The Prison(Korea)Opened March 23Crime, action. Directed by Na HyunIk-ho (Han Suk-kyu) reigns as king at a local prison, whose inmates escape outside at night to commit undetectable crimes throughout the country. Former police officer Yoo-geon (Kim Rae-won), accused of a hit-and-run, burying evidence and bribery becomes incarcerated there. Ik-ho sees a potential criminal mastermind in Yoo-geon’s ruthless grit and temper. Together, the two plan a grand plot. Ordinary Person(Korea)Opened March 23Dr

Looked at logically, “T2 Trainspotting” should not work as well as it does. In fact, it shouldn’t work at all. But up there on the screen, where it matters, the dark magic remains intact and logic be damned.When it was released in 1996, the original “Trainspotting” seemed the very definition of a one-shot phenomenon. Exuberant and pitiless, profane yet eloquent, flush with the ability to create laughter out of unspeakable situations, this look at the dead-end lives of a quartet of Edinburgh junk

A handful of Korean films were sold abroad after showcases at the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market last week, film distributor Finecut said Friday.“One Step,” a romantic film featuring the former K-pop singer Sandara Park has been sold to Thailand’s Studio Aromdi, and rights for airline screening have been sold to Encore Inflight. Director Kim Ki-duk’s “Net,” a story about a North Korean fisherman who accidentally drifts into South Korean waters, has been sold to Distribution Company Sud

Korean director Park Chan-wook, who was met with global acclaim for last year’s erotic thriller “The Handmaiden,” will receive an award from Italy‘s Florence city government for his contributions to the development of culture and arts, film industry officials said Thursday.Florence’s Mayor Dario Nardella will be giving Park a key to the city, an award given to prominent cultural figures, in a ceremony Saturday. The “Oldboy” director is acclaimed internationally for his films which have received

Following Sunday’s Toronto concert, SHINee on Tuesday completed a successful Vancouver show, the group’s agency S.M. Entertainment said Thursday. The boy band held its SHINee World V concert in Vancouver at the Orpheum Theater. For 2 1/2 hours, it performed a roster of hit songs including “Sherlock,” Ring Ding Dong,” “Everybody” and “Aside,” as well as recent releases “1 of 1” and “Ready or Not” -- coupled with its signature immaculate choreography.  SHINee performs in Vancouver’s Orpheum Theate

 진행자: 두루미, Paul Kerry1. 박근혜 전 대통령 검찰조사기사요약: 박근혜 전 대통령이 비리혐의와 관련하여 검찰조사를 받았다. 양 측의 주요 목적은 박근혜의 뇌물 수수 책임 여부였는데, 이는 박근혜의 구속여부를 좌우할 수 있는 중대한 형사혐의에 해당한다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638Park receives bribery grilling[1] Former President Park Geun-hye, who made her long-delayed appearance at the prosecution Tuesday for face-to-face questioning, locked horns with investigators over the corruption alleg

Choi Min-sik, best known to international audiences for his role as a vengeful prisoner in the 2003 neo-noir “Oldboy,” tackles his first role as a politician in the upcoming film “Special Citizen.” Choi will be acting alongside a roster of acclaimed talents, including Kwak Do-won, who starred in horror-thriller “The Wailing,” and Shim Eun-kyung, who made a brief appearance in zombie flick “Train to Busan.” Both films achieved international recognition last year.“I felt that we were lacking films

The upcoming action flick “Midnight Runners” has been sold in advance to some six countries at the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market, which took place from March 13-16. Rights to the film have been purchased by companies including Japan’s The Klockworx, Taiwan’s Long Shong, Hong Kong’s Deltamac HK, Philippines’ Viva Comm and Singapore’s Purple Plan.  Kang Ha-neul (left) and Park Seo-joon star in “Midnight Runners.” (Lotte Entertainment)“We are looking forward to the chemistry between Park

The new bank scam thriller “One Line” traces a very specific type of crime that emerged around 2005. By then, Korea’s economy had recovered to a certain extent from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, but an uneasiness foreshadowed the soon-to-come global crisis of 2007. Locally, it was a period when the gap between the rich and poor widened and solidified, stirring up anger among those with less.　It was during this time that a group of scammers began to “rob” banks, according to director Yang Kyun

Boy band iKON has successfully completed its Japan tour, wrapping up with the Japan Yokohama Arena concert on Monday, attended by some 13,000 fans.The group is now gearing up for a Korean comeback sometime before May. The seven-member boy band will be returning with two title tracks written by the group members, its agency YG Entertainment said Tuesday.  iKON performs at the Japan Yokohama Arena concert on Monday. (YG Entertainment)iKON toured three cities -- Osaka, Fukuoka and Yokohama -- and h

