Local broadcaster MBC will air a pilot music program titled “The Masked Talent” during the Chuseok holidays, the company said in a press release Tuesday. “The Masked Talent,” a spin-off of MBC’s popular reality program “King of Mask Singer,” is jointly produced by MBC and French producer Herve Hubert. Unlike the original show, in which singers and celebrities compete wearing masks, “The Masked Talent” welcomes people of all ages who love to

Global music platform Spotify’s K-pop playlist “K-pop Daebak” recorded approximately 1.7 billion streams in the last seven years, the company said in a press release Monday. Celebrating the 7th anniversary of its launch, the company released a host of data on K-pop Daebak. The playlist has reached more than 3.1 million followers, introducing fans and new listeners across the globe to the latest hits in the genre and grew into one of Spotify’s most important flagship pl

Legendary rock star Shin Hae-chul is making a comeback on the radio waves, thanks to AI technology that was able to re-create the voice of the late singer-songwriter. An artificial-intelligence based technology called “Personalized Text to Speech” took data from episodes of “Shin Hae-chul’s Ghost Station,” a radio program starring Shin from 2001 to 2012 in order to bring his voice back to life, according to telecom company KT Sunday. Deep learning-based technolog

YouTube show “Nego King” won the grand prize Thursday at Broadcast Worldwide 2021, a Korea Creative Content Agency fair held to recognize outstanding new media content and bring South Korean content to the international market. The video show centers on TV personality and singer Hwang Kwang-hee and his efforts to negotiate the prices of franchise companies, including Lotte Department Store, BBQ and GS25. Widely acclaimed for Hwang’s lively performance and for the active com

The 13th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival kicked off Thursday at Megabox Paju Bookcity in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with a tearful story from director Yang Yong-hi. “Aiming to promote peace, coexistence and life as a key message, DMZ Docs has slowly become the largest festival of its kind in Asia, promoting promising projects and documentaries to a wider audience,” festival director Jung Sang-jin said during the opening ceremony. The festival returned to in-person scre

Suwon Culture Night Suwon Culture Night will take place in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 15-17. Held at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and Hwaseong Temporary Palace, the areas are decorated with media art installations, titled “eight nights.” Every corner of the fortress offers a historical and cultural experience to visitors. Admission fees vary by program. Updated information can be found on www.swcf.or.kr.  Jeonju International Sori Festival The Jeonju International Sori Fe

Teams from South Korea, Japan and China are set to clash at Esports Championships East Asia 2021. The three-day event organized by the e-Sports Association and Korea Creative Content Agency will kick off Friday with live online matches for five games -- League of Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Clash Royale, PES 2021 Season Update and Dungeon Fighter. ECEA 2021 will be accompanied by the Game Culture Festival, which is to offer various programs for esports fans.  There wil

Cable channel tvN’s 2016 hit drama series “Signal” will be adapted into a webtoon, media content company BY4M announced through its public relations agency Wednesday, unveiling drawings of characters and well-known scenes from the drama. “Signal” is a time slip mystery-thriller centered around investigators from the past and future who communicate via a special walkie-talkie to solve crimes. The walkie-talkie transports its users to past crime scenes and offers in

Television director Kim Tae-ho will leave terrestrial broadcasting station MBC later this year after 20 years with the company. The director joined MBC in 2001 and became widely recognized for producing one of South Korea’s longest-running and most successful variety shows, “Infinite Challenge.” After the show wrapped up in 2018, Kim continued his success with “Hang Out With Yoo,” a variety show launched in 2019. “Though I am leaving the company, I would l

The story may be heartwarming and sweet, but its creators were driven by ferocious determination, according to Hun, co-author of the webtoon series “Navillera.” “I know it sounds weird, but I think Jimmy and I have been possessed by something to finish our webtoon ‘Navillera.’ I don’t think we can create a work with such an effort ever again,” Hun said. Written by Hun and illustrated by Jimmy, “Navillera” is a South Korean webtoon about a

