Controversy surrounding actor Seo Yea-ji has continued to mount, as more allegations of bullying have surfaced, despite denials from her agency in an official statement. An alleged staffer that used to work with the actress posted on an online portal early Wednesday morning that Seo had regularly mistreated her staff members in her agency, Gold Medalist. “As a staff member going around in the same car with her for several years, verbal abuse was nothing. She smoked in the car, so I suff

After recent drama fiascos, Chinese investment seen as poisoned chalice

An online petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website demanding a halt to the production of the upcoming JTBC drama “Snowdrop” awaits an official response from the presidential office, having gathered more than 200,000 petitioners as of Monday. The Cheong Wa Dae website states that a Cheong Wa Dae representative will respond to any online petition signed by more than 200,000 people within 30 days of its posting. As of 2 p.m. on Monday, 205,812 people had signed the petition. “Sno

The third season of TV Chosun reality show “Taste of Wife” will end earlier than planned, as actress Ham So-won and the show producers apologized Thursday for fabricating many elements of the show. The show became mired in controversy when viewers alleged that the program‘s most popular couple, Ham and her husband Jin Hua, had fabricated several scenes in the reality show that looks at the everyday lives of celebrity couples. Viewers pointed out that the luxury villa where

Global online streaming service Netflix removed its 30-day free trial for new subscribers as of Wednesday in South Korea, one of the last countries to have the free trial period eliminated. “Starting in 2019 with Mexico, the 30-day free trial promotion has gradually been terminated. As of April 7, free trial promotion will be unavailable in South Korea as well as every other country in the world,” Netflix said. Netflix did not reveal the reason behind the decision. While the free

The production studio of KBS' historical romance "River Where the Moon Rises" said Friday that it has filed a claim for damages against the agency of a lead actor who dropped out of the project after being embroiled in a school bullying scandal. In the lawsuit against KeyEast, Victory Contents said it is seeking 3 billion won ($2.7 million) in compensation for damage caused by the abrupt exit of actor Jisoo, who took the lead role of General Ondal in the show about the love story of P

Producers of the popular Korean TV series "Vincenzo" said Wednesday that they will remove the controversial scene featuring a Chinese product from overseas streaming services amid rising domestic anger over Chinese sponsorship. In the eighth episode of the dark comedy that aired on March 14 on tvN, an instant Chinese bibimbap brand was exposed while the lead characters Vincenzo (Song Joong-ki) and Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-bin) have a meal. Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish consisting of a

Broadcaster JTBC on Tuesday hit back at criticisms of history distortion by releasing part of its plot for their upcoming drama “Snowdrop.” “Snowdrop,” a romance drama featuring actor Jung Hae-in and Blackpink’s Jisoo, is set to air in the second half of this year. Based on earlier released synopsis and character descriptions, some inferred that the plot revolved around a North Korean spy and the South Korean pro-democracy movement in the 1980s. Critics said th

"I Can See Your Voice," a music entertainment show from South Korean cable music network Mnet, has been newly sold to three countries, the company said Tuesday. Mnet said it has signed new remake export deals with broadcasters in France, Belgium and Canada, raising to 18 the total number of countries that purchased the format, including the United States and Britain. Since launching in 2015, "I Can See Your Voice" has been highly popular in Korea, continuing into its eight

Longtime comedian Park Soo-hong confirmed Monday that he is in a financial dispute with his brother and sister-in-law, after rumors of the conflict circulated online over the weekend. The matter was brought to light when someone claimed in a comment to Park’s YouTube channel that his brother, who has been the entertainer‘s manager for 30 years at Park’s one-man agency, took all of his earnings for 30 years, estimated to be over 10 billion won ($8.8 million). The post also cla

Comedian mired in controversy for R-rated jokes on YouTube show

The writer and cast of SBS ‘Joseon Exorcist’ on Saturday released apology statements for taking part in the show that depicts Korean history inaccurately. “I sincerely apologize for the trouble my inconsiderate script has caused to viewers over the past few days,” writer Park Kye-ok said in a statement. “I should have learned from my past mistakes and presented a better story as a writer, I made viewers angry with my lack of judgment.” The apology statement

Largest South Korean over-the-top platform Wavve on Friday announced that it will proceed with investing 1 trillion won ($885 million) in original content through 2025. Wavve is a joint venture between SK Telecom and terrestrial broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS and the biggest local OTT platform. “Through investment in original content, we hope to expand the partnership between broadcasters, production companies and intellectual property holders. We will also work to discover smaller-size

Broadcaster SBS announced it will cancel “Joseon Exorcist” after the drama faced controversy over historical inaccuracies in just two episodes. “Joseon Exorcist,” about zombies appearing in the Joseon era, was criticized by many Koreans for using Chinese-style costumes and props, especially at a time when Chinese claims to kimchi and hanbok in recent months have angered the public here. Although the production team -- Crave Works, YG Studioplex and Lotte Cultureworks --

Despite apologies by broadcaster SBS and the production companies involved over what viewers criticize as historical inaccuracies and distortions in the TV series “Joseon Exorcist” on Wednesday, public anger continues unabated. As of Thursday, over 156,500 people had signed a petition on the Blue House website asking for the cancellation of all future ”‘Joseon Exorcist” episodes. The period drama sparked controversy immediately after the first episode aired Monday