Can humans really fall in love with AI? Korean dating show looks for answersArtificial intelligence (AI) has become deeply embedded in everyday life, quickly organizing information and taking care of tedious tasks. An experiment is now taking that relationship a step further, exploring whether AI can become a romantic partner. SBS’s “My AI Partner — Strange Love” asks whether people can fall in love with when there is no person and no physical presence on the other end. The show follows celebrities as they date AI "partners" to explore whether an emotional connection is possible. Beyond simply testing whether people can form relationships with AI, it examines whether those relationships can evoke the same feelings that arise between people. It also asks how far AI’s role can expand as the technology finds its way into more aspects of everyday life. The first episode begins with cast members Jang Do-yeon and Kian84 meeting their AI partners for the first time. At first, their awkwardness is apparent as they talk to the AI on their tablets. Conversations sometimes veer off track because the AI is too passive or fails to grasp the context. Even its affe8h agoBy Hankookilbo
As women crowd ballparks, K-drama actors take on new professionsKim Woo-bin and Ryu Seung-ryong have little in common in terms of age or acting style. Their filmographies, however, are about to gain one common thread, and it has something to do with baseball. In December, Kim is set to appear in tvN drama “Gift,” a tentative English title, as a former baseball player who coaches a high school baseball team. Ryu, meanwhile, stars as a famous baseball player in the film “Portrait of a Family,” which opens next month. They are not the only ones. Suddenly baseball players and coaches have become some of the most sought-after characters in the Korean drama and film industry; Gong Myoung is currently filming MBC drama “Your Ground,” a tentative English title set to air at the end of this year, in which he plays a pitcher. Kim Rae-won will appear as a coach in SBS drama “Full Count,” expected to air next year. There are more baseball-related projects on the way. They include “Green Light” and “Sunning Baseball Club,” both tentative English titles. Together with the four aforementioned works, they bring the number of baseball-themed1d agoBy Hankookilbo
Why are Korean celebrities handpicking, importing foreign films despite losing money?“Infinite Challenge” producer Kim Tae-ho announced that his company is expanding into the film distribution business, as he took the stage at a press screening for Hollywood film “The Drama.” “It’s my first time speaking before an audience at a movie theater,” said Kim, who is the founder and head of content production company TEO, during the film's press screening at Megabox in Coex, southern Seoul. “We decided not to limit our content to videos, but to try our hand at dramas and films, and anything else that can leave audiences with good memories.” So far, TEO has mainly produced entertainment shows for television, streaming platforms and YouTube, including “Earth Marble World Tour,” “Seoul Check-in” and “Salon Drip.” However, the company recently formed a partnership with Waterhole Company, a film distributor that has brought titles such as “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: Mugen Train” to Korean audiences. For TEO’s first film distribution project, Kim chose “The Drama,” which has drawn a2d agoBy Hankookilbo
'A Bona Fide Killer': A working mom with a deadly secret wins over drama viewersThe void left by So Ji-sub's secret agent dad in "Agent Kim Reactivated" has been filled by “killer mom” Gong Hyo-jin, as MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “A Bona Fide Killer” surpassed a nationwide viewership rating of 10 percent after just six episodes, taking first place in its time slot. Playing a contract killer named “Kingfisher,” Gong's character returns to work as an assassin to target vicious criminals let off with light sentences. Unbeknownst to everyone, “Kingfisher” is actually Yoo Bo-na, a working mom with a 4-year-old daughter. She works on a sales team at Durumi Electronics, which is the front for an organized group of killers specializing in poisoning, stabbing and sniping. Having just returned from parental leave, Yoo Bo-na worries when a nighttime assignment is suggested: “Let’s do it during the day. I have to go pick up my kid.” The drama has drawn praise from critics for its fresh blend of genres, combining the catharsis of punishing villains and the struggle to juggle work and private life with a touching family drama. The premise of a family-orientAug 28, 2026By Hankookilbo
Netflix's 'Scandal' reimagines 'Dangerous Liaisons' in Joseon-era KoreaIn the rigid, patriarchal landscape of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), a woman’s brilliant intellect was often viewed as a dangerous liability. Enter Lady Cho, an extraordinarily gifted aristocrat whose grandest ambitions and deepest desires are choked by the strict societal limits placed upon her gender. Now, Netflix is bringing this timeless struggle of hidden desire and dangerous games to life in its upcoming original series “Scandal,” slated to premiere worldwide on Sept. 18. Adapted from the classic literary premise best known through Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 French novel "Dangerous Liaisons" — which previously inspired Korea’s acclaimed 2003 hit film "Untold Scandal" — the series promises a sleek, psychological dive into human vulnerability disguised as period romance. Netflix released a new trio of character stills, Thursday, featuring lead actors Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana, showcasing a web of seduction, secret correspondence and tragic ambition. Son, returning to period dramas for the first time in 24 years, plays Lady Cho. Trapped in an eraAug 27, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
