https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/325524/feed From the stylish blockbusters of Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho to art-house gems by Hong Sang-soo and Kim Ki-duk, this is the place to go for reviews, interviews and features about movies both classic and new from South Korea. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg CNA CNA The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is standing by its decision to screen South Korean political thriller The Assassin(s) as its opening film, despite calls from South Korea’s conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP) to withdraw it over allegations of historical distortion. The film, directed by Hur Jin-ho and starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, has drawn criticism in South Korea over its fictionalised portrayal of a real-life 1974 assassination attempt on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3370256/singapore-film-festival-rejects-south-korean-partys-calls-drop-assassins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3370256/singapore-film-festival-rejects-south-korean-partys-calls-drop-assassins?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 02:30:04 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram The 83rd Venice International Film Festival was defined by surprises. While this year’s line-up lacked major Hollywood studio fare, the jury – led by American actress-director Maggie Gyllenhaal and including veteran Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To Kei-fung – still had plenty to chew over. Labour issues emerged as a prominent theme, while the festival looked controversially to the future with the selection of Be Brave, a documentary about Diesel founder Renzo Rosso that was partly completed using... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3367444/venice-2026-10-festivals-best-movies-woman-unknown-possible-love-and-musk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3367444/venice-2026-10-festivals-best-movies-woman-unknown-possible-love-and-musk?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:15:05 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Following her head-turning role in Climax earlier this year, K-pop idol turned actress Nana is back on screens this month in the hotly anticipated Netflix period drama The Scandal. A new adaptation of the famed French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the series sees Nana share the screen alongside Son Ye-jin and Ji Chang-wook. A native of Cheongju in central South Korea, Nana was born in 1991 and first came to national prominence in 2009, when she stepped onto the stage as a model and debuted in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3367157/who-nana-k-pop-idol-and-star-netflix-k-dramas-scandal-and-mask-girl?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3367157/who-nana-k-pop-idol-and-star-netflix-k-dramas-scandal-and-mask-girl?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:15:05 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh With a budget reported to be closing in on 100 billion won (US$74.3 million), Hope, a white-knuckle action spectacular from South Korean genre specialist Na Hong-jin, is the most expensive Korean feature ever produced. The filmmaker first came to prominence with 2008’s serial killer thriller The Chaser and later cemented his reputation as one of his homeland’s most significant auteurs with crime drama The Yellow Sea (2010) and horror sensation The Wailing (2016), which, like Hope, also premiered... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3366596/making-hope-na-hong-jins-sci-fi-spectacular-and-most-expensive-korean-film-ever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3366596/making-hope-na-hong-jins-sci-fi-spectacular-and-most-expensive-korean-film-ever?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:15:06 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui Politics has had a habit of barging into art biennales of late, from the current Gwangju Biennale in South Korea to the Venice Biennale earlier this year. However, at the Busan Biennale, political noise is not an unfortunate sideshow: it is the whole curatorial premise. The curators, Bahraini-Singaporean artist Amal Khalaf and Brussels-based writer Evelyn Simons, have called their edition of South Korea’s oldest biennale, “Dissident Chorus”. The biennale seeks to move away from “the ruins of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3366251/not-so-dissident-chorus-busan-biennale-2026-makes-some-political-noise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3366251/not-so-dissident-chorus-busan-biennale-2026-makes-some-political-noise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2026 04:45:06 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 4.5/5 stars “Thou shalt not covet,” reads a title card at the beginning of Lee Chang-dong’s much-anticipated new film, Possible Love – alluding to the title of the 10th part of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s epic Dekalog. But covet what exactly? While Lee’s complex, nuanced drama features a modicum of sexual tension and a soupçon of envy, it goes much deeper. Issues of class and wealth bounce around like frenzied atoms in the Korean filmmaker’s first feature since his award-winning 2018 psychological... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3366373/venice-2026-possible-love-movie-review-lee-chang-dong-explores-class-masterful-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3366373/venice-2026-possible-love-movie-review-lee-chang-dong-explores-class-masterful-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2026 14:30:07 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran South Korea has been experiencing record temperatures this summer, but also enjoying a hot streak is Kim Hye-jun. The Korean actress is currently gracing our screens in two series that showcase very different sides of her: season 2 of the Disney+ action-thriller A Shop for Killers and her first romantic comedy, My Bias, My Boss. Born in Seoul in 1995, Kim initially dreamed of becoming a designer or a nurse, but caught the acting bug after taking part in a middle-school talent show. Despite... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3364012/who-kim-hye-jun-lead-actress-k-dramas-shop-killers-and-my-bias-my-boss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3364012/who-kim-hye-jun-lead-actress-k-dramas-shop-killers-and-my-bias-my-boss?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Aug 2026 11:15:04 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2.5/5 stars Jang Hye-jin and Choi Woo-shik, stars of Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning South Korean satire Parasite, reunite in Number One. This peculiar drama by Kim Tae-yong (Set Me Free) casts them once again as mother and son, putting their unshakeable bond to the ultimate test. The real highlight here, however, is the mouth-watering array of regional culinary delights that sustains their relationship. Food often serves as a love language between family members, and nowhere is that more apparent... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3362904/number-one-movie-review-parasite-stars-reunite-peculiar-food-themed-family-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3362904/number-one-movie-review-parasite-stars-reunite-peculiar-food-themed-family-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:15:10 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh As blockbusters like The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Toy Story 5 continue to dominate cinema screens across Hong Kong, adventurous film-goers desperate to escape the incessant downpours can take comfort in the eclectic line-up unveiled for this year’s Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival. This concise seasonal companion to the Hong Kong International Film Festival boasts a focused selection of 37 features. These range from regional premieres of festival highlights to new 4K... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3362804/hong-kongs-summer-international-film-festival-2026-10-must-see-movies-and-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3362804/hong-kongs-summer-international-film-festival-2026-10-must-see-movies-and-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:15:06 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Twenty-five years ago this week, Kwak Jae-young’s game-changing My Sassy Girl exploded into South Korean cinemas. A surprise blockbuster at home and across the region, it resonated with audiences by radically subverting traditional gender stereotypes, driven by star-making performances from Jun Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyun. The 2001 romantic comedy became a flagship title of the emerging hallyu (Korean Wave) phenomenon, which helped elevate South Korean pop culture from a cottage industry into the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3361341/how-my-sassy-girl-jun-ji-hyun-left-lasting-impact-south-korean-cinema-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3361341/how-my-sassy-girl-jun-ji-hyun-left-lasting-impact-south-korean-cinema-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:15:06 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran One of Korea’s brightest young stars makes a long-awaited comeback to the screen after stepping away to complete his mandatory military service. Model-turned-actor Nam Joo-hyuk, now well over a decade into his screen career, headlines the Netflix show The East Palace, which begins streaming this week. He features alongside Roh Yoon-seo in this glossy, supernaturally tinged period drama, his first screen credit since leading the punchy 2023 action thriller Vigilante on Disney+. A native of the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3360676/who-nam-joo-hyuk-twenty-five-twenty-one-star-back-netflixs-east-palace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3360676/who-nam-joo-hyuk-twenty-five-twenty-one-star-back-netflixs-east-palace?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jul 2026 04:45:05 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times After more than 35 years in the industry, Choi Min-sik has solidified his status as a living legend of Korean cinema. In his latest project Netflix psychological thriller, Notes from the Last Row, the veteran actor delivers a haunting performance as professor Heo Mun-oh, a failed novelist who becomes dangerously consumed by the voyeuristic genius of Lee Kang (Choi Hyun-wook), an enigmatic student sitting in the back of his classroom. “When I first got the script and read the original play, I... