“Confidential Assignment” offers the staple formula of one mission and two cops -- with a twist: one is from South Korea while the other hails from the neighbor to the north.The film starts out in North Korea as Lim Cheol-ryeong (Hyun Bin), an investigator from the North Korean special forces, witnesses his superior Cha Ki-seong (Kim Joo-hyuk) murder his wife and fellow team members. Cha, tired of the North Korean system of unquestioning obedience, dreams of “eternal freedom” and defects to the

CJ E&M is launching the first overseas television channel to exclusively air Korean movies, the media and entertainment company announced Wednesday. The company plans to kick off the channel, tvN Movies, first in Singapore in January and expand to Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia this year. CJ E&M will air some 200 films -- including over 20 recent releases -- encompassing all genres. The Korean media giant has signed a contract with StarHub, Singapore’s largest telecom service provider a

At a press screening of “Confidential Agreement” in Seoul on Tuesday, the lead actors said they concentrated on working out and perfecting their action sequences in preparation for filming.Directed by Kim Sung-hoon, “Confidential Agreement” tells the story of a South Korean cop burdened by the pressures of work and family, played by Yoo Hae-jin, and a duty-bound investigator from the North Korean special forces, played by Hyun Bin. When North Korean criminal gang members defect to the South, the

Boy band g.o.d., which debuted in 1999, held the Seoul leg of its “2017 g.o.d. to Men” concert tour at the Jamsil Sports Complex’s Jamsil Arena on Jan. 6-8.The boy group, marking its 18th anniversary this year, performed a wide selection of the group’s past hits, including “Friday Night,” “Lies,” “One Candle,” “Road” and “Dear Mother” alongside a live session band.Some 20,000 people attended the concerts held over three days, according to reports, who sang along with the veteran band.g.o.d. will

Determined to bid what the group has called a temporary farewell in typical Big Bang fashion, the iconic K-pop boy band went all out in every aspect -- fashion, sound, performance, camera work and stage design -- at its final concerts in Seoul this past weekend.Some 64,000 flocked to the “0 To 10 Final in Seoul” concerts, held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Saturday and Sunday, according to YG Entertainment -- many from overseas. The shows marked the last installation in Big Bang’s 10-year-

Your Name(Japan)Opened Jan. 4Fantasy, animation. Directed by Makoto Shinkai Mitsuha, a high school girl living in the Japanese town of Itomori, becomes restless from her quiet life in the country and prays to be born a boy in bustling Tokyo in her next life. Miraculously, she wakes up one day to find her body switched with that of Taki, a man working in the city. The two use the situation to change each other’s lives. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story(US)Opened Dec. 28Epic, sci-fi. Directed by Gareth

Just like a Michael Moore documentary, there’s nothing subtle about a Ken Loach drama. The 80-year-old British director and social critic has long been an ardent, insistent, eloquent champion of the more vulnerable members of society -- particularly working-class folks who are trying to do the right thing but just can’t catch a break. Whether he’s exploring homelessness, poverty or other social ills, Loach’s arguments, and emotions, are always crystal clear.Loach has been making movies for a hal

LONDON (AFP) -- The towering replica skeleton of “Dippy” the dinosaur, a star attraction at London’s Natural History Museum for more than 100 years, made its final appearance Wednesday before being dismantled.The 292-bone plaster cast of a fossilized diplodocus has for decades greeted visitors in the museum’s iconic entrance hall, but is now being replaced by the skeleton of a blue whale.More than 90 million people have seen “Dippy” since it was presented to the museum by industrialist Andrew Ca

K-pop boy band 2PM will be holding its last concert before its members enlist for their mandatory military service, the group’s agency JYP Entertainment announced Thursday. The concert, titled “6Nights,” will take place at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium at Seoul’s Olympic Park, JYP said. 2PM released its sixth LP “Gentlemen’s Game” in September last year and its members have been focusing on solo activities and their acting careers since then. The concert will mark 2PM’s first return to the s

Six former journalists gathered for the press screening of documentary “Seven Years -- Journalism Without Journalist” at CGV Wangsimni in Seoul on Tuesday.　The documentary traces the unfair firing of 14 journalists -- some of whom were restored to their positions after court rulings -- in their seven-year battle against their employers, state-owned broadcaster MBC and partially state-owned broadcaster YTN.　“Administrations have strategically stifled state-owned media,” said Choi Seung-ho, a form

