Cable channel tvN’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama, “The Killer’s Shopping List,” will be unlike any of the currently trending dramas with either heartwarming storylines or hard-hitting action sequences. “Unlike the typical mystery thrillers with intense mind games and breathtaking actions, our series takes a different approach to a mysterious murder case. The exciting script aside, the character was really new to me. I thought I would not have another chance to pla

Improper use of English subtitles and slang continues to increase in TV broadcasts, according to a Korea Communications Standards Commission report released Sunday. While the words and expressions are widely used by streamers on video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, Twitch and Afreeca TV, TV programs have also adopted such usage in recent years, though they deviate from the standard Korean language deemed proper for broadcast. KCSC and Special Advisory Committee on Broadcasting Language, a

President Moon Jae-in will share his thoughts and feelings about his five years of presidency on a two-part special for cable channel JTBC’s “Five Years of Moon Jae-in” airing on Monday and Tuesday. Hosted by JTBC journalist Sohn Suk-hee, the one-on-one interview reviews Moon’s achievements, regrets and opinion of the incoming administration as he looks back on the past five years. “The interview was conducted without any political bias. Moon sometimes responded

Star director Yeon Sang-ho, who was behind global apocalyptic thriller “Train to Busan” (2016) and Netflix’s “Hellbound” (2021), is expanding his dystopian fantasy world, widely known as “Yeoniverse,” with Tving’s upcoming occult series “Monstrous.” “It may sound unreal, but I was thinking of director Yeon the other day. And I received a message about his new project. I was screaming in my room with excitement and decided to sta

South Korea’s Hangang Park, or Han River Park, has been named the world’s third most Instagram-worthy park. With the goal of helping to reduce metropolitan cities’ carbon emissions, green energy experts at the United Kingdom-based comparison website Uswitch analyzed Instagram data to find the most picturesque parks and gardens around the world in an article published earlier this month. Hangang Park, made up of 12 riverside parks along the Han River, is one of the beloved sp

Cheongnamdae Spring Flower Festival The Cheongnamdae Spring Flower Festival will run through May 8 at Cheongnamdae in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Once a private villa used by former presidents of South Korea, Cheongnamdae opened to the public in 2003. Surrounded by spring flowers, the festival welcomes visitors of all ages with various sculptures, art paintings and wild flowers. Cheongnamdae is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed every Monday. Admission fees range from 3,000

Singers and actors Lee Jun-ho and Yoona are set to star in an upcoming rom-com with the working title “King the Land.” According to local production company Npio Entertainment, the actors are confirmed to play the lead characters in the series and filming is scheduled to begin in the fall. While Lee plays an heir to a conglomerate, Yoona takes the role of a hotelier. Lee, who debuted as part of JYP boy band 2PM, made his name as an actor after starring in various hit series, inc

Though cable channel tvN and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol might each have had their own motivations for the talk show, the latest episode of “You Quiz on the Block” arguably backfired, raising growing criticisms against both the cable channel and Yoon. Hosted by the comedian duo Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho, “You Quiz on the Block” invited four guests to this week‘s episode, including Yoon. Nearly 20 minutes of the 100-minute talk show were dedicated to Yoon, who sh

Actor Park Ju-hyun, 27, who caught local and global viewers’ attention with her portrayal of thieving high-schooler Bae Gyu-ri in Netflix’s “Extracurricular” (2020), has come back as a badminton player in “Love All Play,” a new sports romance on KBS. “I was also surprised to find that ‘Love All Play’ is my first romance drama. But, the biggest reason that I chose to star in the series was the charm of my character Park Tae-yang,” Park

Studio LuluLala, formerly known as JTBC Studios and a subsidiary of cable channel JTBC, will invest 3 trillion won ($2.42 billion) over the next few years into producing 30 TV series and five films, seeking to become a global content studio. “We have changed our name from JTBC Studio. It reflects our determination to become a leading production company in the world entertainment industry,” SLL CEO Jung Kyung-moon said during a press conference at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu,