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3359514/why-oldboy-choi-min-sik-prefers-dark-side-revenge-craft-notes-last-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3359514/why-oldboy-choi-min-sik-prefers-dark-side-revenge-craft-notes-last-row?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jul 2026 10:15:05 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Lead cast: Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi, Suzu Hirose, Kento Hayashi When a respected scientist explodes live on national television, it launches a wave of terror that sweeps Japan, masterminded by a mysterious serial killer who can seemingly vanish into thin air. Marking the first collaboration between Netflix and Toho Studios, Human Vapor is the latest creation from Yeon Sang-ho, the South Korean filmmaker behind such genre hits as Train to Busan and Colony. It is a bold reimagining of Toho’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3358440/netflix-drama-human-vapor-review-shun-oguri-yu-aoi-yeon-sang-hos-bold-sci-fi-reboot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3358440/netflix-drama-human-vapor-review-shun-oguri-yu-aoi-yeon-sang-hos-bold-sci-fi-reboot?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jun 2026 23:00:06 +0000 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/series/3358572/vault-culturally-significant-films?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/series/3358572/vault-culturally-significant-films?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2026 21:44:31 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Marking its 30th anniversary, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) in South Korea promises a typically raucous 11-day event from July 2 to 12. Staged in the bustling satellite city west of Seoul, Asia’s largest celebration of genre cinema has assembled a formidable selection of the latest horror, action, science fiction and fantasy films from around the globe. This year, proceedings kick off with the local premiere of Hong Kong film legend Yuen Woo-ping’s blockbuster wuxia... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3358009/whats-showing-south-koreas-bifan-2026-it-celebrates-30-years-asian-genre-cinema?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3358009/whats-showing-south-koreas-bifan-2026-it-celebrates-30-years-asian-genre-cinema?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:15:05 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Park Ji-hyun is kicking off the summer in style with two projects: the buzzy K-pop comedy film Wild Sing and the glossy workplace drama series See You at Work Tomorrow! She displays considerable range across these projects, which is of little surprise to those who have been paying attention. Despite seeming like a veteran of the screen, Park only took on her first leading role two years ago in the series Flex X Cop. Although she knew she wanted to be an actress by the time she was a teenager,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3356903/meet-park-ji-hyun-rising-star-k-dramas-flex-x-cop-and-see-you-work-tomorrow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3356903/meet-park-ji-hyun-rising-star-k-dramas-flex-x-cop-and-see-you-work-tomorrow?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jun 2026 04:45:05 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram Liminal spaces are blowing up. Backrooms, indie film company A24’s latest horror release, has been setting all kinds of records this week. Its US$118 million at the worldwide box office on its opening weekend saw it become A24’s biggest hit ever, while director Kane Parsons became the youngest-ever filmmaker to have a film hit number one at the US box office, at just 20 years old. Costing just US$10 million to make, Backrooms is undoubtedly in a race with the also recently released Obsession to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3355521/how-films-backrooms-and-exit-8-are-turning-liminal-spaces-horror-trend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3355521/how-films-backrooms-and-exit-8-are-turning-liminal-spaces-horror-trend?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:15:04 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram Yeon Sang-ho sleeps soundly at night – no bad dreams, no night terrors, thank you very much. “When I get to bed, I’m just completely exhausted,” the 47-year-old South Korean director says with a grin. “When I sleep, the next step is just I wake up. So I never dream or have nightmares.” This must have come as a relief given he has spent a decade contemplating zombies on and off following his 2016 mega-hit Train to Busan. It is late afternoon when we meet on the windswept sixth-floor terrace of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3353976/how-colony-features-new-kind-zombie-reflect-modern-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3353976/how-colony-features-new-kind-zombie-reflect-modern-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2026 11:15:05 +0000 Clarence Tsui Clarence Tsui 2/5 stars If South Korean director Na Hong-jin had wanted to give his latest movie an even snappier title, it might be Run. Through long stretches of this two-and-a-half-hour action extravaganza, humans and aliens race down small-town streets, through forests and along highways, as if daring the viewer to – sorry – hope when and where this is all going to end. Except that it does not. By introducing a slew of new threads in the final reel, Na seems to be shaping Hope as the first of a franchise.