Another year has come to a wrap in the Korean film industry. Genres continue to be limited to political thrillers and crime flicks, and the scarcity of female roles persists. Despite the relative lack of diversity, however, 2017 turned out to be a year that offered several pleasant, unexpected surprises for moviegoers. Quieter, more pensive films excelled this year, offering insight into humanity and the everyday. Okja (Netflix/NEW)OkjaAdventure, fantasy Directed by Bong Joon-ho Distributed by N

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds(Korea)Opened Dec. 20Fantasy, drama. Directed by Kim Yong-hwaKim Ja-hong (Cha Tae-hyun), who has died, finds himself being escorted to the next world by three officials from the afterworld. He is appointed a lawyer, and instructed that everyone must face the seven judges, who rule on a person’s lifelong deeds based on sins such as violence, betrayal, laziness and hurting family, and decide whether they proceed to heaven or hell. Ja-hong and the three officials

Ha Jung-woo has come to be known for his intensely natural performances, from the dejected taxi driver in “The Yellow Sea” to the exasperatingly optimistic slacker in “My Dear Enemy.” 　Though he had debuted years earlier on television, Ha began garnering attention with Na Hong-jin’s 2008 thriller “The Chaser,” which achieved box office success and was invited to screen at the Cannes Film Festival. In the film, Ha gives a forcible performance as a psychopathic serial killer. In past interviews, H

Singer-songwriter Lee Juck will release an album in Japan on March 14, Lee‘s agency Music Farm announced Monday.　The album is to comprise his past hits. 　“Lee Juck will be foraying into the Japanese market,” said Music Farm. “His Japanese label Pony Canyon has launched his official website.”　Lee, 43, debuted in 1995 and is a folk-rock and acoustic pop singer with numerous hits, including “Run Across the Sky” (2003), “I Didn’t Know That Time” (2003) and “Lie Lie Lie” (2013). 　Lee Juck (Music Farm

The Corea Image Communication Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting a positive image of Korea, will be honoring CJ Group, Joachim Son-Forget and Angelina Danilova at this year‘s annual CICI Korea Image Awards ceremony, which will be held at the InterContinental Seoul Coex in Samseong-dong on Jan. 16The Korea Image Stepping Stone Award will be awarded to the CJ Group for its contribution to promoting Korean cultural content, CICI said in a statement Monday.　CJ Group Chairman

Trailblazing K-pop boy band BTS has set yet another record in K-pop history. 　The music video for the group’s song “DNA” has surpassed 200 million views on YouTube in three months since its Sept. 18 release. 　It is the quickest a K-pop music video has surpassed 200 million views.　BTS now has under its belt four videos that have surpassed the 200 million mark, including those for “Fire,” “Blood, Sweat & Tears” and “Dope.”　 BTS stars in the music video of “DNA.” (Big Hit Entertainment-YouTube)Seve

Lee Young-ae has returned to the movie scene with the short film “The House Below.”　The film, directed by Lee Kyoung-mi (“The Truth Beneath,” 2016), is a project for the JTBC TV show “Suitable for General Viewing,” which follows independent filmmakers and entertainers collaborating on original films.　The role marks Lee’s first film performance since she starred in the 2005 crime thriller “Lady Vengeance,” directed by Park Chan-wook. 　 Lee Young-ae stars in “Suitable for General Viewing.” (JTBC)T

In the new political thriller film “Steel Rain,” Jung Woo-sung lost weight and adopted the Pyongyang dialect to portray his character, the North Korean special agent Uhm Chul-woo. Uhm is tasked with taking care of the injured North Korean leader when his regime is overthrown in a military coup. He manages to flee to the South with the leader, and desperately seeks a way to at once revive his leader, defend his family up North and wade through global politics. Jung, 44, has never been shy to expr

Steel Rain(Korea)Opened Dec. 14Action, drama. Directed by Yang Woo-seokAn attack on the North Korean leader takes place at an event at the Kaesong industrial park, leaving him injured. North Korean special agent Uhm Chul-woo (Jung Woo-sung) is ordered to take him and flee to the South via an underground tunnel to take refuge until the revolt concludes. There, Uhm encounters Kwak Chul-woo (Kwak Do-won), Korea’s senior secretary of foreign affairs and national security. Amid increasingly convolute

In the recently concluded drama series “Witch at Court,” Jung Ryeo-won took on a role that is the exact opposite of her nature. 　Jung, 36, is known as many things in the industry -- former K-pop idol star, fashionista, painter, an actress with a knack for naturalistic portrayals and a rare bohemian free-spirit in mainstream media. 　In the KBS legal procedural drama, which ran from October to November, she played Ma I-deum, a highly ambitious prosecutor who speaks her mind and is known for her ag

