North Korea Showbiz Latest News and Updates

“It’s been really interesting to talk about the film in this personal way, because it really was never meant to be so personal,” Elemental director Peter Sohn said at Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees panel Saturday.

Netflix viewers have been left baffled by the trailer for new Korean comedy series Chicken Nugget, which may be even more bizarre than Squid Game.The chaotic new show sees a young woman, Min-ah, turned into a sauce-covered chicken nugget after stepping into a mysterious machine, promoting her father, Seon-man, and her admirer, Baek-joong, to embark on a desperate quest to transform her back.The official synopsis reads: “A woman steps into an odd machine and becomes… a chicken nugget?! Now, it’s up to her father and admirer to embark on a zany quest to bring her back.’Chicken Nugget was originally a highly popular Naver web series, created by Park Ji-Dok, commonly known as PJD, but has now been acquired by the streaming platform.The 12-episode mini-series is yet to arrive on UK Netflix but the surreal trailer has got fans equally bemused and excited.“We will be seated,” posted one viewer on X (formerly Twitter), while another joked: “What a horrible idea and it looks bad … we’ll watch it.”“Netflix needs to be stopped,” said another as a fourth person added: “This is so absurd that I might actually watch

F.T. Island member Song Seung-hyun has announced his retirement from the Korean entertainment industry.Song Seung-hyun took to his personal Instagram page yesterday (February 15) to announce his official retirement from the Korean entertainment industry.

(G)I-DLE have dropped a music video for ‘Revenge’, a cut from their most recent studio album ‘[2]’.Released on February 15, (G)I-DLE’s new visual for ‘Revenges’ marks the third track from ‘[2]’ to receive a video treatment following pre-release single ‘Wife’ and title track ‘Super Lady’.In the music video for ‘Revenge’, the five K-pop idols come together to plot a murder and get their revenge on an unseen person. It all culminates in a hotel, where the quintet, in various disguises, carry out their plan in fiery fashion.“Meaningless pleasure at that kind of ordinary life / Struggling to get paid at priceless price / Nevertheless, the obvious reason why I can’t give up / Your pain is the only medicine for this scar,” Soyeon sings on ‘Revenge’.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Taipei and Los Angeles-based Organic Media Group has picked up rights to U.S.-produced classical music documentary title “Crescendo” and will be launching it at the European Film Market, which accompanies the Berlin Film Festival. The picture had its first commercial release in South Korea in December and became the highest grossing foreign documentary in the last three years.

Past Lives, the Oscar-nominated Korean drama, is now available to stream on Netflix UK.READ MORE: Oscars 2024 nominations – see the full listKorean-Canadian writer and director Celine Song’s debut movie is nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at next month’s Academy Awards.The widely acclaimed film was released in UK cinemas in September, but is now available to watch on Netflix at no extra cost for subscribers in the UK and Ireland.Starring Greta Lee (The Morning Show) and Teo Yoo, Past Lives follows the characters of Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends in South Korea who are torn apart when Nora’s family moves to Canada. Decades later, the pair reconnect via social media and, after meeting up in New York, ponder their romantic compatibility.NME named Past Lives as its top film of 2023, placing it above Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer.In a glowing five-star review, we wrote: “Past Lives possesses quiet power.

Naman Ramachandran Streaming subscription growth in the Southeast Asia region slowed dramatically in 2023, but revenue from those subscriptions grew at a robust rate, a new study has found. The report from data analytics company AMPD, that is part of consultancy and research firm Media Partners Asia, shows that the region – that includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – added only 1.3 million net new SVOD subscribers in 2023, compared with 11 million in 2022. But subscription revenues grew at 12.5% to $1.4 billion.

A Killer Paradox director Lee Chang-hee has opened up about why he decided to use deepfake technology in the new Netflix K-drama.During a recent interview with Korea JoongAng Daily, Lee spoke about how the production utilised deepfake technology in A Killer Paradox to create the scenes where the cast had to portray childhood versions of themselves.“A child actor played [Son Suk-ku’s part] and the face was recreated by collecting photos of Son when he was younger and adding special effects – ‘deepfake’, to be precise – to it,” Lee explained. “We didn’t have many photos of him when he was younger, so we drew image models.”The director said that while the process was expensive, he felt it was necessary to use deepfakes “for the sake of reality”.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief U.S-Asian sales company EST N8 has picked up the international rights for “30 Minutes,” a Korean sci-fi thriller film that is currently in production. The story revolves around a middle-aged man trapped in a time loop, repeatedly reliving the Christmas Eve of his murder.