'The Scandal' starring Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook to release on Netflix on Sept. 18"The Scandal," a historic Korean romance drama starring Son Ye-jin and Ji Chang-wook, will premiere on Netflix next month, the streaming platform said Tuesday. The upcoming Netflix original series, set for release on Sept. 18, is a remake of the popular Korean film "Untold Scandal" (2003), featuring Bae Yong-joon, Jeon Do-yeon and Lee Mi-sook. The film was inspired by the 1782 classic "Dangerous Liaisons" by French novelist Pierre Choderlos de Laclos and adapted into a story set in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Jung Ji-woo, who helmed the Korean films "Eungyo" (2012) and "Tune in for Love" (2019), directed the series.Aug 25, 2026By Yonhap
Korea turns to short-form dramas as mobile viewing takes offSet against the nostalgic backdrop of the Korean countryside in the1980s, "Reply, Bok-hee!" centers on the warm yet chaotic bond between a rough-around-the-edges man and a young child, Bok-hee, neither of whom come from loving family backgrounds. As the two form an unconventional family, the series offers a softer alternative to the sensational storylines that have come to define short-form dramas. The series is part of a rapidly expanding market in Korea. Unlike conventional series, short-form dramas are typically shot vertically for smartphone viewing, with episodes usually running only one to three minutes long. They are designed for mobile platforms rather than traditional television, encouraging viewers to watch episode after episode in quick succession. Originating in China around 2018, short-form dramas typically consist of 50 to 80 serialized episodes, with each episode clocking at less than five minutes. Relying on melodramatic tropes — secret lineages, extramarital affairs and relentless revenge arcs — the format was designed to quickly hook audiences into a binge-watchingAug 24, 2026By Park Jin-hai
From deadly to day care: Female leads take over action genreA wave of dramas driven by formidable female leads is capturing widespread attention. Spanning action, psychological thrillers and dark crime stories, women are taking center stage and significantly broadening the scope of female-led narratives on TV. Bo-na (Kong Hyo-jin) is a legendary hitwoman capable of taking out high-profile criminals with a single bullet in MBC drama “A Bona Fide Killer.” Known by the moniker “Kingfisher” for the way she perches in the shadows before striking, she accepts her latest contract with an unusual caveat. When her superior asks when she plans to execute the target, Bo-na pauses before responding, “Let’s do it during the day.” The reason isn't tactical — it's because she has to pick up her 4-year-old daughter from day care. Jung Eun-chae delivers a commanding performance in SBS’ “Flex X Cop 2” as Hye-ra, a former counter-terrorism officer appointed head of the Violent Crimes Unit. As Yi-soo’s (Ahn Bo-hyun) former teacher at the police academy — the feared “demon instructor” — Hye-ra brings a distinct “master-apprentice”Aug 21, 2026By Park Jin-hai
Net-zero policy gets pop-culture makeover in SeoulHow do you persuade media-saturated young adults to care about net-zero emissions? In Korea, the answer lies in popular culture, digital comic characters and locked-room real-world puzzles. Starting Saturday, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is launching a nine-day pop-up experience in Hongdae — the bustling district in western Seoul renowned for youth culture and nightlife — designed to translate complex environmental policy into interactive entertainment. Partnering with the hit webtoon series “Yumi’s Cells,” the government is converting a central public square into a climate-themed escape room game titled “Save It! Cell Village.” From Aug. 22 to Aug. 30, visitors can tackle hands-on micro-missions alongside animated personas. In one challenge, participants fish plastic debris out of a simulated ocean at a “Blue Carbon” basin. In another, they attempt to free a jailed “Fashion Cell” by cracking clues related to fast fashion and textile waste. The daily late-afternoon event is free of charge and open to the public without prior reservation. The creativeAug 21, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
'Mousetrap' turns Korean folktale into Netflix thrillerThe stolen-identity thriller "Mousetrap" is officially primed for its global Netflix debut. The webtoon-based series follows Moon-jae (Ryu Jun-yeol), a novelist who loses his name, face and life to a mysterious entity known as "the Rat." He teams up with No-ja (Sul Kyung-gu), a loan shark, and Sun-yong (Lee Kyu-hyung), a detective, embarking on a high-stakes hunt to uncover the identity of the Rat. Helmed by director Kim Hong-sun, who was acclaimed for stylized action and tension in the Netflix series “Dear Hongrang” (2025) and hit dramas “The Guest” (2018) and “Voice” (2017), the drama is inspired by the classic Korean folktale premise that "a rat becomes human after eating fingernails," promising to deliver psychological dread alongside genre-thriller suspense. "The work is motivated by the folktale of the fingernail-eating rat. It is a thriller about a man whose life has been stolen trying to reclaim his identity," director Kim introduced the drama during a press conference at Hotel Naru Seoul - MGallery in Mapo District, Seoul, Thursday. Kim added that the webtoon scriptAug 20, 2026By Park Jin-hai
