Having benefited heavily from the webtoon boom that surged during the height of the pandemic, South Korea has marked webtoons as a key driver for future growth. In January, the Culture Ministry announced plans to invest approximately 4 billion won ($3 million) to boost webtoon production and commercialization. Major IT players such as Naver and Kakao also embraced webtoons as a key part of their strategic vision, with Naver listing its webtoon subsidiary on Nasdaq in June. Recent data such as co

Dramas depicting intercultural romances between Japanese and Korean characters are all the rage right now, amid efforts to draw in a broader audience and leverage larger production budgets, according to industry officials, Friday. In Japan, hit romance fantasy series "Eye Love You" lit up the schedules in the early part of the year. The drama depicted the love story of Yoon Tae-oh (Chae Jong-hyeop), a Korean graduate student in Japan, and Yuri (Fumi Nikaido), a CEO with the ability to

Featuring Japanese heartthrob Kentaro Sakaguchi and Korean actor Lee Se-young, the upcoming Coupang Play's romance series "What Comes After Love" explores a timeless question: What happens when former lovers unexpectedly cross paths once again. "What Comes After Love" narrates the story of Choi Hong (Lee Se-young) and Aoki Jungo (Kentaro Sakaguchi), who meet again by chance five years after splitting up. The series is adapted from the novel of the same name, co-authored

Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars" will be the biggest cooking survival show in Korean entertainment show history, according to the show's producers, Wednesday. "Culinary Class Wars" features cook-offs featuring 100 contestants split into two teams: the white team, composed of Korea's top chefs, and the black team, made up of little-known chefs and cooks such as local restaurant owners. The contestants will face off in multiple elimination rounds with a panel of j

The Bucheon International Comics Festival, one of the largest comics events in the nation, is slated to commence its four-day run from Oct. 3 to Oct. 6, with this year's festival placing a special emphasis on fostering international exchanges in comics. The 2024 BICOF will kick off with an opening ceremony at 4 p.m., Oct, 3, at Korea Manhwa Museum in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. The ceremony will include the Bucheon Comics Awards, an event which annually honors popular Korean comics. Accordi

The Korean content industry should seek out ways to diverse monetizing opportunities, experts told a global conference on streaming industries in Asia. Speaking at the conference titled "Korea in View" held Aug. 29, Marianne Lee, chief of content acquisition and development at streaming platform Viu, said the content industry in Korea is going through a "correction period," in which the industry is now struggling to keep up with soaring production costs, which have risen four

Auteur Park Chan-wook clinched the Golden Bird Prize at this year's Seoul International Drama Awards for his significant impact on the drama industry with "The Sympathizer," according to the awards organizing committee on Monday. Seoul International Drama Awards, hosted annually by the SDA organizing committee and the Korean Broadcasters Association since 2006, celebrates outstanding achievements in drama series from around the world. This year’s awards ceremony logged a rec

Veteran actor Kim Myung-min said he drew inspiration from the iconic American gangster film "The Godfather" while portraying the crime lord in the hit series "Your Honor." "Your Honor," an adaptation of the Israeli series "Kvodo," follows Judge Pan-ho (played by Son Hyun-joo), who seeks to cover up a murder committed by his son, and Gang-heon (played by Kim), a merciless crime lord who is determined to uncover the truth behind his son's murder. The se

South Korea is set to host its first-ever global webtoon festival and awards ceremony, highlighting the country's leading role in the growing global popularity of webtoons, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Sunday. The 2024 World Webtoon Festival will run from Sept. 26 to 29 at various venues across Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. The festival will kick off with the 2024 World Webtoon Awards on the opening day at S-Factory in Seongsu-dong, a retail, event and cultu

Jung Jong-yeon, producer of the hit Netflix survival game series "The Devil's Plan," said the series' second season has been upgraded to showcase an intricately designed filming set, alongside games created by some of his most dedicated fans. In its first season, "The Devil's Plan" brought together 12 contestants, including actors, doctors and YouTubers, to compete in a battle of wit and strategy. Upon its release in September 2023, the show quickly gained glob

