Popular actress Lee Young-ae has donated to a local hospital in Gangneung where her recent drama was shot.Earlier this month, Lee made the donation of 100 million won ($87,450) to Asan Hospital in the city, in Gangwon Province, asking that the money be used to treat poor patients. She stayed in the city for months from late 2015 to shoot her latest drama "Saimdang, Memoir of Colors," now showing on SBS TV. This undated file photo shows Korean actress Lee Young-ae (Yonhap)Lee came back to the sma

MBC’s hit variety show “Infinite Challenge” will resume airing on Saturday, ending its seven-week break. “Let’s make a new legend from this moment on,” the host of the show Yoo Jae-suk said. Saturday‘s episode, titled “Match! Hanamana,” will feature the cast members competing in games and challenges suggested by the members themselves.  From left: Yang Se-hyeong, Kwanghee, Jeong Jun-ha, Yoo Jae-suk, Park Myeong-su and Haha star in MBC‘s variety show “Infinite Challenge.” (MBC)“Infinite Challenge

"Defendant" maintained its pole position in the Monday-Tuesday late night TV drama race, data showed Wednesday, as viewers tuned in to see whether the gripping crime thriller, near its final stretch, can deliver a satisfying ending. (Yonhap)The show's 16th episode that aired Tuesday night recorded 25.4 percent viewership, according to Nielsen Korea. It dropped 0.2 percentage point from the previous broadcast, but still squashed its main competitors.MBC TV's "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People," a

South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi will hold another concert in Seoul next month to wrap up his four-month-long Asian tour, his management agency said Wednesday.The concert will take place at Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul on April 15, Namoo Actors said. (Namoo Actors)Since December last year, Lee has been on an Asian tour of seven cities in five countries, including South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. He recently appeared on the hit TV series "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo." "The Asia concert tour

KBS 2TV's late night office series "Good Manager" stood at No. 1 on a benchmark TV popularity chart, while "King of Mask Singer" and a number of variety shows also added strong momentum, data showed Tuesday."Good Manager" scored 247.1 points on the Content Power Index, staying as the No. 1 TV program during the Feb. 27-March 5 period. (KBS)CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stories, on

Park Bo-gum, the star of the 2016 South Korean TV series "Love in the Moonlight," has successfully finished his tour of Asian countries in Seoul, his agency said Monday. (Yonhap)The actor met about 4,000 fans at Seoul's Kyunghee University, the last leg of his "2016-2017 Asia tour fan meeting," on Saturday, Blossom Entertainment said.Beginning in Malaysia on Dec. 10, the tour took him to eight Asian cities, including Seoul, for the past three months.During the latest event, Park heated up the at

Actor Lee Min-ho donated 25 million won ($21,800) to the Korean Committee for UNICEF in commemoration of the upcoming World Water Day on March 22, the organization said Friday. The donation will be used to provide 138 emergency packs, including 690,000 water purifiers that can provide clean water to 92,000 children around the world.  Actor Lee Min-ho (Korean committee for UNICEF)It is the second consecutive year the actor has donated to the Korean Committee for UNICEF to mark the day. Lee donate

Koo Hye-sun and her husband Ahn Jae-hyun will bid goodbye to tvN’s “Newlyweds Diary” in the program’s final episode. The show, on which the couple have been revealing their married life, will air its last episode Friday at 9:20 p.m. It first aired on Feb. 3.(Newlyweds Diary)Titled “Unfinished Stories,” the final episode will be made up of scenes that have not been aired yet, such as Koo and Ahn first entering their home in Inje County, Gangwon Province. The couple will also share each other’s ol

While Korean TV dramas are still easy to access illegally in China, Korean producers seek new profit sources elsewhere

It seems as though “High School Rapper,” Mnet’s audition show that pits the country’s top teenage rappers against each other, just can’t catch a break from controversy.First, it was allegations that a contestant had solicited prostitution, followed by accusations of bullying by another. The latest? An innocent yet cringe-inducing production gaffe was aired last week that should embarrass Mnet and its parent company CJ E&M, a South Korean entertainment behemoth and self-professed evangelist of K-

South Korean actor Gong Yoo will hold meet-and-greet events in Taiwan and Hong Kong starting next month, his management agency said Wednesday. This undated photo provided by Management Soop on March 8, 2017, shows South Korean actor Gong Yoo. (Yonhap)The events will be held at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taipei on April 29 and at the AsiaWorld?Expo in Hong Kong on May 5, Management Soop said in a press release.HIs fan conventions are part of an overseas promotional tour for the popular series "Gu

SBS TV's crime thriller "Defendant" held steadfast to its lead in the Monday-Tuesday late night television drama race, while Ko So-young's comeback series "Ms. Perfect" lagged far behind, data showed Wednesday. Tuesday night's 12th episode of "Defendant" recorded 24.9 percent viewership, according to Nielsen Korea, reaching a new high for the series.  Promotional image for SBS TV series "Defendant" (Yonhap)MBC TV's "Rebel: A Thief Who Stole The People" raked in 10.5 percent, seeing a small up-ti

Korean cultural content and their stars are now under a massive ban in China as a protest over Seoul's decision to deploy an advanced US missile defense system, but popular actor Park Hae-jin appears to be an exception to the measure.China's largest online video sharing platforms Youku and Sohu Video covered a formal dinner held in Seoul on Monday to celebrate the end of shooting for actor Park Hae-jin's new TV series "Man to Man."They interviewed the lead star as he walked into the restaurant t

South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi received a feverish response from Singaporean fans by singing more than 20 songs during a concert there, his management company said Monday. (Yonhap)Namoo Actors said Lee, who recently appeared in the hit TV series "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo," performed at the concert "Thank You" on Saturday, organized as part of a music festival for the HSBC Women's Champions that took place on March 2-5.The actor arrived at Changi Airport on Friday night and was greeted by

Netflix announced Monday it has partnered with South Korean screenwriter Kim Eun-hee and director Kim Seong-hun to produce its second original Korean TV series titled "Kingdom."The historical period drama is set in Korea's medieval Joseon period where a crown prince is sent on a suicide mission to investigate a mysterious outbreak, according to Netflix.  (Netflix)Kim Eun-hee, whose work "Signal" was one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows in 2016, has worked on the eight-episode "Kingdom,"