“Return to Seoul” is a melancholy drama film revolving around Freddie (Park Ji-min), 25, who is on a search for her biological parents after returning to Seoul for the first time -- similar to other films about Korean adoptees. But that’s where the similarity ends, as the film then takes a surprising turn. Freddie’s arrival in Seoul is also spontaneous. She arrives after her trip to Tokyo is cancelled. Davy Chou, the Cambodian French filmmaker of “Return to Seoul,&r

Marvel Studios' new film "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" has surpassed 1 million admissions at the fastest pace among this year's releases in South Korea, its local distributor said Saturday. The film had garnered a cumulative audience of 1.02 million as of midnight Friday, the fourth day of its release, according to Walt Disney Company Korea. It became the fastest film to surpass 1 million admissions this year, outpacing the year's top-grossing films, which include the

Fifty Fifty has made it into the top 10 of the British Official Singles Chart for the first time as a K-pop girl group with its new viral hit song "Cupid." According to the latest chart released Friday, "Cupid" rose nine places from last week to rank No. 9 in its sixth consecutive week on the chart. Since debuting at No. 96, the song has climbed rapidly up the rankings to reach No. 61, 34, 26, 18 and now ninth. It marks the first time a K-pop girl group has reached the Britis

T1, South Korea’s one of the most popular esports organization, is scheduled to launch a new cultural complex T1 Base Camp in Seoul’s bustling Hongdae district. T1 made a name for itself as the most successful esports organization after winning League of Legends World Championships in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Korean League of Legends virtuoso "Faker" plays as a midlaner for T1 as well. Unlike regular PC bang -- internet cafes often used to play PC games -- T1 Base Camp also has

The documentary “The Story of Dreams: Picture Brides” received an award at the 56th-edition of Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival. The South Korean documentary won the Silver Remi at the film festival, founded in 1968 and the third-oldest film festival in the US. Past winners of the annual festival include Steven Spielberg. The film festival ran from April 25 to 30 in Houston. Created by filmmakers Song Ji-hwan, Lee Jeong-tae and Jo Hyun-woo, “The Story of Dreams: Pi

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3” (US) Opened May 3 Action Directed by James Gunn The American superhero franchise concludes its trilogy by looking deeper into the story of Rocket, and showing how Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, gathers his team to defend the universe and complete the last mission to protect the Guardians. “Dream” (South Korea) Opened April 26 Drama Directed by Lee Byeong-heon Yoon Hong-dae (Park Seo-joon), a professional football play

Taeyong of NCT will bring out his first solo album early next month, according to label SM Entertainment Thursday. He is shooting a music video for the album, added a source. He will be the first member of the mega band to release an album on his own although many, including Mark, Taeil, Jaehyun and Doyoung, dropped solo singles before. Taeyong also put out “Long Flight” as the label’s singles project in 2019. The musician debuted in 2016 as a member of the band and has partic

While many popular dramas make triumphant returns with a second season, usually centering on the lives of the lead characters after the end of the previous season, "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938,” the second season of the tvN’ 2020-fantasy series “Tale of the Nine Tailed” will take viewers back in time, bringing the lead character to the Korean Peninsula in 1938. Director Kang Shin-hyo shared that the male “gumiho” Lee Yeon, played by Lee Dong-wook, become

The 24th Jeonju International Film Festival announced its award winners on Wednesday evening during a ceremony that took place at Jeonbuk National University's Samsung Cultural Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. A total of 17 awards in four categories -- international competition, Korean competition, Korean competition for shorts and special award -- were given out. Under the international competition category, Ota Tatsunari won the grand prize with his film, "There is a Stone.&q

The Seoul Central District Court has fined a former foreign service employee 1 million won ($749) on charges of attempting to sell BTS member Jungkook's lost hat online, legal sources said Wednesday. The employee, whose identity has been withheld, put the bucket hat for sale on an online second-hand market for 10 million won in October, claiming the K-pop star had left it at the foreign ministry building in Seoul when he visited to apply for a passport. The seller deleted his offer and turn

South Korean singer Im Chang-jung is being investigated by the prosecution and financial regulators for his alleged role in a stock price manipulation case. Eight stocks listed in the Korean stock market including Seoul Gas, Daesung Holdings and Sebang have plummeted to the daily limit of 30 percent through SG Securities Korea since April 24. He reportedly invested billions of won through individuals suspected to be responsible for the stocks' volatility. Im sold a part of his stake in his

Shownu and Hyungwon of Monsta X will form a subunit, a first from the six-member band, this summer, according to a local media report on Wednesday. Agency Starship Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. No specific timetable, though, has been set yet, it added. It will be Shownu’s first official activity since he was discharged from the mandatory military service last month. The band debuted in 2015 with EP “Trespass” and bandmates will pursue individual career

People often overlook the fact that even the most talented musicians are still human beings, and we tend to remember only their most notable accomplishments. The naming of classical music pieces labeled with vital information such as the form, key and chronological order in which they were composed is not enough to convey the stories behind their masterpieces. Only those with a great curiosity and the willingness to explore beyond these labels will ever discover the stories of their creation.

This year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, which opened on April 27, has nominated films of various genres and topics to the Korean competition, but what really stood out were the queer films that were nominated. “Of 111 Korean films that were submitted for the Korean competition section, we chose 8 feature films, two documentaries and one experimental documentary as finalists. A total of 11 films are nominated and they are either the first or second project of the filmmakers. I

Producer and playwright Oh Se-hyeok's musical, "The Brothers Karamazov," based on the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, ended its run at the Shanghai Grand Theater on April 16. By coincidence, on the same day, the Korean version of the same musical, which premiered in 2018, happened to be midway through its fourth run in Daehagno, Seoul. Set in 19th-century Russia, the musical covers the conflict between the children of Fyodor Karamazov: the abandoned sons of his f