South Korea Showbiz Latest News and Updates

EXO singer D.O. – real name Doh Kyung-soo – has announced his upcoming 2024 ‘Bloom’ fan concert tour of Asia.Today (March 25), EXO’s D.O.

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.

(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.

Netflix's hit show Squid Games is well-known across the world wit everyone now waiting for its second series. Thankfully to help fill the void until then, Squid Game: The Challenge was released which was also a hit success.

Gyeongseong Creature star Han So-hee has denied she was dropped by brands over her relationship with actor Ryu Jun-yeol.Han So-hee’s agency, 9ato Entertainment had addressed speculation that the actress was dropped by several brands over her controversial relationship with actor Ryu Jun-yeol.The pair were confirmed to be dating last week, but soon stirred controversy on the internet over rumours that Ryu had started dating Han while still in a relationship with actress Hyeri.Soon after news broke, 9ato Entertainment had confirmed that Han So-hee’s sponsorship deals with soju brand Chum Churum and Nonghyup Bank had expired.“The allegations that actor Han So-hee’s advertisement contracts ended due to the recent issues surrounding the actor’s personal life are completely false,” the agency said, per Korea JoongAng Daily.“The agreement to end Han’s contract for beverage advertisement was made early this year, and for bank advertisement, toward the end of last year,” the agency clarified in its statement.Han So-hee recently starred in the Netflix K-drama series Gyeongseong Creature opposite Park Seo-jun. In a glowing four-star review, NME‘s Rhian Daly called it “a gripping story that’s not for the faint-hearted”.The streaming service has since confirmed that season two of the K-drama series will premiere sometime this year, with both Han So-hee and Park Seo-joon set to return as leads.Meanwhile, Ryu Jun-yeol recently starred in the South Korean film Alienoid: Return to the Future, a sequel to 2022′ Alienoid.

Regarded by many as the UK's top rollercoaster, Nemesis at Alton Towers has recently had a complete facelift and has reopened under the new name, Nemesis Reborn.

Big Bang singer Taeyang joined bandmate Daesung on stage during the latter’s fan meeting event this past weekend.Both of Daesung’s Big Bang bandmates G-Dragon and Taeyang attended the singer’s second and final showing of his solo fanmeeting concert at the Blue Square Hall in Seoul, South Korea, held on the evening of March 17.G-Dragon was spotted watching the show among the audience, while Taeyang joined Daesung on stage for a performance of several Big Bang songs as well as the former’s hit solo song ‘Eyes, Nose, Lips’.Taeyang and G-Dragon’s public appearance at Daesung’s show marked the band’s first public reunion in years.

NCT is one of South Korea’s biggest boy bands – both in member size and in popularity!

BM of K-pop group KARD has announced his upcoming 2024 ‘After the After Party’ tour.Today (March 19), KARD’s BM and tour organiser Konnect’d Entertainment revealed that the K-pop idol is set to go on his first solo tour of the US, titled ‘After the After Party’.According to the announcement the rapper will embark on his tour this May. Information about the tour, including cities, dates, venues, ticketing and more is expected in the coming weeks.

EXCLUSIVE: XO Kitty’s Anthony Keyvan and Cruel Summer’s Harley Quinn Smith have signed with Prototype Talent Agency for representation.

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

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.

Sara Cox, the presenter of BBC Radio 2, has had quite a journey from being shockingly stalked by a paedophile to securing herself an impressive net worth.The 49 year old, who hails from Bolton, is now taking on her next venture as she joins this series of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer.The radio star will tackle technicals and showstoppers as she masters baking in the iconic GBBO tent alongside the likes of Danny Dyer, Paloma Faith, Oti Mabuse and Spencer Matthews.The 2024 celebrity series will kick off from 7.40pm on Sunday, 17 March on Channel 4 with Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith returning as judges and Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond as hosts. As we watch Sara mix her way to become Star Baker, we've taken a look at her life away from the spotlight.

O Yeong-su, who starred in the first season of the hit Netflix series “Squid Game,” was convicted on Friday on charges of sexual harassment and handed a suspended prison sentence, a court official said.The Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court sentenced O to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, as well as 40 hours of attendance at a sexual violence treatment programme, the court official said by telephone.The 79-year-old actor, who was charged with two counts of sexual harassment in 2017, had denied the accusations.As he was leaving the court, O told reporters he planned to appeal against the decision.

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent Animation co-productions between Japanese media companies and their Asian counterparts were once few and far between, but in the past decade, with the rapid rise of animation industries in China and South Korea, the pace has picked up. Indeed, FilMart is playing host to an animation panel March 13 that explored the advantages of cross-border collaboration.

Faye Bradley Actor Louis Koo is a household name in Hong Kong but off-screen, he’s an influential entertainment industry investor, producer and entrepreneur. Rising to prominence during the “golden age” of Hong Kong cinema, Koo built a respected career over the decades but less flashy are his businesses and investments. One Cool Group is one such revenue stream.

Oh Yeong-su is heading to prison.

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.

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.

Shohei Ohtani has revealed who is new wife is!

