Webtoons, K-pop come together in Tving's XR music competition show 'Webtoon Singer'

South Korean online streaming service provider Tving is scheduled to premiere an extended reality music show called “Webtoon Singer” in February. “Webtoon Singer” is set to present K-pop artists’ performances, combining hit webtoons with extended reality, or XR, technology. XR is an umbrella term encompassing virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. The computing technology can merge physical and virtual worlds, bringing digital elements to the viewers.

Jan. 30, 2023

EBS presents lesser-known stories of Korean dancers

Public educational TV channel EBS on Friday aired the first episode of a four-part program featuring renowned Korean dancers, the latest edition of its documentary series "Voice." The dancers in the series have different specialties, from traditional Korean dance and street dance to contemporary dance and ballet. Collaborating with the Korea Arts & Cultural Education Service, the documentary series features different professions, ranging from architects and pianists to actors and p

Jan. 27, 2023

'Big Bet’ to return with season 2

Disney+ Korean original series “Big Bet” will return with expanded stories for its second season, set to be released on Feb. 15., the streaming service confirmed Thursday. “Big Bet,” which features movie star Choi Min-sik’s first performance in a drama series in 25 years, had the highest first-week viewing figures of any of the service’s Korean original series, according to Disney+. The first season of "Big Bet" will end on Wednesday. The noir series

Jan. 27, 2023

Jang Keun-suk feels ready for his long-anticipated comeback

Though his new character Do-han in the upcoming crime thriller series “Decoy” seems a departure from his previous roles, Jang Keun-suk is certain that he will not disappoint his fans, who have been waiting a long time for his return. “Time flies. Even I didn’t expect it would be so long before my next project. But I can assure you that ‘Decoy’ was the series, which makes the last five years not in vain. Whenever I visited the on-site shooting location, discuss

Jan. 26, 2023

What a roll of gimbap could mean

If you’re a fan of Korean dramas, you would be no stranger to gimbap. The seaweed rice roll, usually filled with various ingredients, are akin to sandwiches in the West. It is easy to get, inexpensive and good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is the ultimate meal on the go. Recently in K-dramas, this versatile dish has taken on different meanings. In Netflix’s hit drama “The Glory,” protagonist Moon Dong-eun, played by actor Song Hye-kyo, eats gimbap whenever she can

Jan. 25, 2023

[Feature] To binge-watch or wait for weekly release?

Well before the “Squid Game” craze in 2021, global streaming platform Netflix enjoyed the first mover’s advantage here when it released all episodes of the megahit “Kingdom” series at one time in 2019, spurring a new trend in the Korean content industry. Binge-watching quickly caught on in Korea -- where viewers were used to getting daily or weekly releases of new episodes -- with streaming platforms offering must-watch content with unique and powerful stories. With

Jan. 24, 2023

Revenge K-drama leads to overseas movement to expose school violence

The global popularity and attention on Netflix thriller and suspense drama “The Glory” has resulted in an unforeseen development: Past bullying incidents of overseas celebrities have come to light as victims of school violence speak up by taking to social media. “The Glory,” which was released on Netflix in December of last year, depicts the life of a school violence victim Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo), a revenge-driven female character who survived horrific abuse and see

Jan. 19, 2023

‘Pachinko’ edges out ‘Attorney Woo’ at Critics Choice Awards

Apple TV+’s original series “Pachinko” was crowned as the best foreign language series at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards held in Los Angeles, Monday. Filmed in Korean, Japanese and English, the period drama follows the life of a Korean family moving to Japan in the 20th century. The drama won the award over eight other competitors in the category. Also in the running was Korean legal drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” starring Park Eun-bin. “It’

Jan. 16, 2023

Jeon Do-yeon excited to return with romance series after 17 years

Jeon Do-yeon shared a mixed bag of emotions about her long-anticipated return to a romance series in “Crash Course in Romance.” “It has been a very long time to read a script with bright stories. I was simply drawn to the series’ bright, positive energy,” Jeon said during an online press conference Monday. “My character revealed some of the sides that I had forgotten for a long time.” The Cannes-winning actor shared that she felt pressure and questioned

Jan. 10, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] The complications of the 'one-inch' barrier

The following series is part of The Korea Herald’s “Hello Hangeul” project which consists of interviews, in-depth analyses, videos and various other forms of content that shed light on the stories of people who are learning the Korean language and the correlation between Korea’s soft power and the rise of its language within the league of world languages. – Ed. Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho made headlines by using his acceptance speech at the 2020 Golden Glo

