Ex-F.T. Island’s Song Seung-hyun retires from the entertainment industry

Lovelyz member Jisoo has addressed the possibility of a reunion for the girl group, saying that there’s only a “five per cent” chance of it happening.Earlier this week on February 26, the singer-actress made her official debut as an online gaming streamer with her own personal channel on Korean platform AfreecaTV. She hosted her first-ever livestream on the same day.During the livestream, the singer answered fans’ questions about the future of Lovelyz.

Solo Leveling has become one of the breakout anime shows of the year.Based on the Korean web novel by Chugong, the series takes place in a realm of gifted hunters and monsters. In this world, weak hunter Sung Jinwoo is given extraordinary strength through a mysterious programme, which kickstarts a journey across the various dungeons to discover the true source of his power.The anime adaptation debuted in January this year.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Netflix is getting into the business of Broadway. The streaming behemoth is producing the upcoming play “Patriots,” from “The Crown” creator Peter Morgan. The show, set in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union, is about Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a billionaire who helped orchestrate the ruthless rise of Vladimir Putin.

Physical: 100 is set to premiere next month – here’s everything you need to know about the new cast and contestants.The streaming service introduced the 100 participants who will be featured in this upcoming season of Physical: 100 in a brand-new video, featuring their names, photos and professions. Notably, the participants were split into five different groups: The Warriors, National Athletes, It Body, Superstar Athletes and Athletic Celebrities.Among the new batch of participants are a number of familiar faces, including K-pop idol Lee Jang-jun of boyband Golden Child, Korean martial artist Kim Dong-hyun and actor Park Kwang-jae, who has starred in a number of hit K-dramas including Moving, Song of the Bandits and more.Aside from established stars, the new cast also boasts a varied group of competitors, ranging from chief executives and MMA fighters to national athletes and YouTubers.

Jordan Moreau Two of the most memorable songs from Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender” made their way into Netflix’s new adaptation of the series. Instead of making viewers wait for a second season to hear “Secret Tunnel” and “Leaves From the Vine,” the live-action version moves both to the fourth episode of Season 1.

Jessica Kiang The shortest distance between two points is popularly believed to be a straight line. But if one of those points is the chin, cheekbone or torso of some sneering and/or psychotic Korean gangster, the shortest route is actually the arc described by either one of Korean megastar Don Lee‘s fists, here playing the fists of Detective Ma, protagonist of the ludicrously watchable “Roundup” series.

AOA member Choa has opened up about the reason behind her departure from the group in 2017.Choa recently appeared on singer Lee Ji-hye’s YouTube channel, during which she and the rest of the main cast of television show Diva Sisters – Ivy, Chae Rina, Narsha and Lee herself – were filmed gathering for drinks to celebrate Lee’s birthday.In the midst of discussions about the women’s experiences in the Korean entertainment industry, Ivy asked Choa whether she “left [AOA] for [her] own good”. Choa then admitted that at the time of her departure from AOA, she “still wanted to be part of this industry”, per SBS Star. However, Chae Rina noted that it “almost seemed like you were done with this industry”, adding that “the public probably felt the same way”.

Tyler Perry has seen demonstrations of what AI can do. While he is astonished, he’s also sounding an alarm.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief In Berlin with “The Roundup: Punishment,” part four of the action movie series that he created and stars in, the larger-than-life Korean American Don Lee finds himself simultaneously in multiple timely and lucrative businesses. These include the Marvel superhero business, the Korea-to-Hollywood remake business, “The Roundup” franchise and its multiple spinoff possibilities. Lee may even be in the business of saving Korean cinema, which is currently having one of its periodic wobbles.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief North American digital distributor Echelon Studios has come on board “12.12: The Day,” the highest grossing film from Korea last year. The film has been on theatrical release in North America, through 815 Pictures since last year and grossed over $1 million.

Marry My Husband actress Song Ha-yoon has revealed why she isolated herself on the set of the hit Prime Video K-drama series.Marry My Husband follows ordinary office worker Kang Ji-won (Park Min-young), who gets a second chance at life after she dies at the hands of her cheating husband Park Min-hwan (Lee Yi-kyung) and treacherous best friend Jung Soo-min (Song Ha-yoon).In a new interview with South Korean media, Song Ha-yoon says that because of the villainous nature of her role, she “usually kept to myself while on set”, per SBS Star. The actress explained that it “didn’t feel right to form close relationships with other actors while playing the character”.“It was necessary because when actors are close to each other, it is noticeable in a scene.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Money Heist” spinoff series “Berlin” has been renewed for Season 2 at Netflix. The second season will once again see Pedro Alonso returning as the title character, along with fellow cast members Michelle Jenner as Keila, Tristán Ulloa as Damián, Begoña Vargas as Cameron, Julio Peña Fernández as Roi, and Joel Sánchez as Bruce. The Spanish-language series serves as a prequel to the events of “Money Heist” (a.k.a “La casa de papel”).

“This might sound very irresponsible, but I don’t know what I’m doing,” South Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo told a Berlinale presser this afternoon when quizzed on his unique directing style. 

Greek weird wave director Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film, “Poor Things,” has been nominated for a whopping 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. And while the comedic Frankenstein-esque drama isn’t expected to win a lot of major awards other than Emma Stone for Best Actress (she won the BAFTA yesterday, so she is in good shape), Lanthimos is in a great position to pick whatever he wants to do next.

Disney+ has unveiled a slate of Korean originals, as the streaming platform opts for a more targeted strategy in Asia.

Poor Things” director Yorgos Lanthimos will reteam with Element Pictures on a remake of South Korean fantasy comedy “Save the Green Planet,” Variety has learned. Lanthimos — whose latest film, “Poor Things,” is nominated for 11 Oscars and just won five BAFTAs (including best actress for Emma Stone) — is expected to start shooting the movie in the U.K. and New York this summer.

NCT Dream, SEVENTEEN and more taking home the biggest prizes – view the full list of winners below.The 2024 Hanteo Music Awards took place over the past weekend from February 17 to 18 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul, South Korea. The two-day affair was hosted by TVXQ’s Changmin, and saw the presentation of the ceremony’s four Daesangs (grand prizes).The Hanteo Music Awards are presented primarily based on the global Hanteo Charts from January 1 to December 31, 2023, accounting for up to 50% of the criteria, while global voting scores and judging scores also contributed to the determination of winners.The four biggest trophies of the ceremony were presented on the ceremony’s second day, which saw NCT Dream take home the award for Best Artist, while the Best Album and Best Performance trophies were given to SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids respectively.The fourth grand prize for Best Song was awarded to IVE, for ‘I AM’.

The first-ever edition of AfroBerlin put Africa in the spotlight at the Berlin Film Festival and in one key session asked how festivals, streamers, and the wider industry can — and should — support films and filmmakers from the continent.

“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.

(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’.