Director Kim Hong-sun of “Money Heist: Korea -- Joint Economic Area” was a little surprised to hear that some viewers were disappointed that the Korean version bared too much resemblance to the hit Spanish crime drama on Netflix. “Our series was a remake of the hit Spanish drama. I believe the process of making a remake involves keeping the characteristics of the original, retelling the story of the previous production, but using a different cast and setting,” Kim said

Kakao Entertainment’s popular sports webtoon “The Gift” is coming to the small screen. “The Gift,” a webtoon series written and drawn by author J1212, centers around baseball coach Jung Min-yong who has a supernatural power to rate the level and ability of baseball players. Min-yong starts coaching at a high school and scouts Tae-hoon as a first team pitcher, seeing in him potential to become a great player. The story develops as the players show their dissatisfa

Naver Webtoon, South Korean tech giant Naver’s web-based cartoon platform, and DC Comics revealed the release date for their latest titles, “Red Hood: Outlaws” and “Zatanna and the Ripper.” During a discussion about the future of comics at the Collision Conference, Marie Javins, DC Comics editor-in-chief, and Naver Webtoon head of content David Lee said their upcoming series will be available on July 11 and Aug. 14, respectively, according to Naver Webtoon’s

More than two years have passed since K-pop boy band Highlight’s group leader Yoon Doo-joon was discharged from his mandatory military service, but the singer and actor is still figuring out how to best juggle his many jobs.  “I felt a huge responsibility when I accepted the lead role in ‘Goo Pil-soo Is Not There.’ I wanted many viewers to watch the drama, and hoped that it wouldn’t come to an end with the public not even noticing the series had aired,”

Garden of Morning Calm Hydrangea Festival and Exhibition The Garden of Morning Calm, situated in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, is one of Korea’s major botanical gardens. In an attempt to promote the beautiful hydrangea blooming in July, the festival presents five types of hydrangea with photo zones. Visitors can enjoy the differently shaped flowers and leaves of hydrangea, the most attractive flower of summer. The festival is slated for June 4 to July 3. The garden is open from 8:30 a.m

Public broadcaster KBS is scheduled to release a new documentary series, “Oops! We Forgot Your Order 2,” featuring four mild dementia patients challenged to cook and sell their own food. Located on the beautiful island of Jeju, a small restaurant is run by four seniors with star chef Lee Yeon-bok, comedian Song Eun-i, actor Jin Ji-hee, and television celebrity and chef Hong Seok-cheon. A second season was commissioned after the huge success of its first, which explored issues such

Netflix’s upcoming series “Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area” hopes to set itself apart from the original Spanish drama with a new setting, new storyline and masks. “Watching the original series back in 2018, I was mesmerized by the fascinating characters. I was certain that bringing them to another time and space, like South Korea, would definitely catch the viewers’ attention,” director Kim Hong-sun said during a press conference held at the Grand B

Star television director Na Young-seok returns with tvN’s new reality show “Earth Arcade,” featuring stars with whom he has not worked previously on television. “I have worked on many projects with television celebrities who I felt very comfortable with and spent a lot of time with, like comedian Kang Ho-dong, actor Lee Seo-jin and more. And I wanted to do something new for the upcoming series,” director Na said in an online press conference held on Monday. &ldqu

Korean Australian actor Yerin Ha is thrilled that her project “Halo” is being premiered on two major streaming platforms -- Korean streaming platform Tving and US-based Paramount+. Hoping to be judged for her acting in Paramount+‘s military action series before being recognized as a granddaughter of Korea’s acclaimed stage actor Son Sook, Ha shared her thoughts on starring in the series. “I was honored and thrilled to be part of an amazing project, surrounded by m

In response to the increasing popularity of streaming platforms, numerous top movie stars have crossed over to streaming services. Big-name film directors, including Lee Joon-ik, are no exception. “I am feeling a mixed bag of emotions,” director Lee said during a Paramount+ press conference held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, central Soul, on Thursday. “I am excited and nervous to present my series to viewers on a streaming platform for the first time.” Lee, 6

