Novelist Park Sang-young is now a screenwriter, following the release of the television adaptation of his 2019 novel, “Love in the Big City.“ Park wrote the script for all eight episodes of the drama which explores the romantic and personal life of a young gay man in Seoul. The series was released in full on the local streaming platform Tving on Oct. 21. “As you may have guessed, it took some time to cast the actors and confirm the platform on which it will air due to the uni

Television Oct. 30, 2024

A scruffy man with windblown hair is dragged down to kneel on the ground. Despite his untidy looks, his glaring eyes are fixed on the enemy as he swings his sword, a movement akin to dancing. The man is Gang Dong-won, portraying a seemingly unlikely character for the actor: Cheon-young, a main character in Netflix’s “Uprising.” Ranking third in some 190 countries on Netflix’s non-English Global Top 10 movie chart soon after its Oct. 11 release, the period action flick fol

Film Oct. 29, 2024

In the upcoming sports movie “One Win” Song Kang-ho depicts a down-and-out coach who, despite a life miserable with continued failures, is betting on a single win. “One Win” was written and directed by Shin Yeon-sik, who Song worked with in the recent Disney+ drama “Uncle Samsik.” The movie revolves around Woo-jin, a volleyball coach who has never won before and players who have no idea how to win a game. As a team, however, they head toward their mutual goal

Film Oct. 28, 2024

Mocha buns, the once-popular sweet treat with a crispy outside and abundant cream filling, seem to have all but disappeared from Seoul’s streets in recent years, perhaps pushed out by the arrival of newer, more creative desserts. At Standard Bun, a cafe in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, that opened in early October, mocha buns have been transformed in a surprising way. Each bun's crispy coffee layer is decorated with a topping that matches its generous filling. Everything from the usual milk cr

Food Oct. 26, 2024

The future of hansik, or Korean food, needs increased focus on the training and nurturing of future talent in the industry, according to culinary experts attending a food symposium in Seoul on Friday. Yang Jong-jip, a professor at the Culinary Institute of America, said the industry needs to approach the nurturing of talent from an institutional and educational level, during Hansik Conference 2024 at Samcheonggak in Seoul on Friday. Held for the second time, the annual hansik symposium was joint

Food Oct. 25, 2024

Hidden dumpling shop Mandu are Korean dumplings filled with ingredients such as seasoned minced meat, tofu and vegetables like napa cabbage and green onions. They're a classic food enjoyed by all ages, found in small eateries and street stalls across Korea. Gwi-Il Dumpling, a local gem in Geumho-dong, Seoul, offers six varieties of mandu -- meat, kimchi, shrimp, galbi (Korean marinated ribs), spicy galbi and a mix of meat and vegetables. The restaurant also serves jjinppang, steamed buns fi

Culture Oct. 25, 2024

“A Normal Family” (South Korea) Opened Oct. 16 Drama Directed by Hur Jin-ho Successful lawyer Jae-wan (Sol Kyung-gu) and his brother meet for dinner with pediatrician Jae-kyu (Jang Dong-gun) to discuss how to handle a violent crime committed by their children, which tests the brothers' consciences. “Love in the Big City” (South Korea) Opened Oct. 1 Drama Directed by Lee Eon-hee Jae-hee (Kim Go-eun) and Heung-soo (Noh Sang-hyun), young Seoulites who have known each

Film Oct. 25, 2024

Veteran actor Youn Yuj-jung (“Minari,” “Pachinko”) will star in season two of the Netflix series “Beef.” The new installment of this US anthology drama will feature Youn as the Korean billionaire owner of a country club. While the show’s creator, executive producer and showrunner Lee Sung-jin continues to helm season two of “Beef,” the new season will feature a whole new cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton and Cai

Film Oct. 24, 2024

Following the globeal popularity of “Culinary Class Wars,” a cooking reality show from Netflix, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is holding a special event with Mosu chef Ahn Sung-jae, offering a chance to taste a fine dining meal for 40,000 won. The event will take place at Sevit Island by Banpo Hangang Park on Nov. 3. Under Ahn’s lead, contestants from the Netflix show -- Kang Seung-won (Triple Star), Bae Kyung-joon (One Two Three) --, as well as Oh Jong-il, the head chef fr

Food Oct. 22, 2024

Korean cinema has recently seen a number of works that examine in-depth the real-life agony of young people in Korea, such as “Because I Hate Korea” and “Love in the Big City,” which closely depict young Koreans’ hardships in getting a job and embracing one’s identity. Director Kim Jin-tae of “Can We Get Married?” portrays an average 30-something couple in Korea facing a bumpy ride ahead as they get ready to get married. Lee Dong-hwi (“Reply

Film Oct. 22, 2024

South Korea in the 1980s is often described as an era of violence and chaos. The period was marked by numerous major events in South Korean history, among them: the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 1980 in which the military cracked down on civilians leading to a massacre; one of the largest fraud cases to date involving Jang Young-ja, a woman associated with then-President Chun Doo-hwan’s wife’s family in 1982; the Oct. 9, 1983 assassination attempt on Chun in Yangon, Myanmar in which

Film Oct. 21, 2024

Amid the ongoing slump of Hollywood blockbusters at the local box office, attention is focused on whether any of the upcoming mega-scale films can break the trend or struggle to compete against a diverse lineup of Korean movies. First on the list is “Venom: The Last Dance,” an American superhero film. The final installment in the Venom trilogy, opening in Korea on Oct. 23, sees Tom Hardy return to his role as Venom, one of Marvel’s most complex characters. The previous films

Film Oct. 20, 2024

“Love in the Big City” (South Korea) Opened Oct. 1 Drama Directed by Lee Eon-hee Jae-hee (Kim Go-eun) and Heung-soo (Noh Sang-hyun), young Seoulites who have known each other since college, find themselves and come to understand one another better than anyone else. “The Wild Robot” (US) Opened Oct. 1 Animation Directed by Chris Sanders Roz (Lupita Nyong'o), a newly manufactured robot shipwrecked on an uninhabited island with no human inhabitants, learns to adapt to

Film Oct. 18, 2024

The short-form thriller “4 minutes 44 seconds” will hit local theaters next month, following the unusual success of the short film “Night Fishing” starring Son Suk-ku in June. As the title suggests, “4 minutes 44 seconds” is an eight-episode horror-thriller with each story lasting 4 minutes and 44 seconds. The short-form film follows residents and visitors of the mysterious Bukchon Apartment, where someone disappears at 4:44 p.m. every day. The movie will ex

Film Oct. 16, 2024

Director Kim Sang-man, whose last film was 2004’s “The Tenor - Lirico Spinto,” was hesitant at first to make a period action flick set in Joseon (1392-1910). He said it was because of the massive amount of historical evidence and ancient records he would have to reference, which might have limited his creativity when directing. What, then, led him to direct the period action film “Uprising”? The film, which follows the friendship, fate and rebellion of a young maste

Film Oct. 15, 2024