North Korea Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Locally-produced horror-drama “Exhuma” held on to top spot at the South Korea cinema box office for a fifth consecutive weekend. Its complete dominance of the market kept “Exhuma” comfortably ahead of the holdover “Dune 2” and a couple of lower-powered new releases and allowed its running total to surpass 10 million ticket sales. That is the conventional measure of a blockbuster in Korea, a country with a population of roughly 50 million. Over the latest weekend “Exhuma” sold 618,000 tickets for a gross revenue of $4.56 million and a market share of 56%, according to data from Kobis, the database operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). The latest increment gives the film a total of $73.4 million earned from 10.2 million admissions.

Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis, tech entrepreneur Christopher Bouzy cast doubt on the British royal family and likened the heartbreaking video announcement to “North Korean propaganda.” “The palace lied, and the British press happily helped them lie,” Bouzy, 48, said in a post on X on Friday. “The countless ‘conspiracy theory’ headlines, while knowing a lot of what was being said was true.”“This is really some North Korea / Trumpian type of propaganda,” the post concluded.

Solo Leveling has become one of the breakout anime shows of the year, but when will the run of episodes come to an end?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, after having first been announced at Anime Expo 2022.

ILLIT have dropped a teaser for the music video of their upcoming debut single, ‘Magnetic’.ILLIT’s label Belift Lab, a subsidiary of HYBE, shared the clip yesterday (March 21). The teaser is formatted vertically for mobile phone screens, and feature silhouettes of the ILLIT members performing the choreography to ‘Magnetic’.“This time I want you, you, you, you, like it’s magnetic / You, you, you, you, you, you, you, super attraction,” the new K-pop girl group sing on the song’s upbeat chorus.ILLIT – comprising Wonhee, Minju, Iroha, Moka and Yunah – were formed through the JTBC reality TV series R U Next?. The girl group will be the second K-pop act to debut under Belift Lab, following boyband ENHYPEN.The quintet will release their debut mini-album ‘Super Real Me’ on March 25.

(G)I-DLE vocalist Yuqi will make her official Korean solo debut in April, her agency CUBE Entertainment has announced.CUBE Entertainment announced Yuqi’s upcoming solo debut today (March 22) in a statement to South Korean news outlet XSports News. “Yuqi plans to release a solo single in April and promote it on music broadcasts,” the label shared, per Soompi.Information about the (G)I-DLE member’s upcoming solo debut, including the release’s format, tracklist and more, is expected in the coming weeks.

Resident Playbook, a spin-off of the popular Hospital Playlist, has been postponed into the second half of 2024.South Korean news outlet OSEN reported yesterday (March 21) that the premiere of Resident Playbook would be moved to the second-half of 2024. The show was previously scheduled to begin airing on May 11, following the finale of K-drama Queen of Tears, which will wrap up on April 28.OSEN also claimed that a separate series titled The Midnight Romance in Hagwon, starring Wi Ha-joon and Jung Ryeo-won, will have its broadcast moved up to fill Resident Playbook‘s original spot.The report has since been confirmed by tvN.

Carol Burnett, Kristen Wiig, and Ricky Martin star in Apple TV+‘s latest gem, the gripping series Palm Royale. Set in 1969, the show delves into the societal divide between the privileged and the marginalized, exploring themes of sacrifice, belonging, and the pursuit of wealth and status.At the forefront of this compelling narrative are two luminaries of the entertainment industry: Carol Burnett and Ricky Martin.

Netflix unveiled the trailer for upcoming Korean sci-fi series Parasyte: The Grey today.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re talking to Vietnamese entrepreneur Minh Bui whose Beta Cinemas chain has introduced a new concept of affordable but trendy theatres to Vietnam’s fast-growing cinema market. Deadline sat down with Minh in Ho Chi Minh City to talk through how he launched the company, his business model and ambitions for the future. This was followed by an unannounced visit by Deadline to a Beta Cinemas site in Go Vap, Ho Chi Minh City, to watch a Vietnamese comedy accompanied by a very large tub of caramel popcorn, during which there were no discernible differences with the high-end multiplexes in the country (and the popcorn was delicious).

Scripted formats were placed front and center of BBC Studios’ panel at Series Mania, as the Doctor Who seller confirmed it is making up to three more versions of Ghosts and has bought Spain’s Brutal Media.

