Actor Kim Hye-soo will wrap up 30 years of hosting one of South Korea's most prestigious film awards on Friday. Kim will host the Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony, the 44th edition, for the last time at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul. Fellow actor Yoo Yeon-seok will co-host the ceremony. Kim first took on the role as emcee in 1993 after rising to stardom through her debut film “Ggambo” (1986). She has since hosted the ceremony every year, except for in 1998. During her decadeslong

Cozy, warm tearoom in Huam-dong For imbibers of among the oldest aromatic beverages, a cozy and quiet place to enjoy afternoon tea time can be found in Huam-dong in Yongsan, central Seoul. TeaRoom Rossetti is a small, friendly place where the owner offers freshly baked scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Try the afternoon tea set that includes hand-made sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and madeleines served for at least two people. If you plan to visit alone, the tearoom has an

“The Boy and the Heron” (Japan) Opened Oct. 25 Animation Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Twelve-year-old Mahito finds a new home following the death of his mom. But after encountering a talking heron who tells Mahito that his mom is still alive, he decides to leave the town in search of her, which leads him to a whole other world. “The Marvels” (US) Opened Nov. 8 Action Directed by Nia DaCosta A sequel to “Captain Marvel” (2019), the film follows the story of C

Director Um Tae-hwa’s dystopian thriller “Concrete Utopia” swept Wednesday’s 59th Daejong Film Awards. Hosted by actor Cha In-pyo and comedian Jang Do-yeon, the award ceremony, also known as the Grand Bell Awards, was held at Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on a smaller scale than in previous years. “Concrete Utopia” won the most coveted best picture award and five other awards, with Lee Byung-hun snatching the best actor award for his role i

Netflix original series “Daily Dose of Sunshine,” set in a psychiatric ward, has quickly spread by word of mouth since its Nov. 3 release, with many viewers praising the 12-episode series. As of Wednesday, the TV drama ranked fourth on the non-English top 10 TV chart for Netflix. It was listed among the top 10 shows in 28 regions, according to Netflix. Unlike other successful medical dramas like “Behind the White Tower” (2007), “Dr. Romantic” (2016) and &ldquo

“Believer 2,” the much-awaited second installment of the 2018 crime action franchise, “Believer,” which attracted an audience of 5.2 million, will hit screens later this month as a “midquel,” the country’s first-ever flick that explores a story within the timeframe of the previous film. “Believer 2” is directed by Baek Jong-yul, who is known for the stylish mise-en-scene in the 2015 hit romance flick, “Beauty Inside,” and who has

Joo Jong-hyuk, better known as his character “tactician Kwon Min-woo” in the 2022 hit series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo," transforms into a completely different person in "Iron Mask," the actor's first venture into non-indie film. “Iron Mask,” which has the Korean title of “One-Ten-Thousandth of a Second,” follows the story of Kim Jae-woo (Joo), who joins an athlete boot camp for the national kendo team selection. There, he meets Tae

South Korea’s top chefs gathered to develop Korean fine dining menus using Korean ingredients as part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institution’s efforts to spread the word on Korea's high-quality ingredients, which can be used to prepare a variety of dishes. At "Shape, Share, Start: For Korea Ingredients," an event held at Mingles in Gangnam, Seoul on Nov. 3, a group of chefs, professors, culinary connoisseurs and

Park Hae-soo from “Squid Game” and “Narco-Saints,” and Shin Min-a from “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” and “Our Blues” will meet for Netflix’s new crime thriller series, “Karma” (working title). The Korean original title roughly translates to “ill-fated relationship.” Based on the Kakao webtoon of the same title by Hwang Joon-ho, the series follows characters who are tightly entangled in doomed relationships. “Karma&rdquo

“The Marvels” (US) Opened Nov. 8 Action Directed by Nia DaCosta A sequel to “Captain Marvel” (2019), the film follows the story of Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan, as Danvers -- Captain Marvel -- travels to the past amid a destabilized universe. “The Boy and the Heron” (Japan) Opened Oct. 25 Animation Directed by Hayao Miyazaki A 12-year-old Mahito finds a new home following the death of his mom. But after encountering a talking heron who

