Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets(France)Opened Aug. 30Sci-fi, adventure. Directed by Luc BessonIt is the 28th century. Species from all corners of the universe have formed a federation and come together to build Alpha, a sort of galactic capital. They live in harmony there, exchanging knowledge and culture. Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are federal agents who keep the order of space. The two set out on a mission to retrieve a rare treasure, and uncover the sec

The Busan International Film Festival announced the nominees for its New Currents category, which awards up-and-coming Asian directors, Friday.　The selections provide distinctive perspectives and themes found throughout east and southwest Asia, BIFF said in a statement. 　Three of the nominated films are Korean pieces that convincingly tell tragedies in different ways. Shin Dong-seok’s “Last Child,” about parents’ ambivalent feelings toward a child who survived an accident that claimed the life o

Power vocalist Lena Park will be debuting as a radio DJ on the program “One Fine Day” on KBS World Radio.　“It’s been my longtime dream to be a DJ,” she told reporters at a press conference Friday at the Yeouido KBS headquarters. 　“One Fine Day” will be delivering Korean music and musicians’ stories to listeners in English. “I want to make a program that can get close to and offer good music to foreigners in Korea and people abroad,” the veteran R&B singer said. 　Park, who married a Korean-Americ

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,

GFriend will be releasing a repackaged version of its fifth album “Parallel,” titled “Rainbow.”The album will include the fifth album’s lead track “Love Whisper,” which topped various charts after its release on Aug. 1.  A teaser image for GFriend’s upcoming repackaged album “Rainbow” (Source Music)Teaser photos featuring the members posing in rainy summer weather were released Wednesday night. The repackaged album will be dropped on Sept. 13. GFriend, a six-piece group consisting of Eunha, Shin

The depiction of brutal female abuse in Korean films has become a hotly debated topic. Noir-thriller “V.I.P.,” which opened in theaters last week, has come under heavy fire for its excessively lengthy and detailed depiction of the sexual abuse and murder of a female character. In one long take, the camera dwells on several male characters, including Kim Kwang-il, a ruthless serial killer from North Korea played by Lee Jong-seok, caressing, torturing and choking a naked female victim lying on a t

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

How many more stories of gruesome serial killings and smiling psychopathic murderers are left to tell in Korean cinema? “Memoir of a Murderer,” as is evident from the title, is yet another film that presents a killer as its lead. Unfortunately, it neither recounts a probing memoir nor delivers the terror of murder. 　It opens with an emaciated elderly man trudging along an empty railroad track. The air around him is as misty as his foggy memory -- he cannot remember where he is or what he is doin

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

Jang Dong-gun and Hyun Bin will star in an action blockbuster described as a Joseon-era zombie flick. 　The film, tentatively titled “Outbreak,” tells the story of vicious night creatures that threaten to overtake a Joseon royal palace.　Hyun will play Lee Chung, a character who struggles to protect the palace from the attack. 　The film is directed by Kim Sung-hoon, who worked with Hyun for last year’s action flick “Confidential Assignment.” Kim debuted in 2012 with the drama film “My Little Hero.

Rapper Tablo appeared on the live music program “Yoo Hee-yeol’s Sketchbook” Saturday, announcing the upcoming return of his rap trio Epik High. 　“We’ve continued to make music. Now, I think we’ve completed an album that we can let you hear,” Tablo said on the KBS show. 　“After three years, it will be an album that will make you feel ‘autumn’ for certain.” 　 Rapper Tablo appears on “Yoo Hee-yeol’s Sketchbook” (KBS)Epik High’s new album will drop in October. 　YG Entertainment announced Friday that

Yeolmu is young summer radish greens. It’s a variety of white radishes with tender, long greens, and a thin, small root. It’s not the top leafy part of mature white radishes or chonggak mu (young radish), which is much tougher. 　Very commonly, young napa cabbage, called putbaechu or eolgari, is also added to yeolmu kimchi, giving it a different texture and flavor. I like the ratio of radish greens to young cabbage to be 2:1. You can use only the radish greens without any young cabbages. 　 Yeolmu

V.I.P.(Korea)Opened Aug. 23Crime, drama. Directed by Park Hoon-jungSouth Korean intelligence agent Park Jae-hyuk (Jang Dong-gun) is tasked with overseeing North Korean criminal Kim Kwang-il (Lee Jong-suk), a psychopathic serial killer who has tortured and murdered dozens of women. Police investigator Chae I-do (Kim Myung-min) seeks to capture Kim and bring him to justice. Chae is blocked, however, by an insurmountable wall of international powers who seek to protect and retrieve information from

Ha Ji-won will be attending the 74th Venice International Film Festival, taking place from Aug. 30-Sept. 9 this year.Ha stars in “Manhunt,” an upcoming film directed by Chinese-born Hong Kong film director John Woo. The film is a joint project by Chinese, Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Japanese crew members. It stars Chinese actor Zhang Hanyu and Japanese actor Fukuyama Masaharu.Ha plays an enchanting killer and will be showing off an action-ridden performance.  Ha Ji-won in ”Manhunt“ (Asia Media Grou

To say the upcoming historical flick “The Fortress” is star-studded would be an understatement. The king of Joseon is played by Park Hae-il. His two loyal advisers are played by Korean cinema heavyweights Lee Byung-hun and Kim Yoon-seok. Also starring are Go Soo and Park Hee-soon. The film’s director is Hwang Dong-hyuk, whose 2013 comedy “Miss Granny” and 2011 drama “Silenced” were well-received. The film is based on a novel by writer Kim Hoon, one of Korea’s most acclaimed novelists. 　“If these