News

Putin implies Russia is open to direct talks with Ukraine

2025/04/22 20:00

Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled that he is open to direct talks with Ukraine, for the first time since the full-scale war began more than three years ago. During an interview with Russian state TV on Monday, Putin said Russia has "always looked positively on any peace initiatives," adding that he "hopes that representatives of the Kyiv regime will feel the same way." Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "the president had in mind negotiations with the Ukrainian side." Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not directly respond to Putin's comments, but said in his nightly video address on the same day that Ukraine is "ready for any conversation" that would ensure the safety of civilians.

S. Korea successfully launches fourth reconnaissance satellite from space base in U.S.

2025/04/22 20:00

South Korea successfully sent its fourth reconnaissance satellite into space on Tuesday morning, Korea Time. It's to enhance capabilities to monitor North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, regardless of weather conditions. Kim Bo-kyoung covers this latest launch. "Three, two, one. Ignition, engines full power, and lift off. Go Falcon, go Bandwagon-3." South Korea's fourth military reconnaissance satellite aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched from a U.S. space base Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, at 8:48 PM Monday local time, 9:48 AM Tuesday Korea time. 15 minutes after liftoff, the reconnaissance satellite was placed into orbit and it successfully communicated with the ground station at 12:27 PM Korea time, indicating the satellite's normal operation. "The fourth spy satellite, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, successfully separated from the launch vehicle, entered its orbit, and successfully communicated with a domestic ground station, confirming that the satellite is in good working order." The satellite launched this time was the third synthetic aperture radar satellite, part of South Korea's plan to deploy five reconnaissance satellites by the end of this year under the "425 Project." Aiming to enhance surveillance of North Korean military activities, South Korea launched its first reconnaissance satellite in December 2023, equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors capable of capturing detailed images. Two satellites with SAR sensors, which enable the collection of data regardless of weather conditions, were launched last year, in April and December. South Korean military is aiming to send the last one within this year, and once completed, Seoul will be able to monitor North Korea at two-hour intervals. The country is to deploy dozens of ultra-small satellites by the early 2030s, which is expected to further reduce that interval. "Our surveillance over North Korea would be much strengthened, and after launching ultra-small satellites as well, this will mark a very important step toward self-reliant national defense, as it will significantly reduce our dependence on the U.S. for intelligence capabilities." While bolstering the core assets that form the foundation of Korea's three-axis defense system, South Korea is aiming to pave the way to emerge as a strong space power in national defense. Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.

Public mourning for Pope Francis begins at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul

2025/04/22 20:00

Public mourning for the deceased Pope Francis has begun in the cathedral of the country's capital. The Archdiocese of Seoul announced that starting at 3 PM today, the public can pay their respects at Myeongdong Cathedral. A memorial space has been set up in the cathedral's underground chapel. Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung and Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick visited the place of worship to pay their respects and so did many South Korean Catholics and non-believers alike.

How does Conclave elect new pope?

2025/04/22 20:00

The passing of the pope looks to initiate the procedure of electing a new leader of the Catholic Church. Our Choi Soo-hyung walks us through that protocol. "With key." That's the literal meaning of Conclave, which comes from the Latin "cum clave." In the Catholic Church, the Conclave is the secret meeting of cardinals, under the age of 80, held to elect a new pope. The meeting takes place 15 to 20 days after the pope's death, leaving enough time for a nine-day mourning period and funeral, with cardinals from around the world arriving in Rome. The current Conclave traces its roots back to the 13th century. Traditionally, the pope is buried four to six days after his death. The process of electing the 267th pope begins after the mourning period. For this Conclave, 138 cardinals are eligible to elect and to be elected as the new pontiff out of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals. During the Conclave, the cardinals are locked inside the Sistine Chapel until the new pontiff is chosen. They cast four ballots each day, with a two-thirds majority required to choose the pope. The cardinals are not allowed contact with the outside world, no phones, no television, and no newspapers. After each vote, the ballots are burned, and the smoke coming from the chapel's chimney is the only signal to the outside world. Black smoke means an inconclusive vote, while white smoke marks the election of a new pope. Once elected, the bells of the Sistine Chapel ring, and after the chosen candidate accepts the office, an official announcement is made, revealing the new pope's papal name. Pope Francis, elected on March 13th, 2013, was chosen after five rounds of voting, just two days into the Conclave. The senior cardinal deacon introduces the newly elected pontiff with the traditional declaration, "Habemus Papam," meaning "We have a pope." Following Pope Francis, the first Latin-American pontiff, all eyes are now on whether the next pope, for the first time, could come from Asia or Africa. Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok flies to U.S. for 2+2 trade talks with Washington

