar Sy of "Lupin."In the best supporting actor in TV, O Yeong-su was also included as a contender, along with Billy Crudup and Mark Duplass of "The Morning Show," Kieran Culkin of "Succession" and Brett GoldDec 14, 2021
Lee Young-ae's small screen return ends with disappointing ratings The crime series “Inspector Koo,” starring actress Lee Young-ae, ended with a 2.3 percent viewership rating, Sunday. Courtesy of JTBCBy Lee Gyu-leeThe JTBC series “Inspector Koo,” starring star actress Lee Young-ae, ended with a disappointing viewership rating in spite of its star-studded cast.The comedy crime series, which started with a 2.6 percent viewership rating in October, sputtered with a 2.3 percent rating for its finale on Sunday. Lee's return to the small screen after “Saimdang, Memoir of Colors” in 2017 garnered high hopes, especially because she took on the quirky role of a reclusive game addict. However, since starting off with a much lower viewership than expected, the series failed to win the hearts of viewers and saw its ratings slip to 1.8 percent by the fifth episode. Directed by Lee Jeong-heum, who led the mystery series "Nobody Knows" and “Falsify,” the suspense series follows a former detective named Koo Kyung-yi (Lee), who left the force after her husband's death. Blaming herself for his death, she lives a reclusiDec 13, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
Kim Jae-kyung to join Lee Joon-gi in SBS new series Actress Kim Jae-kyung / Courtesy of Namoo ActorsBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Kim Jae-kyung will be co-starring with actor Lee Joon-gi in the upcoming SBS series, "Again My Life" (direct translation). The actor's agency, Namoo Actors, announced Friday that Kim has confirmed a role in the new series, scheduled to air in the first half of next year.The live-action adaption of the web novel of the same title revolves around a prosecutor named Kim Hee-woo (Lee), who dies after trying to bring corrupt powers to justice.Hee-woo, who is a resilient, determined prosecutor, is brought back to life for a second chance after being killed. Using his skill and determination, he uses this chance to hunt down his murderer and topple the corrupt politician Cho Tae-sup (Lee Kyung-young) who runs a crime cartel.The series is directed by Han Chul-soo, whose previous work includes the mystery series "Graceful Family."In the series, Kim will be playing the character of Kim Han-mi, who helps Hee-woo deliver justice. Kim debuted as a member of now-disbanded girl group Rainbow in 2009 with the album “Gossip GDec 12, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
