Financial authorities on Monday maintained their position on imposing an income tax on cryptocurrency trading from 2025, delaying the initial plan of levying a 20 percent tax starting next year. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, it submitted a bill to lawmakers to push back the new taxation law from 2023 to 2025. Before the end of the year, the bill has to be passed by the National Assembly for the current taxation plan to be postponed. Under the current taxation law, anyone who

A growing number of YouTubers who create recap videos summarizing mostly movies and dramas are enjoying popularity among viewers who appreciate their convenience. YouTuber Go Mong Tube, who started his channel back in 2016, is a prominent player in the field. His channel, which mainly recaps Korean movies and dramas, has more than 600 videos and over 2.14 million subscribers. One of the most popular videos on his channel is the Indian hero movie “Krrish” that has racked up more than

Enjoy playing racing games like Mario Kart or KartRider? At Ganghwa Luge located at Ganghwa Seaside Resort in Incheon, you can enjoy the thrill of a high-speed ride in real life. Some 50 kilometers west of Seoul, Ganghwa Luge located on the foothills of a mountain offers a spectacular view of the horizon on the West Sea. After buying tickets, make sure to pick up a safety helmet before taking the five-minute gondola ride to the starting point. Brief safety instructions are offered for first-time

The Night Owl (Korea) Opened Nov. 23 Drama Directed by An Tae-jin Set in the Joseon era (1392-1910), Kyeong-soo (Ryu Jun-yeol) is a day-blind acupuncturist working in the palace. He is unable to see anything during daytime, but, strangely, he can see fine at night. One evening, Kyeong-soo happens to witness the death of Crown Prince Sohyeon. This death leads the prince's father, King Injo (Yoo Hae-jin), to madness. Kyeong-soo, who is used to keeping secrets, considers revealing the truth

Film director Ma Dae-yoon said he aimed to retell Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper” in his new comedy film “Switch.” “At the beginning, I thought about making a movie about a protagonist having an epiphany, like ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Then I added ‘The Prince and the Pauper’ element to it,” Ma said in a press conference at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University on Wednesday. Leading actors Kwon Sang-woo, Oh Jung-se and Lee Min-jung

Korean indie film “Through My Midwinter” features the harsh reality of how a young couple’s relationship can be affected as their economic status changes. “I have done manual labor for nine years. One winter -- around three years ago -- I was breaking a wall with a drill and it caused my teeth to crack. It was a difficult time for me and I had to spend a lot of money at the dentist's office,” director Oh Seong-ho said during a press conference at Lotte Cinema

The news of the release of South Korean director Hong Sang-soo’s movie “Hotel by the River” on a Chinese streaming service, the first for a Korean film in six years, was met with mixed reactions among those in the local entertainment industry on Tuesday. Since China imposed a blanket ban on Korean entertainment products as part of the economic retaliation campaign following South Korea’s decision to host a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery on its soil in 2016

After watching the musical “Hero” 10 years ago, director Yoon Je-kyoon thought that he must turn the story into a movie someday. At the time, instead of feeling proud as a Korean, the director said the story made him feel sorry for all the sacrifices that Ahn and other independence fighters had to make for the country. It took the death of his mother to get Yoon to kicks start the musical movie project. Yoon, who created “Ode to My Father" (2014) inspired by his father&#

After proving his competence as both producer and lead actor in the hit movie “The Roundup,” Korean American actor Don Lee -- better known as Ma Dong-seok here -- is returning with “Men of Plastic.” Lee took part in the upcoming comedy movie about how the K-beauty business began in Apgujeong in Seoul, both actor and producer again. Apgujeong, a ward in Gangnam District, is one of South Korea's most affluent districts and home to numerous plastic surgery hospitals a

First time after the school bullying scandal broke out in March last year, Korean actor Shim Eun-woo is returning to the big screen with the horror film "Seire" directed by Park Kang. During the press conference for the new film held at CGV Yongsan on Thursday, Shim talked about making her return. “All of us, including the director, actors, and staff had focused on this project while shooting. I am glad we are releasing the film so many people can get a chance to watch it,&rd

