news highlight

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  Baeksang Arts Awards set for May 8, adds musical category SEOUL, March 24 (AJP) - Baeksang Arts Awards, South Korea's premier honors for television, film, and theater, will expand its awarding categories by adding a musical category starting this year's event in May, the organizers of the annual event said Tuesday. The Baeksang ceremony's decision to adopt the musical category into its selection of awards divisions reflects the increasing popularity of stage performances in South Korea. According to the Korea Arts Manageme March 24, 2026
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  How 60-second micro-dramas are redefining screen culture SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - Over the past two decades, researchers have found that the average time people remain focused on a single task has fallen from roughly 2.5 minutes to about 40 seconds. For a generation raised on scrolling rather than scheduled programming, sitting through a two-hour film can feel like a commitment. A drama told in one or two minutes, however, fits neatly into the rhythm of daily life. Micro-dramas — serialized stories delivered in 60 to 120 second February 26, 2026
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  New South Korean rom-com makes strong debut on Netflix's global chart SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - Netflix's new South Korean series has cracked the top 10 on the global streaming giant's chart this week. According to Netflix's ranking website Tudum, "Can This Love Be Translated?" garnered 4 million in cumulative views, in less than a week after its release last Friday, securing the No. 2 spot among non-English shows, just behind crime thriller "Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web." The romantic comedy starring Kim Seon- January 21, 2026
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  INTERVIEW: Park Seo-joon: confident "Waiting for Gyeongo" will linger despite low ratings SEOUL, January 19 (AJP) - For Park Seo-joon, returning to the romance genre after seven years with, "Waiting for Gyeong-do" was a project that demanded full embracement of character’s life. Following the timeline of protagonist "Lee Gyeong-do," who continues to live with the same feelings even after two relationships at the ages of twenty and twenty-eight, the narrative goes beyond a simple reunion melodrama. Instead, it asks how the emotion of love is January 19, 2026
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  Kim Seon Ho, Go Youn Jung introduce Netflix rom-com 'Can This Love Be Translated?' SEOUL, January 13 (AJP) - The Hong sisters - Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran -, the popular writing duo behind fantasy hit series such as "Hotel Del Luna" are returning with a straight romantic comedy, teaming up with actors Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung for Netflix’s upcoming series “Can This Love Be Translated?” Anticipation is building over whether the series, which explores romance through the gap between language and emotion, will resonate with glo January 13, 2026
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  Cooking show returns to top spot as most-watched non-English series on Netflix SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) - The second season of Netflix's hit South Korean series "Culinary Class Wars" has remained at the No. 1 spot for a second consecutive week since its release earlier this month. According to the global streaming giant's ranking website Tudum, the series garnered 4.7 million views last week, the highest among non-English TV shows overall. The previous season also claimed the top spot for three consecutive weeks when it was released in Sep December 31, 2025
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  Mystery thriller debuts at No. 2 on Netflix's non-English chart SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - Netflix's latest South Korean series "The Price of Confession" ranked to No. 2 on the American streaming giant's chart for non-English-language shows, immediately after its release last week. Since its release on Dec. 5, the 12-episode series has racked up 2.2 million views as of Wednesday. It also made the top 10 lists in nine countries including Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. The mystery thriller starring actresses Jeon Do-ye December 10, 2025
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  Korea's acting community bids final farewell to beloved actor Lee Soon-jae SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Veteran actors and young aspiring performers bid a final farewell to their beloved teacher and role model Lee Soon-jae, whose passion for acting endured until illness forced him off the stage at age 90. The funeral was held at 5:30 a.m. Thursday at Seoul Asan Medical Center, attended by family members, fellow actors, longtime students, and colleagues from across the entertainment industry. Jeong Bo-seok, who played Lee’s son in the si November 27, 2025
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  Sitcom at 70 and stage at 90, Korea's eternal actor Lee Soon-jae SEOUL, November 25 (AJP) - "I'm forever indebted to you," 90-year-old actor Lee Soon-jae told television viewers on Dec. 31 last year after becoming the oldest recipient of the KBS top acting award in 2024. Since his debut in 1957, he appeared in more than 100 TV dramas, embracing any role — comedy, historical epic, classical theater — so long as he could act. Lee, who passed away on Nov. 25 at age 91, was a “born actor” who never feared c November 25, 2025