Park Seo-joon returns to small screen with 18-year love story

Park Seo-joon hasn't done a proper romantic drama in five years. Ever since he sparked a cultural moment as the dogged underdog Park Sae-ro-yi in "Itaewon Class," he's kept busy with bigger-budget fare — a cameo in Marvel Cinematic Universe's "The Marvels," Netflix's period horror "Gyeongseong Creature," and the apocalyptic "Concrete Utopia." But sitting before a room full of reporters at a hotel in Seoul's Guro-gu on Thursday, the 37-year-old seemed ready to scale back down. "I've been working

Dec. 4, 2025

Lee Jun-ho finds second life in country's collective memory

Lee Jun-ho has had quite a ride living through 1997 — fumbling with pager messages, sporting old-school leather coats and keeping a small trading firm from falling apart through South Korea's worst financial crisis. Not literally, of course. The 35-year-old actor was 7 during those years when the International Monetary Fund bailout gutted the South Korean economy. For "Typhoon Family," the tvN period drama that wrapped its 16-episode run Sunday with a series-high 10.3 percent viewership, that is

Dec. 3, 2025

'Dream Life of Mr. Kim' asks: Who are you without your title?

In Korean society, we could say that identity is rarely a solitary thing. From an early age, we are placed into systems: given a class number at school and later assigned to a department in a company, a title affixed to our name. That title matters because it becomes social proof of who we are. So we grow up learning to exist as “someone who belongs somewhere.” That frame defines us. And as long as it holds, our place in society feels stable. The novel recently adapted to the hit eponymous drama

Dec. 2, 2025

Sex scenes in K-dramas: Why are they so restrained?

K-dramas have long perfected the art of suggestion. Explicit sex scenes are rare, almost nonexistent when top stars are involved. Instead of bare skin, the genre bares emotion, relying on metaphor, lingering close-ups and carefully modulated fades. Whereas Western dramas often place sexual encounters plainly onscreen, Korean series tend to frame intimacy as an emotional crescendo rather than a physical act. Even in the few cases where a spicier scene unfolds, it’s usually distilled into scenes i

Dec. 1, 2025

Kim You-jung reinvents herself in Tving’s year-end bet 'Dear X'

Kim You-jung — long celebrated as the nation’s “little sister” since her early days as a child star — steps into her darkest role yet, shedding her bright image to play a cold-blooded sociopath in one of Tving’s biggest swings for the latter half of 2025. In “Dear X,” Kim stars as Ah-jin, a top actor with a traumatic past marked by childhood abuse, who strategically cycles through lovers as stepping stones to fame. The 12-episode thriller traces her ascent as she weaponizes charm, beauty and cal

Nov. 29, 2025

Korea’s new obsession is survival shows built on sweat

Korean variety shows pushing the human body to its breaking point are dominating screens, and viewers can’t seem to look away. Netflix’s “Physical: Asia,” released Oct. 30, went straight to the platform’s top 10 series in Korea and was on Netflix's global top 10 list for all three weeks of its run. Building on the momentum of the hit franchise “Physical,” which launched in 2023 and 2024, the latest installment assembled athletes and superstar sports personalities from eight countries for a slate

Nov. 26, 2025

K-variety maestro Nah Yung-suk takes Netflix leap with 'Three Idiots in Kenya'

Entertainment powerhouse producer Nah Yung-suk is making his Netflix debut with “Three Idiots in Kenya,” reuniting beloved stars from his past hits like “2 Days & 1 Night.” With the new series, Nah says he’s intentionally tapping into a gap in Netflix’s Korean unscripted lineup -- namely, the lack of easygoing, light-touch variety shows. “Three Idiots in Kenya” pairs veteran variety show fixtures, including comedian Lee Soo-geun, rapper-TV personality Eun Ji-won and Super Junior’s Kyuhyun -- on

Nov. 25, 2025

Tributes pour in for Lee Soon-jae, including from Yoo Yeon-seok, Taeyeon

Tributes poured in from across the theater and entertainment industry following the news of veteran actor Lee Soon-jae’s death on Tuesday. Nah Yung-suk, the star producer behind the travel reality series "Grandpas Over Flowers" (2013-2018), in which Lee appeared, expressed his sorrow at a press event for a new program. “I hadn’t seen him in the past year due to his health," said Nah. "During our travels and in private, the thing he most often told us was that he wanted to stay on stage until the

