Seoul Pop Culture Convention, a rebranding and expansion of comic culture festival Seoul Comic Con, kicked off its four-day run at C and D halls at Coex, southern Seoul. The offline festival returned after a two-year hiatus as South Korea continues to remove its COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. The huge crowds of masked attendees, the din of camera shutter sounds and the huge lines in front of booths proved that the long-anticipated return of this event has been well-received. &rdquo

It is rare for two actors to star alongside each other for two consecutive drama series. The concern is that the viewers may be reminded too much of the characters from the previous project. But this did not seem to worry “Good Job” actors Kwon Yuri and Jung Il-woo. “I have never worked with the same co-star in two drama series, one after another. I think we are destined to be together,” Kwon, actor and member of K-pop girl group Girl’s Generation, said in an onl

Entering a cafe in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, Park Eun-bin greeted the group of reporters with the same smile from the last scene of her hit TV series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.” But the 29-year-old actor, in her low-pitched voice, let reporters know she was not Woo Young-woo, and shared how proud she was to have completed her long journey with the 16-part courtroom series. “I studied like a student preparing for an exam. I tried to memorize the script by writing down the

After making his debut in the stage musical, “Our Bad Magnet” (2009), actor Kang Ki-young starred in various projects, including hit TV dramas “Moment of Eighteen” (2018) and “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” (2018) as well as movies “Crazy Romance” (2019) and “Exit” (2019). But it was his role as senior attorney Jung Myeong-seok in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” arguably the most successful project in his 14-year car

Goesan Red Pepper Festival The Goesan Red Pepper Festival will be held at Expo Square in Goesan, North Chungcheong Province, from Sept. 1 to 4. The four-day event attempts to promote the excellence of Goesan-grown red peppers. The festival welcomes visitors with various programs, including magic performance, busking by local artists, the non-verbal hit show “Pepper Nanta,” tug-of-war competitions and more. Though most of the programs are offered for free, the hands-on “Find

Actor Jung Woo, who rose to fame after starring in the independent film “Wish” (2009) and tvN‘s hit drama “Reply 1994” (2013), has continued to show his range as an actor with his latest series, “A Model Family.” After playing short-tempered characters in Kakao TV’s web drama “Mad for Each Other” (2021) and crime film “Hot Blooded” (2022), Jung felt that much work would be needed to play a drastically different character l

Television channel ENA’s courtroom series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” will be adapted into a musical, EMK Musical Company announced Wednesday. According to the company, three episodes from the 16-part series will be selected and turned into a musical. “There were many attempts to reproduce hit drama series as musicals. But we always worry whether the long stories of TV dramas could be represented in 2 to 3-hour stage performances,” Eom Hong-hyeon, CEO and chief p

South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM announced that it has expanded into the US as a free-to-view addition to Peacock, US media and entertainment company NBC Universal’s streaming platform. According to the company, CJ ENM will offer Korean content which includes dramas, movies and K-pop programs via Peacock’s CJ ENM branded channel “CJ ENM Picks.” CJ ENM’s collaboration with Peacock is the Korean company’s second partnership with a US media company, fol

Global sensation “Squid Game” won two trophies at the 2nd Annual Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards held in California on Saturday and Sunday. Netflix’s megahit drama won best international series, while star Lee Jung-jae was named best actor in a streaming series, drama for his performance as Gi-hun, a debt-ridden divorcee. “I am deeply grateful that so many of you around the world have enjoyed and supported this series. I think ‘Squid Game’ has opene

Tongyeong Hansan Battle Festival The Tongyeong Hansan Battle Festival is set to be held at the Donam Tourist Complex in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, Aug. 5-14. The festival commemorates the Great Battle of Hansan of 1592, the best-known naval battle in Korean history. Visitors can see the reenactment of the battle and experience hands-on programs at Yi Sun-sin Waterpark offered by the city and Great Battle of Hansan Memorial Foundation. Admission is free. People of all ages are wel

