North Korea: Celebs Rumors

Things are about to get real.

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.

Trailer has dropped for Netflix’s Squid Game reality series, which launches November 22 with record prize money of $4.56M.

K.J. Yossman Netflix have released a trailer for their upcoming reality show based on “Squid Game.” The streamer also confirmed the show is set to drop on Nov. 22.

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.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Fandango Sales has taken international distribution rights to quirky comedy “Volare” about the fear of flying that marks the directorial debut of actor Margherita Buy. Buy is known internationally for frequent roles in Nanni Moretti movies, most recently in “A Brighter Tomorrow” that launched from Cannes. Her smart concept movie is being lead-produced by Simone Gattoni for Kavac Film, the company founded by veteran auteur Marco Bellocchio.

EXCLUSIVE: One of the leading actresses in the Hindi film industry, Kareena Kapoor Khan is making her streaming debut in Netflix original film Suspect X, an adaptation of Japanese author Keigo Higashino’s The Devotion Of Suspect X which launches worldwide on the streaming service today (September 21). 

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

Three members of the K-pop boy band Stray Kids were just involved in a car accident.

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.

The X/Twitter account of Donald Trump Jr. was hacked on Wednesday, with a now deleted series of posts including one that announced his father’s death and another with sexually explicit messages.

Korean skincare has been taking the world by storm over the last few years, and recently it’s been trending once more as TikTokers embrace the K-beauty skincare regimes to get hydrated, glass-like skin. One Korean beauty brand that’s been a big hit here in the UK is COSRX, whose COSRX ADVANCED Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence Gel, £24.99 here, went viral on social media for being the secret to getting ultra-hydrated skin.

William Earl Another day, more X drama, as Donald Trump Jr.’s account was hacked Wednesday morning and posted a series of wild messages, including one claiming his father, former president Donald Trump, died. The series of posts included “I’m sad to announce, my father Donald Trump has passed away.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Steven Yeun has bucked stereotypes and carved a new niche as sexy Asian leading man with his roles in “Burning” and “Beef.” Justin Chon transitioned from a supporting role in “Twilight” to directing “Gook,” “Jamojaya” and half of Apple TV+’s “Pachinko.” And Busan-born Daniel Dae Kim has expanded from “Lost” and “Hawaii” to becoming one of Hollywood’s leading producers. The stateside successes of Korean-born and Korean American talent are growing and are worth celebrating. But the Busan International Film Festival’s planned party is being dialed down a notch under the impact of the twin writers’ and SAG Actors strikes in the U.S. Busan’s ‘Special Program in Focus: Korean Diasporic Cinema’ will go ahead with a screening schedule including six films, public talk sessions that include Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Isaac Chung, director of Oscar-winning film “Minari,” and John Cho, the Seoul-born “Star Trek” and “Searching” star.

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.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A+E Networks is continuing its investment in Korean entertainment content with “A Good Day to Be a Dog,” a fantasy romantic comedy that will upload from Oct. 11. Within Korea, the show will play on public broadcaster MBC and Lifetime Korea, releasing at the rate of one episode per week, every Wednesday.

Suga is about to start his military service.

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.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Cobweb,” the Kim Jee-woon-directed satire that debuted at Cannes this year, has been cleared for theatrical release in its native Korea later this month. On Monday it saw off an injunction that sought to derail its hometown debut. The film is a tongue in cheek tribute to the Korean movies of the 1970s and plays partly as a film within a film, jumping from color to black and white as it does so. It stars Song Kang-ho (“Parasite,” “Broker”) as director Kim, who needs just two more days of reshoots to craft a new ending to his latest film (also called “Cobweb”) so that it will no longer be the trashy potboiler everyone thought he was making.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Byun hee-bong, a veteran South Korean actor who appeared in several films by Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho, has died age 81. Byun died on Monday after complications related to a return of the pancreatic cancer that had previously occurred and been treated, according to the semi-official Yonhap News agency. The precise circumstances of his demise were not disclosed. He was born in Jangseon, South Jeolla Province, and started work at an unspecified time in live theater before becoming a voice performer for state TV network MBC in 1966. His TV work in the 1980s and 1990s included series including: 1981’s ”The First Republic”; 1985’s “The Joseon Dynasty 500 Years: Seouljungmae”; and 1999’s “The Legendary Doctor Hur Jun.” His first reliably recorded feature film work was in Bong’s breakout 2000 film “Barking Dogs Never Bite.” Byun appeared in significant roles in three other films by Bong: the cultish “Memories of Murder,” in 2003; 2006 Cannes presentation and box office hit “The Host”; and “Okja,” the creature feature which marked Netflix’s film production debut in Korea and which also appeared Cannes. Byun picked up half a dozen best supporting actor nominations in Korea and regionally in Asia for his role as Hie-bong in “The Host,” converting two of those into wins, at the Asia Pacific Film Festival and Korea’s Blue Dragon Awards.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Two Hollywood new releases, “A Haunting in Venice” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem” failed to make much of an impression on the South Korean box office in their opening weekend. Instead, local fantasy drama “Sleep” headed the chart for a second time. “Sleep” earned $2.38 million in its second weekend, a creditably modest 20% weekend-on-weekend decline, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).

