TV formats show Korea through eyes of foreign visitors

Ever dreamed of having the power to see future? The ability might be a blessing only when it accompanies another uncanny power: the ability to stop an unfortunate event from happening.In SBS's new series "While You Were Sleeping," Nam Hong-ju, played by Bae Suzy, is locked in a perennial state of helplessness and guilt, as she has long been unable to prevent the bad things she sees in her dreams from coming true.At a press conference at the SBS headquarters in Seoul on Friday, the actress, bette

Actor Jang Keun-suk’s fan club will donate the proceeds of its photo exhibition to charity to mark the star’s birthday, the actor’s PR agency said Friday.Y Tree Co. said the club Cri J earned some 75 million won ($66,000) from the photo event held in Seoul earlier this month and will donate all of the proceeds to cover medical costs for sick children and buy food for abandoned dogs. Jang Keun-suk (Yonhap)The fan club annually holds an exhibition with photos of the actor and has been using the pr

Actor Jang Dong-gun will return to the small screen after six years with the Korean remake on KBS 2TV of the popular American TV series "Suits," the network said Friday.(Yonhap)Jang will play charismatic lawyer Choi Kyung-seo, who works at the country's best law firm in the Korean version of the legal drama.The actor last appeared on TV in 2012 in the 20-episode "A Gentleman's Dignity" on SBS.The American series premiered in June 2011 on the cable network USA and is in its seventh season at the

Operational disruption caused by a major strike at KBS that has continued for more than 10 days has reached the point where filming for an episode of a popular entertainment show has been canceled, the network's labor union said Thursday.The production team of the variety show "2 Days & 1 Night" scrapped filming slated for Sept. 15-16, said the union, which is associated with the National Union of Media Workers. It added that this has happened to the program only once before -- in 2012 when a 95

Korea has been invited as the honorary guest country to Festival de la Fiction TV, a prominent drama festival funded by the French government.It is the first time a non-French-speaking, non-European country has been invited as the festival’s honorary guest. Producers, writers and directors of popular Korean drama series will attend the festival. 　Three Korean drama series have been invited for screening -- MBC’s “W,” a fantasy romance written by Song Jae-jung and directed by Jung Dae-yoon and Pa

Ryu Jun-yeol will release his first official single, according to Amoeba Culture and Loen Entertainment.  Actor Ryu Jun-yeol to release single for fansThe agencies said Tuesday that the actor had collaborated on a music production project called “Mixxxture” and would release a single later this month. Continuing from the project’s first volume, “Nosedive” by Dynamic Duo and EXO’s Chen in January, Ryu’s upcoming song has been produced and written by Philtre, the mastermind behind “A Little Girl,”

An American remake of the South Korean TV series "Good Doctor" is poised to make its premier this month in the US, with the collective eyes of the Korean television industry fixed on whether the show can make a successful landing.The American adaptation of the show, titled "The Good Doctor," is scheduled to premier on Sept. 25 on ABC, according to the network and producers. The weekly show is the first remake of South Korean source material to get prime time treatment. (Sony Pictures Television)

KBS 2 TV's "Love in the Moonlight" received two awards from this year's Seoul International Drama Awards while the annual event was overshadowed by the on-going labor strike at the network. The popular drama, which aired Aug. 22-Oct. 18, 2016, and featured Park Bo-gum and Kim Yoo-jung, won best drama and best actor in the Korean Wave or, or hallyu, category.The awards ceremony took place at KBS Hall in Seoul's Yeouido on Thursday at 7 p.m. The show was planned to air live, but was forced to canc

As programs spotlighting alcohol abound on Korean television, concerned viewers are questioning whether there are too many portrayals of uninhibited drinking on the small screen.On Aug. 26, K-pop girl group Mamamoo’s Wheein alarmed viewers by drinking during an online live-streaming and cursing in English. 　The next day, “I Live Alone” showed singer Tony An’s friends revealing his drinking habits. An had been discovered numerous times sprawled next to the door to his home or on his bedroom floor

Daniel Dae Kim is widely credited with having broken barriers for Korean-American actors in Hollywood. Since his debut in 1992, Kim has starred in popular series, including “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-0,” and has been outspoken in his advocacy of racial equality in the American entertainment industry.Now, the 48-year-old is branching out into production, in particular Korean titles in the US. Next month, “The Good Doctor,” a remake of the hit 2013 KBS drama of the same name, written by Park Jae-bum,

Actor Park Si-hoo is returning to the small screen with the new drama “My Golden Life” for the first time since a scandal four years ago. He plays Choi Do-kyung, who is from an affluent family and is studying how to run a business in his family’s company. The show marks Park’s return to the Korean drama scene after he was embroiled in a sex scandal in 2013.  Actor Park Si-hoo speaks at a press conference for KBS’ new drama series “My Golden Life” in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, Tuesday (Herald DB)Park w

SBS hit drama “Legend of the Blue Sea” has been cleared of accusations of plagiarism.In January, screenwriter Park Ki-hyun filed a lawsuit against Park Ji-eun, screenwriter of the SBS show, claiming the TV series violated copyright of an unmade movie scenario titled “The Legend of Hae Wol Sea: Pearly Shells.”The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office on Monday decided there was no charge to make, as “there is no possibility that Park Ji-eun or the production company could have seen the claim

Actress Ha Ji-won is set to return to the small screen with the new MBC medical drama series “Hospital Ship.” 　Ha previously played lead roles in hit K-dramas such as the 2011 “Secret Garden.” She made her last drama appearance in “The Time We Were Not in Love,” which aired in 2015.　“The doctors on this show personally seek out patients who do not have medical benefits. It’s a different premise from many other medical dramas,” Ha said at a press conference for the show Monday in Seoul. 　The sett