Month: May 2021

Categories
K-Drama

New Drama ‘Racket Boys’ Goes All Out on Their Badminton Dreams and Aspirations

Racket Boys is set to deliver a heartwarming and humorous story about a ragtag middle school badminton team. This comical series focuses on the young athletes’ dreams and aspirations.

(Photo: SBS)

Yoon Hae-kang (Tang Jun-sang) is a competitive baseball player forced to move to the countryside, when his father gets a new job as a coach tasked with reviving a badminton team that’s on the brink of extinction. He struggles to adjust to rural life as well as playing badminton.

(Photo: SBS)

Hae-kang is joined by a motley crew of other players with distinct characteristics. There’s the youngest team member Lee Yong-tae (Kim Kang-hoon) who talks a lot and is always in front of a computer. Bang Yoon-dam (Son Sang-yeon) is glued to his phone and is also an attention seeker. Meanwhile, Na Woo-chan (Choi Hyun-wook) is into hip hop, fashion, and is also quite kind-hearted.

(Photo: SBS)

In addition to the four boys, there are Han Se-yoon (Lee Jae-in) and Lee Han-sol (Lee Ji-won) who are aces at their girls’ middle school.

Rounding out the players are coaches Yoon Hyeon-jong (Kim Sang-kyung) and Ra Yeong-ja (Oh Na-ra) who were star badminton players themselves.

(Photo: SBS)

There will be plenty of hilarious and touching moments to enjoy when the small-town misfits pursue their big badminton dreams.

Racket Boys premieres on 31 May, 10:50PM (SGT) with new episodes every Monday and Tuesday, on Netflix.

(Source: Netflix)

Categories
Features

Interview with WILD – A Hybrid Entertainment Group Connecting Korea and Many Leading SEA Creators

Wild Entertainment Group or WILD, is a hybrid management, media production, and marketing company – home to numerous talents and content creators around the globe. The company was founded in August 2020 by CEO, Leonard Lim, whom we recently had the opportunity to speak to and learn more about his emerging entertainment group.

Prior to his move to South Korea two years ago, Leonard was an established model in Australia and North America, and has always had a big passion for entrepreneurship. He is also the Founder of Jewelry Company ‘Kapsul Collective’ that has made collaborative collections with big K-pop names such as Park Ji Hoon, Victon, Kevin Woo, Sorn (CLC), Samuel Kim, and Amber Liu.

While living in Seoul, Leonard realised the large number of talented creators from Southeast Asia (SEA) that don’t have the right home to grow as creators. As such, he has been spending the last ten months building WILD into the hub in Korea for Southeast Asian creators globally, connecting artists and creators worldwide leading them with massive growth strategies for his team.

To date, WILD has signed over 40 talents and boasts a network of partnerships and collaborations – mainly acting as the link between Korea and South East Asia.

“We have celebrities and talents across regions such as Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, and a few out there in Australia, Canada, and USA,” shared Leonard.

“We work with creators across all main social media channels and niches, and are confident that our roster of talent can utilise their creativity and authenticity to showcase the brand.”

The WILD team comprises content creators (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, etc.), singer/songwriters, music producers, as well as a production team responsible for photography, filmography and graphic design. They’ve also launched their fast-growing YouTube channel ‘Wild Channel’ just two months ago, already garnering over 24,000 subscribers ever since.

 

The team also partnered with CUBE Entertainment, producing and directing CLC Sorn’s debut single ‘Run’ earlier this year, in March 2021. Produced and written by songwriter/producer – Candace Sosa (WILD Music) and music video directed by Kaya Wong (WILD Filmography) – the song was a huge success charting at #2 on the US iTunes Chart and #25 on the Worldwide iTunes Chart.

When asked about future goals for the company, Leonard shared that WILD plans to continue establishing themselves as the powerhouse for music, creative content, and media production while keeping their global audiences entertained.

