https://www.scmp.com/rss/325524/feed From the stylish blockbusters of Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho to art-house gems by Hong Sang-soo and Kim Ki-duk, this is the place to go for reviews, interviews and features about movies both classic and new from South Korea. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Byeon Woo-seok’s star has been on a sharp rise over the past few years. After sitting out last year’s drama release schedules, he returns this weekend in what is arguably his most hotly anticipated role to date: Grand Prince Ian in the alternate-history fantasy romance Perfect Crown opposite K-pop idol IU (aka Lee Ji-eun). Born in Bucheon, a satellite city southwest of Seoul, in 1991, Byeon spent his early childhood there before relocating to the capital. Influenced by his older sister, he... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3349509/who-byeon-woo-seok-model-turned-actor-starring-opposite-iu-perfect-crown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3349509/who-byeon-woo-seok-model-turned-actor-starring-opposite-iu-perfect-crown?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 07:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars The Russian city of Vladivostok provides the setting for Humint, the latest globe-trotting thriller from South Korean action specialist Ryoo Seung-wan. Set in the high-stakes world of international espionage, the film features Zo In-sung (Escape from Mogadishu) and Park Jeong-min (Uprising) as agents from South and North Korea, respectively, who attempt to foil a human trafficking ring. After opening in South Korean cinemas during the Lunar New Year holiday, Humint launches globally... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3348472/netflix-movie-review-humint-dynamic-korean-spy-thriller-ryoo-seung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3348472/netflix-movie-review-humint-dynamic-korean-spy-thriller-ryoo-seung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Since the pandemic, the once-mighty South Korean film industry has struggled to return to its former glory. The year 2025 proved particularly trying, as it failed to produce a large-scale breakout capable of reminding audiences what they were missing. That dry spell finally came to a decisive end over the past few weeks, thanks to the staggering success of the Lunar New Year holiday title The King’s Warden, a broadly appealing period drama that continues to defy expectations on its... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3347651/10-most-watched-korean-films-ever-kings-warden-draws-nearly-15-million-film-goers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3347651/10-most-watched-korean-films-ever-kings-warden-draws-nearly-15-million-film-goers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:15:07 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Singer-turned-actor Seo In-guk is currently starring in Netflix’s high-concept workplace romantic comedy Boyfriend on Demand. The 38-year-old shares the screen with another performer who has recently traded the concert stage for sound stages: Blackpink’s Jisoo. Born in Ulsan in southeast South Korea, Seo grew up in a working-class household; his mother worked at a recycling centre and his father was a welder. Seo was athletic as a child, taking part in ssireum (traditional Korean wrestling),... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3346353/who-seo-guk-jisoos-co-star-netflix-k-drama-boyfriend-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3346353/who-seo-guk-jisoos-co-star-netflix-k-drama-boyfriend-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Versatile Korean actress Shin Hye-sun is currently displaying her range in Netflix’s twisty fashion-themed thriller The Art of Sarah, playing a wily woman of many identities. Few could navigate such a complex role, but Shin has a knack for portraying characters with steel in their spine – a trait she mirrors in her own determined approach to her career. Shin harboured ambitions of acting from a young age, ignited by watching Autumn in My Heart, a classic Korean drama starring Won Bin, which... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3343323/who-shin-hye-sun-versatile-actress-k-dramas-mr-queen-and-art-sarah?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3343323/who-shin-hye-sun-versatile-actress-k-dramas-mr-queen-and-art-sarah?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 09:15:09 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Wealth and good fortune are the twin engines of the Lunar New Year film season, and Hong Kong filmmaker Philip Yung Tsz-kwong’s The Snowball on a Sunny Day is the latest festive offering to find humour in the hunt for millions. Boasting an ensemble led by Chung Suet-ying, Edan Lui Cheuk-on and Elaine Jin Yan-ling, the comedy-drama follows a working-class family living in a public housing estate who believe they have won the Mark Six lottery jackpot, only to discover that the responsible family... