SEOUL, March 16 (Korea Bizwire) – SM Entertainment will hold auditions in Indonesia to scout talent for its “NCT” idol group project, the nation’s top entertainment agency said Wednesday. Company founder Lee Soo-man unveiled the plan for its first-ever talent audition in Indonesia at a South Korea-Indonesia business summit in Jakarta the previous day. “Last [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Popular actress Lee Young-ae has donated to a local hospital in Gangneung where her recent drama was shot. Earlier this month, Lee made the donation of 100 million won (US$87,450) to Asan Hospital in the city, in Gangwon Province, asking that the money be used to treat poor patients. [...]
SEOUL, March 15 (Korea Bizwire) – A South Korea-Chinese film co-production project starring Korean actor Ha Jung-woo has been canceled apparently in the fallout from China’s anger over the planned deployment of a U.S. missile defense system known as THAAD in South Korea, the actor’s talent agency said Wednesday. “Ha was scheduled to film the [...]
SEOUL, March 14 (Korea Bizwire) – Another woman has been indicted on charges of a false sexual assault accusation against singer-actor Park Yu-chun, who was mired in a series of similar allegations last year, prosecutors said Tuesday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said the 24-year-old defendant, identified only by her last name Song, is [...]
SEOUL, March 13 (Korea Bizwire) – Award-winning Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo on Monday publicly admitted to being in a relationship with actress Kim Min-hee for the first time since media speculations on their relationship emerged last June. “I don’t know if this is the right place to unveil this, but we’re in love. We truly [...]
SEOUL, March 6 (Korea Bizwire) – With China’s ban on Korean products intensifying over the THAAD conflict, plagiarism and unlicensed distribution of Korean television programs are becoming more common than usual. According to local sources, three of China’s major video streaming websites – Tencent, Youku, and iQiyi – deleted all 2017 episodes of South Korean [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – The head of South Korea’s broadcasting watchdog body vowed to help expand exports of local TV dramas to Islamic countries to make up for restrictions imposed by China on entertainment content. “China accounts for a third of South Korea’s exports of broadcasting content, but this sectors is currently not [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s recent commitment to nurture the local motion picture industry comes after a TV series by tvN, Guardia: The Lonely and Great God (also referred to as “Goblin”), became a major hit on Taiwanese television. During a luncheon meeting on Tuesday, President Tsai emphasized the importance [...]
Seoul, Jan. 29 (Korea Bizwire) – Less Chinese tourists opted for Korea as a travel destination during the long Lunar New Year Holiday this year, Chinese media and travel agencies said Sunday. While as many as six million Chinese have gone or will go overseas during the holiday season from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s cultural and entertainment industries have been walking on thin ice for the past few months, as signs have continued to emerge that Beijing is going after Korea’s entertainers in protest of Seoul’s decision to bring in an American missile shield. On Tuesday, soprano Sumi Jo confirmed what [...]