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What's hot in Korea

What's hot in Korea
The latest entertainment news from Korea, including updates on the sex scandal, food trends, beauty hacks and more from the land of K-pop.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Go Min-si recently starred in The Frog. Photo: Netflix
K-drama news

K-drama casting news about Go Min-si, Rain and more

K-pop star Rain will play a promoter of illegal fights in Bloodhounds 2, while Cha Eun-woo has been tapped for a new K-drama with Go Min-si.

K-drama news

How Squid Game’s doll became the ultimate Netflix ‘killing machine’

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Korean drama reviews

Review | The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, starring Ju Ji-hoon, is thrilling

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Asian cinema: Korean films

Why The Glory actress Song Hye-kyo is taking on darker roles

Back on screen in Dark Nuns, movie about nuns saving a boy who is possessed, Korean actress says The Glory reignited her passion for acting.

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Korean actress Song Hye-kyo at the launch of her new film, Dark Nuns, co-starring Jeon Yeo-been and Lee Jin-wook. Photo: Instagram/enykajol
Food and Drinks

Why Netflix star chef Edward Lee hasn’t opened a restaurant in Korea

Korean-American Lee, a star of Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars and Chef & My Fridge, on a life-changing visit to South Korea with his mother.

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K-drama news

Squid Game 2 is already the third most watched Netflix series ever

The sequel to Netflix’s most successful series of all time clocked 165.7 million views in under four weeks, overtaking Stranger Things.

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K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

K-pop star Minnie of G-(I)DLE on launch of first solo album, Her

‘It’s like my personal diary,’ Thai singer says of album out January 21, for which she wrote the seven tracks over a period of years.

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Minnie of K-pop group G-(I)DLE has released a solo album, Her. Photo: Instagram/min.nicha
K-drama news

The Penthouse K-drama actor Um Ki-joon marries ‘at 49, finally’

Actor posts announcement with photo of himself in white tuxedo, having revealed he had not expected to find ‘someone to spend my life with’.

K-drama news

Profile | Meet Ju Ji-hoon, star of K-dramas Light Shop and The Trauma Code

Ju Ji-hoon was a successful model, then actor, before a scandal brought him down. He fought his way back, and today his talent is in demand.

K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

K-pop group Oneus members reflect on new album Dear.M and look back

Oneus members talk about competing in two seasons of the Road to Kingdom reality show and how the Dear.M album is a thank you to their fans.

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South Korean K-pop band Oneus have a new album, Dear.M, dedicated to their loyal fans. Photo: Instagram/official_oneus
Korean drama reviews

In K-drama Unmasked, Kim Hye-soo plays investigative news for laughs

Given recent events in South Korea, a K-drama about investigative-news journalism may appear timely. Unmasked mixes the heavy with the light.

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Kim Hye-soo as investigative-news reporter Oh So-ryong in a still from Disney+ Korean drama series Unmasked. Jung Ji-sung and Joo Jong-hyuk co-star.
Asian cinema: Korean films

Korean actress Kim Min-hee pregnant with first child at 42

Director Hong Sang-soo, 64, left his wife for actress Kim Min-hee in 2015. The child she is carrying will be the first for both of them.

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Asia travel

South Korea woos tourists with discounts, tours and promotions

Cheap flights with free Wi-fi, tours, and shopping, hotel and restaurant discounts offered by 1,680 companies to encourage visits to country.

Netflix

Review | XO, Kitty season 2: Netflix’s Seoul-set spin-off series disappoints

Anna Cathcart returns as Kitty Song Covey for a second semester in Korea, but the new season wastes opportunities to explore engaging topics.

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Anna Cathcart as student Kitty Song Covey in a still from XO, Kitty season 2. Photo: Netflix
K-drama news

Why Thanos role in Squid Game 2 was ‘destiny’ for Choi Seung-hyun aka T.O.P

In first interview in 11 years, K-pop star with BigBang reflects on ‘lost years’, how he saw playing Thanos in Netflix series and the future.

