Korea Cannes Make Great Films
Five Korean films were invited to the annual Cannes International Film Festival. Each film is competing to winn the festivals biggest prize, the Palme d’Or. Discover more about the selected films here!
Black Knight: Kim Woo-bin Returns to Acting
Actor Kim Woo-bin was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and had to take time off to rest and recover. Now, he's returning to the screen in a new Netflix film "Black Knight". Read more about his incredible story here!
The Rise of Womance: Women Spearhead Korean Entertainment
The popularity of women-led K-dramas and films means women-centered stories aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Independent, well-written characters for women set the stage for the "womance" trend moving forward. Learn more here!
K-Culture's Explosion
Netflix's latest investment in Korean entertainment has posed some concerns over local Korean streaming services. However, it does pose great news for the global accessibility of K-culture and high-quality media creation. Read more here!
Blackpink at Coachella: Keeping it Traditional
Blackpink took the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as the first headlining K-pop girl group. They used their global stardom to spotlight Korean heritage by blending Korean traditional elements into their modernized versions of hanbok. Discover more about the group's historic performance here!
The Most Intense Dessert Competition Ever
"The Dessert" is a dessert-making competition wherein 10 patissiers hunker down in a dormitory for 10 days. They will compete in various cooking quests to win 100 million won ($75,000) in prize money. Read more about the show here!
The Guardians Land in Seoul
Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" began its world tour in Seoul. The cast stated they felt the support from Korean fans, so they wanted to kick off the final tour in Korea. Learn more about the upcoming film here!
Reading on the Rise: Why Indie Bookstores are Here to Stay
Independent bookstores are growing in popularity in Korea. This is in part due to the rise of independent publishing that offers flexibility and freedom. Discover more about the indie bookstore craze here!
Bringing Korean Films back to Korean Theaters
Korean films have suffered at the Korean box office in comparison to foreign films. However, three major studios are initiating support of homegrown films to revive the success of Korean films in Korean cinemas. Learn more here!
1 of a Kind: Jimin Sells 1 Million Albums in 1 Day
BTS member Jimin sold over 1 million copies of his first solo album, "Face” upon release, making K-pop history. Read more about his album’s success and other K-pop news updates here.
Bong Joon-ho's Public Return
Acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho will participate in a filmmaking masterclass at the Florence Korean Film Festival after 12 years of absence. Read more about his return here!
Keeping Records: Why Vinyl is Here to Stay
Hanging out with friends and listening to vinyl records is a trend that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon in Korea. Learn more about the popularity of vinyl records here!
How Books can Heal: R.O. Kwon Discusses Important Moments in her Life
Incendiaries author R.O. Kwon talks about religion and literature in this personal interview. Read more about her story here!
Nothing Fake about Faker’s New Record
League of Legends icon, Faker, is set to break more records in upcoming events. Learn more about the e-sports icon here!
Why ‘Call It Love’ Gives Us the Feels
Feel the love and pain that comes with life in the new 16-part Disney+ K-Drama, “Call It Love.” Discover more about the show and its message here!
Korean Sci-fi film ‘Jung_E’ tops Netflix charts
Netflix original film ‘Jung_E’ captures the attention of viewers worldwide. Set in a dystopian future, director Yeon Sang-ho's new film is a certified hit in the vain of similar Korean sci-fi films. Learn more about the film here!
To Binge or not to Binge?
Streaming companies like Disney+ are keying into the viewing habits of customers with their new suite of shows available to stream. These shows will be batched out in waves so viewers can enjoy them as they please while still allowing for anticipation for future releases. Read more here!
Revenge: K-drama exposes school violence
K-drama, The Glory, shows the omnipresent problem that is school bullying. The success of the show has led many fans internationally to begin campaigns to uncover the abuse and end it. Discover more about the movement here!
Woodstock to spread peace and love in Korea
For the first time, legendary music festival Woodstock will be in Korea. While the lineup has not been fully revealed, about 30 performances are expected to occur. Read more about the festival here!
