It is not easy to truly see ourselves as we are seen in the eyes of others. The confusion stemming from the gap between the “me” I know and the “me” that others see may be overwhelming. Jung Jin-young said his first film as a director, “Me and Me,” depicts such confusion experienced by a “delicate being.” “The film can be considered a sad comedy about the loneliness of a delicate human being,” Jung said at the film’s premiere Tu

The number of moviegoers in South Korea rebounded from a month earlier in May on the back of an extended holiday and relaxed social distancing, data showed Wednesday. A total of 1.53 million movie tickets were sold in May, up from an all-time low of 970,000 tallied in the previous month, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It is the first on-month growth in 2020, since the film industry was hit hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The monthly figure came to 16.84 millio

  There are moments in life when we persevere, believing in our dreams and efforts, even as the rest of the world does not. Such trust in oneself makes the impossible possible. That is the message of upcoming indie film “Baseball Girl,” the story of 18-year-old Joo Su-in, who strives to join a professional baseball team. Directed by Choi Yun-tae, the film features rising actress Lee Joo-young as Su-in and Lee Joon-hyuk as Su-in’s coach Choi Jin-tae. According to Lee J

Yeowoorak Festival to run July 3-25 at National Theater of Korea

Big Hit Entertainment, the management company of K-pop super stars BTS, said Tuesday it has inked a deal with US streaming service provider Kiswe Mobile to cooperate in areas of real-time online concerts. Big Hit said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the American video technology startup on Monday. The deal was signed between Big Hit Global CEO Lenzo Yoon, and Kiwse Chairman Jeong Kim and Mike Schabel, Kiswe's CEO and president. Kiswe was co-founded by Kim, former president of Be

JTBC's "The World of the Married" and SBS' "Hot Stove League" are some of the biggest hit TV series in the first half of this year. The two dramas have one thing in common: They are works by up-and-coming young directors who get a good head start on their careers in the rapidly changing media entertainment. Based on the BBC One TV series "Doctor Foster," which aired in 2015 and 2017, the JTBC series is about a dedicated wife, played by Kim, who finds out about he

Singers Rain, Lee Hyo-ri return in new trio

Despite lingering criticism that a return to cinemas is premature while COVID-19 continues to spread, government-issued discount coupons for movie tickets seem to have done their part in luring South Koreans back. Last week, the state-funded Korean Film Council distributed discount coupons for tickets to films screened Thursday through Sunday. Over those four days, 485,000 people went to the movies. According to data from the Korean Film Council, over 84,000 people went to the cinemas each da

Suga’s new single marks the continuing trend of century-crossing genre-mixing in K-pop

Natty is a super rookie in the K-pop world who debuted only a month ago with the single “Nineteen.” Among fans of the genre, however, her name is not unfamiliar. Having been an idol trainee for six years, Natty was a contestant on a JYP Entertainment and Mnet girl group competition in 2015 called “Sixteen” that created Twice. She was also on Mnet’s “Idol School” in 2017. While not able to make the final cut in the groups then, causing her to doubt he

The international tour production of musical “The Phantom of the Opera” is to collaborate with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), sharing an online performance by its lead actors singing iconic numbers from the musical in front of the MMCA Seoul. The live outdoor performance will be streamed online Friday on MMCA’s YouTube channel and local video sharing platform Naver TV. The three lead actors will sing “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Agai

We delve into BTS rapper’s Agust D persona, through which he relays his most candid, personal, raw stories

K-pop giants BTS is unquestionably one of the biggest stars in today's global entertainment, with international sell-out concerts and multiple chart-smashing records under its belt. But at heart, the seven members, all in their 20s, say they share more commonalities with an ordinary 20-something trying to get a grasp on life than meets the eye. "To be really, really frank, we still feel very unsure and unsettled as we speak. Just like that day we left the school gates for the last time on

Top actors Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae, who showed great chemistry in the noir film “New World” seven years ago, are teaming up again for a new action flick. Their synergy in “Deliver Us From Evil” is unlike anything viewers have seen before, they say. The two actors and the director, Hong Won-chan, held a promotional press conference Friday ahead of the film’s release in July. While the 2013 film was notable for the bromance between the two actors, this time

The lead track of “D-2,” released in May by Suga of K-pop sensation BTS, has sparked global fans’ interest in traditional Korean music. The title of the piece, “Daechwita,” refers to a genre of traditional Korean music that was performed at a king’s parade and other military ceremonies. The music consists mainly of wind instruments and percussion instruments. The new hip-pop track, which was created based on the traditional sound source provided by the Na