Zo Insung and Park Jungmin Co-Star in 1970s-Set Crime FilmThough Escape from Mogadishu, the year’s biggest box office hit in Korea, is barely in the rearview mirror, director Ryoo Seungwan has already completed production on his next film.Smuggling (translated title), starring Kim Hyesoo, Yum Jungah, Zo Insung and Park Jungmin, began shooting in early June and wrapped up production earlier this mo...

Korean Films on Show in Swiss Genre FestThe animation Beauty Water (2020) and the sky-high action-comedy OK! MADAM (2020) have been invited to screen at this year’s Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) in Switzerland. Both films are part of the ‘New Cinema from Asia’ program at this year’s NIFFF. A pair of Korean shorts, Carnivorous Bean Sprout and Invisible Eyes, will also scre...

Korean Films on Show as Udine Prepares Hybrid EventFollowing last year’s online event, the Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine is returning with a hybrid online/offline event later this month. This year’s 23rd edition will feature 11 Korean films, including a retrospective on director Yoon Jongbin, and will take place from June 24 to July 2.Director and producer Yoon Jongbin burst onto the scen...

As Seoul and surrounding regions remained in the midst of a Level 2.5 social distancing lockdown, business was down once again as COVID-19 worries continued to clear out theaters. Admissions were down around a fifth week-on-week, with 385,000 tickets sold, while the local market share almost doubled to 35% owing to a new release. Christopher NOLAN’s much-hyped Tenet has been positively received in...

Despite growing concerns from spectators amid a steady rise in local COVID-19 transmissions, as well as the government’s decision on Friday evening to raise the country’s social distancing level to 2.5, which includes restrictions on the operations of restaurants and cafes and the outright closure of several spaces likes fitness centers, business was almost flat this past weekend, thanks to the op...

The Korean box office’s steady march to normality took a hit this past weekend as a sharp rise in new COVID-19 cases led to the government tightening social distancing measures. With viewers worried about a second wave, many avoided theaters. Admissions reached 476,000 over the weekend, which was a 72% decline from the previous week, with two thirds of those sold for local titles. Also contributin...