Cartoon artist Lee Woo-young, one of the creators behind the original hit comic book and animated series, “Black Rubber Shoes,” in the 1990s and the 2000s, was found dead at his home in Incheon, according to police Sunday. Lee was discovered by his family member at around 7 p.m. on Saturday, in what was an apparent suicide. Lee’s family said that he was going through a rough time due to recent lawsuits regarding copyright issues. An autopsy will not be conducted at the request

Three South Korean films will be released in April with the support of local multiplex theaters in an attempt to top local box offices currently dominated by foreign films such as Japanese animated films “Suzume” and “The First Slam Dunk.” According to local multiplex theaters CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox, films “Rebound,” “Killing Romance” and “Dream” will open in April, along with sponsorships by multiplex theaters to revitalize loca

For many, cilantro is an ingredient that you either love or hate. Love it or hate it, a dessert cafe in Seoul is offering up irresistibly sweet, vividly colored cakes – with cilantro as the main ingredient. Located in an old, narrow alley in Euljiro in Jung-gu, Seoul, dessert cafe Wonhyeongdeul turns unlikely ingredients into fancy, delectable and aesthetically pleasing cakes. Opened in July 2021, Wonhyeongdeul is a second brand of Seomgwang, a cafe and wine bar located in the same buildin

Changgyeonggung's Grand Greenhouse under the stars With spring just around the corner, the Grand Greenhouse inside Changgyeonggung invites visitors to taken an enchanting stroll through the palace garden. Located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the Joseon-period palace offers a peaceful retreat in the heart of the bustling city, having recently reopened its nighttime viewings in March, As you walk through the gates and into the palace court, the night lights cast a dreamy glow on the surroundings, cas

“The Devil’s Deal” (South Korea) Opened March 1 Drama/Thriller Directed by Lee Won-tae “The Devil’s Deal,” set in Busan in 1992, centers on both the confrontations and collaborations among an ever-unsuccessful politician, Hae-yong (Cho Jin-woong), a political heavyweight Soon-tae (Lee Sung-min), and a gang boss Pil-do (Kim Moo-yeol), together with their instinctive desire and betrayal revolving around power and money. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Actors Kwak Si-yang and Jo Yoon-seo will star in the occult horror film, “Three Evil Island” (working title), directed by Chae Ki-jun, according to film distributor The Content On. “Lovers of the Red Sky” (2021) star Kwak will play Japanese journalist Matsuda Ryuhei, who accompanies Chae So-yeon (Jo Yoon-seo), a TV producer who specializes in investigating pseudo-religions. “Three Evil Islands” (working title) tells the story of the investigative reporting tea

Japanese director Makoto Shinkai of the latest adventure animation film “Suzume,” which references the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that took nearly 20,000 lives and left much devastation, said the key motif of a magical door that a protagonist tries to close to stop the disaster was inspired by the 2016 hit South Korean drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.” “When I watched ‘Guardian,’ it was impressive that the characters use a concept of door to move a

Actor Son Suk-ku from “My Liberation Notes” (2022) and “Big Bet” (2022) will star as a journalist in an upcoming crime action flick, tentatively named “The Comments Army.” A film adaption of Chang Kang-myoung’s award-winning novel of the same title, “The Comments Army” will be directed by Ahn Gooc-jin. Shooting officially began Monday, according to Acemaker Movieworks, the film's distributor. The film centers around Son’s character

Singer and actor Lee Hye-ri -- also known as Hyeri from Girl’s Day -- is starring in director Park Beom-soo’s “Victory,” the country’s first ever film on cheerleaders. Along with Lee, actors Park Se-wan and Cho Ah-ram and six other actors will star as a nine-member cheerleading group called Millennium Girls. “Victory” revolves around Pil-seon (Hyeri) and Mina (Park Se-wan) who form a high school cheerleading club. Hyeri’s acting career took off wit

Unlike a typical noir action flick, director Lee Won-tae’s latest film “Devil’s Deal” realistically depicts the film’s setting, focusing specifically on the year 1992 in Busan. This was the year when both the presidential election and the general election took place. This made the actors think that the characters they were playing must have really existed in the real world at some place and time. “The set was so realistic that I could easily be absorbed into t