2025/04/22 20:00

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok departed for the U.S. today to attend "two-plus-two" trade consultations set to take place later this week. Other than expected topics, the Korean team is also preparing for unexpected ones, too. Our Park Kun-woo reports. South Korea's Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok departed for the U.S. on Tuesday to attend the upcoming "2+2 trade talks" with Washington to address trade and tariff issues. "I will return after paving the way for renewed discussions on strengthening the alliance with the U.S." The talks, reportedly proposed by the U.S., will be the first high-level trade consultations since the start of Trump's second term, and will be held on Thursday local time. Joining Choi are Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Ahn is set to depart on Wednesday. Key agenda items are expected to be trade issues following Trump's reciprocal tariffs and bilateral cooperation in energy and shipbuilding. Seoul is also preparing for unexpected topics from the U.S. and accordingly plans to send officials from other ministries, including foreign affairs and agriculture. The government is reportedly preparing for the possibility of Trump joining the talks, as seen in recent negotiations with Japan. Trade Minister Ahn said the agenda items will not cover the FTA or the stationing of U.S. forces in Korea. Acting President Han Duk-soo also on Tuesday expressed hope that the meeting will lead to a "win-win" solution and mark a meaningful starting point for deeper cooperation between the two countries. Park Kun-woo, Arirang News.

Supreme Court starts full bench review of election violation of DP's likely presidential candidate

2025/04/22 20:00

The Supreme Court on Tuesday started reviewing the election violation case against DP's likely presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung as a full bench. This means the Court is taking the case more seriously than others due to the level of public interest. Usually, Supreme Court cases are overseen by four justices out of the 13. For this case, however, one of the justices has requested to be recused from the bench as he leads the National Election Commission. Lee faces charges of spreading false information regarding urban development projects ahead of the 2021 presidential election. An initial guilty verdict was overturned on appeal last month.

[Weather] Rain until late tonight, back to warm spring weather tomorrow

2025/04/22 17:00

There is some heavy spring rain all over the country. In inland areas, 5 to 15 millimeters per hour of rain has been pouring down everywhere. On the south coast, rain is accompanied by thunder and lightning with gusty winds. In most areas, 5 to 30 millimeters of rain is expected today. The wind is blowing strongly with this rain. With a strong wind advisory issued on the south coast, winds of up to 20 to 25 meters per second will blow in the mountainous areas and coastal areas, around 15 meters per second in the rest of the country. Rain will mostly stop late tonight, but it will continue on the east coast until tomorrow morning. Morning will start mild with Seoul and Jeju at 13 degrees Celsius, Daejeon, Daegu, and Busan at 15 degrees. Daily highs will move up to 24 degrees in Seoul and Chuncheon, 19 degrees in Busan and Jeju. The weather will get chilly on Friday morning with the temperature in Seoul falling to 7 degrees. That's all for Korea. Here are the weather conditions around the world.