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343132/10-asian-movies-about-winning-lottery-and-why-jackpot-never-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343132/10-asian-movies-about-winning-lottery-and-why-jackpot-never-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:15:09 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran South Korea’s vibrant independent-film community produces waves of movies that travel to festivals around the world, delighting viewers, picking up awards and adding a social counterpoint to the broader pleasures of its mainstream counterparts. Even though most of these indie films struggle to find screens, and thus audiences at home, over the years, art-house breakouts have become more frequent. With Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Love, the latest Korean indie to conquer the charts, set to hit Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3341326/10-most-successful-korean-art-house-films-all-time-including-world-love?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3341326/10-most-successful-korean-art-house-films-all-time-including-world-love?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram In a world where streamers often get a bad rap for force-feeding audiences mainstream fare, this month sees the arrival of something distinctive. On Mubi, fans of Asian experimental cinema are in for a treat. The Asian Avant-Garde collection, now streaming on the platform, is a mix of 10 shorts and features, from Dead Knot (1969), an early black-and-white work co-written by John Woo Yu-sum, to An Asian Ghost Story (2023), a haunting slice of docufiction centres on the Hong Kong wig industry in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340643/m-and-chanel-bring-john-woo-movie-plus-other-rare-asian-avant-garde-films-mubi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340643/m-and-chanel-bring-john-woo-movie-plus-other-rare-asian-avant-garde-films-mubi?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:15:10 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Six years after breaking out in the Netflix smash Sweet Home, Go Youn-jung has tackled just about every genre the K-drama world has to offer, save for the most classic of all: the romantic comedy. Go will finally remedy that this month when she returns to screens opposite Kim Seon-ho in Can This Love Be Translated?, a 12-part globe-trotting Netflix drama that reunites her with the Hong Sisters, the writing duo behind Alchemy of Souls. Why we love her Despite having blazed through all these... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3340129/who-go-youn-jung-k-drama-actress-leading-netflixs-can-love-be-translated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3340129/who-go-youn-jung-k-drama-actress-leading-netflixs-can-love-be-translated?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 09:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Hong Kong movie star and producer Louis Koo Tin-lok is currently rewriting history – and box office records – with the time-travel adventure Back to the Past. Taking in over HK$60 million (US$7.7 million) since its New Year’s Eve debut, the film is a much-anticipated sequel to 2001’s A Step into the Past, a favourite television series from Hong Kong broadcaster TVB. It sends Koo’s security agent hurtling back to the Qin dynasty, reuniting him with many original cast members, including Raymond... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339696/10-best-asian-time-travel-movies-watch-after-hong-kong-hit-back-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339696/10-best-asian-time-travel-movies-watch-after-hong-kong-hit-back-past?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:15:07 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Celebrated South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki died on January 5, just four days after celebrating his 74th birthday. Known affectionately as “The Nation’s Actor”, Ahn starred in more than 100 feature films over the course of a career that spanned almost his entire life. After making his screen debut at age five in Kim Ki-young’s 1957 film Twilight Train, Ahn went on to appear in The Housemaid in 1960, widely regarded as the finest Korean film ever made. After a hiatus for education and mandatory... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3338768/ahn-sung-kis-5-best-movies-remembering-iconic-korean-film-actor-who-died-aged-74?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3338768/ahn-sung-kis-5-best-movies-remembering-iconic-korean-film-actor-who-died-aged-74?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 11:45:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ahn Sung-ki, one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor”, died on Monday. He was 74. The death of Ahn, who had been fighting blood cancer for years, was announced by his agency, the Artist Company, and the Seoul-based Soonchunhyang University Hospital. “We feel deep sorrow at the sudden, sad news, pray for the eternal rest of the deceased and offer our heartfelt condolences to his bereaved... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3338710/south-korean-nations-actor-ahn-sung-ki-dies-74?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3338710/south-korean-nations-actor-ahn-sung-ki-dies-74?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 02:20:46 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh In 2025, Asian cinema continues to make its mark around the world. Animated features from mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as Japan, have shattered box office records, while filmmakers and performers from across the region have been honoured at the world’s most prestigious film festivals. From established auteurs to promising newcomers, the region remains a thriving hotbed of rich and diverse commercial and artistic talent. Below are our picks of the 12 best films released this year across... