A Seoul court on Friday handed down prison terms to two disgraced producers of the popular music channel Mnet for rigging the vote results for a popular audition program. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Ahn Joon-young, the producer of the audition program "Produce," to two years in prison and forfeiture of 37 million ($30,000), and chief producer Kim Yong-beom to 20 months in prison. The two were convicted of manipulating the vote outcome to put certain contenders in favo

Comedian Yoo Jae-suk is collaborating with singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain as a group for Saturday’s episode of “Hangout with Yoo,” as revealed in the preview shown in last week’s episode where they were seen dancing onstage. MBC’s “Hangout with Yoo” features the popular comedian taking on different characters and trying new fields. So far, he has attempted cooking ramen, singing trot music and frying chicken. His latest attempt is to become a dance group

South Korean celebrity couple Lee Dong-gun and Cho Youn-hee have legally parted ways following a three-year marriage, according to the latter's agency Thursday. "Cho Young-hee divorced Lee Dong-gun following a divorce settlement at a court in Seoul on May 22," said King Kong by Starship, Jo's management agency. The two actors, former co-stars in the 2017 TV series "The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop," tied the knot in May 2017. They have one daughter. The company said

The Korea Communication Standards Commission’s Broadcast Advertising Sub-Commission on Tuesday decided to recommend issuing a warning to CJ Olive Networks and tvN’s show “The Ramyeonator” for exposing a specific brand of Korean ramen on the show. “The Ramyeonator” featured a popular television show host, Kang Ho-dong, eating ramen with different ingredients, trying to find the tastiest ramen combination. Kang added everything from oyster, duck, clams and cra

As the recent decade has seen a revival of the 1980s and 1990s in many sectors, such as fashion and food, retro music has been making its mark on South Korean pop culture, especially in TV dramas. The weekend romance series "When My Love Blooms" on tvN is a story about a middle-aged man and woman, who were in love in their 20s. Twenty years later, the two come across one another again and look back at their lives as college students. As the drama changes back and forth from the pre

Broadcasting jockey ChulGu’s return to Afreeca TV on Sunday night was watched by nearly 330,000 fans who had eagerly awaited his comeback following his discharge from military service on May 15. “Hello everyone, it’s been a very long time,” said ChulGu as he started streaming. “I’ve come back for the first time in a year and seven months,” he continued as he expressed being nervous turning on his stream for the first time after his discharge. When Chu

Television networks are doubling down on shows centered around the recent trot-music hype -- launching new shows and snatching up stars who are becoming increasingly high in demand. SBS TV is currently airing "Here Comes Trot God," and TV Chosun has two shows, "Call Center of Love" and "Bbongsoongah School," in its regular programming. TV Chosun is credited with ushering in the renaissance of trot -- a soulful genre with repetitive rhythm, simple chords and no-n

Young actors and actresses in their 20s and early 30s have been losing their presence on the South Korean small screen as producers are not willing to take chances by casting new faces in marquee roles. The fantasy romance "The King: Eternal Monarch," starring Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun, and the mystery drama "Born Again," starring Jang Ki-yong and Jin Se-yeon, seem to be the only two TV series led by young stars out of dozens of soap operas and shows currently on air in the

In recent years, many famous TV shows that had lasted around 20 years at public TV stations like KBS and MBC have disappeared into history amid changes in the media landscape. Over the past three years, the two broadcasters have ended or launched a complete facelift of around 10 long-running programs. MBC terminated its 23-year-old investigative journalism program "Sisa Magazine 2580" in August 2017 and the following year it stopped airing the hit reality show "Infinite Challe

Actress Lee Min-jung on Wednesday denied allegations that she partied in Seoul's nightlife district of Itaewon after the area emerged as a hotbed for coronavirus cluster infections earlier this month. "Lee did not visit Itaewon. Instead she went to a friend's birthday party at a cafe in Cheongdam (in southern Seoul). All she did was take a picture while dropping off a gift," a representative at MSTeam Entertainment, Lee's management company, told Yonhap News Agency over the phone on

South Korean rom-com queen Hwang Jeong-eum is returning to the small screen after two years -- this time as a mysterious, hot-tempered bar owner named Wol-joo in the upcoming JTBC drama “Mystic Pop-Up Bar.” Based on a popular Korean webtoon of the same title, the fantasy drama tells the story of Wol-joo and her employees, Han Kang-bae and Chief Gwi, who visit their customers in dreams to help them resolve their inner demons. Singer-actor Yook Sung-jae plays Kang-bae, and veteran ac

Prostitution is not a common subject in South Korean television dramas, let alone dramas in which the main characters are teenagers. Jin Han-sae, creator of the sensational Netflix original series “Extracurricular,” says he felt a huge burden when writing the story, in which he says the protagonists are pushed into situations that are extreme beyond imagination. “I felt like I was setting a time bomb, as it might end up looking like glorifying wrong behaviors. I almost compu

SBS' fantasy romance "The King: Eternal Monarch" was one of the most anticipated TV series for the first half of 2020 in South Korea, for the reunion of star screenwriter Kim Eun-sook and actor Lee Min-ho. Lee chose the show as his post-military comeback project after "The Heirs" (2013). But the big-budget series, which was also financed by US streaming giant Netflix, saw its viewership ratings drop to a record low of 6.3 percent on its ninth episode that aired on Saturday

American TV personality-turned-producer set for journalistic documentary to empower Korean youth

Love affair TV series becomes most-watched cable TV drama in Korea