World News: Modi and Vance hold talks in New Delhi

2025/04/22 17:00

This is the World Now, bringing you the latest stories from around the globe. U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day visit to India, met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday to discuss bilateral ties and trade issues amid the Trump administration's new tariff policies. During the meeting, Vance and Modi discussed progress in areas such as trade and defense as well as plans for strengthened bilateral ties, as outlined in February when Modi met President Donald Trump at the White House. They also reviewed a bilateral trade agreement aimed at increasing trade between the two countries to 500 billion U.S. dollars by 2030. The United States is India's largest trading partner, and their bilateral trade reached 129 billion dollars in 2024. India seeks relief from proposed U.S. tariffs, while the U.S. encourages India to lower duties on American imports and boost purchases of U.S. defense equipment. China and Indonesia's foreign and defense ministers have met in Beijing to discuss improving mutual ties and economic collaboration. On Monday local time, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defense Minister Dong Jun met with Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. Key outcomes included agreements to boost maritime security cooperation in the South China Sea, conduct joint counter-terrorism exercises, and collaborate on cyber threats and transnational crimes. China also expressed a willingness to increase imports of Indonesian products. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to free trade and promoting regional peace and stability. In Australia, seven people drowned in New South Wales over the Easter long weekend, marking the country's deadliest holiday period on record. The victims include a nine-year-old boy, who became trapped between rocks at a beach on Sunday afternoon. Surf Life Saving NSW described the weekend as "absolutely horrific," attributing the incidents to a combination of warm weather, dangerous swells, and risky behavior. The group said it performed more than 150 rescues during the holiday period. Authorities urged the public to swim only at patrolled beaches and to adhere to safety warnings. At the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards held in Madrid on Monday local time, gymnast Simone Biles and pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis were honored as Sportswoman and Sportsman of the year. Biles won her fourth Laureus title, matching Tennis star Serena Williams' record, following her outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics, where the American earned three gold medals and one silver. Duplantis, who competes for Sweden, received his first Laureus award after winning his second Olympic gold and breaking his own pole vault record twice in 2024. Choi Chi-hee, Arirang News.

Korean animation "The King of Kings" debuts at #2 in U.S. box office

2025/04/22 17:00

A Korean animation based on the Bible debuted at number two at the U.S. box office and globally raked in some 19 million U.S. dollars on its opening weekend. Lee Eun-jin has more. The animated film "The King of Kings," created and produced by Korean studios and filmmakers, debuted at number 2 in the North American box office. With its Korean title translating to "The Life of Jesus," this marks a milestone for a Korean animation on the global stage. According to the U.S. tracking site Box Office Mojo, "The King of Kings" raked in 7-point-0-1 million U.S. dollars across 3,200 theaters in North America on its opening day on April 12th. The film's opening weekend earnings surpassed 19-point-4 million dollars globally, making it the largest debut for an animated biblical movie since 1998's "The Prince of Egypt" and continued its success over the Easter weekend, bringing in 17-point-2 million dollars. "From the outset, we targeted the North American market as our main target audience. The United States is a country founded by Puritans, and although it is not the same as it used to be, it is still a country with a strong Christian cultural tradition, so we were confident that this theme would resonate with audiences. That said, the success has been far greater than we anticipated, leaving us feeling a bit overwhelmed." The story of the life of Jesus is well known, but it had never been made into a feature-length animated film for the theater. Written and directed by Mofac Studio's CEO Jang Seong-ho, who was inspired by Charles Dickens' book, The Life of Our Lord, and tells the story of a father taking his youngest son on a journey through time, to restore their relationship. To this fresh approach, Jang added extraordinary computer graphics and visual effects. Director Jang endured a decade of rejections for investments to bring this film to theaters. But it is now set to make its way around the world with anticipation high for its release in South American theaters before it comes to Korea at the end of July. Lee Eunjin, Arirang News.

Qatar and Egypt propose new long-term Ceasefire Plan to Hamas

2025/04/22 17:00

In the Middle East. Qatar and Egypt have proposed a long-term truce to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Citing a Palestinian Arab official the BBC says the two mediators suggested a ceasefire that includes a 5-to-7 year pause in fighting the release of all hostages in return for Palestinian Arab prisoners in Israeli jails as well as a complete withdrawal of Israel from Gaza. The official also reportedly told the BBC that Hamas is ready to hand over the governance of Gaza to quote "any Palestinian entity agreed upon at the national and regional level".