For more information about WILD, follow them here:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

Categories
K-Movie

[K-Movie] Seo In Guk and Lee Soo Hyuk Team Up for An Oil Heist in PIPELINE

A dangerous oil heist is about to take place in PIPELINE, a crime action movie starring Seo In Guk and Lee Soo Hyuk. Directed by director Yoo Ha, the heist film is about the story of a team of six coming together to steal oil hidden in the underground tunnel—the biggest pipeline in Korea.

Gunwoo (Lee Soo Hyuk) is an heir of a large conglomerate. He engages Pindol (Seo In Guk), the best drilling technician in Korea, to complete the impossible heist to drill into the pipeline between Honam and Seoul-Busan highway within a month.

In order to get the job completed in time, they form a team with four other thieves — ‘Section Chief Na’ (Yoo Seung-mok), ‘Jeobsae’ (Eum Moon-suk), Geunsab (Tae Hang-ho) and ‘Counter’ (Bae Da-bin).

The team gets cornered from all sides as the cops get a wind of the oil heist with the mine collapsing at the same time, resulting in delays in the dangerous operation.

PIPELINE hits Singapore cinemas on 3 June 2021.

Title: PIPELINE (파이프라인)
Genre: Action
Cast: Seo In-guk, Lee Soo-hyuk
Directed by: Yoo Ha
Singapore Release Date: 3 June 2021
Runtime: 108 minutes

(Movie Stills: Golden Village)

Categories
K-Movie

[K-Movie] Kang Ha Neul and Chun Woo Hee Get Sentimental in ‘Waiting For Rain’

Directed by Cho Jin-mo, Waiting for Rain is a sentimental and heartwarming film revolving around two young individuals who sought solace and comfort in each other’s words due to an unexpected letter, sparking an endearing friendship. A far-fetched promise was made where they were to meet on a rainy December 31.

No stranger to the TV and movie industry, Kang Ha-neul headlines this melodrama as Young-ho, who reaches out to a schoolmate through a handwritten letter after reminiscing about his old school days.

On the other end is Chun Woo-hee playing So-hee, who receives said letter from Young-ho, which was actually intended for her sister.

Film Synopsis:
Without a proper goal in life, Young-ho (Kang Ha-neul) had failed to get into a college 3 times and lived a pointless life. One day, he reminisced about his old friends and sent a letter to one of them on a whim. In Busan, So-hee (Chun Woo-hee) received a letter from Young-ho addressed to her sister So-yeon. So-hee began writing the letters on So-yeon’s behalf and started to develop a friendship with Young-ho.

Ordinary and plain lives of these two people began filling up with anticipation and possibilities of the future. Young-ho then suggested that they meet up on December 31 but only if it rains…

Title: Waiting For Rain (비와 당신의 이야기)
Genre: Drama
Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Chun Woo-hee
Directed by: Cho Jin-mo
Singapore Release Date: June 2021 (Exact date TBA)
Runtime: 117 minutes

https://youtu.be/AAX2Fwt78Mc

(Source & Movie Stills: Shaw Theatres)

Categories
Features

Take Aesthetic Photos At Singapore’s First Korean-Inspired Self-Photo Studio

Self-photo studios are all the rage in South Korea, with celebrities such as DIA’s Chaeyeon, IZ*ONE’s Minju and Lovelyz’s Yein and Jisoo patronising these studios to have their photos taken. Think of these studios as self-service photo studios, where you’re in control of the photos taken. All you need is a shutter clicker which you can click away and take as many photos as you want — perfect for those who are camera shy or feel awkward taking pictures in the presence of a stranger.

DIA’s Chaeyeon at a Self-Photo Studio (Photo: Photomatic)

Last month, Fotomat Studios brought the self-photo studio concept to Singapore. Over at Singapore’s first black and white self-photo studio, enjoy a self-photography session where you can comfortably take photos without the help of a photographer. All professional equipment is provided by the studio, and customers will be given a shutter clicker to take their own photos during the session.

