ktown konnection #1 | New premieres, "Marry My Husband," Lee Sun-kyun's passing

NEW PREMIERES

• December 30 “My Happy Ending” (Viki)

• January 1 “Marry My Husband” (tvN) (Amazon Prime Video)

• January 2 “Love Song For Illusion” (KBS2) (Viki)

• January 5

  • “Gyeongseong Creature Part 2” (Netflix)

  • “Death’s Game Part 2” (TVING) (Amazon Prime Video)

CURRENTLY STREAMING

Wednesday-Thursday Jan 3-4
“Like Flowers in Sand” (ENA) (Netflix)
(Wed) “A Good Day To Be A Dog” (Viki) [penultimate episode]

Friday-Saturday Jan 5-6
“My Demon” (SBS) (Netflix)
“The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract” (MBC) (Viki)

Saturday-Sunday Jan 6-7
“Welcome to Samdal-ri” (Netflix)
“My Happy Ending” (TV Chosun) (Viki)
“Maestra: Strings of Truth” (tvN) (Hulu)

Monday-Tuesday Jan 8-9
(Tues) “Single’s Inferno: Season 3” (Netflix)

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

STREAMING NEWS

Chopping block Netflix has canceled second seasons of Kdramas “Mask Girl,” “Glitch,” “Celebrity,” “The Sound of Magic,” and “A Time Called You.”

KBS variety show “Beat Coin” is scheduled to have its last episode on January 18, however, the decision to sunset the series has been met with protests and petitions. “Beat Coin” took the top spot for non-drama series for 28 weeks last year on Korean streaming platform Wavve.

Be that as it may, perhaps what’s more interesting (and alarming) is the brewing crisis of the entire industry - of business models disrupted by streaming.

On fire “Single’s Inferno” is the #1 show on Netflix in South Korea. The reality dating series with the cringey thumbnails, now in its third season, has been burning up all over blogs and social media.

Oldie but goodie Revenge thriller classic “Oldboy” is back on Netflix.

Kdrama cast reunions The cast of “Welcome to Samdal-ri,” which includes Shin Hye-sun and Lee Jae-won, were also in “Mr. Queen” (a fun series with amazing chemistry that I’ve personally enjoyed - which was also on ratings fire).

And another reunion was caught by dramabeans: Cast members Jang Na-ra and Son Ho-jun of “My Happy Ending,” which premiered last weekend, previously co-starred in “Go Back Couple.”

IN SOUTH KOREA

Politician is attacked Lee Jae-myung, South Korea’s Democratic and opposition party leader, was attacked in Busan on Tuesday (he was stabbed in the neck).

Show me the money ₩ South Korea’s minimum wage increased 2.5% to 9,860 Korean won ($7.60 USD) on January 1. It was previously 9,620 per hour. Under the administration of previous President Moon Jae-in, the country's minimum wage rose 42% during his five-year term. 

What’s the impact? Business have cut back on staff, while touch screen ordering and robot servers have become more commonplace.

And the K-pop ₩₩₩ South Korea’s music and film industries generated $52.8 billion USD (69.3 trillion KRW) in sales revenue for the first half of 2023, according to a KOCCA report released January 3.

Earthquake dangers Japan’s earthquake on Monday caused South Korea to issue warnings of potentially dangerous sea-level rise in its aftermath; a number of small tsunamis were reported, one as high as 1 meter (3.3 feet).

Wanna relocate to South Korea in 2024? A digital nomad visa launched on January 1; it allows non-Koreans to live in Korea for a year (which can be renewed) - however, you must be employed by your country of citizenship, and other requirements apply. Regular tourist visas are limited to 90 days.

Slated for the second half of 2024? A “Hallyu visa.”

Globe trotting What were the world’s “busiest international flight routes of 2023” ? Seoul’s hauls to Bangkok and Japan (Tokyo and Osaka) made it to three of the Top 10; its biggest route increase was 356%.

IN MEMORIAM

The news has rocked South Korea since last week. “Parasite” actor Lee Sun-kyun has passed away; he was found dead on December 27. The talented artist was in a number of feature films and television drama series, including “Helpless,” “Coffee Prince,” and “My Mister.” He was 48.

Press coverage has been buzzing all week with unseemly circumstances surrounding his death as well as national issues like suicide and strict crackdowns on drug abuse. A January 3 story by Rebecca Sun does a solid job of approaching the much more daunting, complicated, and bigger picture for a particularly Western audience, contextualizing the professional, social, and public consequences of drug abuse in South Korea, particularly in light of Korea’s global ambitions.

While these are complex issues deeply intertwined with culture in the landscape of South Korean society and media, it does not soften the blow - the nation (and the world) has lost an incredible artist.