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337826/12-best-asian-films-2025-ranked-ne-zha-2-no-other-choice-and-kokuho?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337826/12-best-asian-films-2025-ranked-ne-zha-2-no-other-choice-and-kokuho?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Winner of the Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, the latest film by All the Long Nights director Sho Miyake is a beautifully staged and delicately poised rumination on the parallels between writing and travel. Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung stars as Li, a screenwriter living in Japan, who is searching for inspiration for her latest project. The perpetual clash between her desire for solitude and sense of isolation in a foreign land both fuels her own writing and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336476/two-seasons-two-strangers-movie-review-sho-miyakes-hypnotic-ode-writing-and-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336476/two-seasons-two-strangers-movie-review-sho-miyakes-hypnotic-ode-writing-and-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Earlier this year, Kim Woo-bin graced the small screen in Netflix’s splashy fantasy romance Genie, Make a Wish, reuniting with his Uncontrollably Fond co-star Bae Suzy and Kim Eun-sook, the writer behind The Heirs – one of the actor’s earliest projects. While the series received mixed reviews, it was nevertheless a compelling showcase for Kim’s chiselled features and magnetic screen aura. Yet Kim’s biggest moment of 2025 is still to come: on December 20, he is set to tie the knot with girlfriend... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3336170/who-kim-woo-bin-steely-eyed-star-k-dramas-our-blues-and-genie-make-wish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3336170/who-kim-woo-bin-steely-eyed-star-k-dramas-our-blues-and-genie-make-wish?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 04:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh The last few days have seen Hong Kong reeling from the unspeakable tragedy of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which has left at least 146 people dead and 79 injured, with 40 still unaccounted for. Initial investigations suggest possible negligence on the part of those overseeing renovation work, leaving the community angry and desperate for justice. Meanwhile, the way in which the city’s population has rallied together to provide support for those affected has been truly humbling. In times... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334761/want-find-solace-film-10-movies-may-offer-catharsis-and-hope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334761/want-find-solace-film-10-movies-may-offer-catharsis-and-hope?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Korean actress Ahn Eun-jin is closing out a busy 2025 with her latest leading role this month in the romantic comedy Dynamite Kiss alongside Jang Ki-yong. She kicked off the year by briefly returning to the Hospital Playlist role that made her famous, and a few months ago, she also appeared in the big-budget Netflix production Genie, Make a Wish, alongside Bae Suzy and Kim Woo-bin. A contemporary of many of the leading stars of today’s K-drama industry, Ahn, now 34, took a little longer than... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3332821/who-ahn-eun-jin-late-blooming-actress-hospital-playlist-and-dynamite-kiss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3332821/who-ahn-eun-jin-late-blooming-actress-hospital-playlist-and-dynamite-kiss?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 12:30:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram Park Chan-wook, the celebrated South Korean auteur behind such esteemed works as Oldboy and The Handmaiden, is not a filmmaker one typically associates with comedy. It came as a surprise, then, even to his lead actor, Lee Byung-hun, when the script for his latest film, No Other Choice, turned out to be funny. “There were so many comical elements to it, so I was a little bit puzzled,” Lee admits at a recent interview with the Post. “The very first question I asked Director Park was, ‘Did I read... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3328905/no-other-choice-why-korean-auteur-park-chan-wook-reunited-lee-byung-hun-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3328905/no-other-choice-why-korean-auteur-park-chan-wook-reunited-lee-byung-hun-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 11:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran After kicking off the year opposite Park Bo-young in the Netflix romance series Melo Movie, Korean actor Choi Woo-shik is back on screens this weekend in another romantic tale, this time alongside Jung So-min in Would You Marry Me. While Choi has increasingly become known for his small-screen roles, mostly stories about love, he earned his early fame for his big-screen parts. After drawing acclaim for roles in hard-hitting independent films and gaining notice through scene-stealing supporting... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3328522/who-choi-woo-shik-handsome-parasite-actor-knack-romance-k-dramas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3328522/who-choi-woo-shik-handsome-parasite-actor-knack-romance-k-dramas?