This year's Seoul Independent Film Festival, the country’s one and only independent film festival with a competition showcase, aims to send a message of encouragement to creators, the organizer said Wednesday. Under the slogan of “Dear Life,” SIFF’s Executive Chairman Kim Dong-hyun said this year’s festival hopes to encourage those who are experiencing tough times in the movie industry. According to Kim, a total of 1,374 films were submitted this year. Compared

Upcoming American superhero film “The Marvels” director and co-writer Nia DaCosta said she cast Park Seo-joon after watching the 2020 hit TV drama “Itaewon Class” during the pandemic. Park Seo-joon plays the role of Prince Yan of Aladna in "The Marvels," making his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Hollywood. “I was really into Korean dramas, films and K-pop when I was younger at 17, 18 and I just fell in love with this Korean pop culture. I watch

With various genres of Korean films slated to hit theaters this month, November has become a new battlefield, a season that had been regarded as relatively less competitive compared to summer and winter holiday seasons. Last November, rookie director Ahn Tae-jin’s 9 billion-won budget “Night Owl” attracted 2.5 million moviegoers, becoming a box office hit. The film grabbed attention for combining thriller elements in a period setting. Actor Ryu Jun-yeol starred as a blind acupu

“Iron Mask,” which has the Korean title of “One-Ten-Thousandth of a Second,” follows the story of Kim Jae-woo (Joo Jong-hyuk), who joins the boot camp to be selected for the national kendo team. The film centers around Kim's encounter with Tae-su (Moon Jin-seung), who killed Jae-woo's older brother when he was young. The movie’s Korean title is intended to show how the competition’s victory is decided within a very short amount of time. Throughout th

Actor Shin Min-a turns into eatery owner Jin-joo, who sells homecooked food based on her mother’s recipes in “Our Season,” which confirmed its release in local theaters on Dec. 6. Veteran actor Kim Hae-sook appears as Shin’s mother, Bok-ja, who has come to visit her as part of her “vacation from heaven,” following the lead of a guide who has arranged the visit down from heaven, played by Kang Ki-young. While Bok-ja can see her daughter from a close distance, J

“Brave Citizen” (South Korea) Opens Oct. 25 Drama/Action Directed by Park Jin-pyo Substitute teacher So Si-min (Shin Hae-sun), a former boxer, dons a cat mask and takes justice into her own hands when she notices the bullying antics of Han Soo-gang (Lee Jun-young), dubbed "crazy dog," who constantly gets into fights with other students. “Killers of the Flower Moon” (US) Opened Oct. 19 Drama/Crime Directed by Martin Scorsese A series of murders target the Osa

Director Lee Jae-gyu, most recently known for “All of Us Are Dead,” has returned with comedy series “Daily Dose of Sunshine,” a Netflix original series set in a psychiatric ward. Park Bo-young stars as a kind-hearted nurse working at a psychiatric ward, dealing with a variety of patients and colleagues. Lee Jung-eun (“Parasite,” “Our Blues”) appears as a head nurse who supports Da-eun. Yeon Woo-jin stars as Go-yoon, a doctor in charge of proctologi

Hong Xa-bin, who plays 18-year-old high school student Yeon-kyu in rookie director Kim Chang-hoon’s feature debut film “Hopeless,” won the Rising Star Award at the London East Asia Film Festival on Monday. In this noir film, Hong showed a detailed emotional buildup and sensitive acting performance to portray Yeon-kyu who lives with an abusive stepfather and an enervated mother. His character is even asked to leave the Chinese restaurant where he works part-time. Then, he meets

The Seoul Independent Film Festival, the country’s one and only independent film festival with a competition showcase, has chosen director Im Jeong-hwan’s “The Cenozoic Life” for this year’s edition as its opening film. “The Cenozoic Life” follows Kim Min-joo, played by Kim Sae-byuk, who goes to Lithuania to find her missing husband. She stays with Oh-young, her college friend who emigrated to the country long ago, but she gets kicked out upon Oh-young&#

Director Kim Sung-hwan’s feature debut film “Iron Mask” won the best picture award at the London East Asia Film Festival, the film’s distributor The Coup Distribution said Monday. Launched in 2016, LEAFF aims to support collaboration in East Asian filmmaking amid a shift in the cinematic landscape of East Asia, as well as to move away from cultural and cinematic borders. The festival introduces films from over 13 countries including Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Ko