Most Popular
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Ador CEO denies allegations, accuses Hybe of mistreating NewJeans
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Medical reform committee kicks off despite boycott from doctors
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Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
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SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
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SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
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[Herald Interview] Director Um Tae-hwa explores Koreans' ‘love and hate’ of apartments in ‘Concrete Utopia’
Director Um Tae-hwa, who has returned with dystopian thriller “Concrete Utopia” seven years after “Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned,” which led to him receiving the best new director award at Korea's Grand Bell Awards that year, has delved into Koreans' “love and hate” of apartments in this new film. “The reason I was focused on the apartment was that because I was also born and raised in that space. As I delved into what 'apartment'
Aug. 9, 2023
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[Herald Review] ‘Honey Sweet,’ a lighthearted rom-com that might just outdo this year’s blockbusters
Yoo Hae-jin, a household name in South Korea’s entertainment scene, took on his first-ever role in a romantic comedy in “Honey Sweet,” a lighthearted film that portrays the love story of a middle-aged couple. Yoo plays Chi-ho, a nerdy, workaholic researcher at the confectionery firm who falls in love with Il-young (Kim Hee-sun), a single mother and a remarkably passionate and optimistic phone operator at a loan company. “Honey Sweet” will be Kim’s first silver
Aug. 8, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Actor Ju Ji-hoon couldn’t ask for more working with favorite team in ‘Ransomed’
For Ju Ji-hoon, his latest action comedy, “Ransomed,” means something different compared to his previous works because it was a project with two of his favorite colleagues, director Kim Seong-hun and actor Ha Jung-woo. Ju and Kim have worked together on the global hit Netflix series “Kingdom” and with Ha on another megahit film, “Along with the Gods.” “For the first time in my acting career, I decided to star in ‘Ransomed’ without even readin
Aug. 7, 2023
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[Herald Interview] What becomes of ‘Privacy’ under constant surveillance
Indian film star Rajshri Deshpande had a rough time getting to Korea for the world premiere of “Privacy” at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival earlier this summer. “It was chaos,” she said. Her flight from Delhi had been delayed six hours, meaning she would land at Incheon Airport just as she should be at the festival’s opening ceremony. The film’s director, Sudeep Kanwal, was doing everything he could. “I was holding ground,” he sai
Aug. 7, 2023
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[Box office] Movies in theaters this week
“Smuggler” (South Korea) Opened July 26 Crime/Action Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Jo Choon-ja (Kim Hye-soo) returns to her old town after three years away. Her best buddy, Um Jin-sook (Yum Jung-ah), who spent time in prison on a smuggling conviction during that time, feels betrayed when Choon-ja reappears. But they soon resolve their misunderstanding and collaborate on a mutual goal. “Elemental” (US) Opened June 14 Animation Directed by Peter Sohn Four different anthropom
Aug. 5, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young see selves in ‘Concrete Utopia’ roles
Actors Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young said the characters they played in upcoming disaster thriller “Concrete Utopia” are similar to their actual personalities. Park Seo-joon plays Min-sung, a reliable, seemingly good-hearted neighbor who is sometimes shy and reserved. He is one of the residents of Hwanggung Apartment building No. 103, the only building to have survived a major earthquake. Min-sung quietly supports Young-tak (Lee Byung-hun) to keep things in order and establish a sy
Aug. 4, 2023
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[Herald Review] Dystopian black comedy ‘Concrete Utopia’ has questions instead of message
When it comes to ‘living in an apartment,’ or specifically ‘owning an apartment,’ many Koreans perceive that differently from simply having a place to live. An apartment could be someone’s life goal or another’s deep grudge. In that context, “Concrete Utopia” raises questions about the contradictions humans face when put in extreme situations -- such as when your apartment building becomes the only place in Seoul that has survived a devastating ear
Aug. 3, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Lee Byung-hun loves black comedy projects for allowing him to bring creative ideas
Lee Byung-hun finds acting in black comedy flicks exciting, as there is room for him to suggest creative ideas and improvisation, or even slapstick action sequences. According to Lee, his upcoming “Concrete Utopia” is not a mere disaster flick, but a black comedy that realistically depicts human nature in an extreme environment. “For some comic scenes in the movie, not just me but the entire staff really enjoyed shooting. I think the black comedy genre gives me room to suggest
Aug. 3, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Do Kyung-soo says idol past helped his gravity-defying performance
Do Kyung-soo, the main vocalist of K-pop idol group EXO, said his idol background was especially helpful in playing an abandoned astronaut in “The Moon.” “I have been doing choreography as a singer and I’m good at memorizing body movements in a short period of time. I personally think action sequences are like memorizing choreography, so it was very helpful to shoot action scenes using wires with movements like swimming in space,” Do said in an interview with The Ko
Aug. 2, 2023
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[Herald Review] High-quality, realistic visual effects lift ‘The Moon’ beyond banal plotline
After several attempts, the spaceship finally rises high in the sky. Despite small errors and an unfortunate accident losing two fellow spaceship crew members, the youngest and the most unprofessional astronaut inside the damaged spaceship pushes ahead with the mission to land on the moon. But will he be able to get back to Earth safely? This kind of imaginative story taking place in outer space is nothing new to moviegoers these days, with moon-themed sci-fi movies from around the world such as