Self-Photo Shoot Space (Photo: Fotomat Studios)

At $30 for two pax, each session lasts for 15 minutes (comparable to the self-photo studios in South Korea) and gives you an unlimited number of shots. The price also includes two printed photos of your choice. For an additional $30, you can also purchase all the original files in soft copy.

Photo Wall (Photo: Fotomat Studios)

Experience this one-in-a-kind photoshoot experience with your loved ones here in Singapore at Fotomat Studios and have fun clicking away! Do note that Fotomat Studios releases slots weekly, and you have to make a book a slot in advance before heading down.

Location and Opening Hours:
3F, 155 Waterloo St, Stamford Arts Centre, S187962
Monday – Sunday, 11AM to 9PM
No walk-ins allowed, by reservation only.
For more information, visit https://fotomatstudios.com/.

Categories
Features

Korean Embassy In Singapore Launches ‘Say Kimchi Festival’ With Attractive Prizes To Be Won

Following the success of last year’s K-Food Online Festival, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea is pleased to launch another nationwide online event – Say Kimchi Festival. Taking place from 11 May to 31 May 2021, Say Kimchi Festival is a social media contest for participants to share their experiences with Kimchi, a must-have side dish in Korean meals. Have fun sharing your entries and stand a chance to win up to SGD 500 worth of Korean Mart vouchers!

Mr. Ahn Young-jip, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, said, “I sincerely hope that everyone can come together safely and have an enjoyable time taking photos and videos of their fun experiences with Korean Kimchi. I am truly grateful to Singaporeans for their love of Kimchi and other Korean food. We will continue to walk together on this journey to combat the ongoing pandemic.”

Say Kimchi Festival also aims to let participants enjoy Korea and Singapore’s intangible cultural assets – Korea’s ‘Kimjang’ culture of making and sharing Kimchi and Singapore’s unique hawker culture.

In line with this, Korean Cuisine – a food stall located at a coffee shop in Marsiling – also took on the role as a promoter for this event. The stall serves representative Korean food that contains Kimchi, such as Kimchi fried rice and Kimchi stew in a setting familiar to most Singaporeans. The event serves as a great opportunity to enjoy the two nations’ intangible cultural heritage.

To participate, entrants should post an original photo and/or video featuring their experience with Korean Kimchi on their own Instagram or Facebook account with the hashtags #KoreanKimchi, #KfoodSGunited and #SayKimchiFestival.

All submissions will be reviewed by the event organiser against a grading rubric that includes the content’s creativity, fun factor, and originality, amongst other factors. Winners will be announced by mid-June 2021.

For more information, visit KfoodSGunited’s Facebook and Instagram.

Categories
K-Drama

Netflix Original Series ‘Move To Heaven’ Starring Lee Je-hoon and Tang Jun-sang To Air on 14 May

Starring Lee Je-hoon and Tang Jun-sang, Move to Heaven will be coming soon to Netflix on 14 May. This 16-episode series will tell the heartwarming story of Geu-ru (played by Tang Jun-sang), a young man with Asperger’s syndrome, and Sang-gu (played by Lee Je-hoon), who suddenly finds himself as Geu-ru’s guardian.

The two work as ‘trauma cleaners’, a group of people clearing out the last possessions of the deceased and uncovering stories that are left behind. Geu-ru and Sang-gu join hands to help the final move of those who have passed away, and deliver their messages to loved ones.

Move to Heaven is an inspiring story based on a nonfiction essay Things Left Behind written by Kim Sae-byul who is also one of the first trauma cleaners in Korea. Director Kim Sung-ho and writer Yoon Ji-ryun team up to present diverse stories left behind of those who passed away, told from the honest and unbiased perspective of Geu-ru who has Asperger syndrome.

The show has received attention for its lineup of cast members who are known to bring sincerity and passion to their roles: Lee Je-hoon, Tang Jun-sang and Hong Seung-hee as well as Ji Jin-hee and Lee Jae-wook who make special appearances.

Catch the official trailer for Move to Heaven, out on 14 May:

(Source & Photos: Netflix)