Ditto (Korea) Opened Nov. 16 Romance Directed by Seo Eun-young Set in 1999, university student Yong (Yeo Jin-goo) has just returned to school after completing his mandatory military service. There, he meets his first love, freshman Han-sol (Kim Hye-yoon). Meanwhile, Mu-nee (Cho Yi-hyun), who lives in the present day, has a secret crush on her best guy friend (Na In-woo). On a day when a total lunar eclipse becomes visible, Yong somehow communicates with Mu-nee through a walkie-talkie. Black Pa

With Autumn leaves starting to fall and the air getting colder, you might be looking for a unique, indoor activity to spend during the upcoming weekend. With the day of giving thanks for harvest around the corner, let's begin with how we can appreciate 'ugly' vegetables and fruits before introducing some indoor activities that can enrich your craftsmanship and knowledge.   Perfect store for imperfect veggies and fruits For those who wish to do some grocery shopping and also enjoy some delec

His unexpected tearing up at “The Owl” press conference held at CGV Yongsan on Nov. 10 having made headlines, actor Ryu Jun-yeol was asked for an explanation during an interview with a group of local reporters Tuesday at a cafe in Seoul. At last month's press conference, the actor dropped his head and teared up when the veteran actor Yoo Hae-jin said, “I can see that Jun-yeol is becoming a big actor.” “I had mixed emotions. The vibe that I felt at the shootin

Director Hwang in-ho's thriller “Decibel” will be released in theaters in North America on Dec. 2. Shaw Entertainment, which has introduced hit Koreans films including Park Chan-wook's “The Handmaiden,” Yoon Je-kyoon's “Ode to My Father” and “The Admiral: Roaring Currents,” directed by Kim Han-min, to the North American market, will be distributing the new Korean thriller. In Hwang’s new film, former Korean Navy commander D

The upcoming mystery thriller “The Owl” added imagination to a record in the Annals of Joseon Dynasty about Crown Prince Sohyeon’s suspicious death. “Our film started from day blindness. I started with the idea of a protagonist with day blindness getting to witness something,” director An Tae-jin said during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan on Thursday. Day blindness is an inability to see as distinctly in bright light as in dim light. As the director develo

Confession (Korea) Opened Oct. 26 Thriller Directed by Yoon Jong-seok Tech company CEO Yoo Min-ho (So Ji-sub) is a suspect in the murder of Kim Se-hee (Nana). To prove his innocence, he meets up with Yang Sin-ae (Kim Yun-jin), a talented lawyer, at a remote hut. There, the lawyer insists that she will only represent him if he trusts her and tells her everything that happened in the hotel room where Se-hee died. Yang says that only then can she construct a credible alibi for him to win the case i

On Thursday morning, Korean news outlets reported that New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim had just become the second Korean American to win a third term in the US House of Representatives. Along with Kim, US Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, who is of Korean descent, won her reelection bid as the representative of Washington state's 10th District in the US midterm elections. Korean American politicians Young Kim and Michelle Steel, both of California, were in the lead and likely to secure their sea

The Seoul Independent Film Festival will be held from Dec. 1 to Dec. 9 at CGV Art House Apgujeong in Seoul, its organizer announced on Wednesday. “This year is our 48th festival. The Seoul Independent Film Festival has a history of providing an opportunity for audiences to meet with young directors, actors and different creators. I hope that (the audiences) are excited about it,” the festival’s director Kim Dong-hyun said at the beginning of a press conference held at the Chu

Instead of the pure and innocent-looking girl with long black hair that is often featured in Korean mainstream media as a first love icon, romance film “Ditto” features a different character. The new image of first love is shown by featuring the story of an amateur first crush of university student Yong, portrayed by former child actor Yeo Jin-goo, 25, alongside Kim Hye-yoon. “Before we started shooting, I also thought of a typical image of someone’s first love -- a pur

Korean actor Kim Rae-won said he performed all the action scenes in the action thriller film “Decibel” directed by Hwang In-ho, during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan on Monday. “I knew from reading the script that there was going to be diverse action scenes. I talked with the director and we agreed that action scenes including car chases would be performed by a stunt double. But we had the discussion again on the set and I decided to perform the scenes myself to create