Wall Street stumbles as Trump bashes Fed chair Powell again

2025/04/22 17:00

Wall Street plunged during its session on Monday in response to crude comments by President Donald Trump directed at the head of the U.S. Federal Reserve Jerome Powell. Lee Seung-jae reports. Wall Street stumbled to a close on the week's first trading session on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 971-point-8-2 points, or 2-point-4-8 percent, to close at 38-thousand-170-point-4-1. The S&P 500 shed 2-point-3-6 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 2-point-5-5 percent to settle at 15-thousand-870-point-9-0. The so-called 'Magnificent Seven' tech giants all dragged the major indexes lower, with Tesla losing 5-point-8 percent, while Nvidia shed more than 4 percent. Wall Street saw U.S. stocks tumble and bonds sold off as U.S. President Donald Trump threw fresh criticism towards U.S. Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Monday,.. pressuring him to cut interest rates. Taking to social media, Trump said the economy would slow unless Powell, who he called "Mr. Too Late, a major loser," lowers interest rates immediately. Trump had previously called for the U.S. Fed to lower rates, even hinting at Powell's possible "termination." The lack of progress on global trade after Trump announced his reciprocal tariffs earlier this month has also dented investor confidence. Since Trump's announcement on April 2nd, the S&P 500 is down 9 percent, and both the Nasdaq and Dow Jones fell nearly 10 percent. Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.

S. Korea successfully launches fourth reconnaissance satellite from space base in U.S.

2025/04/22 17:00

South Korea successfully sent its fourth spy satellite into space earlier on this Tuesday morning Korea Time. Our defense correspondent Kim Bo-kyoung covers this latest launch. "Three, two, one. Ignition, engines full power, and lift off. Go Falcon, go Bandwagon-3." South Korea's fourth military reconnaissance satellite aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched from a U.S. space base Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, at 8:48 PM Monday local time, 9:48 AM Tuesday Korea time. 15 minutes after liftoff, the reconnaissance satellite was placed into orbit and it successfully communicated with the ground station at 12:27 PM Korea time, indicating the satellite's normal operation. "The fourth spy satellite, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, successfully separated from the launch vehicle, entered its orbit, and successfully communicated with a domestic ground station, confirming that the satellite is in good working order." The satellite launched this time was the third synthetic aperture radar satellite, part of South Korea's plan to deploy five reconnaissance satellites by the end of this year under the "425 Project." Aiming to enhance surveillance of North Korean military activities, South Korea launched its first reconnaissance satellite in December 2023, equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors capable of capturing detailed images. Two satellites with SAR sensors, which enable the collection of data regardless of weather conditions, were launched last year, in April and December. South Korean military is aiming to send the last one within this year, and once completed, Seoul will be able to monitor North Korea at two-hour intervals. The country is to deploy dozens of ultra-small satellites by the early 2030s, which is expected to further reduce that interval. "Our surveillance over North Korea would be much strengthened, and after launching ultra-small satellites as well, this will mark a very important step toward self-reliant national defense, as it will significantly reduce our dependence on the U.S. for intelligence capabilities." While bolstering the core assets that form the foundation of Korea's three-axis defense system, South Korea is aiming to pave the way to emerge as a strong space power in national defense. Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.

Lee Jae-myung shares vision for medical system and environment; PPP's first round cut-off to come soon

2025/04/22 17:00

On the political front here. Partisan primaries remain heated and for details I have my colleague Kim Do-yeon live on the line. Do-yeon it's good to have you on. Let's begin with the Democratic Party that appears to have a clear front-runner. Sun-hee, the front-runner, Lee Jae-myung was forced into a quiet day on the campaign trail as he appeared in court for one of his ongoing criminal trials. Still, he took to social media earlier in the day to highlight his pledges—ranging from cutting carbon emissions and reducing plastic use, to pushing forward with changes in the medical system. Tomorrow marks the start of the second half of the regional primaries—starting with the southwest, covering the Jeolla-do Provinces and Gwangju City. A liberal stronghold, this region accounts for 27 percent of the Democratic Party's total electors—more than the 18 percent combined from the previous two voting regions, the Chungcheong-do and Gyeongsang-do provinces. Lee Jae-myung, who has so far secured 90 percent of the vote, is expected to travel to the region on Thursday. The candidate in second place, Kim Dong-yeon, laid out his development plans for the region today, while third-place Kim Kyung-soo—looking to turn things around—was the first to arrive there. I see. Let's now turn to the People Power Party with its full house of presidential contenders. What's the latest there? Right, Sun-hee. The first round cut-off among the eight contestants will be coming out at around six thirty today. The results of this 100-percent open survey of the PPP and undecided voters will leave four contestants to head into the next round. The polling closed at 3 PM today, according to the PPP. Until now, according to various polls Kim Moon-soo, Han Dong-hoon, and Hong Joon-pyo seem to have made the cut with Ahn Cheol-soo and Na Kyung-won fighting for the fourth and the last spot. Now, the 100-percent open survey of the PPP and undecided voters aimed to give a boost to candidates who appeal to undecided voters so we'll have to see how that decides the fate of the candidates. However, starting with the second round cut-off, the voting will be comprised of 50-percent eligible PPP electors and 50-percent an open survey. Right away, the second round of the primary will begin with a media day on Wednesday and a debate on Thursday. All right Do-yeon thank you for the latest on the partisan primaries ahead of Korea's presidential election on June 3rd.