The Little Cellist: 11-year-old prodigy takes First Prize
At the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Russia, 11-year old Korean cellist Kim Jung-a won first prize. There were a total of 128 contestants from 14 countries who participated in the piano, violin, and cello categories this year. Discover more about their achievement here!
BTS reclaims Billboard: And other popular K-pop music
Billboard 200 has a number of K-pop groups topping the charts, but the surprise hit is BTS reentering with a song from 2017. Read more about their unstoppable success and the latest K-pop groups with highly anticipated releases here!
The K-pop Comeback: Returning from Military Service
With mandatory military service stopping many of the top K-pop idol’s activities, members from EXO, SHINee, and others will be finishing their service and coming back to entertainment this year to much excitment and hype. Learn more about when your favorite K-pop stars will be back here!
Top Movies to Watch for Lunar New Year
Here’s a list of the top 16 global movies to keep you busy this Lunar New year. No matter what kind of genre you're interested in, you'll find something you like here! Check this list out to make picking something for movie night easy.
Kkondaes at Work: GenZ and Millennials Battle at the Office
"MZ Office", a new segment on SNL Korea, sheds light on passive aggressive confrontations among millennials and Gen Z in the office. The sketch series uses the term "kkondae" which normally refers to baby boomers. However, it has evolved to include all age groups. Learn more about the show here!
Cursed Bunny and other Popular K-Books
Translated literary works won or were nominated for four awards outside of Korea this year. More than 150 works in 27 languages were published overseas and they showed growing diversification of genres from science fiction to fantasy and mystery. Discover more about the growing popularity of Korean literature here!
Men of Plastic: How the K-beauty Business Began
Veteran Korean-American actor Don Lee returns in his new film “Men of Plastic” which is about the rise of the K-beauty business. Lee plays Dae-kook, a plastic surgeon who starts a business with Ji-woo (Jung Kyoung-ho). Read more about the film here!
Tackling Video Game Addiction
As video games balloon in popularity, video game addiction becomes more and more of a real problem. Healthy Gamer is an organization that aims to tackle the problem that many people now face. Read more here!
Netflix-based Tours Open in Korea
The Korea Tourism Organization will open free tours to foreigners that go through locations inspired by their successful Netflix show “Korea No. 1”. Click the link to see what destinations you may be able to go to.
Shamanism Without Prejudice
Jeong Ho-geun is a 58-year-old veteran actor, who put his acting career on hiatus to pursue the career of a shaman. He is currently fighting the prejudice of shamanism being considered a bad custom that should be eradicated. Discover more about him here!
A Bittersweet End for Disney+
Steaming service Disney+’s reality show, "The Zone: Survival Mission," remained on the Korean top 10 chart since its first entry. This show captured audience attention but failed to leave a mark on international audiences. Read more about the future of Korean streaming here!
K-Drama romance “Ditto” presents the future of first love
"Ditto" is a remake of a 2000's hit romance sci-fi film of the same title. Yeo Jin-goo and Kim Hye-yoon star as university student Yong and Han-sol respectively. While director Yeo Dong-bin felt pressure from the success of the original film, she chose to write and direct the project because of the power of the original source material. Discover more about the film here!
How Fiction Re-Imagines a Royal Mystery
The upcoming thriller "The Owl" adds imagination to historical record about Crown Prince Sohyeon's suspicious death. In the movie, Kyeong-soo, played by Ryu Jun-yeol, is a day-blind acupuncturist in the palace that witnesses the Crown Prince’s death. Read more about the film here!
Get your Sing On in 'Cono' Coin Singing Rooms
Coin singing rooms are smaller karaoke gatherings where you play for about 30 minutes compared to the hours spent at regular Korean karaoke. They are becoming ever popular with younger generations in the aftermath of COVID-19 regulation relaxation. Read more about coin singing rooms here!
