Actress Han Hye-jin will return to the small screen for the first time in four years in a new MBC series with the working title “Let’s Look at the Sunset Holding Hands,” the channel said Friday. Han will play lead role Nam Hyun-joo in the upcoming drama, which revolves round Nam’s last romance amid her nearing death. The drama unfolds as Nam, who has apparently been happily married to Kim Do-young, her longtime lover since college, suddenly decides to divorce him and goes on a search for new rom

Driving home the point that English is not important when communicating with foreigners here, tvN’s newly launched TV show “Friendly Driver” hopes to promote Korea as a tourist destination. The show, which aired its first episode Wednesday, offers to drive foreign visitors from the Incheon International Airport to their destinations. The friendly drivers are comedians Lee Soo-geun and Kim Young-chul, actress Yoon So-hee and singer Microdot. Even though the show deals with foreigners, only Yoon a

CJ E&M’s new channel XtvN puts ‘amusement’ before music in new show

The new season of “Get It Beauty” hopes to differentiate itself from its past seasons, valuing the importance of healthy beauty that comes from within.OnStyle’s beauty talk show “Get It Beauty” which launched in 2006 and gained popularity with its blind tests of makeup products, has become a standard reference for many beauty consumers. The new season of the show is to start Friday, featuring models Jang Yoon-ju and Moon Ga-bi, Weki Meki’s Kim Do-yeon, Akdong Musician’s Lee Soo-hyun and beauty i

CJ E&M’s new channel XtvN puts ‘amusement’ before music in new show

Rising actor Jung Hae-in is to star in a new JTBC drama series “Pretty Sister who Treats Me to Meals” (working title) with veteran actress Son Ye-jin. Jung Hae-in (FNC Entertainment)Jung’s management agency FNC Entertainment announced the news Monday. Jung will play Seo Joon-hee, a character designer at a computer game company. He and Son will be the lead couple of the drama. The rookie actor has featured in various dramas and films, including “While You Are Asleep” and “Blood.” His most recent

What does “swag” mean? Though the word is frequently used, its definition remains elusive to many.To solve the mystery, six “hipsters” will strive to find swag in daily life through a new hip-pop reality TV show.  A promotional poster for "Everyday Swag" (XtvN)Swag, a slang word, is a shortened form of “swagger,” used to imply a certain insolent cockiness. It dates back to the days of William Shakespeare. Nowadays, the word commonly refers to a sense of confidence and style. The cast of new hip-

Jun Tae-soo, the younger brother of actress Ha Ji-won, died Sunday after reportedly battling depression.  The actors’ agency Haewadal Entertainment on Sunday released a statement addressing his untimely death. It read, “Jun passed away on Sunday at the age of 33. He was being treated for depression and had recently been in discussions for his next project as an actor, as his condition seemed to improve.” (Jun`s Instagram)The agency also stated that Jun’s family plans to hold a private funeral at

While prison has become a familiar subject to the public through TV dramas and films, “Do the Right Thing” goes a step further, taking viewers directly to prison cells. JTBC’s new reality TV show on the justice system “Do the Right Thing” aired its first episode Friday, with an aim to elevate the public’s awareness of the law by describing the jurisdiction system.  Poster for “Do the Right Thing” (JTBC)“There were big events last year that made the public wonder ‘What is it like in prison?’” pro

CNBLUE’s frontman Jung Yong-hwa has decided to withdraw from “Talk Mon,” a talk show on Olive TV that features the singer as its host, following recent controversy over his graduate school admission.A local media outlet reported Tuesday that Jung was admitted to Kyung Hee University’s graduate school program for applied arts even though he had not showed up for two official interviews. It was also reported that the singer recently underwent police investigation over suspicions of preferential tr

MBC’s “Idol Star Athletics Championships,” a variety show featuring droves of K-pop stars competing across different sports events, has once again come under fire, following a series of injuries sustained by participants.  Controversies over the show’s safety arose as Ungjae of K-pop boy band Impact was reportedly rushed to a hospital for shoulder pain after a shoot that took place at Goyang Gymnasium in Gyeonggi Province, Monday. It was revealed the singer, who had already been receiving treatm

Actors Ko Hyun-jung and Lee Jin-wook are to return to the small screen with the crime-thriller series “Return” on SBS. Written by rookie Choi Kyung-mi, the 16-episode series revolves around a murder case. The mistress of a man from the owner family of a conglomerate turns up dead and four elites become suspects.  Lee Jin-wook (left) and Ko Hyun-jung pose at a press conference Monday at the SBS building in Mok-dong, Seoul. (Yonhap)Ko plays a talented attorney who defends one of the suspects, the

Comedian Jo Se-ho unexpectedly took over as MBC News’ weatherman Thursday causing a stir on social media. Dressed as General Winter -- Korea’s traditional answer to Jack Frost -- Jo started to report the weather around Yeouido metro station in Seoul.  Jo Se-ho (MBC)“I wore this costume to depict the extreme cold weather,” Jo said. He even brought a pair of wet jeans, which froze solid in the winter weather. The mercury on Thursday morning plummeted to minus 15 degrees Celsius in Seoul. “I want t

Local broadcaster SBS is being heavily criticized for giving out gift certificates as a payment to staff. It was recently reported that a director, who worked for SBS’ “Same Bed, Different Dreams,” received gift certificates for his six-month payment worth 9 million won ($8,500).  (SBS)As the news surfaced, many condemned SBS, one of the three major TV networks in Korea. In response, SBS apologized through its official website Thursday. “No matter why, it is wrong that a part of payment for a di

BoA will launch her first reality show “Keyword #BoA” later this month, ahead of the release of her new album, said her agency S.M. Entertainment on Thursday.  The poster of “Keyword #BoA” (S.M. Entertainment)BoA’s thoughts on life and music will be revealed on the show, along with preparations for her new album. SHINee’s Key, a fan of the solo singer, will also make an appearance on the show. “Keyword #BoA” will be streamed online first via Naver’s V Live and Naver TV on Jan. 22. It will also a