Virtuoso pianist Son Yeol-eum is stepping down as the host of MBC’s classical music program “TV Art Show.” Terrestrial broadcaster MBC announced that Son, who has been hosting the show since 2018, will be leaving “TV Art Show,” seeking to spend more time on her career and overseas performances. Though many viewers were surprised when the much sought-after pianist who performs around the world joined the show, she became the longest-serving host of “TV Art S

Terrestrial broadcaster MBC is set to present a new audition program “Blockbuster: Genius Brick Battle,” a South Korean adaptation of the global hit series “Lego Masters.” The original show, created by British production company Tuesday’s Child Television and the Lego Group in 2017, features Lego artists competing against each other to wow judges with splendid Lego buildings. According to the broadcaster, television celebrity Ro Hong-chul will star as the host of

For Lee Ju-myoung, 30, playing the role of high school student Ji Seung-wan in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” was meaningful in many ways. “Performing my role aside, I was able to learn various tips for improving myself as an actor off-camera as well. I still have many things to learn as an actor,” Lee said during an interview with The Korea Herald at a cafe in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, on Thursday. “Participating in the series with actors Kim Tae-ri and Nam Ju-hyuk, who

Lotus Lantern Festival The Lotus Lantern Festival, known as Yeon Deung Hoe, is set to start on April 29 and run through May 1 at various places in Seoul, including the streets of Jongno, along the stream Cheonggyecheon and at temples Bongeunsa and Jogyesa. The lighting of the lanterns conveys wishes for peace and happiness. Various programs are offered during the three-day festival free of charge. The lantern parade, which starts at Dongdaemun Gate in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, and proceeds t

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will appear in an upcoming episode of the tvN talk show “You Quiz on the Block” set to air April 20. Yoon is making his first TV show appearance in almost four months after showing up on several programs, including SBS’ reality show “Master in the House,” TV Chosun’s “Gourmet Mukbang Trip” and KBS’ “Problem Child in House,” as a presidential hopeful. According to the cable channel, the episode fea

While webtoon-based drama series such as Netflix’s “Hellbound” and “All of Us Are Dead” drew viewers’ attention and brought global success to content creators, web novels are poised to become the next major source for other multimedia content. A web novel is a written work available primarily on the internet. Global streaming platform Disney+ produced its Korean original series by adapting Naver Series’ famous web novel “Sixth Sense Kiss.”

It only took the first episode of Tving’s new reality show “Seoul Check-In” to make a major impact for the local streaming service. After a successful pilot run in January, “Seoul Check-In” set new records at Tving with the first episode released Friday. According to Tving, “Seoul Check-In” contributed the most to its increase in paid subscribers and unique visitors in the three days following its release. “The number of unique visitors who wat

With HBO Max set to add to the competition provided by global platforms in the second half of the year, local streaming services are looking to original series to give them a unique selling point. Korean service Watcha began to stake out a position in the streaming market with new romance series “Semantic Error.” Adapted from an R-rated web novel of the same title, “Semantic Error” revolves around a gay couple on campus. The adaptation is a PG series that aims to pres

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday named Park Bo-gyoon to become his administration‘s first minister of culture, sports and tourism. Park, a former journalist and vice president of the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, was the president of Korea News Editors’ Association in 2011. After he joined the People’s Power Party in July 2021, Park played a role as a special adviser in the party’s election committee and election headquarters. In March, Park became the special advis

Kim Se-jeong, 25, has already had success as an actor, with KBS’ “School 2017” (2017), “I Wanna Hear Your Song” (2019) and OCN’s “The Uncanny Counter” (2020-21), but her latest project “Business Proposal” could be the best so far. “I don’t know how things will change in the future, but ‘Business Proposal’ is definitely my all-time favorite drama so far. From storylines to the synergy between the actors and staf