LOONA’s Chuu to sit out of ‘LOONATHEWORLD’ concerts in Seoul

VICTON, weeks after reports that he was under police investigation for a drink driving incident.Heo’s label IST Entertainment issued an official statement yesterday (October 11) to Seoul Kyungje announcing his departure from the band. The company shared that the decision was made “taking into consideration the opinions of Heo Chan, who said that he did not wish to cause further damage [to the group] and the other members”, as translated by Soompi. VICTON will not replace Heo, as the label also said the group will continue as a six-piece consisting of Han Seung-woo, Kang Seung-sik, Im Se-jun, Do Han-se, Choi Byung-chan, and Jung Subin.IST Entertainment also added that the group’s forthcoming ‘2022 VICTON Fan Concert [Chronicle]’ online show – scheduled to take place this weekend on October 15 and 16 – will only be performed by five members.

EXCLUSIVE: Seoul- and Los Angeles-based Bound Entertainment (Apple’s Dr Brain) is teaming with author Ann Liang to develop her genre-bending YA debut novel, If You Could See the Sun as a series.  

Transgender women must still register for the military draft, according to the U.S. Selective Service.  "US citizens or immigrants who are born male and changed their gender to female are still required to register," the Selective Service states on its official website.  Individuals who were born female, but identify as male do not need to register for the military draft, per the government.  The policy is not new, but gained attention after the Selective Service tweeted at parents on Friday, reminding them that their sons must register.  U.S.

Rebecca Souw TITLE: Behind The Scenes For Singapore-Korea Co-Production “Ajoomma” And Its Journey Ahead Post-Busan The past few weeks have gone by in a blur for Singapore-Korean co-produced comedy film “Ajoomma.” In a short span, it had a world premiere at the 27th Busan International Film Festival, earned four Golden Horse nominations including best actress, best new director, best original screenplay and best supporting actor. And Singapore has selected the film as itOscars contender. But it took seven years to get his far. At a Busan workshop on Saturday, first-time director He Shuming, co-founder of Giraffe Pictures and the film’s executive producer Anthony Chen and co-producer Lee Joon-han discussed the how the film came to life. “Ajoomma: The Curious Case Study of a Singaporean-Korean Co-production” was presented by mylab at the Asian Contents & Film Market.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In what plays like Singapore’s answer to “About Schmidt,” never-too-late-to-live dramedy “Ajoomma” follows a widowed housewife as she steps out of her comfort zone by making a solo trip to South Korea. This upbeat debut from director He Shuming — whose title is the Korean equivalent of all-purpose Asian term of respect “Auntie” — offers longtime TV actor Hong Huifang (“Housewives’ Holiday”) a chance to shine in the title role, which has already netted her a Golden Horse Award nom. Selected to rep Singapore at the Oscars, affable “Ajoomma” is more of a dark horse in that race, albeit one with art-house sleeper potential. Mrs. Lim’s life is light on excitement. What it lacks in drama, she fills by binging on Korean soap operas — a not at all uncommon obsession among Asian women (and a growing number of Americans, thanks to services like Kocowa and Viki). “Auntie,” as most of the other characters call Hong’s character, fusses a bit too much over her only son, who long ago agreed to accompany her on a special tour of Seoul. Now, mere days before they’re to depart, he backs out for a job interview in New York — one that would put some much-needed distance between the closeted young man and his overly suffocating mom.

Lee Jung-jae will get a chance to see the “Squid Game” star in his earliest starring role, as a manipulative male model in 1994’s “The Young Man.” Korean indie distributor and sales agent Mirovision has added the 1994 picture to its sales lineup at the Asian Contents & Film Market, on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival. Set in Seoul’s Rodeo Drive district, the film sees Lee play a model trying to break into commercials. After he accidentally kills an agent and dumps the body in a river, he has to turn up the charm to get away with the slaying. The role earned him best new actor awards from four organizations.

Rebecca Souw “Bogota: City of the Lost,” one of the most expensive Korean films ever made, heads the sales slate presented at Busan by Megabox Plus M, part of Korea’s J Contentree listed company. Crime noir, “Bogota” took 21 months to produce and saw its principal photography start in January 2020 but soon become a victim of COVID. Song Joong Ki (“Space Sweepers”) stars as a young man moving to Colombia with his family for a better life, but he ends up living from hand to mouth. He later goes against all odds to dominate Bogota’s black market. The picture also stars Lee Hee-jun (“The Drug King”) and was directed by Kim Seong-je (“The Unfair”).

Rebecca Souw Along with “Return to Seoul” and Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Broker,” Singaporean comedy film “Ajoomma” joins a growing list of recent foreign movies set in Korea or probing contemporary Korean culture.  “Ajoomma,” which premieres at the upcoming Busan International Film Festival on Friday in the New Currents competition section, tells the story of stereotypical Singaporean middle–aged woman (or “auntie”). Her obsession with Korean TV dramas leads her to visit Korea for the first time and as a result, embarks on a journey of self-discovery. 

