Korean variety programs seem set to steer away from rowdy physical games and loud laughs this year.Featuring celebrities conversing with strangers on the street, preparing food for one, or even imagining an imminent death and reflecting on life, TV shows that are calmer and more introspective will occupy a greater presence on the small screen in 2017.Talk on the street The JTBC program “Talking Street” has been spotlighting both famous and lesser-known figures from various areas, including celeb

A regular sight during the Korean holiday season: Salvation Army volunteers stand next to their signature red kettles and ring handbells to raise donations.One such volunteer, Lee Sung-deok, 83, who has taken to the streets every winter starting 1954, rang his last bell this year, retiring after decades of charity work.Over 62 years, Lee witnessed the ups and downs of Korean history in the flurry of the streets, he told The Korea Herald in an interview at the Salvation Army’s Korean headquarters

Comedian and TV host Yoo Jae-suk nabbed his 13th big accolade at the MBC Entertainment Awards on Thursday evening, further cementing his position as an icon of Korean onscreen entertainment. “The more prizes I receive, the more apologetic I feel,” Yoo, a 25-year comedy veteran, said in his acceptance speech upon receiving the Grand Prize at the awards ceremony held at the MBC Media Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul. “Thank you so much.”Yoo, known primarily for hosting popular MBC variety program “Inf

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story(US)Opened Dec. 28Epic, sci-fi. Directed by Gareth EdwardsFormer scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) leads a peaceful existence on a farm with his wife and daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones). His world comes shattering down when evil weapons developer Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) takes him from his family. Galen becomes the head engineer in developing a deadly weapon that will control the Death Star galaxy. Jyn, who has sided with the Rebel Alliance, sets out on a miss

Ben Affleck is apparently at war with Ben Affleck. It is rare to come across someone with such gifts as both an actor and a director who struggles so much when it comes to directing himself as an actor. The new “Live by Night” finds him pulled in so many conflicting directions that what he ends up with is neither elegantly concise nor an epic sprawl, but rather something just awkwardly misshapen.“Live by Night” finds Affleck wearing the hats of director, star, screenwriter and producer, and in t

“Confidential Assignment,” an upcoming crime action flick starring Hyun Bin and Yoo Hae-jin, is slated to hit theaters on Jan. 18, its production companies CJ Entertainment and JK Film said Wednesday.　The film tells the story of the fictional first cooperative investigation between the South and North Korean police, to capture a North Korean criminal group that has defected and infiltrated South Korea. Hyun Bin (left) and Yoo Hae-jin star in “Confidential Assignment.” (CJ Entertainment)It center

Standing six stories high at the center of downtown Seoul, Jongno Books was Korea’s first multilevel bookstore, established in 1907. It was a haven for writers and thinkers, offering not only Korean books of every kind but also English and Japanese publications, rare in Korea at the time. Stationery and music albums lined a corner of the fourth and fifth floors. It was also the first place to offer fixed prices for books.　Businessmen from nearby offices and students would browse for hours; frien

The debate on whether the painting “Beautiful Woman” is a genuine work by late Korean artist Chun Kyung-ja is far from over, despite the prosecutors’ recent conclusion that the piece was Chun’s creation.During a heated press conference in Seoul on Tuesday, Jean Penicaut, CEO of French image analysis firm Lumiere Technology, fiercely defended his firm’s conclusion that there is only a 0.0002 percent chance the piece could have been painted by Chun.Penicaut held the press conference to rebut Korea

Comedian-television host Shin Dong-yup and actor-comedian Lee Kwang-soo nabbed the top prizes at this year’s SBS Entertainment Awards on Sunday. Shin received the Grand Prize for successfully hosting “Mom’s Diary -- My Ugly Duckling,” an SBS reality show spotlighting celebrities and their mothers. The show, which launched in July, boasted a viewership of over 10 percent on Fridays at 11 p.m. Shin Dong-yup receives a prize at the SBS Entertainment Awards held in Yeouido, Seoul on Sunday. (SBS)Lee

Red Velvet’s main vocalist Wendy collaborated with Latin music icon Ricky Martin for his new digital single, “Vente Pa’ca.” The song was released Tuesday on major local music streaming sites including Melon, Genie and Naver Music, and on global services such as iTunes and Spotify. “Vente Pa’ca,” a club dance track with pop-reggae sounds, was previously released in Spanish in September with Columbian artist Maluma. Wendy contributed to the English version. Wendy of Red Velvet (SM Entertainment)Ma

Women, female relationships and political intrigue were the hallmarks of Korean cinema this year. A number of films that delved into the world of the occult, driven by unfathomable forces of evil, also stood out in a year that saw the return of some of Korea’s most renowned directors, including Park Chan-wook and Na Hong-jin, who each added significant pieces to their idiosyncratic oeuvre. Spotlight on women  Kim Tae-ri (left), Kim Min-hee star in "The Handmaiden." (CJ Entertainment)Kim Ha-neul

French image analysis firm Lumiere Technology strongly refuted the Korean prosecution’s announcement that “Beautiful Woman” is an authentic piece by late artist Chun Kyung-ja.“It is deeply disturbing to see our professional and expert opinion -- which is based on painstaking, detailed and thorough investigations -- on the artwork of Chun Kyung-ja thus ignored and unequivocally criticized without credible or scientific evidence,” the firm’s CEO Jean Penicaut said in a statement released Wednesday

Korean celebrities Kim Soo-hyun, Jun Ji-hyun, Song Joong-ki and Yoona were selected as Hallyu stars to look out for in 2017 in a survey conducted by Chinese media outlets. In a joint survey by Chinese newspaper People’s Daily and Korea’s Customers Council, an additional 10 Hallyu stars, including boy bands EXO, Big Bang and NCT Dream, were picked as the most anticipated stars of 2017. Some 307,520 people participated in the survey. Actor Song Joong-ki (Blossom Entertainment)  Actor Kim Soo-hyun

Kim Woo-bin is known for putting a lot of thought into his roles.In the past, he would make a list of 100 questions he wanted to ask his characters, imagining their stories. More recently, he’s taken to picking out fragrances that best suit his character, the 27-year-old actor told The Korea Herald at a cafe in northern Seoul on Monday.“When filming ‘Master,’ director Jo Eui-seok said he would know when I walked past him because of a distinctive scent,” said Kim, who was wearing a comfortable da

Prosecutors announced Monday that “Beautiful Woman” was painted by the late Korean artist Chun Kyung-ja, ending a 25-year controversy over the authenticity of the work which the artist had denied creating.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office conducted a nearly five-month investigation into the authenticity of the painting after Chun’s family sued several officials at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, which stores the piece, alleging infringement of copyright la