Jeju Folk Village’s Hydrangea Festival　 The Hydrangea Festival, which started in June 1, is scheduled to run through June 30 at Jeju Folk Village in Seogwipo, Jeju Island. With the traditional Korean straw-thatched houses, the festival welcomes the visitors to enjoy the colorful hydrangea while strolling around the tourist site. Visitors can enjoy both the traditional games and have a chance to make your own hydrangea flowerpot. Jeju Folk Village’s admission fees cost 11,000 won

Paramount+ landed in South Korea Thursday as a free-to-view addition to Tving, local entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM‘s subscription-based streaming platform. “It is no secret that Korean-made content is becoming one of the most important things in the world. CJ ENM and Tving are playing a crucial part,” Mark Specht, managing director for Central & Northern Europe and Asia in Paramount Global, said in a press conference held at Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, central Seou

Terrestrial broadcaster, MBC, announced that their hit reality telivision-travel show “Hey! First Time in KOREA?” would return to its original broadcast format of a foreigner living in South Korea who invites friends from their home country to visit. Since its premiere in mid-2017, the program has invited visitors from more than 35 countries, including Germany, the US, South Africa, Finland and Nepal. In response to the travel restrictions and social distancing rules imposed during

The cast and staff of tvN‘s upcoming historical fantasy romance “Alchemy of Souls” are confident that their work has everything viewers look for in a drama. “We have put great effort into this drama, with things like computer graphics, costumes, hair, makeup, special visual effects, filming locations and more. The viewers will definitely enjoy the series,” television director Park Joon-hwa said during an online press conference Tuesday. Jung So-min, 33, who plays

Riot Games Korea announced that it has signed an agreement with Incheon International Airport Corp. to set up an esports lounge at the airport’s Terminal 1. According to Riot Games Korea, the company will offer an offline-online esports experience at the gaming zone, with the aim of introducing Riot Games’ intellectual property as well as esports culture. The gamers’ lounge will be set up at Incheon Airport Terminal 1’s duty-free zone near Gate 30. The space will be d

South Korea’s entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM seeks to strengthen its position as the country’s leading contents provider with star-studded TV series in the latter half of the year. With the success of its previous projects, ranging from rom-com “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” to the company’s latest omnibus-style drama “Our Blues,” CJ ENM hopes to continue its content dominance with a wider range of genres. “Alchemy of Souls,” tvN’s upcomi

Public broadcaster KBS is scheduled to air a new webtoon-based romance series titled “Jinxed at First” on June 15. The broadcaster’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama is an adaptation of a popular Kakao Page webtoon of the same title created by author Han Ji-hye and illustrator Goo Seul, which recorded 100 million cumulative views over its three-season run from 2016 to 2020. Helmed by television director Yoon Sang-ho, the series features a poor, unlucky fish vendor named Soo-kwan

Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival The Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival will be held from Friday to Sunday at Hansan Mosi Museum and Hansan Traditional Market in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province. The event seeks to continue the tradition of weaving Hansan ramie fabric, known as “mosi” in Korean, which is listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The festival offers an opportunity to experience weaving traditional Korean natural fibers and trying on m

BUSAN -- The home of Busan International Film Festival, Korea’s first international film festival, is hoping to cement its position as the country’s top cultural city with the opening of Busan Content Market 2022. Returning as an offline event for the first time in three years, BCM 2022 showcases Korean content to the global market. The event will also explore the rising popularity of the metaverse, artificial reality, high-tech media-based convergence and many other things includi

With his eye-catching gestures, comical facial expressions and mischievous voices, illusionist Lee Eun-gyeol turned even a small studio into a grand stage for his stage performances. “Which version of Lee Eun-gyeol do you want to see today? I don’t think the performer from MBC is available today,” Lee playfully told The Korea Herald during a recent interview. The zany persona that made him so well-loved on MBC’s “My Little Television” might have been absen