Chicken Nugget, starring Ryu Seung-ryong. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming series.Choi Min-ah is accidentally turned into a chicken nugget after an accident involving a storage machine invented by her father Choi Seon-man.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A three-year run of poor box office performances is sure to hurt the South Korean sales companies touting their new titles at the European Film Market — but not by that much. Certainly, the box office malaise undermines the ability to market some titles on the strength of their theatrical earnings back home. But the Korean film industry still has numerous other calling cards.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Acemaker Movieworks, the young Korean studio behind 2023 hit “Noryang: The Sea” and “A Man of Reason,” is using the Berlin Film Festival‘s European Film Market to launch crime drama “Troll Factory,” its next big budget movie. Film’s plot revolves around an investigative journalist who, while probing a story about the manipulation of public sentiment, uncovers the existence of a so-called “troll factory” and is confronted with an unbelievable truth. The movie is in post-production and recently set March 27 for its theatrical release in Korea.

Kep1er have teased the upcoming release of two new albums in the coming year.Kep1er took to social media yesterday (February 13) to announce the ‘2024 Kep1ine’, detailing plans to release two new albums over the course of the coming year.

P1Harmony singer Keeho recently covered Lee Hi‘s hit ballad ‘ONLY’ during his guest appearance on Lee Mu-jin Service. P1Harmony’s Keeho made a guest appearance on the February 13 episode of popular music talk show Lee Mu-jin Service.

BIBI has released a music video for her new Valentine’s Day single, ‘Bam Yang Gang’.The whimsical song and its accompanying music video were officially released yesterday (February 13) at 6pm KST, as part of a two-track single album of the same name. The single’s title is the name of a Korean snack, which is a jelly made of chestnuts and red beans.“As you were leaving, you said to me, ‘You always want far too much’ / No, what I’ve always wanted was one thing / Just one thing, Bam Yang Gang,” she croons on the track’s soft chorus.‘Bam Yang Gang’ is a notably collaboration between BIBI and musician Jang Ki-ha, who composed, wrote and arranged the song.

Parasite producer Barunson E&A has a new CEO.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Choi Yoonhee has been named as the new CEO of Barunson E&A, the Korean sales and production firm that is making a splash at the European Film Market in Berlin this week. Choi, who joined the firm in 2021 from CJ ENM, takes over from Gene Hong (Brian) Park and Kwak Sin Ae.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Blackpink member Lisa has joined the cast of “The White Lotus” Season 3, Variety has learned exclusively. She will be credited under her given name, Lalisa Manobal, in the third season of the hit HBO series. As with all castings for the third season, her role is being kept under wraps.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hollywood fantasy film “Wonka” held strongly at the top of the South Korean box office on a weekend boosted by the Lunar New Year holidays. But Hollywood spy comedy “Argylle” opened disappointingly in seventh position. Korea allocates three days of public holiday to the Lunar New Year and took them this time from Friday to Sunday.

A Killer Paradox has landed on Netflix today (February 9), starring Choi Woo-shik and Son Suk-ku. Based on Kkomabi’s webtoon of the same name, A Killer Paradox follows an ordinary university student, Lee Tang, whose life is turned upside down when he turns into a serial killer. Hot on his heels is Jang Nan-gam, a smart and relentless detective who is determined to catch Lee Tang.

(G)I-DLE‘s Shuhua will be absent from upcoming activities with the K-pop group due to health issues.Today (February 8), her label CUBE Entertainment announced on fan community platform Weverse that the (G)I-DLE’s Shuhua had recently been treated at a hospital for “persistent dizziness stemming from a decline in her [physical] condition”.It has since been determined that the singer will need “sufficient rest and stability” in order to recover, and as such, will be absent from (G)I-DLE appearances until further notice.“While Shuhua expressed a strong determination to continue with her activities, we have decided to temporarily suspend all her schedules to allow her to fully focus on rest and recovery,” CUBE explained.The announcement of an official hiatus comes shortly after the Taiwanese singer was absent from a live performance of the band’s recent comeback title ‘Super Lady’ on February 3, along with a scheduled fancall event the day before, which CUBE Entertainment said was due to a “physical illness”.‘Super Lady’ is the lead single of (G)I-DLE’s sophomore studio album ‘[2]’. Its full release was preceded by the single ‘Wife’, which was banned days later by national broadcaster KBS for its “sexually explicit” lyrics.