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 09:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Boasting an eclectic programme of features, shorts, documentaries and retrospectives, the 22nd Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HKAFF) opens its doors on October 22 with the Asian premiere of new Hong Kong animation Another World. Other local debuts include esports fantasy Gamer Girls, starring the increasingly ubiquitous Angela Yuen Lai-lam, and the Canada-set drama Finch & Midland, featuring Anthony Wong Chau-sang and Patrick Tam Yiu-man. Thai filmmaker Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit is this year’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3327321/hong-kong-asian-film-festival-2025-12-best-movies-see-including-another-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3327321/hong-kong-asian-film-festival-2025-12-best-movies-see-including-another-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 04:45:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars Noisy neighbours are an all-too-common scourge of Asia’s overcrowded cities, but what do you do when their intimate nocturnal antics become too loud to ignore? For the protagonists of Ha Jung-woo’s The People Upstairs, which just premiered at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, a direct approach backfires spectacularly, leading to an uncomfortable and frequently hilarious dinner party between two wildly different couples. This relocated adaptation of Cesc Gay’s Sentimental is... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326457/busan-2025-people-upstairs-movie-review-ha-jung-woo-excels-cheeky-sex-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326457/busan-2025-people-upstairs-movie-review-ha-jung-woo-excels-cheeky-sex-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 02:45:07 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran The crown jewel of the Asian film festival circuit, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) returns this year for a landmark 30th edition, running from September 17 to September 26. Coming a few weeks earlier than usual, the festival held in South Korea’s second-largest metropolis has welcomed record temperatures as well as a dizzying array of star guests to its red carpets. It also features a new festival director, with Jung Han-seok, formerly a programmer at the festival, stepping up to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326383/can-busan-international-film-festival-help-korean-cinema-stay-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326383/can-busan-international-film-festival-help-korean-cinema-stay-top?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 10:22:26 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars Drowning in ambition but narratively adrift, Kim Byung-woo’s latest high-concept blockbuster opens with an apartment complex being consumed by a giant tsunami before morphing into a science-fiction thriller that defies simple explanation. Kim’s filmography boasts a string of audacious genre-bending experiments, from The Terror Live to Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy. The Great Flood, which premiered last week at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, is an action-packed puzzle box... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326331/busan-2025-great-flood-movie-review-kim-da-mi-cant-save-puzzling-netflix-fantasy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326331/busan-2025-great-flood-movie-review-kim-da-mi-cant-save-puzzling-netflix-fantasy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 08:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Good News is the new film from Byun Sung-hyun, director of The Merciless and Kill Boksoon, and opens with the caption: “Inspired by true events, but all characters and events portrayed are fictional,” before asking “What is the truth then?” The event in question is the March 1970 hijacking of Japan Airlines flight 351 by members of the Red Army Faction of the Japan Communist League. What unfolds is a riotously entertaining black comedy about the nature of truth, the power of propaganda... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326068/busan-2025-good-news-movie-review-hilarious-korean-farce-based-real-life-hijacking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326068/busan-2025-good-news-movie-review-hilarious-korean-farce-based-real-life-hijacking?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 04:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars The true measure of humanity’s beauty, or lack thereof, is explored in The Ugly. It marks the first cinematic release in five years from Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho, who has recently put most of his energy into making films and TV dramas for Netflix, such as Revelations and Hellbound. Returning to the more grounded social dramas upon which he first made his name, this adaptation from Yeon’s own graphic novel, Face, reopens a cold case of murder that reaches back decades into... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3325571/ugly-movie-review-yeon-sang-hos-dark-mystery-proves-both-intriguing-and-frustrating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3325571/ugly-movie-review-yeon-sang-hos-dark-mystery-proves-both-intriguing-and-frustrating?