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3353931/cannes-2026-hope-movie-review-wailing-director-na-hong-jin-back-monster-mess?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3353931/cannes-2026-hope-movie-review-wailing-director-na-hong-jin-back-monster-mess?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2026 05:45:22 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Cha Eun-woo fans had to temporarily bid farewell to their beloved idol in July 2025, when he began his obligatory military service. Fortunately, the star completed one show before heading off to the barracks – the superhero comedy-drama The Wonderfools, which launched worldwide on May 15. While the Netflix series can rely on the rest of its cast to market it to fans, including lead Park Eun-bin, losing access to Cha’s Instagram account – which boasts more than 46 million followers and has... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3353644/who-cha-eun-woo-handsome-k-pop-idol-starring-netflix-k-drama-wonderfools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3353644/who-cha-eun-woo-handsome-k-pop-idol-starring-netflix-k-drama-wonderfools?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 May 2026 04:45:05 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars Korean superstar Jun Ji-hyun makes her long-awaited return to the big screen in Colony, an action-packed zombie thriller that sees director Yeon Sang-ho revisit the undead mayhem that made his name. The film just had its world premiere in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival – a prestigious bow that neatly mirrors the debut of Yeon’s genre-defining blockbuster Train to Busan exactly 10 years prior. Set apart from the wider Train to Busan franchise, which also... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3353564/cannes-2026-colony-movie-review-jun-ji-hyun-returns-slick-empty-zombie-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3353564/cannes-2026-colony-movie-review-jun-ji-hyun-returns-slick-empty-zombie-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 May 2026 01:00:10 +0000 Daniel Eagan Daniel Eagan With more than 16 million tickets sold, The King’s Warden has almost single-handedly resurrected a sluggish South Korean film industry. In telling the story of the young king Yi Hong-wi, deposed by his uncle and sent into exile, the film has struck a chord with audiences of all ages. Producer Lim Eun-jung, whose film company Onda Works developed the movie, tells the South China Morning Post that financing the production was extremely difficult. “I developed the very first treatment in 2018 while... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3353226/how-kings-warden-sold-16-million-tickets-and-saved-korean-box-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3353226/how-kings-warden-sold-16-million-tickets-and-saved-korean-box-office?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 May 2026 09:15:04 +0000 Ishani Sarkar Ishani Sarkar The highly anticipated second season of Lee Sung Jin’s Emmy-winning comedy drama, Beef, starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho, Cailee Spaeny, and Charles Melton, landed on Netflix on April 16 and immediately made a splash. The internet is buzzing with the latest instalment of the anthology, and it is already the fifth most-watched TV show on the platform at the time of writing, according to streaming data collection website FlixPatrol. Alongside the acting... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3351238/meet-seoyeon-jang-who-plays-eunice-netflixs-beef-season-2-and-started-out-k-pop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3351238/meet-seoyeon-jang-who-plays-eunice-netflixs-beef-season-2-and-started-out-k-pop?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:10 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Byeon Woo-seok’s star has been on a sharp rise over the past few years. After sitting out last year’s drama release schedules, he returns this weekend in what is arguably his most hotly anticipated role to date: Grand Prince Ian in the alternate-history fantasy romance Perfect Crown opposite K-pop idol IU (aka Lee Ji-eun). Born in Bucheon, a satellite city southwest of Seoul, in 1991, Byeon spent his early childhood there before relocating to the capital. Influenced by his older sister, he... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3349509/who-byeon-woo-seok-model-turned-actor-starring-opposite-iu-perfect-crown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3349509/who-byeon-woo-seok-model-turned-actor-starring-opposite-iu-perfect-crown?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 07:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars The Russian city of Vladivostok provides the setting for Humint, the latest globe-trotting thriller from South Korean action specialist Ryoo Seung-wan. Set in the high-stakes world of international espionage, the film features Zo In-sung (Escape from Mogadishu) and Park Jeong-min (Uprising) as agents from South and North Korea, respectively, who attempt to foil a human trafficking ring. After opening in South Korean cinemas during the Lunar New Year holiday, Humint launches globally... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3348472/netflix-movie-review-humint-dynamic-korean-spy-thriller-ryoo-seung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3348472/netflix-movie-review-humint-dynamic-korean-spy-thriller-ryoo-seung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Since the pandemic, the once-mighty South Korean film industry has struggled to return to its former glory. The year 2025 proved particularly trying, as it failed to produce a large-scale breakout capable of reminding audiences what they were missing. That dry spell finally came to a decisive end over the past few weeks, thanks to the staggering success of the Lunar New Year holiday title The King’s Warden, a broadly appealing period drama that continues to defy expectations on its... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3347651/10-most-watched-korean-films-ever-kings-warden-draws-nearly-15-million-film-goers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3347651/10-most-watched-korean-films-ever-kings-warden-draws-nearly-15-million-film-goers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:15:07 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Singer-turned-actor Seo In-guk is currently starring in Netflix’s high-concept workplace romantic comedy Boyfriend on Demand. The 38-year-old shares the screen with another performer who has recently traded the concert stage for sound stages: Blackpink’s Jisoo. Born in Ulsan in southeast South Korea, Seo grew up in a working-class household; his mother worked at a recycling centre and his father was a welder. Seo was athletic as a child, taking part in ssireum (traditional Korean wrestling),... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3346353/who-seo-guk-jisoos-co-star-netflix-k-drama-boyfriend-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3346353/who-seo-guk-jisoos-co-star-netflix-k-drama-boyfriend-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Versatile Korean actress Shin Hye-sun is currently displaying her range in Netflix’s twisty fashion-themed thriller The Art of Sarah, playing a wily woman of many identities. Few could navigate such a complex role, but Shin has a knack for portraying characters with steel in their spine – a trait she mirrors in her own determined approach to her career. Shin harboured ambitions of acting from a young age, ignited by watching Autumn in My Heart, a classic Korean drama starring Won Bin, which... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3343323/who-shin-hye-sun-versatile-actress-k-dramas-mr-queen-and-art-sarah?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3343323/who-shin-hye-sun-versatile-actress-k-dramas-mr-queen-and-art-sarah?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 09:15:09 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Wealth and good fortune are the twin engines of the Lunar New Year film season, and Hong Kong filmmaker Philip Yung Tsz-kwong’s The Snowball on a Sunny Day is the latest festive offering to find humour in the hunt for millions. Boasting an ensemble led by Chung Suet-ying, Edan Lui Cheuk-on and Elaine Jin Yan-ling, the comedy-drama follows a working-class family living in a public housing estate who believe they have won the Mark Six lottery jackpot, only to discover that the responsible family... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343132/10-asian-movies-about-winning-lottery-and-why-jackpot-never-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343132/10-asian-movies-about-winning-lottery-and-why-jackpot-never-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:15:09 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran South Korea’s vibrant independent-film community produces waves of movies that travel to festivals around the world, delighting viewers, picking up awards and adding a social counterpoint to the broader pleasures of its mainstream counterparts. Even though most of these indie films struggle to find screens, and thus audiences at home, over the years, art-house breakouts have become more frequent. With Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Love, the latest Korean indie to conquer the charts, set to hit Hong... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3341326/10-most-successful-korean-art-house-films-all-time-including-world-love?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3341326/10-most-successful-korean-art-house-films-all-time-including-world-love?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram In a world where streamers often get a bad rap for force-feeding audiences mainstream fare, this month sees the arrival of something distinctive. On Mubi, fans of Asian experimental cinema are in for a treat. The Asian Avant-Garde collection, now streaming on the platform, is a mix of 10 shorts and features, from Dead Knot (1969), an early black-and-white work co-written by John Woo Yu-sum, to An Asian Ghost Story (2023), a haunting slice of docufiction centres on the Hong Kong wig industry in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340643/m-and-chanel-bring-john-woo-movie-plus-other-rare-asian-avant-garde-films-mubi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340643/m-and-chanel-bring-john-woo-movie-plus-other-rare-asian-avant-garde-films-mubi?