Nov. 25, 2025

Obituary: Beloved ‘grandpa’ Lee Soon-jae’s life on stage, screen

Actor Lee Soon-jae, a towering figure in Korean entertainment and one of the nation’s longest-working performers, died Tuesday. He was 91. According to his family, Lee died early on Tuesday morning. Even in advanced age, Lee had continued to work across television, film and theater, remaining active until late 2024, when health problems forced him to withdraw midway through the run of the play “Waiting for Waiting for Godot.” His final screen appearance came in the KBS series “Dog Knows Everythi

Nov. 25, 2025

Suryeonhoe, uniforms, yaja: Cultural code behind K-school dramas

The hallways of adolescence have always been fertile ground for storytelling. Teen dramas are produced almost everywhere, but Korea injects its own cultural DNA into the genre. In K-school dramas, settings like yaja (night study sessions) and suryeonhoe (school retreats) often double as narrative engines. For international viewers, these unfamiliar rituals can feel opaque, but in Korea, they’re key dramatic accelerators. Suryeonhoe, or school retreats, are a cornerstone of Korean adolescence --

Nov. 24, 2025

Your weekend survival-TV guide: Korean competition shows worth bingeing

From “Physical: Asia” to “Just Makeup” and the upcoming second season of “Culinary Class Wars,” Korea is in the middle of a survival competition boom. To help you ride the wave and line up your weekend binge, here’s a look at some of the country’s most popular survival shows, spanning everything from cerebral strategy and military endurance to K-pop stardom. “The Genius” on Tving Long hailed as Korea’s gold standard in brain-game competition shows, “The Genius” has built a fiercely loyal followi

Nov. 22, 2025

Coupang Play launches exclusive Paramount+ service in Korea

Popular US subscription video-on-demand service Paramount+ is now available in Korea exclusively through Coupang Play. Via the Paramount+ Pass, Coupang Play provides access to the streamer’s full slate of programming. The add-on is priced at 3,300 won per month for Coupang Wow members and 4,900 won for nonmembers. The Coupang Wow membership is 7,890 won per month and includes perks such as Coupang’s ultrafast Rocket Delivery service and ad-free streaming on Coupang Play. The Paramount+ lineup br

Nov. 21, 2025

Shin Min-a, Kim Woo-bin to tie knot in December

Actors Shin Min-a and Kim Woo-bin are set to tie the knot this December, marking their marriage after 10 years of public dating. “Shin and Kim have promised to become lifelong partners, building on the deep trust they’ve developed over their long relationship," their agency AM Entertainment announced Thursday. “The wedding will take place privately on Dec. 20 in Seoul, attended by family, relatives and close friends," the statement said, adding, both will remain dedicated to acting. Kim also upl

Nov. 20, 2025

[Exclusive] CJ ENM uses AI-generated product-placement ads — without any discretion

South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM has been using artificial intelligence to embed product-placement ads across its TV lineup in recent years — without disclosing to viewers that the insertions were AI-assisted, according to industry sources. As conventional product placement can disrupt the visual flow of dramas and unscripted shows, the company has increasingly turned to virtual product placement, the sources said. The technology identifies optimal moments for branded items and uses AI to

Nov. 20, 2025

[단독] '피지컬: 100 스웨덴,' 2026년 촬영 앞두고 캐스팅 오픈

"피지컬: 100 스웨덴"이 공식적으로 제작에 돌입했다. 넷플릭스 측은 총 100명의 스웨덴 참가자가 우승을 놓고 경쟁하게 될 것이라고 밝혔다. 현재 온라인 참가자 모집이 진행중이며 지원서 가이드라인에 따르면 직업 제한 없이 엘리트 선수, 군인, 무용수, 소방관 등 폭넓은 직군의 지원자를 받고 있다. 지원서에 따르면 "피지컬: 100 스웨덴"의 촬영은 2026년 5월 스웨덴에서 약 2~3주간 진행될 예정이며, 우승 상금은 100만 스웨덴 크로나다. 지원서는 자기소개를 비롯해 트레이닝 기간, 개인적인 사연, 성장 및 발전 과정, 경쟁 성향 등을 묻는 문항들로 구성돼 있다. 또한 지원자 사진, 운동 영상, 자기소개 영상을 각각 업로드해야 한다. 넷플릭스는 "피지컬" 시리즈의 글로벌 인기에 힘이어 "피지컬: 100 USA"와 "피지컬: 100 이탈리아" 제작도 확정했다. 미국판은 2026년 촬영을 시작할 예정, 이탈리아판은 현재 촬영이 진행 중이다. Netflix has official

Nov. 20, 2025