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 09:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran The captivating young Korean star Kim Da-mi has been very careful with her project choices since exploding onto the big screen in 2018. But after a steady trickle of memorable parts, the floodgates have finally opened in 2025, with three projects on her docket this year. After appearing in the acclaimed thriller Nine Puzzles a few months ago, the 30-year-old will be back on screens this month in the 1980s-set bus hostess drama A Hundred Memories and again before the year is out in the Netflix... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3325340/who-kim-da-mi-enigmatic-actress-known-k-dramas-itaewon-class-and-nine-puzzles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3325340/who-kim-da-mi-enigmatic-actress-known-k-dramas-itaewon-class-and-nine-puzzles?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 11:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram One of the biggest surprises of the 82nd Venice Film Festival was saved until the very end, when Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother took the Golden Lion for best film. Starring Adam Driver, Tom Waits and Cate Blanchett, this slight, minimalist triptych study of familial relations recalled last year’s winner, Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, in the sense that a director who has never won a major festival top prize finally did so with a relatively middling film. The film was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3324742/venice-2025-10-festivals-best-films-smashing-machine-no-other-choice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3324742/venice-2025-10-festivals-best-films-smashing-machine-no-other-choice?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 20:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3.5/5 stars Not since the US version of the sitcom The Office, with its mock-doc focus on the fictional company Dunder Mifflin, has there been such a high-profile worshipping of the art of manufacturing paper. Maybe Korean director Park Chan-wook has been bingeing on episodes, though that show never got as dark as this pleasing adaptation of Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax. A black comedy set in the world of (un)employment, No Other Choice starts as family man Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) is let... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3323852/venice-2025-no-other-choice-movie-review-park-chan-wook-takes-corporate-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3323852/venice-2025-no-other-choice-movie-review-park-chan-wook-takes-corporate-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 02:50:07 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times From films and dramas to K-pop, literature, stage performances and animation, K-culture has secured a central place on the global stage. The question now is how long it can maintain its momentum. Alongside the Korean wave, or hallyu, narrative, concerns about saturation and decline persist. Experts argue that new strategies are needed to chart the course of the “Next K”. Analysts agree that Korean content has moved past relying solely on novelty. To become a global standard like Hollywood,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3323200/why-localisation-key-continued-global-success-koreas-pop-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3323200/why-localisation-key-continued-global-success-koreas-pop-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:00:10 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran The new Netflix K-drama series Aema takes us back to 1980s Korea, when the film industry, egged on by a government keen for cultural distractions, was gearing up to make Madame Aema, Korea’s first erotic film. The film ushered in a decade of erotic content, paving the way for classics that are memorable for themes and ideas that go beyond mere titillation. Below, we rank the 13 best erotic films from 1980s Korean cinema. Alas, Madame Aema did not make the cut. 13. The Parrot Cries with Its Body... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3323169/intrigued-netflix-k-drama-aema-13-best-1980s-korean-erotic-films-ranked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3323169/intrigued-netflix-k-drama-aema-13-best-1980s-korean-erotic-films-ranked?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 10:15:14 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Director Maggie Kang of Netflix’s hit animated feature KPop Demon Hunters said the future of K-content will be even brighter if the industry makes a greater effort to showcase Korean culture – like her globally successful animation. “We have to just be confident with our culture and our point of view. I think, as a filmmaker, I know that any time you think about what other people are going to think, and you kind of cater to an audience’s opinions and not your own, it doesn’t feel authentic,” the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3323016/why-kpop-demon-hunters-director-so-keen-promote-korean-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3323016/why-kpop-demon-hunters-director-so-keen-promote-korean-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 11:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars Zombies have become so ubiquitous in recent years that their infectious reach extends well beyond the realm of horror cinema. Pil Gam-sung’s hit comedy My Daughter Is a Zombie is a prime example of this phenomenon. Adapted from a bestselling webtoon, the film chronicles the efforts of a single father (Jo Jung-suk) to protect his daughter (Choi Yoo-ri) from extermination after she succumbs to a zombie virus. Rather than a horror movie, the film lurches wildly from broad comedy to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3322226/my-daughter-zombie-movie-review-hit-korean-family-comedy-displays-few-signs-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3322226/my-daughter-zombie-movie-review-hit-korean-family-comedy-displays-few-signs-life?