“Hometown,” directed by Park Hyun-seok, will premiere on Sept. 22 starring Han Ye-ri as Jo Jung-hyun, a woman searching for her kidnapped niece. Set in the imaginary town of Saju, South Gyeongsang Province, the upcoming tvN drama shows a detective (played by You Chae-myung) investigating a series of murders in 1999 and Jo’s search for her niece, which lead the characters to encounter the terrorist and serial killer Jo Kyoung-ho (played by Um Tae-goo). Widely recognized for d

Local broadcaster MBC will air a pilot music program titled “The Masked Talent” during the Chuseok holidays, the company said in a press release Tuesday. “The Masked Talent,” a spin-off of MBC’s popular reality program “King of Mask Singer,” is jointly produced by MBC and French producer Herve Hubert. Unlike the original show, in which singers and celebrities compete wearing masks, “The Masked Talent” welcomes people of all ages who love to

Producers of the hit South Korean drama “The Penthouse 3: War in Life” apologized again for including inappropriate scenes in an episode the previous week. The apology was featured at the beginning of the latest episode of the drama, which aired Friday. “In our Sept. 3 episode of ‘The Penthouse 3: War in Life,’ a few scenes inappropriately included news footage of a building collapse in Gwangju and the earthquake in Pohang,” the statement read. “We a

Television director Kim Tae-ho will leave terrestrial broadcasting station MBC later this year after 20 years with the company. The director joined MBC in 2001 and became widely recognized for producing one of South Korea’s longest-running and most successful variety shows, “Infinite Challenge.” After the show wrapped up in 2018, Kim continued his success with “Hang Out With Yoo,” a variety show launched in 2019. “Though I am leaving the company, I would l

Taking on a character that is a departure from his previous romantic lead roles does not mean he wants an image overhaul, actor Jung Hae-in says. “Shooting the six-part series ‘D.P.’ provided a chance to reflect on my emotions and I am certain that the audience will have many thoughts after watching all the episodes,” said Jung. “I am well aware of the images created through my previous dramas and I did not choose ‘D.P.’ because I wanted to change th

Broadcast Worldwide 2021 will be held Sept. 6-10 under the slogan “Content, Traveling to a New World,” the Korea Creative Content Agency said Monday. The annual event is being held online for the second consecutive year. Asia’s largest broadcasting content market, BCWW seeks to present outstanding content and insights to the broadcast industry around the world. According to KOCCA, 367 buyers and officials from 31 countries have registered for the event, including Warner Med

Public education broadcaster EBS said Tuesday that it would air a lecture series called “Great Minds,” starring acclaimed academics including American political scientist Joseph S. Nye. “Great Minds” aims to close knowledge gaps exacerbated by the extended COVID-19 and fake news in social networking services. According to the broadcaster, a total of 40 scholars will star in the 200-part lecture series. The production crew visited the scholars to film the lectures in pe

For television director Jang Tae-yoo, seeing the chemistry between the actors in the upcoming Monday-Tuesday SBS drama “Red Sky” was a huge pleasure. “The vibe in our filming site was literally crazy. The relationship between the cast and the staff was really good and all I had to do was to make sure that the cameras worked,” the director said during an online press conference Thursday afternoon. The fantasy romance drama, an adaptation of a novel of the same title by

South Korean movie stars are turning up on TV dramas in the second half of the year, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing number of streaming platforms. Many household names who have been mostly working in film are returning to the small screen after years of absence. Lee Ha-nee and Cannes winner Jeon Do-yeon will kick off a season full of dramas starring big-screen actors. Jeon is returning to TV for the first time since her 2015 hit tvN drama “The Good Wife.” The a

As the entertainment horizon has been widened thanks to the advent of global streaming platforms, not only silver screen stars but also big-name film directors are making the switch to television or even smaller devices like mobile phones. Director Lee Joon-ik of the historical dramas "The King and the Clown" (2005) and "The Throne" (2015) will make his small screen debut with "Beyond The Memory," an original series by Korean streamer Tving and a TV adaptation of a

The South Korean entertainment scene is expected to experience a heated-up competition this fall among breakout A-list celebrities who will return to the small screen after years of absence. JTBC will open up the "star wars" with the melodrama "Lost," starring Cannes-winning Jeon Do-yeon, premiering on Sept. 4. Choosing the show for her return to TV five years after "The Good Wife" (2016), Jeon will play a ghostwriter who has done her best but suddenly realizes he

Netflix, which made its Korean market debut in 2015, has been enjoying the first mover's advantage in the country, with a leading 7.9 million monthly active users as of June. It has spent $700 million on South Korean projects, creating 80 Korean-language originals, like the megahit historical zombie thriller "Kingdom," over the past years. The US streamer underwent rapid growth throughout last year as the pandemic-fueled demand for stay-at-home activities. To strengthen its foothold

Director Yeon Sang-ho’s Netflix original series “Hellbound” will be screened at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival, Netflix announced in a press release Saturday. As the world’s largest public film festival, TIFF presents over 100 films in different sections based on genre, format and the status of the filmmaker. They include Contemporary World Cinema, TIFF Docs, Discovery, Midnight Madness, Primetime and Wavelengths. “Hellbound” has been selected

Television director Kim Tae-ho is producing a Netflix original entertainment series titled “The Hungry and the Hairy,” starring the artist Rain and comedian Ro Hong-chul, Netflix said in a press release Monday. According to the global streaming giant, while the release date has yet to be decided the program will be another variety show. Kim previously produced two of South Korea’s longest-running and most successful variety shows, “Infinite Challenge” and “H

Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded a 10 million-won ($8,700) fine for actor Ha Jung-woo, who admitted to illegal use of propofol in 2019. The 43-year-old screen star has been indicted on charges of taking shots of the anesthesia-inducing medication for non-medical purposes between January and September in 2019. The prosecution requested the Seoul Central District Court impose a monetary penalty as the actor has no previous record of drug abuse and admitted to his crime. Earlier in the hearing, H