What’s next on Netflix in 2024? First and foremost, Season 2 of “Squid Game,” the Korean TV series that went viral in 2021. One of the streamer’s most-watched series ever returns later this year, and it’s safe to assume the hype hasn’t let up in the 2.5 years since the first season’s premiere.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A feature-length fully-animated version of smash hit Korean series “Yumi’s Cells” will launch next month at the European Film Market in Berlin. International rights to the property were picked up by Barunson E&A, part of the Korean Barunson conglomerate that also produced Oscar-winning live-action film “Parasite.” “Yumi’s Cells: The Movie” is a 3D feature animation based on the popular Naver webtoon series of the same title that debuted in 2015. Production of the film is by Locus Animation (formerly Sidus Animation), which was previously responsible for “Red Shoes and Seven Dwarfs” and Studio N, a subsidiary of Naver Webtoon.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Citizen of a Kind,” a comedy-drama about a woman who takes matters into her own hands after becoming the victim of a scam, fulfilled its promise from an earlier week of previews. “Citizen” topped the South Korean box office on its opening weekend, accounting for a more than 40% market share.

MAMAMOO‘s Hwasa, KISS OF LIFE, CRAVITY and more.We Bridge 2024 will be held from April 26 to 28 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. It will be a two-day music festival, alongside a three-day convention.The event has revealed the first slate of artists who will be performing this year.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Concrete Utopia,” the highly regarded drama-thriller that was South Korea’s Oscars contender and one of the biggest box office hits of 2023, has scored a streaming release in North America. Rakuten Viki, which specializes in Asian content, has licensed exclusive rights to the film in the U.S. and Canada and will begin streaming it to North American audiences from Friday.

NewJeans, BTS’ Jungkook, H1-KEY and more.Today (January 26), the annual Korean awards ceremony unveiled its full list of nominees on its official website. The ceremony honours mainstream and underground musicians across a variety of genres, and distributes awards based on the recommendations of its panel.The 21st Korean Music Awards ceremony will take place on February 29 at 8pm KST, and will be streamed live on the PRIZM app.K-pop girl group NewJeans, rapper Beenzino and indie rock band Silica Gel received five nominations each, including Musician of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year, as well as Best Song and Best Album nominations in their respective genre categories.NewJeans notably won both Best K-pop Song and Best K-pop Album at last year’s ceremony, as well as Rookie of the Year.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Lotte Cultureworks will launch “Holy Night: Demon Hunters,” likely to be one of the biggest Korean movies of the year, at next month’s European Film Market in Berlin. The occult-themed action movie stars Don Lee, the Korean-American superstar who also fronts “The Roundup” comedy-action franchise. The fourth instalment in that series “The Roundup: Punishment” will have its world premiere in the Berlin festival’s Berlinale Special section, with Lee expected to be in attendance, giving Lotte some additional momentum with the new title launch.

BreAnna Bell Felix Solis, Brooke Smith, Omar Maskati, Alana Hawley Purvis, Devika Bhise, James Purefoy, Do Hyun Shin, Young-Ah Kim, and Sanghee Lee have joined the cast of Netflix‘s “The Recruit” for Season 2, which is currently in production in Vancouver, Canada. The streamer also announced that filming will additionally take place in Seoul, South Korea. Solis (“Ozark”), who’s joined among the cast by his “The Rookie: Feds” castmate Bhise, plays Tom Wallace, a senior diplomat in the State Department tasked with bringing American hostages home, he will talk to anyone to get our people back – even the worst of America’s enemies.

, nor are we adding a “” to all our wintry outfits. It's 2024, and magenta is the new “it” color, for fashion deity Zendaya hath declared it so.The stepped out in Paris on January 25 to attend Fendi's Couture show wearing a rib-knit magenta halter dress, which she styled with an ombré lip—also in magenta—as well as her new .