The 26th Busan International Film Festival will return nearly to how it previously operated before the pandemic. The festival is set to be held from Oct. 6 to 15 in Korea’s second city, Busan. Last year, the BIFF organizer had to scale down and hold the fest without large crowd-gathering events such as the opening and closing ceremonies, outdoor greetings and open talk sessions. Each film was also screened only once at the Busan Cinema Center. “This year we are screening all 100 p

Miracle: Letters to the President (Korea) Opened Sept. 15 Drama Directed by Lee Jang-hoon In a small remote village in North Gyeongsang Province, there were no stations or pedestrian roads. People in the village had to walk on the railroad to get to the nearest town, which constantly exposed them to the danger of being hit by trains. Joon-kyeong (played by Park Jung-min), a high school student, starts writing to the president, asking him to build a train station at the foot of his village for

The National Palace Museum of Korea, an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration, is holding an exhibition titled “In Pursuit of the Aesthetic Legacy of the Goryeo Era” through Oct. 17. The museum is showcasing eight works of art from the Goryeo Kingdom, which are part of a collection at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels. It is the first time the six celadon vessels and two metal items are being shown to the public since undergoing conservation and restora

Pastor Cho Yong-gi, the founder of Yoido Full Gospel Church, died at the age of 85 at Seoul National University Hospital on Tuesday. He had been hospitalized since July 2020 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. The pastor emeritus of Yoido Full Gospel Church is known for establishing and developing Yoido Full Gospel Church as the world‘s largest church. Cho started a church in Bulgwang-dong, western Seoul, on May 18, 1958, with the late Rev. Choi Ja-sil, who died on Nov. 9, 1989. Throug

The Gongju National Museum is holding a special exhibition to showcase artifacts excavated from the tomb of King Muryeong, the 25th king of the Baekje Kingdom, from Tuesday. The museum in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, said the exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the tomb’s discovery. On July 5, 1971, a large earthen mound in Gongju was discovered by chance during work to fix a drainage system in the area. Two stone plaques engraved with epitaphs for the king and queen were

Producers of the hit South Korean drama “The Penthouse 3: War in Life” apologized again for including inappropriate scenes in an episode the previous week. The apology was featured at the beginning of the latest episode of the drama, which aired Friday. “In our Sept. 3 episode of ‘The Penthouse 3: War in Life,’ a few scenes inappropriately included news footage of a building collapse in Gwangju and the earthquake in Pohang,” the statement read. “We a

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (US) Opened Sept. 1 Action Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) has been ruling the world of darkness for centuries with the power of Ten Rings, which grants immortality and great power to the user. Wenwu’s son Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) was trained as an assassin as a kid under him, but he later chooses to live a normal life. One day, Sang-Chi is attacked and realizes there is a fate that he has to accept. CODA (US) Opened Aug. 31

Director Yeon Sang-ho’s Netflix original series “Hellbound” will be screened at the 65th BFI London Film Festival, which will be held from Oct. 6 to 17, according to Netflix on Thursday. The festival in London will screen the first three episodes. “Hellbound,” which is based on the popular webtoon of the same title, features the story of supernatural events in which random people suddenly receive a text saying they will be sent to hell. Amid the chaos, the New Tru

For Park Jung-min, 34, performing in “Miracle: Letters to the President,” directed by Lee Jang-hoon, was a huge gift as he learned so much from it. “I became a different person after shooting the movie,” Park said during an interview with a group of reporters Tuesday. “Before, I used to think that I have to do everything on my own. I thought that if someone helps me then the result is not entirely mine. I was not used to getting help.” Park added that he al

An archaeological dig by the Cultural Heritage Administration has found more human remains under the west walls of Wolseong in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, adding toe evidence that human sacrifices mere made in the Silla Kingdom. “The west walls of Wolseong drew the public’s attention in 2017 when bones of two people were found. After that, we have been researching the site mainly to find out civil engineering techniques that were used to build Wolseong. In the process, we

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jeonju announced surprising news on Wednesday about the remains of three Korean martyrs that were recovered in Wanju, a county in North Jeolla Province, two centuries after their deaths. The remains were identified as those of Paul Yun Ji-chung and James Kwon Sang-yeon, who were beheaded for their faith in 1791, and Yun’s younger brother Francis Yun Ji-heon, who was quartered in 1801, according to the diocese. All three were beatified by Pope Francis in 201

Park Seo-joon, 32, left South Korea on Friday afternoon to star in Marvel Studios’ new superhero film, according to agency Awesome ENT. The announcement was long anticipated by movie fans as there had been rumors about Park appearing in the sequel to “Captain Marvel,” officially titled “The Marvels,” after online film database platform IMDb posted his profile and photo in July identifying him as part of the cast. The sequel to “Captain Marvel” is ex

Director Lee Jang-hoon said his upcoming film “Miracle: Letters to the President” will exceed the audience’s expectations, during an online press conference held Wednesday after the press screening. “If I compare my movie to a food it would be the one that seems to have a predictable taste, but when you actually eat it is unexpected,” Lee said. “So please do not judge it beforehand and come to the theater.” “Miracle: Letters to the President&rd

CODA (US) Opened Aug. 31 Drama Directed by Sian Heder Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the only hearing member of her family. Her parents Frank (Troy Kotsur) and Jackie (Marlee Matlin) and older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) are all deaf. Ruby is with her family 24/7 to assist them and help them connect with the world. One day, Ruby auditions for the school choir and discovers her talent. However, she is worried about leaving her family to pursue her singing career. 　 Hostage: Missing Celebrity (Korea)

The Research Foundation of Korean Church History has published an English-language version of “The Letters of Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon” to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the first Korean Catholic priest and saint. “We look forward to sharing the deep faith of St. Andrew Kim Dae-geon and his pioneering spirit with the world by publishing the English version of the book of letters. Our ancestors are the only ones in the world that accepted Catholicism by thei

The Seoul Cinema in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, which opened in 1979, closed its doors for good on Tuesday. Even after weathering decades of hardships, the weight of the severe financial difficulties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic last year was too much to bear for the cinema. Despite the gloomy weather and oncoming downpour, it did not stop movie lovers from gathering in front of the Seoul Cinema building to take pictures of the theater’s sign at 9:30 a.m. “To be honest, I

Two promotional videos of Korean cuisine titled “Korea in Food” are being screened at Westfield shopping center in London, the Cultural Heritage Administration  and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation announced Tuesday. The promotional project is organized as part of the administration and foundation’s joint “Visit Korea Heritage” campaign. The videos, co-created by Michelin-star chef Yoo Hyun-soo and Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s

“Escape from Mogadishu” directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, which was released on July 28, has sold more than 3 million tickets, according to film distributor Lotte Entertainment Sunday. The action film overtook Marvel Studios’ superhero movie “Black Widow,” which sold over 2.95 million tickets, to be the most-watched film of 2021. The release of “Escape from Mogadishu” was possible with support from the Korean Theater Association, which includes among its mem

Busan International Film Festival will launch the “On Screen” program this year, moving streaming content to the big screen during the festival. The 26th BIFF will be held from Oct. 6 to 15. The new section was added to reflect the expansion of streaming platforms and their content’s influence in the global market. A number of international film festivals, including Venice International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, have created similar sections to i

Korea House, a cultural complex and restaurant run by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, on Wednesday launched a new Korean traditional boxed meal, or dosirak. The two different dosirak sets, which are takeout-only, contain Korean royal court cuisine that are prepared by chefs at the 40-year-old Korea House. “Korea House is a public institution that has been promoting and preserving Korean royal court cuisine. We have a menu called ‘Gaon Jeongsik,’ which is a full-cour