S. Korean gov't extends fuel tax cuts with partial rollback amid falling oil prices

2025/04/22 17:00

The government is planning a partial rollback of its tax cuts on fuel in light of falling global oil prices. The current rates are set to expire at the end of this month and the new rates will be in place until the end of June. Accordingly come May the tax break for gasoline will be eased to 10 percent from 15 percent while for diesel the cut will be adjusted to 15 percent from the current 23 percent. Such relief measures have been in place since late 2021.

S. Korea-U.S. tariff talks to move towards "win-win solution": Acting Pres. Han

2025/04/22 17:00

Acting President Han Duck-soo believes the planned TWO-PLUS-TWO trade talks between Seoul and Washington will lead to a "win-win solution." Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on this Tuesday Han pointed out that the talks were proposed by Washington and will take place this coming Thursday in Washington D.C. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun will meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. On the agenda are tariff consultations and prospects of partnership in shipbuilding and energy. Minister Choi departed for the U.S. earlier today to also attend the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors. The meeting will be held in conjunction with the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings.

How does Conclave elect new pope?

2025/04/22 17:00

The passing of Pope Francis also looks to initiate the procedure of electing a new leader of the Catholic Church. Our Choi Soo-hyung walks us through that protocol. "With key." That's the literal meaning of Conclave, which comes from the Latin "cum clave." In the Catholic Church, the Conclave is the secret meeting of cardinals, under the age of 80, held to elect a new pope. The meeting takes place 15 to 20 days after the pope's death, leaving enough time for a nine-day mourning period and funeral, with cardinals from around the world arriving in Rome. The current Conclave traces its roots back to the 13th century. Traditionally, the pope is buried four to six days after his death. The process of electing the 267th pope begins after the mourning period. For this Conclave, 138 cardinals are eligible to elect and to be elected as the new pontiff out of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals. During the Conclave, the cardinals are locked inside the Sistine Chapel until the new pontiff is chosen. They cast four ballots each day, with a two-thirds majority required to choose the pope. The cardinals are not allowed contact with the outside world, no phones, no television, and no newspapers. After each vote, the ballots are burned, and the smoke coming from the chapel's chimney is the only signal to the outside world. Black smoke means an inconclusive vote, while white smoke marks the election of a new pope. Once elected, the bells of the Sistine Chapel ring, and after the chosen candidate accepts the office, an official announcement is made, revealing the new pope's papal name. Pope Francis, elected on March 13th, 2013, was chosen after five rounds of voting, just two days into the Conclave. The senior cardinal deacon introduces the newly elected pontiff with the traditional declaration, "Habemus Papam," meaning "We have a pope." Following Pope Francis, the first Latin-American pontiff, all eyes are now on whether the next pope, for the first time, could come from Asia or Africa. Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.

