Singer-turned-actor Lee Jung-hyun said her new thriller “Limit,” directed by Lee Seung-joon, is similar to “Taken,” the hit Hollywood film about a former spy who goes to great lengths to find his kidnapped teenage daughter. But unlike “Taken,” the action film features a mother and a female villain as the main characters. “We hoped to create a Korean version of ‘Taken’” that features a mother as the main character, Lee said during a

What would happen if a politician cannot lie? The original film “Honest Candidate,” which started from this idea, featured politician Joo Sang-sook (played by Ra Min-ran), who attempts to run for the fourth time for a seat at the National Assembly. She would lie about anything if it can earn her a vote. However, after visiting her grandmother, Sang-sook finds that she is unable to lie. This immediately gets her into all sorts of trouble. Actor Ra won the best actress award for pl

Movie star Yoo Ah-in is returning with Netflix’s “Seoul Vibe,” a film full of old hip-hop music and retro-inspired fashion. Directed by Moon Hyun-sung, “Seoul Vibe” revolves around talented driver Dong-wook (Yoo) who forms a team with his hipster friends to investigate the slush fund of a former president during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The film includes car chase scenes in Seoul as well as old-school hip-hop and Korean pop music. “It is a fun and brainless

Local OTT platform operator Coupang Play on Monday denied apologizing to “Anna” director Lee Joo-young for editing her eight-episode drama series into a six-part series without her consent. 　“On Aug. 21, Song Young-hoon, a lawyer at Siwoo, the legal representative of Lee, released press material saying ‘Coupang Play apologized for the controversy in the editing process.’ This is not true. When we approached the lawyers about this, Jo Gwang-hee, another legal repr

Making his fourth visit to Korea, Hollywood star Brad Pitt showed off his witty personality during a press conference for his new movie “Bullet Train” held at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul, on Friday. “I am not here for the movie, I am here for the food,” Pitt said after entering the room. Pitt and fellow “Bullet Train” cast member Aaron Taylor-Johnson arrived on Thursday night and said they enjoyed having samgyetang (Korean chicken soup) yesterday and ar

Nope (US) Opened Aug. 17 Horror Directed by Jordan Peele O.J. Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) is a horse trainer and his father (Keith David) runs a successful business providing horses to Hollywood productions. One day, his father dies in a mysterious accident and O.J. and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) inherit the ranch. But things get complicated for the Haywoods when they notice a mysterious cloud on the horizon of their ranch. Hunt (Korea) Opened Aug. 10 Action Directed by Lee Jung-jae

“Meokbang,” also known as mukbang, in which streamers showcase themselves having a huge meal, has been a globally popular form of online content. Now, some Korean viewers who have grown tired of watching this content are turning their eyes to a new kind of meokbang that feature “sosikjwa,” referring to people who eat a surprisingly small portion of food. Disbanded girl band 2NE1 member Sandara Park and actress Park So-hyun are leading the new trend with a YouTube show

When Hyun Bin reprised his role as North Korean detective Im Chul-ryung in the second installment of the action film “Confidential Assignment,” the top Korean actor initially thought that there wasn’t much he needed to prepare. “I thought I could simply perform in the same way that I did in the original movie. But this thought changed soon after I found out that everything from comedy to action elements had been upgraded in the new movie,” the actor said during a

One of the top four Korean film distributors, Showbox announced that it is looking into rumors that there might be a company intentionally producing negative reviews about its film “Emergency Declaration,” directed by Han Jae-rim. “If true, it could harm the Korean film industry as a whole in the long term, so we are looking into the case, regardless of its relevance to ‘Emergency Declaration,’” an official from Showbox said. This rumor has been spreading

“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae said he could not enjoy drinks with fellow actors and directors after the VIP screening event of his directorial debut film“Hunt” held on Aug. 2. He explained that it was because he had a Zoom meeting to promote the film to foreign fans the next morning. Lee’s film has been sold to 144 countries including France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Russia and Brazil, even before its local release on Aug. 11. “Tomorrow morning, I also

