South Korea: Last News

Netflix has teased a trailer for a Squid Game spin-off that sees real life contestants take on the gruelling challenges from the hit TV series - without the fatal consequences. But fans have made a demand as the launch of the new reality show draws nearer.

Suga, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, began fulfilling his mandatory military duty Friday as a social service agent, an alternative form of military service in the country.

K-pop singer and former GFRIEND member Yuju has spoken about reuniting the girl group in the future.Yuju recently spoke to South Korean media at the press conference for the release of her new single ‘Dalala’. During the event, the singer shared that her former GFRIEND bandmates remain close, saying that they are “just like any other close friends out there” and that she believes the group will reunite someday.“The members of GFRIEND are really supportive of one another.

TWICE member Sana has opened up about the extreme diet she was put on during her trainee days.In a new episode of South Korean streamer DEX’s YouTube cooking series DEX’s Fridge Interview, he spoke with TWICE’s Sana about her cooking and eating habits while going through the contents of her fridge.During the interview, the K-pop singer shared that she had been made to go on diets prior to her debut in the group. “When I was a trainee, I was really stressed, and there was a moment where I gained more weight,” she said, revealing that “there was a time when I survived on just eight cherry tomatoes a day”.Later, she also discussed her love for jokbal, a Korean pig trotter dish she had to “secretly” eat when she was put on a diet.

All seven members of Korean singing sensations BTS have signed new contracts with Big Hit Music, a label operated by HYBE Corporation.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Mo Abudu is an entrepreneur on a mission to make her native Nigeria a bigger player in global media. The CEO of Lagos-based EbonyLife Media is tapping into wave of interest from streamers in content from outside the U.S. and Europe to generate a flurry of deals for her production banner, known for producing the detective drama series “Blood Sisters” for Netflix.

Thania Garcia BTS will be renewing their contracts under Big Hit Music, the seven-member South Korean boyband’s longtime label announced on Wednesday. With some of its members having enlisted in government-mandated military service, the label ensured fans that the band will continue to work with the Big Hit “on their future releases from 2025 onwards,” according to a statement shared by Big Hit’s parent company HYBE. “BigHit Music will take into consideration the military service status of some of the members and plans to sign with each BTS member sequentially,” their notice continued.

XG is a Japanese girl group based out of South Korea.

BTS have renewed their contracts with Big Hit Music, a subsidiary owned by South Korean media giant HYBE.This is according to a statement by Big Hit Music, as seen by several South Korean news outlets including Yonhap News Agency and Sports Chosun, following a decision by the company’s board of directors.Per Sports Chosun, the renewal of the BTS members’ contracts will not all happen at the same time. Instead, they will happen individually and sequentially, taking into account the military service status of the various members.“With the renewal of their contracts, we hope will be able to share with everyone a full group promotional period for BTS in 2025,” the K-pop agency said in the statement, as translated by Koreaboo.

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Big Hit Music trainees have opened up about the members of BTS and whether the septet have changed since their debut.In a new interview with Korea Now, the English-language YouTube channel of South Korean news outlet Yonhap News Agency, former Big Hit Music trainees Kim Ji-hoon and Hwang Ji-hwan opened up about their experiences at the K-pop agency and training alongside the now-BTS members.Kim spoke about how he sometimes watches clips of BTS on YouTube, nothing that the septet are “the same as they used to be” when they were all trainees together. He added that, even then, he thought BTS leader RM “had leadership qualities”.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Paramount+ streaming service will launch in Japan in December as a free-of-charge addition to cable and internet provider J:COM’s platform and to pay-TV service Wowow. Paramount+ originals including “Tulsa King,” “Mayor of Kingstown” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” will be available at the launch of the service and for the first time in Japan. Japan will be the second country in East Asia where the service becomes available, following a launch in South Korea in June last year.

Paramount+ announced on Tuesday that its new Louis Tomlinson doc All of Those Voices will premiere exclusively on the service in the U.S. and Canada on October 4th, coming to the UK, Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and South Korea on October 5th.

Thania Garcia Louis Tomlinson’s feature-length documentary, “All Of Those Voices” will be available to stream on Paramount+ starting Oct. 4 in the United States and Canada. The documentary, which was released in select theaters earlier this March, gives an intimate look at the former One Direction member’s life and musical career.

DK of K-pop boyband SEVENTEEN has been named Bally’s newest global brand ambassador.Bally and DK announced the new ambassadorship on Instagram through a collaboration post, featuring images of the K-pop idol modelling pieces from the Swiss luxury fashion house.In a statement to South Korean news site FashionN, Bally CEO Nicolas Girotto said: “We are excited to welcome DK, the versatile artist from the iconic group SEVENTEEN as our new global ambassador. His trendy style and warm personality match Bally’s values perfectly.”A post shared by Bally (@bally)At the same time, Equire Korea also released a new video featuring DK from the same photoshoot.

SF9, has opened up about the departure of member Rowoon.Yesterday (September 18), FNC Entertainment announced that SF9’s Rowoon would be stepping back from the boyband. In its statement, the K-pop agency said the singer would “remain as the ninth member of SF9”, although South Korean news outlets such as The Korea Herald and Korea JoongAng Daily reported that Rowoon had left the group.SF9’s leader Youngbin has since addressed the news, in a letter posted on the boyband’s official fancafe website, as seen by The Qoo.

Disney and Pixar announced on Monday that their animated feature Elemental, starring Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie, has scored the biggest movie premiere of the year to date on Disney+, earning 26.4 million views in its first five days on the service.

Suga is about to start his military service.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix closed a $20 million deal on Hit Man, making the biggest deal at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and of the year for that matter. After the Richard Linklater-directed noir comic thriller debuted to raves at Venice, the film was expected to fetch the biggest deal of the fall festivals so far. Hit Man did not disappoint. Hit Man stars Top Gun Maverick’s Glen Powell and Adria Arjona (Andor) playing the most unlikely romantic partners, in performances that will boost each of their careers. Especially Powell, who co-wrote with Linklater what will be a major star turn for him. Netflix got US, UK, Australia/New Zealand, India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, and Iceland. There is also a theatrical component to the deal, I’ve heard.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix and SK Broadband, one of South Korea’s largest internet service providers, said that they were ending all their lawsuits and would instead create a strategic partnership to provide better entertainment experiences to Korean customers. The legal dispute began in 2020 over whether content providers that generate large amounts of traffic should pay “network usage fees” in addition to the bills paid by the household end users, or whether that would go against the principle of net neutrality and lead to higher costs for consumers. Netflix said that it could offer a technological solution to traffic volume that it had provided to ISPs in other countries and to rival ISPs in Korea. But SK Telecom and its subsidiary SK Broadband held out and appeared to gain support for their position in the Korean parliament. “This strategic partnership with Netflix originates from the philosophy of SK Telecom and SK Broadband, where customer value is prioritized, and comes as part of our efforts to provide customers with an enhanced media service environment,” said SK Telecom’s Choi Hwanseok, VP of corporate strategy. “The partnership with SK Telecom, a leader in Korea’s telecommunication and innovative technology industries, holds special significance as it enables Netflix to enhance entertainment experiences for a broader Korean audience,” said Tony Zameczkowski, Netflix VP of APAC partnerships. “By teaming up with Netflix, SK Telecom and SK Broadband aim to help customers enjoy Netflix shows and films on mobile devices and IPTV (B tv) with easier access and payment options.

Veteran Korean actor Byun Hee-bong, best known for his collaborations with Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho, including Okja and Memories of Murder, has died. He was 81.