ktown konnection #51 | Pres. Yoon detained, "Squid Game 2" going strong

IN THIS ISSUE:

• “Squid Game 2” going strong; cast shares how they got into acting

• Pres. Yoon detained for questioning

• Korea’s webtoon industry exceeds a record $1.36B USD in revenue

• “Korea Grand Sale” offers discounts on flights, restaurants, retail

• Watch: Lee Je-hoon attempts to make breakfast on “Rented In Finland”

PREMIERES

• January 15 “Unmasked” (Disney+)

• January 23 “Study Group” (TVING)(Viki)

• January 24 “The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call” (Netflix)

Latest premieres Kim Hye-soo (“Under The Queen’s Umbrella”) plays an investigative news producer in “Unmasked” (comedy, with a side of too-dark themes juxtaposed, I suspect).

Ju Ji-hoon continues his Kdrama streak as a hotshot surgeon in “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.” He’s been everywhere since last year: “Love Your Enemy,” “Blood Free,” “Light Shop.”

On the lighthearted youth drama side, “Study Group” follows a student ranked in last place (Minhyun, “My Lovely Liar”) who tries to get out of the academic weeds.

(I’ve included premieres for the next two weeks; no Thursday issue next week.)

What I’m watching I started ”When The Stars Gossip” - it’s a slow-moving, expensive-looking golf cart ride with egregious English dialog and blazing inauthenticity that belies its believability; it wouldn’t be so aggravating if its leads had more character exposition.

Wednesday-Thursday January 15-16
“Who Is She” (KBS)(Viki)
“Unmasked” (Disney+)

Friday-Saturday January 17-18
“Love Scout” (SBS)(Viki)
“Motel California” (MBC)(Viki)

Saturday-Sunday January 18-19
“Iron Family” (KBS)(Viki)
“Check-in Hanyang” (Channel A)(Viki)
“When The Stars Gossip” (tvN)(Netflix)

Monday-Tuesday January 20-21
“Namib” (ENA/Genie TV)(Viki)
“The Queen Who Crowns” (tvN)(Viki)

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

KDRAMA/FILM/TV/ETC.

Among Top 10 Global Titles Today (1/16/25) 🌎 “Squid Game 2,” “Single’s Inferno 4,” “Marry My Husband.” (Also: “Squid Game” stars Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun recently shared how they got into acting on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” FlixPatrol 

Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV (Jan 6-12): “Squid Game 2” (#1), “Squid Game” (#3), “When The Phone Rings” (#7), “When The Stars Gossip” (#8).

Korea’s watching 📺 (Jan 6-12) “Iron Family,” “Love Scout,” “The Tale Of Lady Ok.” dramabeans

Netflix’s big bet pays off Season 2 of “Squid Game” was the streamer’s third most watched season. Variety

ICYMI: Korean titles dominate Netflix’s APAC titles in 2023, 2024 Korean content dominated titles out of Asia on Netflix for the first half of 2024 and latter half of 2023. ContentAsia