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Pierce Conran
Journalist, producer and consultant Pierce Conran has been based in Seoul since 2012, where he served as the Korea Executive for LA-based production company and sales agent XYZ Films and as a long-time editor of the Korean Film Council’s English website KoBiz until 2021. Born in Ireland and raised in Switzerland, he received an MA in Film from Trinity College Dublin and is currently the Korean drama critic for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, as well as a programming adviser for the Fribourg International Film Festival and Fantastic Fest in the United States.
Journalist, producer and consultant Pierce Conran has been based in Seoul since 2012, where he served as the Korea Executive for LA-based production company and sales agent XYZ Films and as a long-time editor of the Korean Film Council’s English website KoBiz until 2021. Born in Ireland and raised in Switzerland, he received an MA in Film from Trinity College Dublin and is currently the Korean drama critic for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, as well as a programming adviser for the Fribourg International Film Festival and Fantastic Fest in the United States.
Areas of Expertise:
Korean film and K-dramaLanguages Spoken:
English, French, Korean
Namkoong Min plays a director who develops a complex relationship with Jeon Yeo-been’s terminal-illness consultant in this new Korean drama.
Korean actress Seol In-ah, who has enchanted audiences for 10 years, is now on screens in Oh My Ghost Clients. We chart her rise to stardom.
Tastefully Yours might not be full of surprises but this Korean drama starring Go Min-si and Kang Ha-neul has a warm message at its heart.
Jung Kyung-ho plays a labour rights lawyer who, in return for his life, takes on a case for a dead person in this Korean drama series.
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Korean drama series that follows a police task force comprising former medal-winning athletes gets off to a slow start.
K-drama The Haunted Palace’s story involving death, ghosts, a dragon and possession ends in redemption. Does a second season beckon?
Gong Myung may play an auditor and Ahn Hyo-seop a workaholic farmer in romcoms, while Park Shin-hye is in line for office comedy-drama role.
A former crime gang member returns seeking vengeance in Mercy for None, a hyper-masculine show that is little more than a series of fights.
A young professional overcomes a drinking problem – or does she? And should we care? K-drama is a cocktail of social themes and romance.
Must-sees include the final Squid Game chapter, gangster drama Mercy for None and romantic melodrama Our Movie.
Twins Mi-ji and Mi-rae swap lives to escape their troubles in Netflix’s Our Unwritten Seoul, in which Park Bo-young plays both roles.
Kim Hye-ja plays a character who goes to heaven and meets a younger version of her husband. Things quickly turn sentimental, then confusing.
Bae Suzy has been offered the lead in Men of the Harem, while Jung Hae-in and Ha Young are set to lead Netflix drama The Damned Love.
Bona’s reluctant shaman Yeo-ri visits royal palace with her childhood friend, who is possessed by a demon that has romantic feelings for her.
Carrying on from Hospital Playlist but never living up to it, Resident Playbook is a low-stakes drama with very few surprises.
Second Shot at Love starts well but time will tell whether its trendy theme of alcohol in Korean society is given the attention it deserves.
Lee Jae-wook started acting in K-dramas while at university, and since then the tall, handsome, down-to-earth star has never looked back.
A wealthy merchant’s son vanishes. A man appears and is embraced as the long-lost child, except by his stepsister, who sees a schemer.
In Tastefully Yours, Kang Ha-neul plays a conceited heir who clashes with Go Min-si’s stubborn chef. Expect romance and tempting dishes.
With only four episodes to go, this Korean drama on Netflix is more interested in the novelty of its concept than any significant plot.
K-drama Pump Up the Healthy Love blends fitness and romance for an enjoyable show – it is just a shame it seems obsessed with body shaming.
Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae will be part of Reborn Rich season 2, while Shin Ye-eun will be joining Lee Jae-wook in Endurance Doctor.
Where Hospital Playlist was compelling, spin-off struggles with its low stakes, syrupy-sweet moments and lack of charismatic characters.
From Spring of Youth to Tastefully Yours to Nine Puzzles, here’s our pick of the best Korean dramas coming to screens in May.
A shaman’s granddaughter and an official whose body a vengeful spirit has taken over end up in the royal palace. Will romance follow?
Chae Soo-bin has been approached for fantasy romance Charge Me Up, while Lee Jae-wook is set to lead horror fantasy Honey Jar Project.
Reluctant fighter Yeon Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon) is in another new school, where he tries in vain to avoid trouble, in this Netflix drama.
Starring Kim Hye-ja, Son Suk-ku and Han Ji-min, Heavenly Ever After sees a husband and wife reunite in the afterlife – with a twist.
This Korean drama mixes tragedy and humour in a tale of a Grim Reaper figure (Gong Myung) saving a guilt-ridden girl (Kim Min-ha).