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 11:45:07 +0000 David D. Lee David D. Lee In Seoul’s hip Hongdae neighbourhood, 19-year-old Choi Jae-eun is already deep in conversation with her friend about the latest anime drop on Netflix. The pair are making their way to Animate, a shop inside AK Plaza whose shelves overflow with Japanese manga, anime figurines and limited-edition merchandise. Pop-up stalls themed around blockbuster series lure teenagers and twenty-somethings who, until recently, might have been dismissed as otaku – a once-derogatory term for obsessive fans. But... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3322040/south-korea-and-japan-culture-bridges-historical-divides-quite-contrast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3322040/south-korea-and-japan-culture-bridges-historical-divides-quite-contrast?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Aug 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Korean heartthrob Kim Nam-gil remained as hot as ever this year, performing double duty on global streaming platform Netflix as the lead of the topical action-drama Trigger and in a cameo role in the dark thriller Karma. Like many others, Kim made his acting debut in the KBS anthology series School, a programme that has become a training ground for many small-screen stars over the years. He appeared in the very first iteration of the show, back in 1999, when he was still a teenager. Among his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3321964/who-kim-nam-gil-korean-actor-best-known-k-dramas-trigger-and-fiery-priest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3321964/who-kim-nam-gil-korean-actor-best-known-k-dramas-trigger-and-fiery-priest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Aug 2025 04:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh The Busan International Film Festival in South Korea celebrates its 30th anniversary in September with an expanded and revamped programme. Notable among the new sections is one called “A Little History of Our Own, ‘Take Care of Our Future!’”, which focuses on five rising female filmmakers within the Korean industry: Kim Se-in, Kim Cho-hee, Yoon Ga-eun, Yoon Dan-bi and Lim Oh-jeong. Each director will screen a film of their choice that helped influence their artistic perspective, after which they... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3321571/busan-film-festival-2025-5-korean-female-filmmakers-and-classics-shaped-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3321571/busan-film-festival-2025-5-korean-female-filmmakers-and-classics-shaped-them?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In the colourful, animated, musical world of KPop Demon Hunters, everyone is a fan. The general public rocks T-shirts supporting their favourite idols. They hold light sticks and stare starry-eyed at stadium stages; they scream, they cry, they cheer, they buy the merch. The Sony Pictures/Netflix film itself has inspired similar fanfare, having topped the streamer’s global rankings. Fans have flooded the internet with art, covers, cosplay and choreography in response to the movie, which follows... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3320292/how-netflixs-kpop-demon-hunters-became-such-huge-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3320292/how-netflixs-kpop-demon-hunters-became-such-huge-success?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Aug 2025 11:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars Based on a hit Korean webtoon, director Kim Byung-woo’s ambitious science fiction fantasy Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy stars Ahn Hyo-seop as a reclusive loner who discovers that his favourite online novel has become a reality. Lee Min-ho and Chae Soo-bin also appear, as do K-pop starlets Nana and Blackpink’s Jisoo, but they all take a back seat to the film’s polished, if generic, spectacle. It is impossible to conceive that a feature film like this would exist without the success of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3319292/omniscient-reader-prophecy-movie-review-korean-fantasy-glossy-uninspired?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3319292/omniscient-reader-prophecy-movie-review-korean-fantasy-glossy-uninspired?