by Ra Hwak Jin/Jiwon Woo
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| ▲This photo, provided by ENA, shows "Extraordinay Attorney Woo." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ Netflix drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' receives global attention
South Korea's legal drama series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" is becoming a sensation in a growing number of foreign countries, having cracked the top five in a global Netflix TV program chart.
The 16-part series placed third on the streaming analytics company FlixPatrol's daily global chart for popular TV programs on Netflix on Thursday, about a month after it went on air.
By country, the show topped the top 10 TV program chart in a total of 20 countries, including South Korea, Bahrain, Bolivia, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The series started out with a viewership rating of 0.9 percent on June 29. But the number surged to 15.9 percent for the ninth episode that aired Wednesday, the highest-ever for the channel.
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| ▲This photo, provided by Naver Webtoon, shows, a cover image of webtoon version of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Also, the Webtoon version of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” will be updated periodically as a formal Webtoon every Thursday, announced Naver Webtoon on Wednesday.
The webtoon version of the drama will feature 60 episodes, written by Yu Il, and drawn by the illustrator Hwa Um-Jo. The webtoon version of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” will feature unique episodes that did not air through the drama.
With the growing popularity of the drama, Hackberry tree, which was featured in the drama, is currently being reviewed by Heritage experts to evaluate whether it is valuable enough to be designated as a natural monument.
The tree, presumed to be 500 years old, is located on a hill in Dongbu Village in the southern city of Changwon. It has gained public interest since it appeared in last week's episodes 7 and 8 of the legal drama, which revolves around an ingenious rookie lawyer with autism spectrum disorder.
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| ▲This photo provided by Lotte Entertainment shows a scene from "Hansan: The Emergence of Dragon." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ Movie ‘Hansan’ surpasses 1 million viewers.
S.Korean movie “Hansan : Rising Dragon,” starring Park Hae-il and Byun Yo-han, surpassed 1 million cumulative audiences on Saturday, the fourth day of its release, according to distribution company Lotte Entertainment.
“Hansan,” which was released on July 27, has been topping the S.Korean box office for three days since its release. The real-time reservation rate also ranked first with 49.7% (352,000 copies) as of 7:30 am on Saturday.
On the opening day, Wednesday, "Hansan" pushed down "Minions 2" to No. 2 to debut atop the daily chart with 386,000 admissions. The figure accounted for nearly 60 percent of the total number of tickets sold during the day.
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| ▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows movie "Alienoid." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
It also recorded presale in 99 different countries, announced provider Lotte Entertainment on Wednesday.
The movie premiere in Northern America on July 29, Australia and New Zealand on August 4, and Taiwan on August 19.
“Hansan: The Emergence of Dragon” is the second movie about admiral Yi out of three that director Kim Han-min planned. The record created by S.Korean movie premiered in 2014, “The Admiral: Roaring Current,” with 17.16 million total audiences has not been broken for 8 years.
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| ▲This photo shows ATEEZ at media showcase. (Yonhap) |
◇ATEEZ tried more intense, rougher music with new EP
Ateez, a rising fourth-generation K-pop group, returned to the music scene Friday with a new EP titled "The World EP. 1: Movement.“
The media showcase for the album took place on July 28, and the new EP dropped at 1 p.m. Friday.
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| ▲This photo shows ATEEZ at media showcase. (Yonhap) |
The band's eighth EP marked a new beginning for its fictional storyline following the "Treasure" series about the eight members' journey to discover a treasure and the "Fever" series about them experiencing the fever of youth before they team up as a group.
"The album depicts Ateez struggling to awaken people who live in the continuous cycle of life like a machine without feeling any particular emotions through its dance, music and art," member Mingi said during a press showcase for "The World EP. 1: Movement," held in Seoul on Thursday.
ATEEZ sold more than a record 1.1 million copies in preorders, according to the band's agency, KQ Entertainment.
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