Amy Schumer has responded to the headlines about that Nicole Kidman joke.

Amy Schumer is releasing another statement following ongoing backlash to a joke she made about Nicole Kidman at the U.S. Open.

The Toronto International Film Festival, CJ Cultural Foundation and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), have unveiled the CJ & TIFF K-Story Fund. It is an initiative to foster, support and champion Korean Canadian and American filmmakers looking to develop their first or second feature film. It will have an annual budget of $30,000 for a three-year period and support three creative teams.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean crime-action webtoon “Knuckle Girl” is being adapted as an original film production for Amazon’s Prime Video. It is structured as a Korea-Japan co-venture. The narrative revolves around a promising woman boxer, Ran, who takes on school bullies and participates in illegal bouts.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Four years ago, before COVID turned everything upside-down, a new Asian masterpiece world premiered virtually unnoticed at the Toronto Film Festival. I’m referring to “A Sun,” a multi-faceted Taiwanese family saga from director Chung Mong-Hong that seemed to shift and evolve as it unfolded, challenging what audiences though they knew about the characters.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Oscar-winning Korean actor Youn Yuh-jung (“Minari,” “Pachinko”) will headline the Actors’ House section of the upcoming Busan International Film Festival, it was announced on Thursday. Introduced in 2021, Actors’ House is a special series that connects audiences and film enthusiasts with iconic actors from the current generation through its in-depth discussions. “There’s much anticipation to hear her words of wisdom, as she’s known for her insightful observations,” said the festival. Others this year include: Han Hyo-joo, Song Joong-ki and Korean-American actor and author John Cho.

The A24 drama Past Lives has landed a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, allowing actors to participate in upcoming events this award season. Premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and bowing in theaters in June, the film finds itself a contender in several categories on the awards circuit including best actress, actor and supporting actor for stars Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaor.

A budget serum that's gone viral has been hailed by beauty fans as "magic in a bottle" - and now you can get it for a third off.

A Time Called You star Jeon Yeo-been says the memorable moment while filming the new Netflix K-drama was the kissing scene.Jeon Yeo-been recently spoke to South Korean media about her time working on A Time Called You, during which she recalled the memorable moment from the K-drama’s production.The actress said that the “first one that springs to mind” was when she and co-star Ahn Hyo-seop were filming a kissing scene on Jeju Island, which lies in the south of the Korean Peninsula.“We encountered lots of difficulties there, because there were just way too many tourists around,” Jeon recalled, per SBS Star. “When Hyo Seop and I were filming our kissing scene, the tourists screamed and were like, ‘Oh my! Oh my!’.”The actress added that the moment was “pretty distracting” and that she had to “try really hard to concentrate”.

in your area" has taken on a more literal meaning for the past year as the Korean girl group embarked on their Born Pink world tour. Spanning more than 60 dates across 22 counties and four continents, the Born Pink world tour isn't just a testament to Blackpink's global popularity—it's also a reminder of Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa's fashion dominance and their unrelenting commitment to serving looks.From 'fits dreamed up by the group's stylist Minhee Park to custom designer pieces, the Born Pink tour delivered plenty of memorable fashion moments.

EXCLUSIVE: Lighthouse Media & Management has signed the multi-hyphenate Kiko Mizuhara, best known for starring in Toho’s adaptation of Norwegian Wood and the beloved manga Attack on Titan, for representation in all areas.

The Clinton Global Initiative next week will feature a session on protecting freedom of the press, with a focus on Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been held in Russia for more than 160 days

Liam Neeson’s new action thriller Retribution has been described as in the running for “worst film of the year” by critics.Directed by Nimród Antal (Predators), the film follows financier Matt Turner (Neeson) who is threatened by a mysterious bomber while driving his son and daughter to school. Other cast members include Noma Dumezweni, Lilly Aspell and Jack Champion.It’s the third remake of the 2015 Spanish film The Stranger, following German and Korean adaptations in 2018 and 2021 respectively.Retribution, which was released in the US on August 25, received a negative review on Rolling Stone, who described it as a “formula beaten into submission”.“Retribution is not the worst of his thrillers/action movies – that honour belongs to either last year’s god-awful Blacklight or this freezer-burned turkey – but it does suggest that Neeson may want to consider retiring from the everyman action-hero beat for good,” the review reads.

iKON‘s Bobby has opened up about former groupmate B.I and his feeling about the latter’s departure from the K-pop boyband in June 2019.Bobby spoke about B.I’s departure from the group in the comment section of a recent Instagram post on September 11, seemingly in response to discissions between fans about whether the group should reunite.In comments seen and archived by SBS Star and Koreaboo, the South Korean rapper said that he understands where fans are coming from, calling B.I his “brother”.“He did show some bad influence [on] our next gen[eration], but [I] can’t stop my love for him though,” Bobby added, while saying that B.I. “kno[w]s what he did was wrong and everything”.“I love him as much as you do.