Aug. 2, 2023
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[Herald Interview] What ‘Smuggler’ actor Park Jung-min has learned from working with renowned filmmakers
Having debuted in 2011 with “Bleak Night,” actor Park Jung-min has worked with renowned filmmakers and appeared in hit films at a relatively early stage of his acting career. He has worked with director Lee Joon-ik in “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet” (2016), director Yeon Sang-ho in “Hellbound” (2021) and director Park Chan-wook in “Decision to Leave” (2022), to name a few. He has played powerful and impressive characters in films like “Svaha
Aug. 1, 2023
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[Herald Review] In ‘Little Garden,’ grannies learn to document own lives on video
In Myeongju-dong, an older neighborhood in Gangneung, Gangwon-do, a group of eight older women who have lived in the area for over 30 years and have an average age of 75 among them gather to go over video footage they took over the past week. Besides meeting friends, volunteering, doing housework and gardening, these women have a new thing to cross off their to-do lists: shooting moments of their everyday lives with their smartphones. It is part of a community center program. Some of the women t
July 31, 2023
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‘Elemental’ becomes 2023’s most-viewed foreign movie
Disney-owned Pixar Animation Studios’ “Elemental” has become the most-viewed foreign film this year in South Korea, contrary to the film’s not-so-positive North American box office record. According to data compiled by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), “Elemental” has drawn 5.58 million moviegoers here as of Sunday since its release on June 14. “Elemental” took over the title of the most-viewed foreign film, previously held by Japanese animated film
July 30, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Playing tragi-comic rescuer a balancing act for Ha Jung-woo in ‘Ransomed’
Ha Jung-woo, with a filmography versatile and colorful in terms of genres and characters, has created many memorable moments on the screen with his natural and realistic approach, such as with Choi Hyung-bae in 2012’s “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” and Gang-rim in 2017’s “Along With the Gods.” As much as it appears that acting runs naturally in his blood, acting is still the focus of Ha’s intense efforts and labor, even after 20 years of experien
July 30, 2023
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[Herald Review] ‘Barbie’ lets you be you
In Margot Robbie’s latest film, “Barbie,” a story about one of the world’s most popular dolls -- which has in the past represented a stereotype of the perfect woman -- the message is clear throughout the 114-minute-long running time: “You can become whoever you want to be.” In the seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land, Barbie (Margot Robbie) discovers a crack in the portal that connects Barbie Land with the real world after noticing that her day didn’t
July 29, 2023
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Korean films make Australian debut at 2023 KOFFIA
Hit Korean films are scheduled to make their Australian cinematic debut at the upcoming 2023 Korean Film Festival in Australia. According to the Korean Cultural Center in Sydney, a Culture Ministry affiliate, the 14th edition of KOFFIA will take place in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. The festival kicks off with an opening ceremony at Event Cinema George Street in Sydney on Aug. 24 with "The Night Owl,” a mystery thriller revolving around the suspicious death of Crown Princ
July 28, 2023
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[Box office] Movies in theaters this week
“Barbie” (US) Opened June 19 Comedy/Drama Directed by Greta Gerwig Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) live in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. But, when Barbie discovers a crack in a portal that connects Barbie Land and the real world, she and Ken get a chance to travel to the real world and live among humans. “Insidious: The Red Door” (US) Opened July 19 Horror/Mystery Directed by Patrick Wilson The fifth installment of the "Insi
July 28, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Zo In-sung says getting older has set him free to pick coveted projects, roles
In director Ryoo Seung-wan’s new crime action flick, “Smugglers,” Zo In-sung stars as a veteran smuggler known nationwide, Kwon Pil-sam. Contrary to newbie Jangdori (Park Jung-min) who is timid and anxious all the time, Kwon is a calm and coldhearted character who wants to get things done with his own hands. It is undeniable that the energy and vibe that a character exudes at least partly come from the actor who plays the role. In that context, many have said that Kwon Pil-sam
July 25, 2023
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Jung Woo-sung seeks ‘newness in familiarity’ with directorial debut ‘A Man of Reason’
Renowned South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung is making his directoral debut with the action drama film “A Man of Reason,” in which he challenged himself to put a twist on a familiar storyline to express “newness in familiarity.” “At first, people suggested that I just act in the film as the protagonist Soo-hyuk. But after hearing the plot, which has a simple structure and a familiar story ... I thought it could be a good challenge for me to add my own color through dir
July 24, 2023
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[Eye Interview] Pulitzer-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen on HBO's upcoming 'Sympathizer' with Park Chan-wook
The decision to make a television adaptation of his 2016 Pulitzer-winning novel "The Sympathizer” was a double joy for Vietnamese American writer Viet Thanh Nguyen. “It's a thrill for any writer to have their book adapted to the screen, and in my case, a particular thrill because I'm very excited to be working with Park Chan-wook, whose work I've greatly admired even before I wrote the novel,” Nguyen said in an interview with The Korea Herald in June. Powere
July 22, 2023