Hit webtoon series “Along With the Gods,” by Joo Ho-min, offered a whimsical twist on the Korean folklore of the seven gates in the afterlife. 　The series begins as its central character Kim Ja-hong, who has died, finds himself being escorted to the next world via subway train by two officials who are employees of the afterlife. A lawyer is appointed to each of the deceased -- everyone must face the seven judges, who rule on a person’s lifelong deeds based on sins such as violence, betrayal, laz

Actor Lee Byung-hun is returning with a family-friendly comedy in the upcoming film “My World Only,” slated for a Jan. 17 release, the film’s distributor CJ Entertainment announced Monday.The film, helmed by director Choi Sung-hyun and produced by JK Film, stars Lee as Jo-ha, a former boxer who relies only on his fists to get by in the world.Up-and-coming actor Park Jung-min will play Jo-ha’s brother Jin-tae, an autistic genius who has Savant syndrome.  "My World Only" (CJ Entertainment)The film

Speculations abound on what action the volatile North Korean regime is to take next following its recent series of missile and nuclear tests. Upcoming political thriller “Steel Rain” takes it one step further, imagining a scenario where the threat of nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula becomes imminent. Viewers witness what unfolds after North Korea’s ruler -- unnamed in the film -- is overthrown in a coup d’etat and an even more belligerent commander takes his place. “I asked myself to brutally

K-pop may have led to an increased interest in Korean among foreign students, but those seeking to study the language in higher level education still face huge obstacles, according to professor Ross King. 　King, a Canadian national who has been helming the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia since 2008, says that compared to nine years ago, “the base has expanded” for Korean studies abroad. The rise of K-pop has been a contributing factor, he says.“K-pop is definite

American Assassin (US)Opened Dec. 7Action, thriller. Directed by Michael CuestaAfter losing his fiancee to a violent group which wreaks random violence, Mitch Rapp (Dylan O‘Brien) trains himself everyday vowing revenge. The CIA, impressed by his efforts, scouts him as a new member, and Mitch is taken under the wing of former US Navy SEAL Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton) for training. The two spot a pattern of violence and team up with a deadly Turkish agent in a counterterrorist attack, seeking to p

Korea’s pojangmacha, or tented bars, have evolved over the years both in appearance and gastronomical offerings, now more polished and offering a wider array of dishes to go with drinks. 　But some distinctly Korean specialties, featuring odd ingredients unfamiliar to most foreign visitors and even many Koreans -- from chicken feet and cow innards to cartilage and squirming fish -- remain staple dishes at the tarp-covered watering holes.　The food dishes, many of them doused in spicy sauces, are o

The second season of K-pop diva Lee Hyo-ri’s reality show “Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast” is set to kick off next year, reports said Friday.Lee and her husband, singer-songwriter Lee Sang-soon, have agreed to film the next season of the hit show, which reached up to 9.9 percent viewership on cable channel JTBC during its June-September run. The second season, set to begin shooting in January next year, will feature the couple’s home in the middle of winter on Jeju Island.  “Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast” (J

Hong Sang-soo’s “The Day After” has been selected as one of the top 10 films of the year by Cahiers du Cinema, a prominent French movie magazine.　The film is the sole Korean film to make the list this year. 　Other films by Hong, including “Our Sunhi” and “In Another Country” have in the past been named in the annual top-ten list. 　The film stars Kim Min-hee as Areum, a new employee at a small publishing company, who discovers that her married boss Bong-wan (Kwon Hae-hyo) has been having an affai

Singer Rain, who married actress Kim Tae-hee in January, revealed how much their wedding cost on Tuesday’s episode of “Carefree Travelers.” “We got married after dating for five years,” he said. “A wedding ceremony is about two people being happy. (Kim) suggested holding it in a church. She said she wanted something that didn’t have empty formalities or vanity, something that wasn’t grandiose. I wore a tuxedo that I already had.” “Carefree Travelers” (JTBC)Rain added that the two also did not hi

Producer-CEO Bang Si-hyuk of Big Hit Entertainment, the label behind boy band BTS, hopes to pave the road for future K-pop stars on the international stage. “I believe that a second, third BTS should be born and I believe it is possible. I will try to complete a successful model and let future (K-pop) musicians continue on in this path,” Bang said in accepting the Presidential Citation at the Korea Content Awards ceremony at Coex in Seoul on Tuesday. 　Bang will be donating the 10 million won ($9