Kakao M, the entertainment arm of internet company Kakao, on Tuesday officially launched its mobile contents streaming platform Kakao TV and unveiled seven of 25 original titles that will be available this year. “We will showcase 25 titles -- six drama series and 19 variety show programs -- totaling some 350 episodes as Kakao TV’s original content within this year,” Shin Jong-su, the director of Kakao M’s digital media content department, said in a prerecorded video mes

Popular tvN drama series “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” has been slapped with a warning by the Korea Communications Standards Commission for sexually suggestive and inappropriate scenes. The broadcast censorship body on Wednesday held a subcommittee and decided to issue a legal sanction to the television series for several breaches against the broadcast deliberation regulations, including Article 27 on duties of integrity and Article 30 on gender equality. “Even consideri

Chinese viewers remained unappeased and continued to demand an apology after the producers of the MBC program “Hangout With Yoo” posted a statement Monday about a comment that singer Lee Hyo-ri made on Saturday’s episode. The problem arose when Lee suggested Mao as the name of her character in “Hangout With Yoo.” “Let’s make a Chinese to be more global. How about Mao?” said Lee on Saturday’s episode. Lee’s statement infuriated man

From stage to small screen, productions put on hold due to COVID-19

A boy falling in love at first sight on a rainy day, a chance meeting as a teacher and a student a few days later and a romantic bike ride in the countryside seem too cliche for a Korean romance drama in a year when a series featuring a husband and wife cheating on each other was a huge hit. Yet MBC’s new romance drama, “When I Was Most Beautiful,” does just that, presenting a romance drama reminiscent of those from the 1990s and early 2000s. “When I Was Most Beautiful

The South Korean entertainment industry could face a shutdown with the growing number of COVID-19 infections among TV cast and crew members. Terrestrial broadcaster KBS is on alert after a member of the cast of “Men Are Men” was confirmed to have the new coronavirus Wednesday. While all related staff have tested negative, production at the network is encountering mass delays. A public relations official from KBS said Friday that actor Seo Seong-jong of the KBS2 drama was confirme

Superstar trio Ssak 3 bid farewell to fans, as the group wrapped up its three-month project on Saturday’s episode of MBC’s “Hangout With Yoo.” During the Saturday, the trio of entertainer Yoo Jae-seok and singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain thanked fans and each other while also expressing regret at not being able to meet fans in-person because of the coronavirus situation. “We actually formed Ssak 3 to meet all the people here, but we couldn’t. That’s why our

Cho Seung-woo returns to the small screen once again as the righteous and lonely prosecutor Hwang Si-mok, in the second season of tvN’s crime thriller drama “Stranger.” “There are still four days left until the 15th, so I’d be grateful if people reviewed the first season,” said Cho at Tuesday’s online press conference as he struggled to fully explain his character to those who had not watched the show. The first season is gaining renewed popularity on

Sam Okyere apologizes for social media post after Koreans lash out at his remarks, past behavior

Once considered fit only to be watched on mobile devices, short-form content has recently been making inroads into television On July 4, JTBC kicked off its first short-form omnibus “Just Comedy.” Comprising five 10-minute episodes that blend comedy with other genres, the show features some of Korea’s most popular comedians, including Jang Do-yeon and Yoo Se-yoon. The show seemed quite successful, creating sensation on social media, but the viewership ratings of the regular

"Record of Youth," a new South Korean television drama starring Park So-dam of Oscar-winning "Parasite" and star actor Park Bo-gum, will be available on Netflix this fall, its production company said Thursday. The series co-produced by Studio Dragon and Pan Entertainment will stream in some 190 countries through Netflix starting Sept. 7, immediately following the first-window airing on South Korean cable network tvN, Pan Entertainment said. The TV show is directed by An Gi

The Korea Communication Standards Commission on Thursday issued a warning to SBS TV series “Backstreet Rookie” for airing provocative and inappropriate scenes. The KCSC noted scenes such as underage female high school student character Saet-byul kissing an adult male stranger while asking him to buy a pack of cigarettes for her are against its regulation on maintaining integrity and also using language fit for broadcast. “In the process of producing an R-rated webtoon into

Sky Channel and Channel A’s new adult talk show, “Doomed Marriage” premiered Monday, bringing to light real problems that married couples face. The 90-minute program was divided into two parts with actors reenacting real situations faced by married couples sent to the show’s website in the first half and an actual married couple sharing their issues in the second half of the program. The five panel members then took side with either the husband or wife, with the winner

Ssak 3 made their debut on MBC’s “Show! Music Core” on Saturday, after sweeping the music charts with their song, “Beach Again.” The trio, made up of entertainer Yoo Jae-suk, singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain, performed their songs “Beach Again” and “In Summer,” on the weekly live music show Saturday afternoon, bringing a ’90s vibe to the K-pop idol stage. “Show! Music Core” reached its highest viewership rating of the year --

Lee Joon-ki and Moon Chae-won are returning to the small screen in the upcoming tvN series “The Flower of Evil.” Lee, Moon, producer Kim Chul-kyu and supporting actors Jang Hee-jin and Seo Hyeon-woo attended a promotional event for the drama series on Wednesday. The event was livestreamed due to concerns over the new coronavirus. This is the second time Lee and Moon are teaming up in a TV drama, following tvN’s “Criminal Mind” -- a remake of the popular American