After a remarkable career in the entertainment industry, artistic director of PMC Production Song Seung-whan has set his sights on a different field. Debuting as a child actor in 1965, it is no exaggeration to say Sung has been involved in almost every field of Korean culture and the entertainment business. Sung spent his adolescence acting in movies, dramas and musicals. The actor then moved to stage production, creating the legendary nonverbal drumming performance “Nanta.” Sung

Taking on a character that is a departure from his previous romantic lead roles does not mean he wants an image overhaul, actor Jung Hae-in says. “Shooting the six-part series ‘D.P.’ provided a chance to reflect on my emotions and I am certain that the audience will have many thoughts after watching all the episodes,” said Jung. “I am well aware of the images created through my previous dramas and I did not choose ‘D.P.’ because I wanted to change th

Actor Koo Kyo-hwan believes he still has long way to go. While moviegoers are mesmerized by his performances in the films “Penninsula,” “Kingdom: Ashin of the North,” “Escape from Morgadishu” and the recently released Netflix original series “D.P,” Koo has yet to start feeling comfortable with fame and recognition. “I am grateful that the fans liked how I played my characters in the series, but I still feel uneasy when people refer to me a

Traditional Korean houses, or hanok, are tightly clustered at Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, providing a chance to travel back in time and enjoy the views of nearby Joseon palaces. Bukchon is near Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace and Jongmyo Shrine, and its inhabitants in the past included many influential families and aristocrats. While bordered by modern buildings, the neighborhood itself is like a village frozen in time. At Bukchon Traditional Culture Center, the visitors can experience

The ASEAN-Korea Center has organized a virtual “ASEAN Familiarization Tour” to enhance the ASEAN-Korea tourism cooperation.  The tour, which lets Korean travel journalists and social media influencers explore tourism destinations in ASEAN member states, moved online last year, when global travel restrictions began. The center produced promotional videos introducing tourism spots and resources in ASEAN countries. This year, Korean actress and entertainer So Yu-jin and millenni

Ulsan Onggi Festival The Ulsan Onggi Festival will take place at Oegosan Onggi Village in Ulsan from Oct. 1 to 8. The festival seeks to promote “onggi,” a traditional Korean earthenware pot, and offers visitors a chance to learn more about the pottery through various programs and hands-on experiences, including making onggi and an onggi master exhibition. The event welcomes visitors of all ages. Admission fees vary according to different programs. More information can be found at www

The pandemic has changed the way people communicate. While the world appears hyperconnected thanks to the internet, connectivity does not necessarily mean communication, say participants in the 2021 Culture Communication Forum. The forum kicked off Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan, central Seoul. “Cultural communication has never been more important since the outbreak of COVID-19, making the forum’s theme ‘cultural communication as a way to share core values of in

While vaccines are the first thing that come to mind among foreigners to Korea regarding COVID-19, masks top the list among Koreans, according to a survey conducted by the Corea Image Communication Institute and released at the Culture Communication Forum Tuesday. Half of the 432 survey participants were Koreans and the other half were foreigners who have experienced Korean culture during their stay or visit to Korea, according to CICI. Among foreigners, vaccines topped the list with 88.9 pe

Lithuanian director Giedre Zickyte’s “The Jump” won the Grand Prix in the global category at the 18th EBS International Documentary Festival, the broadcaster announced Tuesday. Twenty-one films vied for prizes in the three competitive categories -- Festival Choice in Global, Festival Choice in Asia and a mobile shorts competition. “The Jump” centers around a Lithuanian sailor, Simas Kudirka, who jumped from a Soviet fishing boat and swam to a US vessel in the Atla

Broadcast Worldwide 2021 will be held Sept. 6-10 under the slogan “Content, Traveling to a New World,” the Korea Creative Content Agency said Monday. The annual event is being held online for the second consecutive year. Asia’s largest broadcasting content market, BCWW seeks to present outstanding content and insights to the broadcast industry around the world. According to KOCCA, 367 buyers and officials from 31 countries have registered for the event, including Warner Med