Jul 1, 2020

Actor Lee Soon-jae’s agency apologizes to former manager but claims exaggeration

Veteran actor Lee Soon-jae’s agency SG Way entertainment released a press statement Wednesday providing details surrounding the firing of his former manager and apologizing to him as the dispute between them continued. The conflict between Lee’s previous road manager and Lee’s agency came to light when SBS aired an interview with the former manager Monday for its evening news segment. According to the report, the manager, who worked for Lee for two months starting March befor

Jun 26, 2020

Return of 3 'hallyu' actors fail to give TV dramas a boost

The return of three A-list South Korean actors who finished their military duties has drawn wide attention from fans of Korean TV dramas at home and abroad. But their new dramas were performing far below expectations, and even the stars with large followings abroad were unable to give them a badly needed boost. Lee Min-ho, who soared to stardom with the 2009 drama series "Boys Over Flowers," starred in the fantasy romance "The King: Eternal Monarch" on SBS this spring. It

Jun 24, 2020

Actor Woo Do-hwan to start military service next month

South Korean star actor Woo Do-hwan will join the military on July 6, his agency said Wednesday. Woo, 27, debuted in 2011 and rose to stardom after starring in the hit television series "The King: Eternal Monarch" this year and the film "The Divine Fury" in 2019. "Due to safety and health reasons, the location and time for Woo's entrance to the military camp will be kept closed without official media or farewell events," his agency, KeyEast, said in a statement.

Jun 24, 2020

Actor Park Bo-gum to join Navy in August: officials

Actor Park Bo-gum is expected to join the Navy's military band in August to fulfill his mandatory military service, officials said Wednesday. Last month, the 26 year-old celebrity applied for a naval military band and honor guard unit. After going through a performance test and interview, he was deemed qualified to be a member specializing in piano, according to the officials. Park will begin his service on Aug. 31 at the Navy Education and Training Command in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Pro

Jun 24, 2020

Remake of ‘Hotel del Luna’ coming to the US

Last year’s popular drama “Hotel Del Luna” will be remade into a US television series. Studio Dragon, the maker of the drama, which recently opened a US branch, announced a collaboration with Skydance TV on Wednesday to plan and produce the US remake. Skydance TV is the production company behind “Terminator: Dark Fate,” “6 Underground” and “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” among others. This is the first time a Korean studio will be w

Jun 23, 2020

Lee Seung-gi, Jasper Liu team up in Netflix travel show ‘Twogether’

Netflix’s upcoming variety show “Twogether” features star actors from two countries who set off on a journey to meet their fans in Asia. Featuring Korean actor-singer Lee Seung-gi and Taiwanese actor Jasper Liu, the upcoming show will draw the bromance between the two stars as they overcome language and cultural barriers on their way to connect with fans. Star variety producer Cho Hyo-jin -- who produced Netflix’s “Busted” -- and producer Ko Min-seok have

Jun 22, 2020

Portrayal of LGTBQ characters slowly evolves in K-dramas

In recent years, the portrayal of LGBTQ characters in Korean dramas has evolved, with more sexual minorities appearing as main and supporting characters in various series. Rather than shunning sexual minorities or describing them comically, as has been the case in the past, Korean dramas have begun to portray LGBTQ characters in ways that were once considered taboo in the Korean entertainment industry. In the past, LGBTQ characters rarely had major parts and appeared in dramas for no more tha

Jun 19, 2020

‘Backstreet Rookie’ draws family, rom-com inside 24-hour convenience store

Convenience stores are located at almost every corner of Seoul. Inside the small stores, stories of the most ordinary yet extraordinary everyday life take place. A new TV series “Backstreet Rookie” depicts those heartwarming stories of family, comedy and romance taking place inside the 24-hour stores.  Rom-com queen Kim You-jung stars as the lead character Jung Saet-byul of the drama -- titled “Convenience Store Saet-byul” in Korean -- who has a part-time job in t

Jun 13, 2020

Kim Soo-hyun returns to small screen with ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’

Kim Soo-hyun is returning to the small screen for the first time in five years with tvN’s new romantic comedy series “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” set to start airing next week. The upcoming weekend series is the first television role for the 31-year-old since he was discharged from the military last July. His most recent TV credits include “The Producers” in 2015 and “My Love From the Star” in 2013. “I’ve been waiting for so long, I&rs

Jun 11, 2020

Actor Ryu Seung-beom to marry Slovakian girlfriend

South Korean actor Ryu Seung-beom will tie the knot with his Slovakian girlfriend this year, his management agency said Thursday. "Ryu will soon marry his foreign girlfriend," said SEM Company. "He'd planned to have a small wedding ceremony with just family members, but it has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic." He will become a father, it added. Ryu's girlfriend, an artist living in France, is about 10 years younger than the 39-year-old actor. The couple has b

Jun 10, 2020

[Herald Interview] Focus on viewer empathy, attention to details spell success

Producer Shin Won-ho discusses making ‘Hospital Playlist’

Jun 9, 2020

Novice TV directors dazzle S. Korean entertainment scene

JTBC's "The World of the Married" and SBS' "Hot Stove League" are some of the biggest hit TV series in the first half of this year. The two dramas have one thing in common: They are works by up-and-coming young directors who get a good head start on their careers in the rapidly changing media entertainment. Based on the BBC One TV series "Doctor Foster," which aired in 2015 and 2017, the JTBC series is about a dedicated wife, played by Kim, who finds out about he

Jun 8, 2020

Return of superstars, in different personas

Singers Rain, Lee Hyo-ri return in new trio

Jun 7, 2020

‘Heart Signal’ under fire for participant with assault record

Channel A reality TV show “Heart Signal” is again under fire for one of its participant’s past actions. A woman in her 20s told the media on Friday that she was awarded 2 million won ($1,660) in damages after suing one of the participants on the third season of “Heart Signal” for kicking her in the stomach at a club in January 2017. Following the report, Kim Kang-yeul posted an apology on Instagram on Friday, admitting to the attack. “It’s been