SF9 have announced stops in Seoul and North America for their upcoming ‘Live Fantasy #4 Delight’ tour, due to begin this November.South Korean music label FNC Entertainment made the announcement of SF9’s forthcoming tour earlier today (October 5) via social media, where it dropped a list of dates and locations. The ‘Live Fantasy #4 Delight’ tour will kick off with a three-night show in SF9’s home city of Seoul in November, before the group embark on a trek across the US with five shows scheduled in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Los Angeles across November and December.Venue and other specific show information have yet to be made publicly available by the organisers involved.

Netflix has shared the first look at its upcoming K-drama, The Fabulous, starring SHINee’s Minho.The much-anticipated first glimpse at the new series was shared by Netflix on October 5, and features snippets pulled from The Fabulous encompassing the fast-paced, glamorous world of South Korea’s illustrious fashion scene. Freelance photo editor Ji Woo-min (played by SHINee’s Minho) is at the heart of its schemes, crossing paths and eventually developing a romance with PR manager Pyo Ji-eun (Rookie Cops’ Chae Soo-bin).It also features cameo appearances from several top South Korean models, most notably including Choi So-ra, best known as the winner of the third cycle of Korea’s Next Top Model. Slated to make its global premiere on the streaming platform on November 4, The Fabulous, set against the backdrop of Seoul’s fashion industry and will depict the stories of young men and women as they navigate their work, personal lives, friendships and romances, along with their struggles to stay afloat in a fast-changing and competitive fashion landscape.Other cast members previously announced to be joining Minho and Chae on The Fabulous include Kim Min-kyu, a past Produce X 101 contestant, as well as Byun Jun-seo (Woori The Virgin), Lee Mi-do (Kiss Sixth Sense, House Of Lies), Kwon Hae-sung (Cafe Minamdang, The Devil Judge) and rookie actress Ye Seon-ho, among others.The first official details of the upcoming romance series first surfaced as early as September 2021.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Next month’s London Korean Film Festival cloaks itself in a panoply of the country’s recent cinema, with a mix of commercial blockbusters, festival titles and documentaries. The long-running event also pays tribute to Kang Soo-youn, the performer who was the first Korean to win a best acting award in Venice and who died in May this year. The event runs from Nov. 3 – 17, 2022 in venues across London and comprises 35 films. It opens with a previously announced screening of “Alienoid.” The Cinema Now section includes: Jeong Ji-yeon’s psychological thriller “The Anchor”; Davy Chou’s “Return To Seoul,” which premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard; Byun Sung-hyun’s “Kingmaker”; “Hot Blooded,” the long-awaited directorial debut by acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Cheon Myeong-kwan; nostalgic road chase movie “Stellar: A Magical Ride”; “Director’s Intention,” by Kim Min-geun.

“He’s not only who he is at home,” the friend of a Korean filmmaker tells the director’s daughter in Hong Sang-soo’s latest film. But “who he is at home” is at the heart of what “Walk Up” is all about.

Selome Hailu Media Res has pre-empted the rights to “Luminous,” the debut sci-fi novel from Silvia Park, which the studio will adapt into a drama series. “Luminous” tells the story of three estranged siblings living in a recently re-unified Korea, where sentient, sensitive, very-nearly-human robots are a part of daily life. One sibling working for the lowly robot crimes unit and is tasked with investigating the disappearance of an older woman’s service bot in Seoul. His investigation brings him to reconnect with his sister, a prominent robot designer working for a top manufacturing firm, who is, embarrassingly, dating one of her creations as well. The investigation sparks an epic journey through future Seoul, where the dark truths of this tech future are uncovered while the characters rediscover their humanity, even if not all of them are actually quite human.

Naman Ramachandran The BBC has revealed wide-ranging savings proposals across its World Service that will result in the closure of 382 positions and the relocation of journalists from London to Asia and Africa. The move is part of a push towards digital and a wider savings plan. Under the proposals, some half of the BBC’s 41 language services will be digital only. The relocation proposals include the Thai service moving from London to Bangkok, the Korean service to Seoul, the Bangla service to Dhaka and the “Focus On Africa” TV bulletin to broadcast from Nairobi. “Changing audience needs around the world – with more people accessing news digitally – go alongside a challenging financial climate. High inflation, soaring costs, and a cash-flat licence fee settlement have led to tough choices across the BBC, and the BBC’s international services need to make a saving of £28.5 million [$30.7 million], as part of the wider £500 million of annual savings and reinvestment to make the BBC digital-led,” the BBC said in a statement.

Two planes have collided with one another on a runway at Heathrow Airport.

Fighting With My Family and The Night Manager producer Ink Factory has promoted Michele Wolkoff to Creative Director out of LA, leading teams in London, Mumbai and Seoul.

Jessica Kiang If ever you’ve glanced into lit-up living rooms while driving down a suburban street at dusk, or glimpsed a neighbor’s apartment over their shoulder when you drop off a package, and found yourself idly wondering not just what the inhabitants’ lives are like, but what maybe your life would be like if you occupied those exotic domestic spaces — well, has mischievous Korean miniaturist Hong Sangsoo made a movie for you. “Walk Up,” the festival darling’s latest benignly sozzled, black-and-white delight, daydreams around that idea, its gentle profundity smuggled in under cover of multilevel playfulness. The movie is a play on time, on imaginative shoestring filmmaking, and on Hong’s own persona. It’s even a play on words, with its three stories sprouting out from each other over three separate stories of the same Seoul walk-up.