Public broadcaster KBS is scheduled to air a Hangeul Day special, “I Learned Korean Because of BTS,” on Saturday. The program centers around the globalization of Hangeul, the Korean writing system, fanned by the popularity of K-pop sensation BTS and its fandom, which it refers to as Army. While enjoying the band’s music, many members of Army also try to understand the meaning of the lyrics. Some fans are even commemorating Hangeul Day in their own ways, according to KBS. K

Night of Jeonju and Heritage Story The Night of Jeonju and Heritage Story will take place Oct. 22-23 at Gyeonggijeon Shrine, Jeonju Hanok Village and Jeolla Gamyeong, the provincial government office. The annual event was postponed from September due to a COVID-19 surge. The two-day festival seeks to remember Korea’s cultural heritage and ancestors, and Jeonju is home to many Joseon-era historical sites. The festival will be held both online and offline. While admission fees vary for d

Once ignored and disdained by older generations, esports has now become a mainstream activity for many South Koreans. Starting with the first Starcraft Pro League in 2003, esports has long sought to be recognized as an official event in the South Korean sports industry. While South Korea is widely known as the home of esports, games, especially computer games, were long regarded as harmful for youngsters. For Korean parents wanting their children to be academically successful, games were an ev

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, cable channel tvN is scheduled to kick off the new Saturday-Sunday drama series “Jirisan” on Oct. 23, the company announced in a press release Wednesday. The mystery thriller centers around visitors and forest rangers working in Jirisan National Park, the largest national park in Korea. Top actor Jun Ji-hyun, or Gianna Jun, plays ranger Seo Yi-gang. Her last TV project was SBS’ “Legend of the Blue Sea” in 2016. Actor Ju Ji-h

Action film “Escape From Mogadishu” has been chosen as Korea’s entry for the best international feature category of the 94th Academy Awards, the Korean Film Council said Tuesday. Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, the film is based on true events involving South and North Korean diplomats in Somalia cooperating to escape the country during the 1991 civil war. “Escape From Mogadishu,” starring veteran actors Kim Yoon-seok, Jo In-sung and Huh Joon-ho, is the most-watched

A scene showing a telephone number on a mysterious business card will be deleted from the drama series “Squid Game,” an official of Netflix Korea said, after the number’s owner was bombarded by thousands of calls since the show’s release. In the first episode, actor Gong Yoo makes a cameo, giving Lee Jung-jae the business card and asked him to call the number printed on the back if he is interested in joining the so-called Squid Game contest. The contest turns out to b

Director Kim Jin-min is certain viewers who watch the first episode of his upcoming Netflix series, “My Name,” won’t be able to stop until they finish the rest of the show. “Most of the action scenes are done without a stuntman or stuntwoman. I avoided using computer graphics as well. I am sure that the viewers will be fascinated by the brutal raw action moves by the cast,” Kim said in an online press conference on Tuesday. Director Kim’s second Netflix ser

Actors of “Squid Game” are scheduled to appear on popular US late-night show “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” in a special interview with the show‘s host. According to Netflix, the four actors -- Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon and Wi Ha-joon -- will join the late-night show online for an episode that will be recorded Tuesday. The show is set to air the following day in the US. The nine-part thriller has topped global Netflix charts since its re

South Korean soccer icon Park Ji-sung called on Manchester United fans to stop singing a song about him, during an interview with the team’s podcast released Sunday. Park recalled hearing his song, which includes a disparaging joke about Koreans eating dog meat, and shared his mixed feelings. “Having a fan chant is meaningful for the player. This is something that I am very proud of. But when I heard the lyrics, I was uncomfortable,” said Park, who joined Manchester United in

For Jung Ho-yeon, 27, playing the role of Sae-byeok in “Squid Game,” directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, was an unreal experience as she was able to study and learn acting at a new level. “I am honored and feel thankful (to the viewers) for loving my performance in the series. But I am well-aware of how much work I have to do and learn to become a better actor,” Jung said during an online interview with a group of reporters on Friday. “I try not to dwell too much on the

Bupyeong Pungmul Festival The Bupyeong Pungmul Festival is scheduled to take place in Bupyeong, Incheon, Oct. 13 to 17. This year’s festival will be held both online and offline. The in-person activities will be at Camp Market and the Bupyeong Art Center, and the event will also be broadcast via the festival’s official YouTube channel. The festival, established in 1997, seeks to promote traditional culture, recall Bupyeong’s farming traditions and share with visitors the rhy

Top actor Lee Jung-jae is surprised with the global fervor for “Squid Game,” while enjoying the success of his Netflix debut. Mesmerizing viewers is not an unusual experience for the veteran actor, but Lee was shocked when he first saw himself as Ki-hoon. “Watching myself playing the role of Ki-hoon gave me goosebumps. I laughed a lot when I monitored the work after its release. Acting Ki-hoon was definitely a refreshing experience, making moves and facial expressions th

Hwang Dong-hyuk, the writer and director who recently made his Netflix debut with “Squid Game,” expected the bloody survival battles to make the series a hit -- but not at the international level. “I thought the series was either a hit or a complete failure. But I believed in the potential of my work and hoped the viewers would enjoy the episodes by feeling nostalgia. This was the reason why I decided to work with Netflix and put myself in a small extra challenge to knock on

The worldwide excitement over Netflix’s “Squid Game” is not likely to cease any time soon as even the small details of the nine-part series are fanatically enjoyed by the global audience. The mystery sci-fi thriller has reached the top spot in countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand, according to the US-based streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol. The popularity of “Squid Game&rdq

The race for the South Korean presidency is heating up in both the political and entertainment scene. As the upcoming presidential election is about half a year away, the presidential hopefuls are seeking to appeal with their personal sides to woo voters. Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the current ruling party front-runner, appeared in the latest episode of SBS’ Sunday reality show “Master in the House.” “I realized there are many misunderstandings about me. I t