The French minister for government reform said Monday his nation will maintain its cooperative relationship with South Korea regardless of the result of the upcoming presidential election here. "France wants the best possible relationship with South Korea ... the subjects for desired bilateral cooperation include every issue ranging from tourism, research and development to education and sports," French Minister for Government Reform and Simplification Jean-Vincent Place said in a press conferen

TOKYO, (AFP) -- Russia on Monday criticized the deployment of a US anti-missile system aimed at North Korea, saying it poses "serious risks" to the region.The US this month began installing the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea in response to the North's intensifying ballistic missile development.Allies Washington and Seoul say it is for purely defensive purposes. China fears it could undermine its own nuclear deterrent and has lashed out, imposing measures seen as economic retaliation on

BRUSSELS, (Yonhap) -- The daughter of ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye's close friend has begun the appeal process over the Danish prosecution's decision to extradite her for an investigation into a high-profile scandal, sources said Monday.The sources said Chung Yoo-ra, daughter of Choi Soon-sil, whose alleged irregularities led to Park's ouster, filed her appeal to the District Court of Aalborg last Friday. The move came immediately after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecu

South Korean embassy in Beijing has issued a safety warning to football fans planning to attend an upcoming World Cup qualifying match between the two countries, scheduled amid a wave of anti-Korean sentiment here over the deployment of a US missile defense system.According to sources privy to the matter, the embassy's consular department delivered the message on Monday, three days before South Korea and China are to clash in Changsha, Hunan Province, south central China. South Korean men's nati

North Korea on Monday glorified the death of six workers from a mine collapse in January as heroic sacrifices in a speedy work campaign ordered by leader Kim Jong-un in his New Year's message. In a rare revelation of a deadly accident, North Korea's Rodong Sinmun, the country's main newspaper, carried a report expressing condolences for the people who died in a mine in the southwestern province.Seven miners were trapped on Jan. 9 as a roof in the mine collapsed with only one being rescued, it ad

The Korean poster for Hong Sang-soo’s “On the Beach at Night Alone,” which competed in the Berlin International Film Festival last month, was revealed by the film’s production and distribution company Jeonwonsa on Thursday.It features Kim Min-hee, who won the award for best actress at the film fest, gazing into the distance on a beach at the break of dawn. The film’s title in Korean, handwritten by Hong, is featured in the center of the poster, according to Jeonwonsa. The Korean poster for “On t

The sci-fi crime action thriller “Ghost in the Shell” will have its world premiere in Korean theaters on March 29, the film’s local distributor Lotte Entertainment said Wednesday. The film’s director Rupert Sanders and its cast, including Scarlett Johansson, Juliette Binoche and Pilou Asbaek, will visit Korea on March 17 to promote the film.The film will hit US theaters on March 31 and Japanese theaters on April 7.  Scarlett Johansson stars in “Ghost in the Shell.” (Paramount Pictures)A promotio

“Taxi Driver,” a film about the 1980 Gwangju uprising, will hit local theaters this summer, the film’s distributor Showbox said Tuesday. 　The film stars Song Kang-ho as the taxi driver Man-seob who picks up Peter, a German journalist, played by German actor Thomas Kretschmann, and heads to Gwangju, not knowing what will unfold in the city.The film centers on the historic event also known as the May 18 Democratization Movement, in which more than 100 civilians protesting the authoritarian regime

Seoul is a vibrant megalopolis with modern high rises crowding the city’s major arteries. Nestled among the gleaming buildings are maze-like alleys that appear to have escaped the passage of time. The Korea Herald explores the many nooks and crannies of Seoul, proclaimed the capital of Joseon in 1392, that reveal a multifaceted city. -- Ed. Navigating through the Haebangchon neighborhood of Yongsan can be a challenge. Houses are perched on steep hills. Cars squeeze past labyrinthine roads while

Hugh Jackman’s final Wolverine movie “Logan” was tops at the box office here, data showed Monday. 　The sci-fi action flick featuring actor Jackman’s return as the clawed Marvel superhero sold some 633,000 tickets at local theaters nationwide during the March 3-5 weekend, according to box office statistics gathered by the Korean Film Council. 　The latest “X-Men” film opened here on March 1 and had sold a total of more than 1 million tickets as of Sunday. 　 Hugh Jackman in “Logan” (20th Century Fo