Netflix will ring in the Christmas season with the sci-fi mystery “The Silent Sea,” its last Korean original series of the year. The platform on Monday announced the show’s release on Dec. 24 and unveiled a mysterious poster showing a lone astronaut in outer space. The series, which revolves around a group of space explorers on a classified mission to an abandoned research facility on the moon, is an adaptation of a short film of the same title by director Choi Hang-yong. T

The South Korean fantasy horror "Hellbound" has topped the world's popular TV show rankings on the day after its release. According to data by streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol, the Korean-language Netflix original became the most-watched TV program on the streaming platform Saturday (US time), a day after its global premier. The show placed No. 1 on the most-watched show list in 24 nations, including South Korea, Belgium and Mexico, while it finished third in several countries lik

Netflix’s fantasy thriller “Hellbound” directed by Yeon Sang-ho is off to a good start in following in the footsteps of global sensation “Squid Game.” A day after being released Friday, Yeon’s Netflix series topped the Top TV show on Netlflix chart, according to streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol. “Squid Game” grabbed the No. 2 spot on the chart Saturday. The global hit TV series directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk had stayed atop FlixPatrol’s T

K-pop superstar BTS’ “Butter” has been named as Variety’s 2021 record of the year, its agency Big Hit Music said Sunday. Influential US entertainment magazine Variety had announced the final list of honorees for its annual Hitmakers celebration Friday in the US, elaborating that the writers and producers -- “multi-hyphenate creatives/executives Jenna Andrews and Ron Perry, RM, Stephen Kirk, Alex Bilowitz and Rob Grimaldi” -- had crafted the perfect hit. The

Rookie Korean director Jung Ga-young, 31, said she focused on creating a female character with a daring personality when writing the script for romantic comedy “Nothing Serious” “I wanted to make a rom-com. I am a big fan of the genre and on top of that I wanted to create a film that centers around a female character,” the director said during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul on Wednesday. “I also wanted the female character to be honest when

Traditional Korean music-inspired band Leenalchi, which rose to stardom last year with its song “Tiger Is Coming,” is to hold an extended reality concert online. The concert, “Sugungga: Catch the Rabbit,” will be released on local mobile streaming platform Kakao TV on Nov. 30. Extended reality is an umbrella term that covers virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. 　 The XR concert will revive scenes from the band’s album “Sugungga,” a

The music video for K-pop superband BTS' "Dynamite" has passed 1.3 billion views on YouTube, its management agency said Saturday. The video for the megahit single released in 2020 reached the milestone at 10:15 p.m. Friday, Big Hit Music said. It became the seven-member group's third music video to hit 1.3 billion YouTube views following "DNA" and "Boy with Luv." BTS has a total of 35 music videos with more than 100 million views on the global music sharing sit

  Singer-songwriter Ha Sung-woon rolled out his sixth EP “Electrified: Urban Nostalgia” on Friday. 　 The album, titled “Electrified: Urban Nostalgia,” consists of four tracks that describe the complexity of feelings and duality of reality and our memories of it. His dreamy vocals blends with guitar riffs and synth sounds against punk rhythm in the main track “Electrified” that brings a sun-filled cityscape to mind. 　 “I have faced myself in differe

Entertainer Kim Jong-kook is seeking to put an end to doping rumors, and most recently he appeared in a YouTube video with a media lawyer to talk about defamation. In the video, posted Thursday on Kim’s bodybuilding channel, media and telecommunications practice lawyer Park Min-chul joined the singer as he denied the doping rumors. “I have worked as a television celebrity for 27 years and believed that the most important role as a celebrity is to bring joy and happiness to the pu

TvN’s new Friday-Saturday drama “Bad and Crazy” is scheduled to kick off on Dec. 17, after “Happiness” comes to an end Dec. 11. Directed by You Sun-dong who produced OCN’s hit drama “The Uncanny Counter,” the cable network presented a 15-second teaser Friday showing its lead characters. Top actor Lee Dong-wook takes the role of “bad” detective Ryu Su-yeol, who is willing to do anything and everything to accomplish his objectives. Co

Riot Games made a successful debut on Netflix with the League of Legends-themed animation “Arcane,” soaring to No. 2 on the service’s official weekly chart. Riot Games released its animated series Nov. 7 after the Worlds 2021 Championship, one of the most popular global esports events. “Arcane” ended the historic 46-day reign of Netflix global sensation “Squid Game,” topping the chart within a few days of its release. The series has made the top 10

K-pop sensation Monsta X welcomed the start of the winter season with  their 10th EP, “No Limit,” on Friday, returning in nearly five months after their previous work. In an online press conference Friday, the six-member group described the latest album as “perfect,” and one that “delineates Monsta X’s identity as a group that shines in an era where there’s an infinite supply of competitors and how they unlimitedly keep pushing the envelope in an

New song shows how much he likes hanging out with his friends

Long-awaited Korean movies are gearing up to hit local screens in the coming months to lure film buffs and holiday shoppers in the year-end winter vacation season. The political drama "Kingmaker," starring Lee Sun-kyun of "Parasite" and Seol Kyung-gu, will forefront the move, as distributor Megabox Plus M has earlier confirmed its public release in December. The film, which revolves around an opposition party politician who dreams of becoming the president and his excellent

Perhaps Love (Korea) Opened Nov. 17 Romantic comedy Directed by Cho Eun-ji Bestselling writer Hyun (Ryu Seung-ryong) is trying to overcome writer’s block after producing a hit novel seven years ago. One day, Hyun reads a rough draft of a novel written by his student, Yoo-jin (Mu Jin-sung), and suggests further developing the work together. Yoo-jin, who is gay and has feelings for Hyun, takes up the offer. Tomb of the River (Korea) Opened Nov. 10 Action Directed by Yoon Young-bin Gangste