Korean variety programs seem set to steer away from rowdy physical games and loud laughs this year.Featuring celebrities conversing with strangers on the street, preparing food for one, or even imagining an imminent death and reflecting on life, TV shows that are calmer and more introspective will occupy a greater presence on the small screen in 2017.Talk on the street The JTBC program “Talking Street” has been spotlighting both famous and lesser-known figures from various areas, including celeb

A regular sight during the Korean holiday season: Salvation Army volunteers stand next to their signature red kettles and ring handbells to raise donations.One such volunteer, Lee Sung-deok, 83, who has taken to the streets every winter starting 1954, rang his last bell this year, retiring after decades of charity work.Over 62 years, Lee witnessed the ups and downs of Korean history in the flurry of the streets, he told The Korea Herald in an interview at the Salvation Army’s Korean headquarters

Comedian and TV host Yoo Jae-suk nabbed his 13th big accolade at the MBC Entertainment Awards on Thursday evening, further cementing his position as an icon of Korean onscreen entertainment. “The more prizes I receive, the more apologetic I feel,” Yoo, a 25-year comedy veteran, said in his acceptance speech upon receiving the Grand Prize at the awards ceremony held at the MBC Media Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul. “Thank you so much.”Yoo, known primarily for hosting popular MBC variety program “Inf

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story(US)Opened Dec. 28Epic, sci-fi. Directed by Gareth EdwardsFormer scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) leads a peaceful existence on a farm with his wife and daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones). His world comes shattering down when evil weapons developer Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) takes him from his family. Galen becomes the head engineer in developing a deadly weapon that will control the Death Star galaxy. Jyn, who has sided with the Rebel Alliance, sets out on a miss

Ben Affleck is apparently at war with Ben Affleck. It is rare to come across someone with such gifts as both an actor and a director who struggles so much when it comes to directing himself as an actor. The new “Live by Night” finds him pulled in so many conflicting directions that what he ends up with is neither elegantly concise nor an epic sprawl, but rather something just awkwardly misshapen.“Live by Night” finds Affleck wearing the hats of director, star, screenwriter and producer, and in t

“Confidential Assignment,” an upcoming crime action flick starring Hyun Bin and Yoo Hae-jin, is slated to hit theaters on Jan. 18, its production companies CJ Entertainment and JK Film said Wednesday.　The film tells the story of the fictional first cooperative investigation between the South and North Korean police, to capture a North Korean criminal group that has defected and infiltrated South Korea. Hyun Bin (left) and Yoo Hae-jin star in “Confidential Assignment.” (CJ Entertainment)It center

Standing six stories high at the center of downtown Seoul, Jongno Books was Korea’s first multilevel bookstore, established in 1907. It was a haven for writers and thinkers, offering not only Korean books of every kind but also English and Japanese publications, rare in Korea at the time. Stationery and music albums lined a corner of the fourth and fifth floors. It was also the first place to offer fixed prices for books.　Businessmen from nearby offices and students would browse for hours; frien

The debate on whether the painting “Beautiful Woman” is a genuine work by late Korean artist Chun Kyung-ja is far from over, despite the prosecutors’ recent conclusion that the piece was Chun’s creation.During a heated press conference in Seoul on Tuesday, Jean Penicaut, CEO of French image analysis firm Lumiere Technology, fiercely defended his firm’s conclusion that there is only a 0.0002 percent chance the piece could have been painted by Chun.Penicaut held the press conference to rebut Korea

Comedian-television host Shin Dong-yup and actor-comedian Lee Kwang-soo nabbed the top prizes at this year’s SBS Entertainment Awards on Sunday. Shin received the Grand Prize for successfully hosting “Mom’s Diary -- My Ugly Duckling,” an SBS reality show spotlighting celebrities and their mothers. The show, which launched in July, boasted a viewership of over 10 percent on Fridays at 11 p.m. Shin Dong-yup receives a prize at the SBS Entertainment Awards held in Yeouido, Seoul on Sunday. (SBS)Lee

Red Velvet’s main vocalist Wendy collaborated with Latin music icon Ricky Martin for his new digital single, “Vente Pa’ca.” The song was released Tuesday on major local music streaming sites including Melon, Genie and Naver Music, and on global services such as iTunes and Spotify. “Vente Pa’ca,” a club dance track with pop-reggae sounds, was previously released in Spanish in September with Columbian artist Maluma. Wendy contributed to the English version. Wendy of Red Velvet (SM Entertainment)Ma