With the global success of Korean content such as Netflix’s “Squid Game,” streaming companies are expressing heightened interest in working with content creators here. Disney+, which will launch its streaming platform service in Korea on Nov. 12, also said it is ready to expand its partnership with Korean content makers. “Disney is a global entertainment company that has been playing an important role in many regional markets including Korea. Based on this experience,

Japanese drama “Signal Special Episode” and Thai drama “I Told Sunset About You” have been invited to screen at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2021 in the International Drama of the Year category. The SDA annually invites drama series from around the world that enjoy global popularity and recognition. “Signal Special Episode” is a Japanese remake of tvN’s hit TV series, “Signal” (2016). The sci-fi crime thriller centers around several

"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" has beat the opening day total of "Black Widow," the latest Marvel release, in South Korea, data showed Thursday. The sequel to 2018's "Venom" topped the daily box-office chart by selling 203,263 tickets on the first day of its release Wednesday, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). For comparison, "Black Widow," the most-watched foreign film for this year to date, attracted about 195,000 moviegoers on its

For megahit screenwriter Kim Eun-hee, South Korea’s second-largest mountain range and its rangers were interesting materials with which to work. “To be honest, I have never been to Jirisan National Park. I have heard and read about the mountain in history classes and novels. I felt that Jirisan was a place to visit with a dearest wish. The mountain has been there for thousands of years and I thought a lot of souls would be wandering around the forest,” Kim said in an online

South Korea’s best-known short film festival returns under a new name this year. The 19th Gwanghwamun International Short Film Festival is being held at Cinecube in Jongno-gu, Seoul, from Thursday to Oct. 19. A total of 84 movies from 36 countries will be screened during the festival. Opening the event is Elvira Lind’s “The Letter Room,” about a kindhearted prison officer who is transferred to the mailroom to monitor the prisoners’ correspondence. While doing hi

Lee Hyori will become the first female host of the Mnet Asian Music Awards, Mnet announced Wednesday. 　 She will be the messenger that links artists and music fans across the world at the 2021 MAMA, slated for Dec. 11, it said. Titled “Make Some Noise, this year’s annual music award ceremony aims to deliver the power of music through respect for differences and to challenge prejudice, it added, describing her as the “singular person” who is aligned with the ideas. 　 MAMA

Two jazz festivals, held as either online or hybrid events last year, are scheduled to return with in-person performances. After adjusting the schedules to comply with the extended social distancing guidelines, the final lineup and dates for the annual music festival at Seoul Forest were announced in early October. The 5th Seoul Forest Jazz Festival, originally planned for Oct. 15-16, will now take place Oct. 30-31 featuring leading musicians, including violinist Danny Koo, trumpet player Damo

Hip-hop trio Epik High is set to drop its new single “Face ID” on Oct. 25, ahead of the release of its 10th full-length album in 2022, according to the group’s agency Hours Entertainment. “Face ID” is the group’s first new song in four months after “Rain Song,” in June. The track will be a pre-release single from the upcoming album “Epik High Is Here Part 2.” The other tracks are scheduled to be released next year. Epik High’s

AI-led rearrangement of Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' alerts world to consequences of climate change

The smash-hit Korean-language drama series "Squid Game" has been watched by 111 million households around the world on Netflix, becoming its most successful original content, the US streaming giant said Wednesday. Since its first release on Sept. 17, the nine-part survival drama has topped the popular Netflix TV show charts in 94 countries, including the United States, Britain and France, according to Netflix. In the US, in particular, "Squid Game" has become the first non-

Twice entered Billboard 100 at No. 83 with its first English-language single, “The Feels,” according to the newest tally from the publication that became available on Monday in the US. 　 This is the first time the female band hit the chart although its 10th EP, “Taste of Love,” ranked No. 6 on Billboard 200. Twice became the fourth K-pop band to make it on the singles chart, after Wonder Girls, BTS and Blackpink. 　 The single positioned itself as No. 10 and No. 12 on Bil

Rookie boy band Enhypen dropped the group’s first full-length album “Dimension: Dilemma” on Monday. During a press conference in Seoul a day ahead of the album’s release, the bandmates spoke of their shared goal to become the No. 1 K-pop group with the new album. “Many call us fourth-generation K-pop icons, but we’d like to go beyond that title to become the most aspiring among all K-pop idol acts,” Jungwon said during the media event, which was lives

Director Justin Chon says he created his new film, “Blue Bayou,” to bring attention to “unfair” policies regarding adoptees in the US. “I saw an issue that was happening in the United States that I felt was very unfair,” Chon said at an online press conference held as part of the 26th Busan International Film Festival on Tuesday. As well as directing, Chon appears in the film as protagonist Antonio LeBlanc, an ethnic Korean adoptee raised in a small town i

The upcoming comedy-drama “Perhaps Love,” directed by Cho Eun-ji, revolves around a bestselling author whose life changes dramatically when he falls in love. “The cast and the crew, including myself, were always laughing while shooting. I actually got a note of warning from the sound recording director because I giggled too much even in a serious scene,” Cho said in an online press conference Tuesday. “We were able to finish our project with a lot of laughs. I am c

Korean Cultural Centre UK announced that it will hold the 16th London Korean Film Festival for two weeks from Nov. 4 to 19. The festival organizer said it will screen 35 Korean films of diverse genres including independent films, classic films, animation and shorts. Last year, the annual event was held as an online-offline hybrid festival due to the pandemic, but this year all of the films will be screened at nine local theaters in London. “Escape from Mogadishu” directed by Ryoo