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 11:45:09 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars The general Hong Kong audience will find the premise of Netflix’s latest Korean thriller Wall to Wall all too relatable. Kang Ha-neul stars as a professional who buries himself in debt to acquire his dream flat, only to experience an avalanche of grievances from his new neighbours from the moment he moves in. Directed by Kim Tae-joon, Wall to Wall, which is titled 84m² in Korean, is a marked improvement on his insipid debut feature, Unlocked, and manages a few pointed jabs at the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3319021/netflix-movie-review-wall-wall-homeowning-living-nightmare-korean-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3319021/netflix-movie-review-wall-wall-homeowning-living-nightmare-korean-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 09:45:46 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh One of the most recognisable and successful performers in South Korea, Lee Byung-hun is back on our screens this week in the dramatic conclusion of Netflix’s global K-drama phenomenon, Squid Game. Since his television debut in 1991, Lee has found sustained critical and commercial acclaim on the big and small screen, overcome tabloid scandals, and even appeared in Hollywood action blockbusters like G.I. Joe, Terminator Genisys and The Magnificent Seven. Lee will also be the subject of a 10-film... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3316487/12-best-movies-squid-games-front-man-lee-byung-hun-ranked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3316487/12-best-movies-squid-games-front-man-lee-byung-hun-ranked?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:15:09 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars Long-delayed superhero fantasy Hi-Five finally sees the light of day, almost four years after wrapping principal photography. The film was put on hold indefinitely when one of its stars, Yoo Ah-in, became embroiled in a drug scandal, for which he subsequently served a one-year prison sentence. In Hi-Five, five strangers – played by Yoo, Lee Jae-in, Ahn Jae-hong, Ra Mi-ran and Kim Hee-won – who all received new organs from the same anonymous donor, unite upon discovering they have... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3314621/hi-five-movie-review-korean-superhero-fantasy-yoo-ah-fails-meet-its-potential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3314621/hi-five-movie-review-korean-superhero-fantasy-yoo-ah-fails-meet-its-potential?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jun 2025 10:45:08 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Actor Lee Je-hoon is keeping his momentum strong after the Korean film Big Deal, with coming roles in highly anticipated new seasons of the dramas Signal and Taxi Driver. Speaking in a recent interview, Lee shared his thoughts on his latest work and his hopes for future projects that will resonate with viewers. Big Deal, which premiered on May 30, takes place during Korea’s 1997 financial crisis, and centres on the clash between Jong-rok (played by Yoo Hae-jin), a finance executive for whom... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/news/article/3313797/after-big-deal-lee-je-hoon-talks-about-his-roles-new-seasons-signal-taxi-driver?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/news/article/3313797/after-big-deal-lee-je-hoon-talks-about-his-roles-new-seasons-signal-taxi-driver?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jun 2025 09:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh This week sees the cinema release of Ballerina, the first in a series of planned spin-off movies from the incredibly successful John Wick action franchise. Focusing on a new character, Eve, portrayed by Ana de Armas (No Time to Die), the film follows the exploits of a young orphan who is recruited into the secret Ruska Roma organisation, where she is raised as a deadly assassin. Once unleashed into the world, however, Eve applies her new skill set to track down the gangsters responsible for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3312842/15-best-female-assassin-movies-ballerina-new-john-wick-spin-releases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3312842/15-best-female-assassin-movies-ballerina-new-john-wick-spin-releases?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2025 09:15:07 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Guitar Man, the final film featuring late actress Kim Sae-ron, is set to be released on May 30, offering fans a glimpse of her radiant on-screen presence one last time. Guitar Man is a musical film that follows the emotional journey of a gifted guitarist who seeks hope through music and relationships, even amid life’s hardships. Kim plays Yoo-jin, the keyboardist of a live band called Volcano, which the main character Ki-chul, played by co-director Lee Sun-jung, joins. The story portrays the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3311314/watching-kim-sae-ron-while-editing-her-final-film-guitar-man-heartbreaking-co-star-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3311314/watching-kim-sae-ron-while-editing-her-final-film-guitar-man-heartbreaking-co-star-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 05:45:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars Supernatural thriller Holy Night: Demon Hunters might better have been titled “Ma Dong-seok: Demon Puncher”. This lowbrow exercise in low-rent exorcism offers little more than the hulking Korean superstar, also known as Don Lee, throwing down against an assortment of sketchily drawn spirits. Produced and co-written by Ma together with first-time director Lim Dae-hee, the film is the latest, and certainly weakest, in a string of recent Korean horror titles that delve into the dark realm... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3309223/holy-night-demon-hunters-movie-review-ma-dong-seok-tiring-korean-action-horror?