Top actor Lee Jung-jae’s espionage action film “Hunt” will be screened at the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, Lee’s agency Artist Company announced in a press release Friday. As the world’s largest public film festival, TIFF presents over 100 films in different sections based on genre and format, including Contemporary World Cinema, TIFF Docs and Discovery, among 10 other categories. “Hunt” has been selected for the Gala Prese

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Surrounded by serene nature and lush forests, the iconic two-story villa featured in the second season of K-pop powerhouse Hybe‘s reality show “BTS In The Soop” is set to host two special guests for the leisurely vacation that BTS enjoyed when filming. From RM’s beanbag chair to V‘s trumpet, small details from the show are reproduced, allowing fans to relive their favorite moments. The online house-sharing platform, Airbnb, is off

Bonghwa Sweetfish Festival The 24th Bonghwa Sweetfish Festival is set to be held at gym park and areas around Naeseongcheon Stream in Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang Province. The nine-day event will start from July 30 to Aug. 7. The festival offers the opportunity to catch sweetfish, either with their bare hands or a scoop net. Visitors can also enjoy outdoor concerts, featuring artists like trot singer Jeong Dong-won, rock band Gukkasten, girl group Weeekly and more. The tourists can cook and ta

Squid Game actor Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut “Hunt,” an espionage action film, offers thrilling action scenes with seemingly unending gunfire and a heart-pounding rivalry between two intelligence agents. For some moviegoers, the long-awaited reunion of top actors Lee Jung-jae – who also stars in the film -- and Jung Woo-sung is enough to hold their expectations high for the movie. Lee seemed a little nervous when he introduced himself as a director for the first ti

With half of its series released as of July 21, television channel ENA’s legal drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” a story about a gifted, autistic attorney, has been writing history. It topped global streaming platform Netflix’s weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows at the second week of July. It made ENA the most-watched channel during Wednesday-Thursday’s prime time with viewership rating of 13.1 percent, the highest number in the channel’s his

Though renowned South Korean singer-songwriter You Hee-yul issued multiple apologies and has stepped down from the KBS music program “You Heeyul’s Sketchbook,” a heated debate over plagiarism claims is unlikely to die down anytime soon as more claims of plagiarism by K-pop artists surface. The controversy erupted in mid-June, when a post surfaced online claiming that You’s 2021 track “A Very Private Night” felt almost identical to Japanese composer Ryuichi S

Taebaek Sunflower Festival The 18th edition of Taebaek Sunflower Festival is scheduled to run from July 22 to Aug. 7 at Guwau Village in Taebaek, Gangwon Province. Presenting colorful wildflowers and seemingly endless fields of sunflowers, known to be the largest sunflower patch in South Korea, the festival welcomes flower lovers of all ages. The array of 300 species of wildflowers and sunflowers make for stunning Instagram photos. The festival offers hands-on programs to entertain visitors,

While they enjoy increasing popularity worldwide, one of the few criticisms that Netflix‘s Korean originals face from viewers is that they often include too many“ unnecessary ”erotic scenes that do not relate to the stories or are seemingly only used to be provocative. But despite its themes of love, marriage and infidelity, “Remarriage & Desires” director Kim Jung-min decided to resist the temptation. Directors Kim Jin-min of “My Name” (2021) an

Marriage, infidelity, divorce, low morals, social climbers, political and business feuds were some of the major setting and themes that captivated Korean TV viewers up until a few years ago. With their seemingly identical characters and implausible stories, such series were labeled “makjang dramas” and seen as trashy soap operas. But while Netflix’s latest presentation revolves around similar themes -- with an upper-class matchmaking company the central point of the drama --

Tooniverse, a leading South Korean animation channel and an affiliate of South Korea’s entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM, will air Nickelodeon series starting in August. Titled “Nickelodeon Time,” Tooniverse will present hit American animated series daily from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The animated comedy series “SpongeBob SquarePants” is set to air at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 5:30 p.m. on weekends. The show, featuring a square yellow sponge character, ha