#65 | "Good Boy," "Oh My Ghost Clients" premiere

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Park Bo-gum, Kim So-hyun play pro athletes in “Good Boy”

• Jung Kyung-ho is a lawyer who sees spirits 👻 in “Oh My Ghost Clients”

• Food exports 🍜 from Korea fueled by ramen, instant meals

• Korea’s election approaches June 3, candidates avoid gender issues

PREMIERES

• May 30

  • “Oh My Ghost Clients” (MBC)(Viki)

  • “Lost In Starlight” (Netflix)[animated feature]

• May 31 “Good Boy” (JTBC)(Amazon Prime Video)

Latest premieres It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. Park Bo-gum (“When Life Gives You Tangerines”) plays a boxer opposite Lee Sang-yi (“Bloodhounds”) and Kim So-hyun (“My Lovely Liar“) in sports-themed action comedy “Good Boy.” 

Jung Kyung-ho (“Crash Course in Romance”) sees ghosts in the Yim Soon-rye-directed “Oh My Ghost Clients” written by “D.P.” scribe Kim Bo-tong.

An astronaut romance, animated feature film “Lost In Starlight” includes characters voiced by Kim Tae-ri (“Jeongnyeon”) and Hong Kyung (“Weak Hero Class 1”).

Kdrama drop time Just spotted - Amazon Prime Video’s show page provides a release time for “Good Boy” - the series is dropping at 8:40am (PST? I suppose). New release strategy from PV, hmm?

Next month brings us new series from So Ji-sub (“Oh My Venus”), Jeon Yeo-been (“Harbin”), Taecyeon (“Heartbeat”), and the final installment of that game with the green tracksuits.

What I’m watching I’m in the middle of ”When Life Gives You Tangerines” - after the initial heart-wrenching backstory, the story takes on lighter notes while still a wholehearted tearjerker about family. IU plays two characters: young Ae-sun and older Ae-sun’s college-aged daughter.

(No Thursday issue next week; see you June 12.)

Wednesday-Thursday May 28-29
“Pump Up The Healthy Love” (KBS)(Viki)
“Spring Of Youth” (SBS)(Viki)
“Nine Puzzles” (Disney+/Hulu)

Friday-Saturday May 30-31
“The Haunted Palace” (SBS)(Viki)
“Oh My Ghost Clients” (MBC)(Viki)

Saturday-Sunday May 31-June 1
“For Eagle Brothers” (KBS)(Viki)
“Our Unwritten Seoul” (tvN)(Netflix)
“Good Boy” (JTBC)(Amazon Prime Video)

Monday-Tuesday June 2-3
“Tastefully Yours” (ENA/Genie TV)(Netflix)
“Second Shot At Love” (tvN)(Viki)

(*Streaming platforms shown are for U.S. only; distributors vary by country.)

KDRAMA/FILM/TV/ETC.

Among Top 10 Global Titles Today (5/29/25) 🌎 “Tastefully Yours,” “Nine Puzzles,” “Marry My Husband”(!). FlixPatrol 

Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV (May 19-25) “Tastefully Yours” (#2), “Dear Hongrang” (#3), “Resident Playbook” (#8), “Heavenly Ever After” (#9).

Korea’s watching: 📺 (May 19-25) “For Eagle Brothers,” “The Haunted Palace,” “Heavenly Ever After,” “Our Unwritten Seoul.” dramabeans

🇰🇷 box office 🍿: “Mission: Impossible - The Reckoning,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Yadang: The Snitch.” Variety

Film-to-webtoon Feature film “High Five,” which premieres in theaters in Korea on May 30, has released a special webtoon prequel in collaboration with Kakao. ChosunBiz

Charges of labor abuse, unsafe work conditions for background actors surfaced surrounding Netflix’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” MSN

“The Devil’s Plan” cast faces critical backlash after the reality show’s finale, which wrapped a cutthroat game of alliances, deception, and betrayal. TCD 

OTT NEWS ETC.

Marketing budgets: 7.7% of overall revenue, according to a 2025 survey by Gartner. Where is most of it going? Paid media (30%). The 7.7% average is on par with last year, but roughly 2% less than 3 years ago. ChiefMarketer

YouTube continues to dominate TV 📺 The streamer leads among TV viewing in the US for April 2025, followed by Disney+. TVTech

SOUTH KOREA NEWS 🇰🇷

Election day approaches 🗳 Presidential candidates completed two more debates as the nation prepares to hit the polls on June 3. Early voting has hit a record high. Women don’t like the options; candidates aren’t addressing gender-based discrimination issues. Former acting presidents are banned from travel.

aespa’s Karina deletes photo after some saw it as a political statement. TKH

A failed North Korean launch of a destroyer ship led to arrests. NYT

Lower interest rates South Korea’s central bank has lowered interest rate to 2.5% in lieu of a slowing economy, tariffs, and political uncertainty. CNBC

Gig workers’ minimum wage face debate ₩ The wage for contract workers, including freelancers and delivery drivers, currently falls short of the national minimum of 10,030 KRW per hour. ChosunBiz

Under investigation HYBE’s chairman Bang Si-hyuk faces allegations of fraudulent trading. TKH

Another lawsuit has been filed against the government in a case of adoption fraud. SeattleTimes

Birth rate rises 🍼 Korea saw its birth rate rise by 7.3% for Q1 2025, but the nation still has the lowest fertility rate in the world. TKH

Korean food exports are up 10% boosted by ramen, health supplements, and instant meals. KED Global

Korean rice heads for Japan 🍚 in lieu of a rice shortage. TKH

New games from Netmarble The leading game publisher is set to release “The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin” (adapted from a Japanese manga) and “Mongil: Star Dive” at Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, which runs June 6-9. KED Global

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