Jan. 8, 2023

‘I Live Alone’ poised to become all-time favorite reality show in MBC

With its latest episode recording 11.7 percent viewership, terrestrial broadcaster MBC’s “I Live Alone” topped the viewership ratings among all Friday reality TV shows for 30 consecutive weeks. The Friday night unscripted show caught the viewers’ attention across the globe with the realistic depiction of the everyday life of its hosts and other guest celebrities, both in and outside of their homes. According to the Gallup Korea poll on the best Korean TV shows, “I L

Jan. 8, 2023

Jang Keun-suk returns to small screen with ‘Decoy’

Top star Jang Keun-suk is returning to the small screen for the first time in five years in Coupang Play’s new crime thriller “Decoy” set to start airing on Jan. 27. The upcoming project is the 35-year-old actor's first for a streaming service original series since his discharge from the military in May 2020. His most recent TV series include SBS’ “Switch” in 2018 and “The Royal Gambler” (2016). The 12-part series centers around the man behind

Jan. 4, 2023

Broadcasters’ drama awards mostly ignored by viewers

With lesser-known projects and decreasing viewership ratings, local broadcasters’ annual award ceremonies were largely ignored by the public. Since the 1980s, the three major broadcasters -- SBS, KBS and MBC -- have recognized outstanding achievements in Korean dramas through year-end award ceremonies aired on their respective networks. The prizes are awarded to applaud the stars’ performance and dedication. It was a chance for broadcasters to show what it felt were the biggest ser

Jan. 2, 2023

Streaming services to offer closer look at K-pop stars

Streaming services are looking to quench the thirst of K-pop fans with documentary series featuring their beloved artists in early 2023. Disney+ announced that it would release a music documentary of K-pop boy band Super Junior, titled “Super Junior: The Last Man Standing,” on Jan. 18. The upcoming series presents the 17-year journey of the boy band. The show looks back on past achievements as well as showcasing Super Junior as a group as well as individual members on TV shows, radio

Jan. 1, 2023

Jeon Hyun-moo wins his 2nd grand prize at MBC Entertainment Awards

TV personality Jeon Hyun-moo wrapped up the year in triumph, winning the grand prize at the MBC Entertainment Awards on Thursday. Recognized for his performances on smash-hit TV shows -- “I Live Alone” and “The Manager: Revel My Star’s Life,” widely known as its Korean title “Omniscient Interfering View,” the 45-year-old show host was awarded the top prize at MBC headquarters in Mapo-gu, western Seoul. Jeon won his second grand prize in MBC Entertainme

Dec. 30, 2022

KBS to air new music program ‘The Seasons’

Public broadcaster KBS will continue its 30-year legacy of late night music talk shows with a new program, “The Seasons,” starting in February. The new music program, which stars Korean singer and rapper Jay Park as its new host, will air Fridays in the same time slot as “You Heeyul’s Sketchbook,” which ended abruptly in July. The upcoming show is set to be aired in four different seasons with new hosts each quarter, the broadcaster said in a press release, with

Dec. 29, 2022

60 % of Netflix subscribers watched at least one K-drama in 2022

Six out of 10 Netflix subscribers globally watched at least one Korean title on the streaming platform this year, Netflix said Thursday. "The K-Wave is bigger than ever," Netflix said in a release posted on its global newsroom. "Sixty percent of our members watched a Korean title and Netflix had six of the Top 10 most searched K-Dramas in Korea." The zombie thriller "All Of Us Are Dead" and the legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" were two of Netflix&#

Dec. 29, 2022

Broadcasters up the ante for 2023

Receiving unprecedented attention from international viewers, South Korean TV series are hoping to continue the winning streak with more unique and thrilling stories, the return of top movie stars to the small screen and spinoffs of beloved dramas. Cable channel tvN’s “Crash Course in Romance” is scheduled to entertain viewers starting at the beginning of 2023. Starring the Cannes-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon, who returns to a romance series after 17 years since SBS’ me

Dec. 28, 2022

Viewers split over surprise ending of hit series ‘Reborn Rich’

Viewers voiced mixed responses over the ending of the latest hit series “Reborn Rich,” which was very different from the conclusion of the original web novel from which it was adapted. The last episode in the 16-part JTBC series aired Sunday, with a 26.9 percent viewership rating, according to ratings firm Nielsen Korea, Monday. The figure is the all-time second highest rating for a JTBC drama, following “The World of the Married” (2020), which was recorded at 28.4 percen

Dec. 27, 2022

Content business will be game changer in S. Korea’s soft power growth: ministry

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Tuesday it would focus on maintaining the global popularity of Korea media and broadcast content with an increased budget of 190 billion won ($149.9 million) for the creative content sector next year. “Korean content is receiving an unprecedented attention from the global audience. Many say that they are watching the drama series, film or TV show, because it is from Korea," First Vice Culture Minister Chun Byong-geuk said at CJ E

Dec. 27, 2022