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Actress Kim Min-ha to host this fall's Busan film fest
SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - Actress Kim Min-ha will host the opening ceremony of this year's Busan International Film Festival, to be held this fall in the southern port city. Organizers of the annual festival, now in its 31st year, said Friday that the rising actress has been chosen as the sole host of the ceremony. Since making her acting debut in 2016, she gained widespread recognition for her role in Apple TV+'s drama series "Pachinko" in 2022 and has since a
July 31, 2026
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Latest 'Spider-Man' installment tops domestic box office SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - American superhero film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" topped the domestic box office, attracting about 680,000 moviegoers on its opening day this week. According to ticket sales data compiled by the Korean Film Council on Thursday, the film drew 689,076 moviegoers the previous day. The film had the best opening day among movies released in recent years, drawing more viewers than Hollywood animated film "Zootopia 2" and Japanese fantasy July 30, 2026 -
Korean director Lee Chang-dong to receive TIFF Ebert Director Award SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) — South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong will become the first Korean director to receive the Toronto International Film Festival's TIFF Ebert Director Award, Netflix said Thursday, as his latest film, "Possible Love," is also set to make its North American premiere at this year's festival. The award is part of TIFF's annual Tribute Awards, which recognize individuals for outstanding artistic achievement and contributions to cinema. July 30, 2026 -
Annual women's film festival in Seoul to return with record lineup next month SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - The annual Seoul International Women's Film Festival (SIWFF) will open next month, organizers said Wednesday. Now in its 28th year, the weeklong festival will run from Aug. 20 to 26. It received a record number of submissions this year, with 4,115 films from 125 countries across competitive and noncompetitive sections. In the festival's main competition section for international features, eight films from China, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Mexi July 29, 2026 -
Netflix's 'The East Palace' rises to No. 2 on global non-English TV chart SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) -Netflix's Korean fantasy series "The East Palace" climbed to No. 2 on the platform's global Top 10 list for non-English television shows in its second week of release, drawing 8.1 million views and entering the Top 10 in 69 countries, according to Netflix's weekly rankings on Wednesday. The eight-part series, which premiered on July 17, stars Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo and Cho Seung-woo in a supernatural mystery set in a royal palace. It July 29, 2026 -
Court rejects bid to block wider distribution of box office hit 'The King's Warden' SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - A Seoul court has rejected a bid to block further distribution of The King's Warden, clearing a legal obstacle to the historical drama's release on streaming services, home video and other platforms. The Seoul Western District Court dismissed an injunction sought by the family of a screenwriter who alleged that the film had copied the script of the 2000s television drama Eom Heung-do. The application was filed against co-producers Onda Works and BA July 24, 2026 -
South Korean coming-of-age drama to compete at Toronto film fest this fall SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Director Yoon Dan-bi's "The World Before" will vie for an award at this fall's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film's distributor at9 film said on Wednesday. Her second feature film will compete with 11 other films in the festival's Platform section and have its world premiere at the 51st edition of TIFF, which kicks off its 10-day run on Sept. 10. The festival's only competitive section spotlights "exc July 22, 2026 -
Netflix's 'The East Palace' debuts at No. 2 on global non-English TV chart SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Netflix's Korean fantasy mystery series The East Palace debuted at No. 2 on the streamer's global Top 10 list for non-English television after drawing 4.9 million views in its first three days, marking a strong international start for Nam Joo-hyuk's first series since completing military service. Released on July 17, the eight-episode series also topped Netflix's daily rankings in South Korea and entered the Top 10 in 27 markets, including Ho July 22, 2026 -
Yeon Sang-ho's upcoming thriller invited to film fest in Toronto this fall SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Director Yeon Sang-ho's upcoming mystery thriller "Paradise Lost" has been invited to this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film's distributor CJ ENM said on Tuesday. The 101-minute film will have its world premiere in the "Special Presentations" section of the 51st edition of TIFF, which will run from Sept. 10-20. It will mark Yeon's second consecutive appearance at TIFF after his mystery thriller & July 21, 2026 -
Korean titles make Netflix's most-watched in H1 SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korean productions remained among Netflix's biggest global draws in the first half of 2026, with two Korean series breaking into the platform's worldwide top 10 and multiple other titles attracting tens of millions of viewers, according to Netflix's latest engagement report. Legal drama "Teach You a Lesson" followed at No. 6 with 48 million views, making South Korea the only non-English market to place two July 21, 2026