ktown konnection #10 | Park Ji-eun's "Queen of Tears" premieres March 9

This week’s Top Global Titles 🌎 “Doctor Slump” is at #7, “Marry My Husband” at #4, Korean film “My Name is Loh Ki-wan” is #5.

“A Killer Paradox” tops Netflix Korea 🇰🇷 The series held on to the top spot, followed by “Doctor Slump” at #2 and “Captivating The King” at #4; new release “My Name is Loh Ki-wan” tops this week’s features. FlixPatrol

PREMIERES

• March 9 “Queen of Tears” (tvN) (Netflix)

• March 11 “The Midnight Studio” (ENA) (Viki)

“Queen of Tears,” starring Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, premieres this weekend. The screenwriter for the series, Park Ji-eun, wrote the hugely popular “Crash Landing On You” and “My Love From The Star.”

What else to look out for, besides A-list talent? The clothes.

Starring Joo Won and Kwon Na-ra, “The Midnight Studio” premieres Monday. A photographer who sees ghosts? The trailer looks like spooky fun, it gives me “Oh My Ghostess” and “The Master’s Sun” vibes.

Wednesday-Thursday Mar 6-7
“Queen of Divorce” (JTBC) (Viki)
“The Impossible Heir” (Disney+)

Friday-Saturday Mar 8-9
“Flex x Cop” (SBS) (Disney+,Hulu)
“Wonderful World” (MBC) (Disney+)

Saturday-Sunday Mar 9-10
“Doctor Slump” (JTBC) (Netflix)
“Queen of Tears” (tvN) (Netflix)

Monday-Tuesday Mar 11-12
“Wedding Impossible” (tvN) (Viki)
“Midnight Studio” (ENA)

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

KDRAMA/FILM/TV

“The Impossible Heir” premieres, disappoints One critic slammed the show’s premiere eps, citing its “awkward pacing,” “deliberate lack of narrative clarity,” and “drearily plain and frustratingly opaque” characters. I don’t completely disagree. SCMP

“My Name Is Loh Ki-wan” had some mixed reviews; but it seemed to fall (very) short for some for its “one-dimensional characterization,” “soppy finale,” and “schmaltzy romance.”

On another note… a Korean Japanese artist, and what are ‘anti-Korean’ comics? | cultural context

Artist profile Song-he Kim, a third-generation Korean Japanese artist who grew up facing discrimination as a diaspora Korean in Japan, was featured in South China Morning Post this week. Kim has a chandelier installation piece at Lyf Ginza Tokyo.

Postcolonial history/scars/animosity/literature The story also identified specific literary genres of pop culture with narratives that date back to colonial era (1910-1945) anti-Korean and anti-Japanese sentiment between the neighboring countries, which still exists today.

Though disturbing in many ways, it is interesting to see how deeply historical and cultural politics visibly manifest themselves in pop culture today.

SOUTH KOREA NEWS 🇰🇷

Medical crisis Following 2 weeks of protest by healthcare professionals, the Korean government is suspending medical licenses in its latest response to the crisis. NYT

Soccer slush ⚽️ The Women’s Asian Cup match between South Korea and Uzbekistan on Sunday had a seriously embarrassing (and unsafe-looking) snow-covered field. The Guardian

Historic grade schools close Longstanding elementary schools slated for closure as the population ages. KJD

Niche shopping districts 🛍 for items like handmade shoes or furniture, are on the decline. TCD

Korea’s per capita income ₩ rises 2.6%, however, inflation is up 3.1% as of last month.

No more small bottles Hotels will not longer be allowed to provide single-use toiletries, effective later this month. TCD

Samsung sales back ⬆︎ Samsung reclaimed its spot as the bestselling smartphone in Southeast Asia, driven by the Galaxy S24. TCD

Watch out, Hyundai (& Tesla) The world’s biggest electric vehicle maker, the Chinese company BYD, is headed for Korea. KJD

Fresh produce, new competition 🛒 Chinese company AliExpress now offers fresh food (meat and produce) in Korea, competing against Gmarket, Coupang, and Lotte ON. TCD

+ 🇰🇷 POP CULTURE

What Korea’s watching Premieres ”Wedding Impossible” and “Wonderful World” had solid starts, “Captivating The King” ended with strong ratings. dramabeans

“Exhuma” continues streak 🍿 Feature film “Exhuma” holds the top spot at the box office, followed by “Dune 2.” Its 11-day total makes it the highest grossing Korean film of 2024. Variety

“Eye Love You” charting strong The Japanese drama “Eye Love You,” a romance starring Korean actor Chae Jong-hyeop (“Castaway Diva”)- who you may recall us interviewing for “Sisyphus” awhile back - is currently #3 on Netflix Korea’s Top 10 list and has been charting for 4 weeks; it’s also a hit in Japan. TCD

Private life ♥️, public criticism A posted apology by Aespa’s Karina, post-dating news, angered fans. KJD

Reboots rising ⏮ With “Chief Detective 1958,” a prequel of of “Chief Inspector” which dates back to the ‘70s, and the upcoming reboot of 2003 hit drama “Jewel in the Palace,” Korean broadcast TV is taking a strategic approach towards safer (and storied) bets - and winning back older audiences. The Korea Herald

Old school broadcasters’ go-to genre 📺 Citing recent hits “Korea-Khitan War” and “Knight Flower,” historical dramas (sageuk) may be traditional Korean TV’s best, evergreen sword against battling streamers for audiences. KJD

Webtoons’ growing empire The revenue and export of webtoons have grown year over year, with an increase of 71.3% in export volume for the first half of 2023 alone. Kdrama hits like “Marry My Husband” and “Moving,” in particular, which was largely credited with boosting Disney+ Korea from one to four million monthly active users (MAU), were based on webtoons. KJD

Shaky K-pop crossovers Navigating between K-pop, video games, and webtoons is no easy feat, even for BTS. KJD

On the other hand, K-pop movies 🎶 x 🎬 BTS’s Suga has a new concert film of his world tour, “Suga | Agust D Tour: D-Day,” which opens April 10. The Korea Times

Wanna be a Korean pop star? FNC Entertainment is holding auditions starting in April in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. KJD

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