Actor Yoo Ah-in was sentenced to one year in prison by the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday for repeated drug use. The court ordered Yoo's immediate detention after handing down the sentence, which included a one-year prison term, a 2 million won fine ($1,489) and a surcharge of 1.54 million won. Yoo was ordered to pay a surcharge for the value of items obtained illegally. "Prescription narcotics, like propofol, are tightly controlled because of their potential for dependence an

The director of Netflix's original thriller "The Frog" said he aimed to offer solace to viewers by sharing the stories of those who encounter sudden calamities and suffer deep isolation, their plight ignored by those around them. "The Frog" is an 8-part mystery thriller centered on Young-ha (Kim Yun-seok), who operates a pension in the woods. Seeking a quiet life away from the world, Young-ha's peace is shattered by the arrival of a mysterious guest, Sung-ah (Go Min

The K-drama industry must improve its overseas retail strategies and adopt seasonal formats to become an IP powerhouse, according to media experts. During "Korea In View," a series of talk sessions held Thursday as a part of Broadcast Worldwide (BCWW) 2024, the chief researcher at Export-Import Bank of Korea remarked that Korea currently suffers from its content being stockpiled. Broadcast Worldwide (BCWW) 2024 is an annual gathering of global broadcasters. "It's true that K-

South Korean actor Yoo Teo, acclaimed for his performance in the Oscar-nominated romance drama "Past Lives" (2023), has been officially cast as the lead in the upcoming Hollywood action thriller "Karoshi." "Karoshi" is written and directed by US filmmaker Takashi Doscher, who is known for his award-winning thriller "Still" (2018). The film is produced by 87eleven Action Design, a US production company popular for producing multiple hit action flicks such a

With the recent news of numerous AfreecaTV livestreamers -- commonly known here as "BJs" -- being arrested for drug use and accused of engaging in group sexual activities making waves, a spotlight has been shone on their conduct. As livestreamers become increasingly successful in the entertainment market, pop-culture experts call to attention the circumstances that make livestreamers on AfreecaTV, the country’s largest one-person streaming platform, vulnerable to crime. Explosi

Korea's beloved actor Jo Jung-suk said his wife and popular singer Park Ji-yeon, more famously known by her stage name Gummy, has been his greatest source of confidence in pursuing his dream of becoming a singer, via Netflix original "A-List to Playlist." "A-List to Playlist" will follow actor Jo Jung-suk's quest to fulfill his dream of debuting as a singer-songwriter. The eight-part series documents Jo's 100-day journey to create an album, with support from

Actors who have gained nationwide popularity for their comedy skits and trending memes are increasingly making their marks on the silver screen. Experts say such a trend may be attributed to the actors' flexibility to tackle various roles and the growing preference among filmmakers to adopt a lighter atmosphere in films. Yoon Ga-i, who recently won the rookie entertainer award at the 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards in July for her performance in Coupang Play's "Saturday Night Live K

YouTube said that it decided to shut down the account of Go Young-wook, a former member of '90s band Roo'Ra who served 30 months in prison for raping minors, according to its guidelines, Monday. “We have terminated Go!Youngwook GoDog Days channel in accordance with our Creator Responsibility guidelines, which prohibit off-platform behavior that harms YouTube’s community. This means that the uploader is unable to use, own or create any other YouTube channels.” a YouTub

YouTube said that it decided to shut down the account of Go Young-wook, a former member of '90s band Roo'Ra who served 30 months in prison for raping minors, according to its guidelines, Monday. “We have terminated Go!Youngwook GoDog Days channel in accordance with our Creator Responsibility guidelines, which prohibit off-platform behavior that harms YouTube’s community. This means that the uploader is unable to use, own or create any other YouTube channels.” a YouTub

Korean audiences have been thrilled by wrestling athlete Jang Eun-sil pushing a massive boat with burly men in "Physical: 100," female Korean police officers, firefighters and soldiers competing in the reality competition series "Siren: Survive the Island," as well as female celebrities passionately participating in soccer matches in "Kick a Goal," in recent years. These shows are among the popular women-led Korean variety shows -- including "Unpretty Rapstar,&