While local theaters are packed with big-budget Korean films like “Hansan: Rising Dragon,” “Emergency Declaration” and “Alienoid,” director Lim Sang-su hopes his independent film “Drown” will attract moviegoers with its own charm. “There are many good movies in theaters now. But I would like to emphasize the importance of the diversity of movies. We have a unique mysterious story and I think audiences will enjoy this,” actor Lee Jong

Director Cho Eun-ji’s debut feature “Perhaps Love” bagged two awards -- audience award and best from the East award-- at the 21st New York Asian Film Festival, according to the film’s distributor NEW on Tuesday. “It has not been long since we celebrated Ryu Seung-ryong receiving the award for his performance, and I am truly honored to receive the audience award as well,” Cho said, according to NEW. “I would like to express my gratitude to the audience

Hollywood star Brad Pitt will visit Korea for the first time in eight years to promote his new film “Bullet Train” on Aug. 19. Along with Pitt, actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson will also be in Korea before the release of the film here on Aug. 24. Taylor-Johnson is widely known to Korean fans for his appearance in hit films including “Tenet” and “The King‘s Man.” The two actors will participate in a number of promotional events including a red carpet which

Emergency Declaration (Korea) Opened Aug. 3 Disaster-action Directed by Han Jae-rim Veteran detective In-ho (Song Kang-ho) is investigating a suspected terrorist and finds out that the suspect has already boarded a flight bound for Hawaii. To make matters worse, In-ho‘s wife is also on the plane with her friends. While the passengers are trapped inside, those on the ground including In-ho and the transportation minister (Jeon Do-yeon) struggle to find a way to land the plane safely.

Newcomer Coupang Play immediately became a notable player in the local streaming market after releasing the K-drama series “Anna” starring Korean heartthrob Bae Suzy on June 24. The platform had the fourth biggest monthly active users in Korea in June, with 3.73 million. However, just as it was time for Coupang Play to celebrate its success, trouble arose after “Anna” director raised a complaint against the company. On Tuesday, “Anna” writer and director

Top star Jung Woo-sung said he felt more pressure working with Lee Jung-jae since he really wanted his best friend’s directorial debut feature “Hunt” to be a success. The top actors became close friends while working together in the movie “City of the Rising Sun,” directed by Kim Sung-soo in 1999. Their fans have taken to calling the two the “Cheongdam couple,” as they are often spotted hanging out together at bars and restaurants in the Cheongdam-don

Korean moviegoers seeking out Lee Jung-jae’s “Hunt” will see a different version of the film to the one shown at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The actor said he reworked his directorial debut feature after it premiered at the festival, as some foreign viewers told him that the movie was difficult to follow without knowledge of 1980s Korean politics. “When writing the script, I aimed to target audiences in their teens and 20s. Since my goal was to target

Director Hong Sang-soo’s new film “Walk Up” has been invited to two film festivals – the San Sebastian International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. “Walk Up,” which was filmed in the fall of 2021 in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, follows the interactions of a middle-aged moviemaker. Actors from Hong‘s previous film “The Novelist’s Film,” Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Hae-young, Jo Yoon-hee and Park Mi-so also star in t

Korean director Bong Joon-ho has started filming his new sci-fi film under the working title of “Mickey7” at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the UK. Many popular movies, including films from the “Harry Potter,” “Kingsman, “ and “Mission Impossible” franchises, were filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. Bong is scheduled to finish shooting by the end of this year, with the film‘s release expected at the end of 2023 or the beginning of

Korean actor Joo Won is returning with new Netflix action film “Carter” directed by Jung Byung-gil. “I can confidently say that ‘Carter’ is a new kind of action film. I hope that through this film, we can spread Korean action films to the world,” the actor said during a press conference held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on Tuesday. “When I first read the script, I thought, ‘Is it possible to film these scenes?’ but also really w