ktown konnection #8 | Disney unveils 2024 slate, "Marry My Husband" finishes strong

This week’s Top 10 “Marry My Husband” finishes strong, topping the global Top 10 on Amazon Prime Video, “Doctor Slump” holds at #9 on Netflix. FlixPatrol (a/o 2/22/24)

“A Killer Paradox” hits Top 10 The kdrama thriller topped Netflix’s’ non-English Top 10 last week. The Korea Times

New titles from Disney+ The studio unveiled more Korean titles for 2024 including Song Kang-ho (“Parasite”), Byun Yo-han (“Mr. Sunshine”), Ju Ji-hoon (“Kingdom”), and Lee Jung-eun (“Parasite”); “Moving” was its most successful original Korean series last year. THR

PREMIERES

• February 26 “Wedding Impossible” (tvN) (Viki)

• February 28 “The Impossible Heir” (Disney+)

Lee Jae-wook (“Death’s Game”) returns in revenge drama “The Impossible Heir,” Jun Jong-seo (“Ballerina”) plays a struggling thespian hired to play a chaebol heir’s wife in “Wedding Impossible.” (“Curtain Call” and “Love in Contract” vibes, anyone?)

Wednesday-Thursday Feb 21-22
“Queen of Divorce” (JTBC) (Viki)

Friday-Saturday Feb 23-24
“Flex x Cop” (SBS) (Disney+,Hulu)

Saturday-Sunday Feb 24-25
“Captivating The King” (tvN) (Netflix)
“Doctor Slump” (JTBC) (Netflix)

Monday-Tuesday Feb 26-27
“Love Song For Illusion” (Viki)
“Wedding Impossible” (tvN) (Viki)

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

The Lookahead March brings us new titles with Song Joong-ki, Kim Ji-won, Kim Soo-hyun, and Cha Eun-woo. And a weird looking show about a character turned into a chicken nugget. (Yeah, you read that right.)

KDRAMA INTERVIEWS

Actor profile: Son Suk-ku The star from “A Killer Paradox” is making moves. Before acting, Son’s background spent time in Canada as well as the U.S.; offscreen, his activities include directing as well as launching a production company. SCMP

IN SOUTH KOREA

Teammate scuffle An altercation among Korean soccer players Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in has lingered in the news for weeks, an incident which resulted in an injured finger for Son and harsh backlash against Lee. The issue has deflected attention away from criticism surrounding coach Jurgen Klinsmann; Son even took to social media to urge the public to forgive Lee.

Distressed healthcare A strike among doctors triggered by a med student quota has resulted in a huge staff shortage and reduced number of surgeries. A NYT story, however, takes a deeper dive into low salaries and harsh working conditions. The Korea Herald 

Crowd crush verdict Officers were found guilty of destroying evidence in the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy in the latest court proceedings. NYT