Public broadcaster MBC won't be able to air weekday night-time dramas during February in the aftermath of a months-long strike that crippled production.  Two current weekday series -- "Two Cops" and "I Am Not a Robot" -- will wrap up at the end of this month. There are no following dramas in the pipeline, the company said citing the need for more time for preparation. MBC`s "Infinity Challenge" team (Yonhap)"We would be able to broadcast a new drama in a hurry but decided not to because we want

 Several drama awards ceremonies were held over the weekend, recognizing the the stars that shone in 2017. Suzy, winner of a best actress award for her role in SBS‘ “While You Are Asleep” (Yonhap)Every year, the three main television networks in Korea -- KBS, MBC and SBS – each host an awards ceremony to honor the best TV shows of the year. At MBC’s awards ceremony on Saturday, Kim Sang-joong won the grand prize for his role in “Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People.” This year, the winners were cho

Lee Joon and Jung So-min couple from the recent KBS drama “My Father is Strange” may have become a real-life couple. Previously, a local news outlet reported that Lee, currently serving his mandatory military duty, was recently spotted dating Jung while he left the barracks on leave. The report said the two were seen shopping for a scarf at a local mall. (Jung So-min`s Instagram)On Monday, Lee’s agency Prain TPC confirmed the rumors, saying that the actor has been dating Jung since October last

It is that time of the year again: the country’s three biggest TV networks will air their annual year-end award shows this week. In September, members of the National Union of Media Workers at KBS and MBC went on strike simultaneously, calling for the removal of the networks’ management and the restoration of independent, fair reporting.Singers IU and You Hee-yeol host annual year-end music show “SBS Gayo Daejun” at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Monday. (SBS)The two-month strike at MBC ended in N

Still recovering from a series of broadcast mishaps on Sunday’s episode, tvN’s “A Korean Odyssey” was dealt another blow as one of its staff was seriously injured after falling on the set. On Wednesday, local media reported that a staff member of the drama had fallen from a height of more than three meters while setting up a chandelier at the set in the early hours of Sunday morning. He is said to have broken his spine and pelvic bone in the fall and was transferred to the hospital unconscious.

Actress Kim So-hyun is set to embark on a new phase of her career with an agency under Loen Entertainment. According to Loen Entertainment on Tuesday, Kim recently signed a contract with E&T Story Entertainment, a new agency established under Loen. Kim’s contract with her former agency Sidus HQ ended in August.  (Kim So-hyun`s Instagram)“The contract between E&T Entertainment and Kim was made based on her connection with E&T Entertainment’s CEO Park Chan-woo since 2010,” an official of Loen said

“A Korean Odyssey,” a new fantasy adventure drama by tvN, experienced a series of mishaps with its second episode. The episode that aired on Christmas Eve at 9 p.m. turned out to be a nightmare for the broadcaster. In Sunday’s episode, Jin Seon-mi, played by Oh Yeon-seo, went for an audition while fighting against demons. However, the wires attached to stunt performers who played the demons could be seen by viewers, as they had not been edited out.  (tvN)After the scene aired, the show went to a

Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay apparently didn’t like one of the most popular Korean street foods during his recent stay here. The British TV star was featured in a short interview clip Thursday where he tried out Korean street food bungeo-ppang, a fish-shaped pastry stuffed with sweetened red bean paste. As Korean TV personality and interviewer Yang Se-hyung handed him the snack, Ramsay didn’t get a good first impression. “What the hell is this? So it’s like something out of ‘Finding Nemo?

The second season of the popular reality show "Youn's Kitchen" will be broadcast early next month, tvN said Tuesday.The network said the show will return Jan. 5 with the original cast of Youn Yuh-jung, Jung Yu-mi and Lee Seo-jin. The senior actor Shin Goo will be replaced by Park Seo-joon.Produced by hit-maker Na Young-seok, the new series will show famous Korean actors temporarily run a Korean restaurant in Tenerife, the largest of Spain's Canary Islands. (tvN)The production team said the new s

"Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me" made a successful TV debut, ranking second on a weekly TV program chart, data showed Tuesday.The KBS 2TV's new mystery romance, peppered with fantastical elements and starring Kim Rae-won, Shin Sae-kyeong and Seo Ji-hye, garnered a score of 247.1 on the Content Power Index (CPI) for Dec. 4-10.The drama depicts a tangled web of romantic relations that span three millennia and tells a story about an invisible force that is believed to dictate human destiny by

Entertainment show “Infinite Challenge” was the most watched on-demand video on Pooq TV this year, with 15,610,000 hours spent watching the show on the online provider of TV broadcasts and movies.Pooq TV, one of the biggest on-demand video providers in Korea, on Monday released data on the popular shows on its platform in 2017. (MBC)In the period between the beginning of January and the end of November this year, “Infinite Challenge” was the most consumed program on Pooq TV, followed by “Knowing

Lauded for charismatic, sensitive portrayal, actress discusses empowerment of women, artists

Actress Song Hye-kyo and EXO-CBX, subunit of K-pop act EXO, joined Korean president Moon Jae-in at the opening ceremony of a Korea-China Economic and Trade Partnership event that took place in Beijing Thursday. The star-studded event was part of Moon’s first state visit to China since taking office in May. It has been reported that the presence of such celebs reflects Moon’s intention to revive bilateral economic exchanges, which suffered a blow in a row over Seoul’s deployment of the Terminal H

Director Jeong Hyo-min of JTBC reality show “Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast” announced Tuesday the show is on the lookout for the next guest and helper at Lee’s home on Jeju Island for the second season. The production staff said they have “a few people in mind to fill IU’s shoes.”Singer IU, who had been the guest and helper at Lee’s Jeju home throughout the first season of the show, received a lot of love from fans for her dedication as Lee‘s helper. The singer will not be joining the second season of

K-pop boy band GOT7 took up the challenge of running a food truck business on Jeju Island in upcoming episode of variety show “Working Eat Holiday in Jeju,” the group’s agency JYP Entertainment said Tuesday.The group went on a trip to the island from Thursday to Saturday and opened a food truck named “Sebong Elebong” in Sarabong, where they sold “Seven-star Cup Rice” and tangerine juice they had developed and prepared.The reality program will show the group’s Jeju Island travelogue and the chall