Inspiring house items for spring E-commerce platform 29CM’s curation showroom, 29 Seongsu, in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, is holding an exhibition for the spring season under the theme of “inspiring house,” introducing the living and lifestyle brands' items for garden, lounge, dining room and bathroom. Danish brands Hay and &Tradition’s signature color lamps adorn the lounge-like space on the first floor of the showroom, whereas the second floor has been turned into a b

“Count” (South Korea) Opened Feb. 22 Comedy Directed by Kwon Hyuk-jae Former boxing Olympic medalist Si-heon (Jin Seon-kyu), who now teaches at a high school in Jinhae, North Gyeongsang Province, decides to start a boxing team after discovering talent in his student Yoon-woo, played by Sung Yoo-bin. The film is based on the real-life story of South Korean boxer Park Si-hun, who won a gold medal in the men’s light middleweight category at the 1988 Summer Olympics. “Mis

Director Lee Won-tae’s first crime noir flick in four years, “The Devil’s Deal,” has topped the local box office Thursday, setting a new attendance record, according to the Korea Film Council. Data showed “The Devil’s Deal,” which opened on Wednesday, saw a total of 188,827 moviegoers on its first day. As of Thursday, the number of movie theater admissions came to 192,623. The figures represent the highest attendance compared to other films that have ope

Italian luxury brand Gucci will finally stage its first-ever major runway show in Seoul in May after “Gucci Cosmogonie Collection Seoul,” scheduled to take place at Gyeongbokgung on Nov. 1, was canceled following the crowd crush tragedy in Itaewon on Oct. 29. The Cultural Heritage Administration’s committee of royal palaces, tombs and other heritage sites said it has granted conditional approval for Gucci to hold a fashion show near Gyeongbokgung's Geunjeongjeon Hall fro

Blackpink member Jisoo graces the cover of Vogue France’s March issue, the first K-pop musician to do so. "Jisoo is a new generation pop culture icon,” the French magazine proclaimed. The 28-year-old girl group member is shown wearing a black ribbed linen dress with a floral motif from Dior. She has been Dior’s global ambassador since March 2021. On Monday, Vogue France Editor-in-Chief Eugenie Trochu shared a screenshot of the magazine’s crashed website in an Insta

Filmmaker Jang Hang-jun and his wife and star writer Kim Eun-hee’s sports comedy “Rebound” will hit local theaters in April, distribution company Barunson E&A said Monday. Based on the real-life story of a basketball team at a high school in Busan in 2012, director Jang has moved the eight-day high school basketball competition event to the screen. The production team for 2017 hit film “The Outlaws” has prepared for the film since 2013, and writer Kwon Sung-hui

For Yoo Yeon-seok, it was a clear choice for him to appear in canine-themed film “My Heart Puppy,” as a person who has had dogs from a young age and acted as ambassador of Seoul Animal Film Festival. A chance to act with the four-legged friends and tell stories of the companion animals through the screen were his priorities. “I first grabbed the script with a light-hearted mind because the title was cute. Then after I finished reading it, there was no choice for me (but to appe

It is rare for a fine dining chef to suddenly close his restaurant for months just to study the ingredients he wants to know about -- especially soon after the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star. Kim Do-yun, head chef at the Michelin-starred Yun Seoul in Mapo-gu, Seoul, reopened his restaurant in March last year, eight months after closing its doors. “I went to France, Germany, Italy and cities like New York just to study ingredients, like food that can give noodle aroma and certain

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (US) Opened Feb. 15 Action Directed by Peyton Reed In this sequel to "Ant-Man" (2015) and "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018) and the 31st film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp explore the Quantum Realm and interact with strange new creatures. “The Amazing Maurice” (US) Opened Feb. 15 Comedy/Family Directed by Toby Genkel An animated comedy based on Terry Pratchett’s semi-parodic children&rs

Actor Song Joong-ki, 37, said most of the rumors surrounding his wife are wrong and that he was “angry” about the snowballing gossip concerning his family. In a recent interview with GQ Korea, Song said all the rumors circulating online, except the school from which she graduated, were wrong. On Jan. 30, Song revealed that he had registered his marriage with Katy Louise Saunders on that day and that they were expecting a baby. He did not mention when the baby is due. “At firs