Felix is getting some attention on social media.

baseless reports of his death surfaced online.The monarch, 75, appeared chipper as he arrived in a limousine at Clarence House Tuesday morning after spending time at Windsor Castle in recent days.His Majesty was then taken to Buckingham Palace, where he hosted a handful of veterans of the Korean War to mark the 70th Anniversary of the conflict.Charles, who is currently in the midst of his outpatient cancer treatment following his diagnosis in February, met with veterans Alan Guy, Mike Mogridge, Brian Parritt, and Ron Yardley during the private audience.Later on, the King’s family will step in to host a reception for around 200 Korean War veterans in the Palace’s Bow Room.His sister Anne, the Princess Royal, will host the event alongside Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.Princess Anne will deliver a speech about the war on behalf of the King.The King’s appearance will help to quell the ongoing rumors about his health that have been sending royalists into overdrive in recent weeks.Elsewhere on Tuesday, Prince William was seen visiting housing initiatives in Sheffield, north England, to promote his homelessness project.The Prince of Wales, 41, has long been an advocate for helping the homeless, and has done a lot of work for various charities through the Royal Foundation’s Homewards program.William’s appearance Tuesday comes just days after he was spotted visiting a farm shop with his wife, Kate Middleton.Palace sources have exclusively told The Post that footage of the Waleses out and about should be enough to put an end to wild conspiracy theories about her health.Charles, for his part, has been taking a slight step back from royal engagements in recent weeks since being diagnosed with cancer.Despite that, the King is keen

Kensington Palace is facing fresh questions over image editing after Getty Images added an editor’s note to a picture of Queen Elizabeth II taken by Kate Middleton.

The Straits Times via The Korea Herald. The former singer is said to have had worm a mask and a hat, and did not address reporters stationed outside the prison.The musician was first linked to the now-infamous Burning Sun scandal in March 2019, when it was discovered that Jung had secretly filmed and shared nonconsensual sex videos (known as molka in Korean) in a chat room with several other K-pop stars, including ex-Big Bang member Seungri.Jung, and a number of his acquaintances, was later accused and indicted for raping drunk unconscious women in 2016, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

Exhuma (Korean title: Pa-myo) has taken $67.8 million at the Korean box office, having notched more than 9.3 million admissions.

Soo Hugh is staying in business with Apple and Media Res after striking an overall deal with the two companies.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief V from Korean pop icons BTS will Tuesday unveil a live performance video in collaboration with French luxury brand Cartier in support of his – already hit – new digital single “FRI(END)S.” Released at 1 p.m. Korean time on Friday, “FRI(END)S” is a pop soul song that is the artist’s first solo project since “Layover,” his debut solo album released in September. The English-language song is a love song depicting one person’s confession of love to a friend.

NCT leader Taeyong will be enlisting for two years of mandatory military service next month, SM Entertainment has confirmed.The singer’s label made the announcement today (March 18) in a statement to South Korean news outlet Newsen. “NCT’s Taeyong is enlisting in the navy as an active duty soldier on April 15,” SM Entertainment said, as translated by Soompi. “There will be no official events held on the day he enters the recruit training centre, and we ask for your understanding as his enlistment will be held privately to prevent safety incidents due to congestion on site,” the label added.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The South Korean box office had a familiar look. Dark drama, “Exhuma” dominated the chart with a more than 50% market share for the fourth weekend in a row. And, for the third successive weekend, “Dune 2” placed second. “Exhuma,” about two shaman, a feng shui master and a mortician who attempt to reverse the mysterious events happening to a U.S.-based Korean family, earned $5.80 million between Friday and Sunday.

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy-nominated Beef actor and artist Joseph Lee has signed with Gersh for representation in all areas.

listening to popular artists like Drake, Ariana Grande, Eminem, Billie Eilish, Beyoncé and Harry Styles can make you a better driver. A study by Autotrader tested car operators, who were subjected to 20 popular artists while their “hazard perception” was being tested on the road.“Higher scores indicate greater levels of concentration, meaning the participants identified and reacted to hazards quicker when listening to that artist,” researchers noted in their hypothesis.Lovers of list-topping Canadian rapper Drake started far from the bottom by scoring 59.5 out of 75 on their hazard perception scores.

Squid Game star O Yeong-Su has been convicted of sexual misconduct over allegations he hugged and kissed a woman on the cheek against her wishes.

Ellise Shafer Oh Yeong-su, who won a Golden Globe for his performance in Netflix’s “Squid Game,” was found guilty of sexual misconduct by a South Korean court on Friday. According to the New York Times, a district court judge in the city of Seongnam ruled that Oh was guilty of inappropriately touching an actress in 2017, including hugging her, holding her hand and kissing her cheek. The 79-year-old Oh must serve an eight-month suspended sentence and take 40 hours of sexual violence classes.