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3309223/holy-night-demon-hunters-movie-review-ma-dong-seok-tiring-korean-action-horror?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 May 2025 09:45:08 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen South Korean films are absent from this year’s Cannes Film Festival for the first time in more than a decade, and observers say it highlights a brain drain plaguing the industry. According to the line-up released by the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 13 to 24, no Korean films will be screened in its official selection. A short South Korean animated film, Glasses, directed by Jung Yoo-mi, will be screened as part of Critics Week, an event organised by the French Union of Film Critics... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3308873/why-are-korean-films-absent-cannes-film-festival-brain-drain-netflix-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3308873/why-are-korean-films-absent-cannes-film-festival-brain-drain-netflix-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 May 2025 23:45:08 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Actor and producer Ma Dong-seok, best known for his bone-crunching action in The Roundup series, is set to captivate audiences once again, this time venturing into the occult with his latest film, Holy Night: Demon Hunters. In the movie Ma plays Bau, a formidable troubleshooter using his fists to exorcise demons as a leader of the “Holy Night” team. The 54-year-old actor, also known as Don Lee, expressed his enthusiasm for the project in a recent interview, highlighting the action sequences made... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3308141/ma-dong-seok-new-action-horror-movie-holy-night-demon-hunters-and-its-dark-hero-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3308141/ma-dong-seok-new-action-horror-movie-holy-night-demon-hunters-and-its-dark-hero-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Apr 2025 08:15:07 +0000 In Ang Lee’s 1993 film The Wedding Banquet, a bisexual man tries to hide his boyfriend from his parents by marrying a Chinese immigrant who needs a green card. In Andrew Ahn’s new remake of the film, which opens in cinemas in the United States on April 18, the stakes have been doubled, with two gay couples whose differing needs and goals have led them to the brink of breaking up. That is before their families get involved. Director and co-writer Ahn assembled a stellar cast for the movie,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3306710/wedding-banquets-youn-yuh-jung-channelling-her-past-play-gay-mans-grandmother?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3306710/wedding-banquets-youn-yuh-jung-channelling-her-past-play-gay-mans-grandmother?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Apr 2025 10:15:07 +0000 Lee Kwang-soo is back in the spotlight with not one but two major dramas currently on screens. The Korean actor shows his range in workplace comedy The Divorce Insurance – streaming globally on Amazon Prime – alongside Lee Dong-wook and in the twisty Netflix thriller series Karma, in which he shares the limelight with Shin Min-a and Park Hae-soo. Lee has been a draw on big and small screens for well over a decade but he is far from your typical leading man, not least because, at over 190cm (6ft... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3306078/who-lee-kwang-soo-running-man-founding-member-and-star-many-films-and-k-dramas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3306078/who-lee-kwang-soo-running-man-founding-member-and-star-many-films-and-k-dramas?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Apr 2025 11:15:07 +0000 More South Korean celebrities are speaking openly about their divorces, but many still wait years before making their break-ups public. Even as social perceptions around divorce have changed, stars remain cautious for a variety of personal and professional reasons. Singer Park Ki-young recently made headlines for revealing her second divorce – years after it happened. She first married a lawyer in 2010 but divorced in 2015. In 2017, she married a tango dancer and choreographer she met on KBS2’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3305534/why-do-south-korean-celebrities-reveal-divorces-years-later-despite-shifting-social-views?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3305534/why-do-south-korean-celebrities-reveal-divorces-years-later-despite-shifting-social-views?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Apr 2025 10:13:27 +0000 Sit back and break out the popcorn as the 49th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) prepares to fire up the projectors from April 10 to 21. The 2025 edition of one of Asia’s oldest cinematic events will screen nearly 200 films from 69 countries and regions, including six world premieres, two international premieres and 52 Asian premieres. HKIFF’s main draw this year is Louis Koo Tin-lok, who has become a household name over a 32-year career producing movies as well as... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3305172/catch-cinematic-gold-hong-kong-international-film-festival-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3305172/catch-cinematic-gold-hong-kong-international-film-festival-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Apr 2025 05:00:16 +0000