Korean actor and singer Choi Seung-hyun (left) and as Thanos in a scene from season two of Netflix Korean drama series Squid Game. Instagram/con_pochoclos
K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

Baby V. O. X, 2NE1, BigBang … older K-pop faves are coming back

K-pop legends like 1990s girl group Baby V. O. X, 2NE1, BigBang and GFriend have been making highly successful returns to the stage.

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K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

New K-pop girl group Hearts2Hearts to debut in February

The eight-member outfit are Korean music label SM Entertainment’s first rookie girl group since Aespa in 2020 – find out their names here.

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Korean drama reviews

Check-in Hanyang midseason recap: hotel/period K-drama gets political

Netflix period drama about trainees at a prestigious guest house is shifting focus towards political intrigue and a royal backstory.

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Kim Ji-eun as hotel trainee Hong Deok-soo in a still from Netflix period K-drama Check-in Hanyang. Bae In-hyuk, Jung Gun-joo and Park Jae-chan co-star.
K-drama news

The 13 most anticipated K-dramas of 2025, from Two Women to Squid Game 3

K-pop stars IU and Jisoo, and actress Kim Min-ha, are among the stars of 2025’s most anticipated K-dramas, from Way Back Love to Newtopia.

Korean drama reviews

Love Scout: Han Ji-min, Lee Joon-hyuk in headhunting romcom K-drama

One of South Korea’s best headhunters hires an unflappable secretary in this romcom. It is frothy and fun, but will there be any substance?

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Korean drama reviews

Review | When the Phone Rings: formulaic K-drama follows all the tropes

This Netflix series slavishly sticks to Korean-drama stereotypes while including a clumsy, unnecessary allusion to the Israel-Gaza war.

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Yoo Yeon-seok (left) as politician Baek Sa-eon and Chae Soo-bin as interpreter Hong Hee-joo in a still from Netflix K-drama When the Phone Rings.
Books and literature

New Korean books in English to look forward to in 2025

Nobel Prize laureate Han Kang’s translated novel We Do Not Part leads a strong line-up of new English-language Korean literature this year.

(From left) Counterattacks at Thirty by Won-pyung Sohn, We Do Not Part by Han Kang, and A Thousand Blues by Cheon Seon-ran are among the many English-language Korean books to look forward to in 2025. Photo: Harper Collins/Penguin
Asian cinema: Korean films

Best movie roles of Squid Game season 2’s new players

Do they look familiar? From Park Sung-hoon to Kang Ha-neul, we look at films new Squid Game actors were in before entering the deadly arena.

Korean drama reviews

When the Stars Gossip: Lee Min-ho, Gong Hyo-jin in space station romcom

A hackneyed melodrama dressed up as sci-fi, Netflix romantic comedy set aboard a space station is so silly the writer may be in on the joke.

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K-drama news

K-drama casting news about Jung So-min, Ahn Jae-hong and more

Jung So-min and Choi Woo-shik are considering roles in Would You Marry Me, while Ahn Jae-hong was approached for Signal season 2.

Jung So-min, (pictured in a still from Love Next Door) has been offered a role in Would You Marry Me alongside Choi Woo-shik. Photo: tvN
Korean drama reviews

The Tale of Lady Ok midseason recap: Lim Ji-yeon matures

While the drama set in Korea’s Joseon dynasty continues to impress with its fresh story, it’s the protagonist’s evolution that is compelling.

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Lim Ji-yeon as Gu-deok, who becomes Ok Tae-young, in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok.
Korean drama reviews

Review | Love Your Enemy: home is where the heart is in comforting romcom K-drama

The strict adherence to the genre blueprint in this romcom starring Ju Ji-hoon and Jung Yu-mi makes this Korean drama easy to watch.

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Korean drama reviews

Who Is She, spirited Miss Granny remake, adds body swap to the mix

While not as well acted as the original Miss Granny film by Squid Game’s Hwang Dong-hyuk, fantasy comedy Who Is She is an engaging watch.

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