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:15:10 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Six years after breaking out in the Netflix smash Sweet Home, Go Youn-jung has tackled just about every genre the K-drama world has to offer, save for the most classic of all: the romantic comedy. Go will finally remedy that this month when she returns to screens opposite Kim Seon-ho in Can This Love Be Translated?, a 12-part globe-trotting Netflix drama that reunites her with the Hong Sisters, the writing duo behind Alchemy of Souls. Why we love her Despite having blazed through all these... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3340129/who-go-youn-jung-k-drama-actress-leading-netflixs-can-love-be-translated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3340129/who-go-youn-jung-k-drama-actress-leading-netflixs-can-love-be-translated?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 09:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Hong Kong movie star and producer Louis Koo Tin-lok is currently rewriting history – and box office records – with the time-travel adventure Back to the Past. Taking in over HK$60 million (US$7.7 million) since its New Year’s Eve debut, the film is a much-anticipated sequel to 2001’s A Step into the Past, a favourite television series from Hong Kong broadcaster TVB. It sends Koo’s security agent hurtling back to the Qin dynasty, reuniting him with many original cast members, including Raymond... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339696/10-best-asian-time-travel-movies-watch-after-hong-kong-hit-back-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339696/10-best-asian-time-travel-movies-watch-after-hong-kong-hit-back-past?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:15:07 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Celebrated South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki died on January 5, just four days after celebrating his 74th birthday. Known affectionately as “The Nation’s Actor”, Ahn starred in more than 100 feature films over the course of a career that spanned almost his entire life. After making his screen debut at age five in Kim Ki-young’s 1957 film Twilight Train, Ahn went on to appear in The Housemaid in 1960, widely regarded as the finest Korean film ever made. After a hiatus for education and mandatory... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3338768/ahn-sung-kis-5-best-movies-remembering-iconic-korean-film-actor-who-died-aged-74?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3338768/ahn-sung-kis-5-best-movies-remembering-iconic-korean-film-actor-who-died-aged-74?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 11:45:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ahn Sung-ki, one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor”, died on Monday. He was 74. The death of Ahn, who had been fighting blood cancer for years, was announced by his agency, the Artist Company, and the Seoul-based Soonchunhyang University Hospital. “We feel deep sorrow at the sudden, sad news, pray for the eternal rest of the deceased and offer our heartfelt condolences to his bereaved... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3338710/south-korean-nations-actor-ahn-sung-ki-dies-74?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3338710/south-korean-nations-actor-ahn-sung-ki-dies-74?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 02:20:46 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh In 2025, Asian cinema continues to make its mark around the world. Animated features from mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as Japan, have shattered box office records, while filmmakers and performers from across the region have been honoured at the world’s most prestigious film festivals. From established auteurs to promising newcomers, the region remains a thriving hotbed of rich and diverse commercial and artistic talent. Below are our picks of the 12 best films released this year across... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337826/12-best-asian-films-2025-ranked-ne-zha-2-no-other-choice-and-kokuho?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337826/12-best-asian-films-2025-ranked-ne-zha-2-no-other-choice-and-kokuho?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Winner of the Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, the latest film by All the Long Nights director Sho Miyake is a beautifully staged and delicately poised rumination on the parallels between writing and travel. Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung stars as Li, a screenwriter living in Japan, who is searching for inspiration for her latest project. The perpetual clash between her desire for solitude and sense of isolation in a foreign land both fuels her own writing and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336476/two-seasons-two-strangers-movie-review-sho-miyakes-hypnotic-ode-writing-and-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336476/two-seasons-two-strangers-movie-review-sho-miyakes-hypnotic-ode-writing-and-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Earlier this year, Kim Woo-bin graced the small screen in Netflix’s splashy fantasy romance Genie, Make a Wish, reuniting with his Uncontrollably Fond co-star Bae Suzy and Kim Eun-sook, the writer behind The Heirs – one of the actor’s earliest projects. While the series received mixed reviews, it was nevertheless a compelling showcase for Kim’s chiselled features and magnetic screen aura. Yet Kim’s biggest moment of 2025 is still to come: on December 20, he is set to tie the knot with girlfriend... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3336170/who-kim-woo-bin-steely-eyed-star-k-dramas-our-blues-and-genie-make-wish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3336170/who-kim-woo-bin-steely-eyed-star-k-dramas-our-blues-and-genie-make-wish?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 04:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh The last few days have seen Hong Kong reeling from the unspeakable tragedy of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which has left at least 146 people dead and 79 injured, with 40 still unaccounted for. Initial investigations suggest possible negligence on the part of those overseeing renovation work, leaving the community angry and desperate for justice. Meanwhile, the way in which the city’s population has rallied together to provide support for those affected has been truly humbling. In times... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334761/want-find-solace-film-10-movies-may-offer-catharsis-and-hope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334761/want-find-solace-film-10-movies-may-offer-catharsis-and-hope?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Korean actress Ahn Eun-jin is closing out a busy 2025 with her latest leading role this month in the romantic comedy Dynamite Kiss alongside Jang Ki-yong. She kicked off the year by briefly returning to the Hospital Playlist role that made her famous, and a few months ago, she also appeared in the big-budget Netflix production Genie, Make a Wish, alongside Bae Suzy and Kim Woo-bin. A contemporary of many of the leading stars of today’s K-drama industry, Ahn, now 34, took a little longer than... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3332821/who-ahn-eun-jin-late-blooming-actress-hospital-playlist-and-dynamite-kiss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3332821/who-ahn-eun-jin-late-blooming-actress-hospital-playlist-and-dynamite-kiss?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 12:30:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram Park Chan-wook, the celebrated South Korean auteur behind such esteemed works as Oldboy and The Handmaiden, is not a filmmaker one typically associates with comedy. It came as a surprise, then, even to his lead actor, Lee Byung-hun, when the script for his latest film, No Other Choice, turned out to be funny. “There were so many comical elements to it, so I was a little bit puzzled,” Lee admits at a recent interview with the Post. “The very first question I asked Director Park was, ‘Did I read... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3328905/no-other-choice-why-korean-auteur-park-chan-wook-reunited-lee-byung-hun-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3328905/no-other-choice-why-korean-auteur-park-chan-wook-reunited-lee-byung-hun-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 11:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran After kicking off the year opposite Park Bo-young in the Netflix romance series Melo Movie, Korean actor Choi Woo-shik is back on screens this weekend in another romantic tale, this time alongside Jung So-min in Would You Marry Me. While Choi has increasingly become known for his small-screen roles, mostly stories about love, he earned his early fame for his big-screen parts. After drawing acclaim for roles in hard-hitting independent films and gaining notice through scene-stealing supporting... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3328522/who-choi-woo-shik-handsome-parasite-actor-knack-romance-k-dramas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3328522/who-choi-woo-shik-handsome-parasite-actor-knack-romance-k-dramas?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 09:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Boasting an eclectic programme of features, shorts, documentaries and retrospectives, the 22nd Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HKAFF) opens its doors on October 22 with the Asian premiere of new Hong Kong animation Another World. Other local debuts include esports fantasy Gamer Girls, starring the increasingly ubiquitous Angela Yuen Lai-lam, and the Canada-set drama Finch & Midland, featuring Anthony Wong Chau-sang and Patrick Tam Yiu-man. Thai filmmaker Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit is this year’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3327321/hong-kong-asian-film-festival-2025-12-best-movies-see-including-another-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3327321/hong-kong-asian-film-festival-2025-12-best-movies-see-including-another-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 04:45:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars Noisy neighbours are an all-too-common scourge of Asia’s overcrowded cities, but what do you do when their intimate nocturnal antics become too loud to ignore? For the protagonists of Ha Jung-woo’s The People Upstairs, which just premiered at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, a direct approach backfires spectacularly, leading to an uncomfortable and frequently hilarious dinner party between two wildly different couples. This relocated adaptation of Cesc Gay’s Sentimental is... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326457/busan-2025-people-upstairs-movie-review-ha-jung-woo-excels-cheeky-sex-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326457/busan-2025-people-upstairs-movie-review-ha-jung-woo-excels-cheeky-sex-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 02:45:07 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran The crown jewel of the Asian film festival circuit, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) returns this year for a landmark 30th edition, running from September 17 to September 26. Coming a few weeks earlier than usual, the festival held in South Korea’s second-largest metropolis has welcomed record temperatures as well as a dizzying array of star guests to its red carpets. It also features a new festival director, with Jung Han-seok, formerly a programmer at the festival, stepping up to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326383/can-busan-international-film-festival-help-korean-cinema-stay-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326383/can-busan-international-film-festival-help-korean-cinema-stay-top?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 10:22:26 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars Drowning in ambition but narratively adrift, Kim Byung-woo’s latest high-concept blockbuster opens with an apartment complex being consumed by a giant tsunami before morphing into a science-fiction thriller that defies simple explanation. Kim’s filmography boasts a string of audacious genre-bending experiments, from The Terror Live to Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy. The Great Flood, which premiered last week at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, is an action-packed puzzle box... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326331/busan-2025-great-flood-movie-review-kim-da-mi-cant-save-puzzling-netflix-fantasy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326331/busan-2025-great-flood-movie-review-kim-da-mi-cant-save-puzzling-netflix-fantasy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 08:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Good News is the new film from Byun Sung-hyun, director of The Merciless and Kill Boksoon, and opens with the caption: “Inspired by true events, but all characters and events portrayed are fictional,” before asking “What is the truth then?” The event in question is the March 1970 hijacking of Japan Airlines flight 351 by members of the Red Army Faction of the Japan Communist League. What unfolds is a riotously entertaining black comedy about the nature of truth, the power of propaganda... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326068/busan-2025-good-news-movie-review-hilarious-korean-farce-based-real-life-hijacking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3326068/busan-2025-good-news-movie-review-hilarious-korean-farce-based-real-life-hijacking?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 04:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars The true measure of humanity’s beauty, or lack thereof, is explored in The Ugly. It marks the first cinematic release in five years from Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho, who has recently put most of his energy into making films and TV dramas for Netflix, such as Revelations and Hellbound. Returning to the more grounded social dramas upon which he first made his name, this adaptation from Yeon’s own graphic novel, Face, reopens a cold case of murder that reaches back decades into... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3325571/ugly-movie-review-yeon-sang-hos-dark-mystery-proves-both-intriguing-and-frustrating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3325571/ugly-movie-review-yeon-sang-hos-dark-mystery-proves-both-intriguing-and-frustrating?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 09:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran The captivating young Korean star Kim Da-mi has been very careful with her project choices since exploding onto the big screen in 2018. But after a steady trickle of memorable parts, the floodgates have finally opened in 2025, with three projects on her docket this year. After appearing in the acclaimed thriller Nine Puzzles a few months ago, the 30-year-old will be back on screens this month in the 1980s-set bus hostess drama A Hundred Memories and again before the year is out in the Netflix... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3325340/who-kim-da-mi-enigmatic-actress-known-k-dramas-itaewon-class-and-nine-puzzles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3325340/who-kim-da-mi-enigmatic-actress-known-k-dramas-itaewon-class-and-nine-puzzles?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 11:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram One of the biggest surprises of the 82nd Venice Film Festival was saved until the very end, when Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother took the Golden Lion for best film. Starring Adam Driver, Tom Waits and Cate Blanchett, this slight, minimalist triptych study of familial relations recalled last year’s winner, Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, in the sense that a director who has never won a major festival top prize finally did so with a relatively middling film. The film was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3324742/venice-2025-10-festivals-best-films-smashing-machine-no-other-choice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3324742/venice-2025-10-festivals-best-films-smashing-machine-no-other-choice?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 20:15:08 +0000