Chicken Nugget. The streaming platform released several stills on March 14 from the show teasing special appearances from a number of familiar faces, including Squid Game‘s Jung Ho-yeon and GOT7‘s Jinyoung, who previously starred in Yumi’s Cells and The Devil Judge. Helmed by Lee Byung-heon (Extreme Job), Chicken Nugget is billed as a comedy-mystery series following Choi Sun-man (Ryu Seung-ryong) as he tries to bring back his daughter, Min-ah (Kim Yoo-jung), after she was turned into a chicken nugget.

Jennifer Lopez has released a new version of ‘This Time Around’, featuring K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE.The new remix of ‘This Time Around’ doesn’t deviate far from the original track, but replaces the song’s original third verse for new lyrics written and performed by the Korean five-piece. The verse includes vocals from Soyeon, Minnie, Yuqi and Miyeon, with remaining member Shuhua currently on hiatus since February.“What is wrong? Our love-hate is bruised with false rumours / It’s not worth it, laugh it all out with heartbreak within gossip / I’m in your arms all night long / We laughed and cried when we were immature, bad love / Yeah you know, they’re sort of doing it the wrong way,” Soyeon and Minnie sing on the new verse.Notably, this alternate version of ‘This Time Around’ credits (G)I-DLE leader Soyeon as a co-composer and co-lyricist alongside others who were involved in the production of the original song, including Lopez herself.‘The Time Around’ originally appeared on Lopez’s latest studio album ‘This Is Me… Now’, which was released on February 16 alongside its accompanying film This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, which is loosely based on Lopez’ love life with husband Ben Affleck.During her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in support of the releases, Lopez described the album as the culmination of her career.

Content warning: This article discusses allegations of sexual assault.South Korean actor O Yeong-su, best known for his role as Oh Il-nam in Netflix’s hit K-drama series Squid Game, has been found guilty of sexual assault.The 79-year-old actor was found guilty by the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court today (March 15), and has been sentenced to eight years of prison, suspended for two years, and 40 hours of sexual violence education, per Korea JoongAng Daily and The Korea Herald.The court said that “the contents of the victim’s diary and her records from counselling largely correspond to the case, and the victim’s claims are consistent and appear to be statements that could not have been made without actual experience”, per Korea JoongAng Daily.The victim, who has not been identified, filed charges against O in December 2021, accusing the actor of “hugging the victim while on a walking trail and kissing her on the cheek” in 2017, according to The Korea Herald. The news outlet also reported that the Squid Game actor, who has long denied the charges, plans to appeal the case.In 2022, O became the first South Korean actor to win a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Squid Game.

Kensington Palace, the home of Prince William and Princess Catherine (aka Kate Middleton), has been deemed untrustworthy by a major news agency.

One of the world’s biggest news agencies has claimed that Kensington Palace is no longer a “trusted source” after the furor over Kate Middleton‘s doctored Mother’s Day image.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix chief Ted Sarandos has weighed in on artificial intelligence’s place in Hollywood.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Pleasant Outcast,” a 10-part Korean series that is set to appear at Canneseries next month, is a companion piece to “Concrete Utopia,” the hit film from last year that was selected as South Korea’s Oscar contender. Both the Lotte Cultureworks series and “Concrete Utopia,” a dystopian drama-thriller set in a post-apocalyptic Seoul, are adapted from best-selling webtoon “Cheerful Outcast,” by Kim Soong Nyung. The film was frequently compared to William Golding’s seminal novel from the 1954 “Lord of the Flies” and its 1964 film adaptation. Using the first part of the webtoon, the series follows Dong-hyun, a high school junior, who barely survives his day-to-day bullying at school.

Naman Ramachandran Korean action drama “A Shop For Killers” has become the most viewed local original on Disney+ in the Asia Pacific region (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Philippines) so far in 2024, the streamer has revealed. Set in contemporary Korea, the eight-part series follows college student Jeong Jian who dives for cover in her childhood home after a series of highly skilled assassins come after her.

Universal‘s bender of a weekend continued past Oscars into Monday night with the enthusiastic SXSW premiere of Monkeypaw’s Dev Patel feature directorial debut, Monkey Man, which blew the roof off Austin’s Paramount Theatre.

seven years after the kids created a viral video moment while Kelly was being interviewed on the BBC.“BBC Dad content. Today is the 7th anniversary of the BBC Dad blooper,” Kelly wrote Sunday in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

EXCLUSIVE: America’s undiscovered K-pop stars are getting their shot at fame.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Muhammad Ali will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Variety has learned exclusively. Ali will be inducted during the Hall of Fame ceremony taking place on April 5 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He will be inducted by his widow, Lonnie Ali.

After stints heading local-language production at Disney APAC and HBO Asia, Hong Kong-based Jessica Kam-Engle is now heading CreAsia Studio, a new Banijay Asia venture in Southeast Asia, in the role of EVP & Business Head.