Glastonbury has unveiled the line-up for its 2024 edition, with boyband SEVENTEEN set to be the first K-pop act to perform at the festival.Today (March 14), the iconic UK music festival announced its much-anticipated line-up for the upcoming 2024 edition, which will be held from June 26 to 30 this year at Worthy Farm in Pilton, England. Glastonbury 2024 will be headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA and Shania Twain.Also on the bill for the main Pyramid Stage are South Korean boyband SEVENTEEN, who will become the first-ever K-pop act to perform at the iconic UK music festival.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief South Korean cinema-goers will get a three-day jump on the rest of the world when the Bong Joon-ho-directed “Mickey 17” releases in January 2025 in time for the Lunar New Year holidays. Warner Bros. Pictures says that the Robert Pattinson-starring sci-fi film will open in Korea on Tuesday, Jan.

Bong Joon-Ho‘s next big movie post his Parasite Oscar winner, Mickey 17, will open in his native South Korea homeland on Jan. 28, 2025, three days before the pic’s global launch on Jan. 31.

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.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “Enter the Dragon,” starring Bruce Lee, is one of the four or five greatest action films ever made. Yet it has a thin, awkward, lurching story.

Best Picture nominee “Past Lives,” wore a turtle pin to the 2024 Oscars in memory of his pet tortoise that died in August 2023. “OK, so my pet tortoise passed away last year and I had him for 10 years,” Yoo, 42, explained to a Variety reporter on the Los Angeles red carpet Sunday.In the video, the South Korean actor revealed that he named his reptile Momo after a children’s fantasy novel of the same name written by German author Michael Ende. The novel was published in 1973.Yoo, who was born in Germany, joked that his fan club back home named themselves “Momos” after the turtle.

VERIVERY have announced their upcoming 2024 ‘Go On’ fan-meeting tour, featuring shows in the US and Asia.VERIVERY revealed the first batch of dates for their newly announced 2024 ‘Go On’ fan-meeting tour today (March 11) through their official X (formerly Twitter) account. The boyband will kick things off with a show in Seoul, South Korea on May 12.Thereafter, VERIVERY will head to the US in June 2024.

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.

Attrakt has been cleared of charges in a lawsuit filed by former FIFTY FIFTY members over alleged breach of trust.This is according to a statement given to South Korean news outlet Yonhap News today (March 11) by a representative from Attrakt, who said that the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul has “decided not to transfer the case of breach of trust filed by former FIFTY FIFTY members Saena, Sio and Aran [with no charges]”, as translated by Soompi. The K-pop agency also said that it would “hold those who deceived the members, who do not understand the accounting principles of corporate funds and encouraged them to file a complaint accountable for their actions of tampering [with their contracts] until the end”.On the same day, Attrakt also announced the upcoming return of FIFTY FIFTY, with new faces set to join remaining original member Keena in “June or July this year”, per Korea JoongAng Daily. More details about the group’s new line-up and music are expected to arrive in the coming months.In August last year, FIFTY FIFTY’s legal counsel – led by law firm Barun – officially announced that the idols had filed a criminal complaint against Attrakt CEO Jeon Hong-joon for “violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc.

Tomorrow X Together (TXT) have announced their upcoming 2024 ‘Act: Promise’ world tour, which will kick off with concerts in Seoul this May.Tomorrow X Together new world tour was announced today (March 11) by the boyband’s label, Big Hit Music. It will kick off with a three-date concert at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea from May 3 to 5.The kick-off dates of the K-pop boyband’s 2024 tour will be made available for livestreaming, according to an announcement on TXT’s official Weverse page.

NCT member Lucas Wong has announced his debut solo single, titled ‘Renegade’.Lucas’ new single was announced today (March 11) through the singer’s official social media accounts. According to a teaser image for the release, ‘Renegade’ will drop on April 1 at 6pm KST.‘Renegade’ will feature three English tracks, with label SM Entertainment describing the title track as a “rock-based hip-hop song that embodies the ambition to pursue one’s own path without hesitation, embracing change for a better direction and a stronger inner self”.LUCAS 루카스 The 1st Single 〖Renegade〗 ➫ 2024.4.1 6PM KST#LUCAS #루카스 #Renegade #LUCAS_Renegade pic.twitter.com/kzkTWFPeoK— LUCAS (@lucas_official) March 10, 2024루카스 첫 싱글 ‘Renegade’ 4월 1일 오후 6시 발매! 오늘부터 예판 시작동명의 타이틀 곡 ‘Renegade’ 포함 영어곡 총 3곡으로 구성‘Renegade’는 록 기반의 힙합 곡으로 더 나은 방향을 위한 변화와 더욱 강해진 내면을 통해 망설임 없이 자신의 길을 걸어가겠다는 포부 담겨Lucas is making his… pic.twitter.com/1obOW9Lxrs— LUCAS (@lucas_official) March 11, 2024The official announcement of Lucas’ debut solo single comes just days after SM Entertainment confirmed that the ex-NCT member would make his return this year. It marks his first project since he went on hiatus in August 2021 after a South Korean netizen claiming to be his ex-girlfriend accused him of gaslighting her.Lucas would later leave both NCT and its sub-group WayV in May 2023, but would remain signed under SM Entertainment, with the label saying that the singer was “planning on showing his performance though a wide variety of individual works from now on”.Last month, the Hong Kong-born K-pop idol addressed is past controversies in a two-part documentary titled Freeze and Unfreeze.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Leading South Korean sales company Finecut has picked up international sales rights to action comedy film “Boss.” It will launch the title at next week’s FilMart in Hong Kong. Directed by Ra Hee-chan (“Going by the Book,” “Mr. Idol”), the film follows gang members embroiled in fierce competition.