K-Wave AI News

2025/04/22 14:00

Hello and welcome to your AI guide to the latest cultural updates from Korea. Here's our top story. The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul will open a memorial altar for the late Pope Francis at Myeongdong Cathedral. Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taek, and other bishops will pay their respects first, with public access starting at 3 PM today. The duration of the memorial will be determined based on the Vatican's funeral schedule. Pope Francis shared a deep bond with Korea, making it his first Asian destination after his inauguration and selecting Seoul as the 2027 World Youth Day host city. He also appointed half of Korea's cardinals and consistently offered words of comfort during the nation's times of hardship. Pianist Cho Seong-jin will hold a nationwide recital tour in Korea this summer to mark the release of his new album featuring the complete solo piano works of Ravel. The tour kicks off on June 12 at Arts Center Incheon, followed by stops at Seoul Arts Center on June 14 and Seongnam Arts Center on June 15. Cho's highly anticipated performances will continue in Daegu, Gimhae, Daejeon, and Cheonan through July. He will present two programs: one featuring the complete solo piano works of Ravel, and another inspired by nature, including sonatas by Beethoven and Brahms. The cities of Icheon, Yeoju, and Gwangju in Gyeonggi-do Province, renowned as Korea's ceramic hub, will host their signature pottery festivals from late April to early May. Coinciding with the upcoming six-day golden holiday, the festivals will offer a range of immersive activities for all ages. The Icheon Ceramics Festival, starting this Friday, will feature live pottery-making demonstrations and hands-on experiences where visitors can create their own ceramics. The Gwangju Royal Ceramics Festival, also opening this Friday, will showcase an exhibition of both traditional and contemporary ceramics at the Royal Ceramics Master Hall. Beginning May 1, the Yeoju Ceramic Festival will offer high-quality ceramics at affordable prices, alongside special performances, including live shows by popular trot singers. That's all from me. Keep it tuned to the Kulture Wave.

[Hallyu People] First K-pop group with hearing disabilities 'Big Ocean' celebrates first anniversary with comeback

2025/04/22 14:00

Korea observed the Day of People with Disabilities on April 20th. It’s a day that serves as a means to raise awareness and promote rehabilitation of those with disabilities. April 20th also marks one year since the debut of Korea’s first K-pop group with hearing disabilities: Parastar Entertainment's 'Big Ocean'! Today, we are delighted to have PJ, a member of Big Ocean, with us in the studio. 1) Welcome PJ! Please say hi to our viewers! 2) PJ, congratulations to Big Ocean’s first anniversary! (Chanyeon , Jiseok , congratulations to you as well!) Along with this first birthday of your group, you are reborn too as ‘PJ’ rather than ‘Hyun-jin’ . Why did you change your stage name? 3) So, Big Ocean debuted on April 20th 2024. You must have had so many memories in the past year. Are there any special episodes you want to share with us? 4) What does it mean to you and your members to have the title "first K-pop group with hearing disabilities?" 5) You worked tirelessly to debut and your process of singing and dancing is a bit different from other groups. Could you tell us more? 6) Let’s now talk about your comeback. You just dropped a new mini album on your one-year anniversary called “Underwater.” Introduce us to the album please. 7) There is more to congratulate you on! Big Ocean’s first European tour! How did you get ready for that and how do you feel about it? 8) Can’t believe it’s already time to let you go but last but not least, how do you see yourself and Big Ocean ten years from now? Thank you PJ for joining us today, despite being very busy with your comeback. Say hi to the other members from us and we wish you the best with "UNDERWATER." Thank you very much PJ.

Korean animation "The King of Kings" debuts at #2 in U.S. box office

2025/04/22 14:00

The animated biblical film "The King of Kings" stormed box offices in North America on its opening weekend, debuting at number 2. The film broke a decades-old box office record for an animated faith-based movie, earning an estimated 19 million dollars in its first week. What might surprise you is that this is a Korean animated film. Lee Eun-jin tells us more in this report. The animated film "The King of Kings," created and produced by Korean studios and filmmakers, debuted at number 2 in the North American box office. With its Korean title translating to "The Life of Jesus," this marks a milestone for a Korean animation on the global stage. According to the U.S. tracking site Box Office Mojo, "The King of Kings" raked in 7-point-0-1 million U.S. dollars across 3,200 theaters in North America on its opening day on April 12th. The film's opening weekend earnings surpassed 19-point-4 million dollars globally, making it the largest debut for an animated biblical movie since 1998's "The Prince of Egypt" and continued its success over the Easter weekend, bringing in 17-point-2 million dollars. "From the outset, we targeted the North American market as our main target audience. The United States is a country founded by Puritans, and although it is not the same as it used to be, it is still a country with a strong Christian cultural tradition, so we were confident that this theme would resonate with audiences. That said, the success has been far greater than we anticipated, leaving us feeling a bit overwhelmed." The story of the life of Jesus is well known, but it had never been made into a feature-length animated film for the theater. Written and directed by Mofac Studio's CEO Jang Seong-ho, who was inspired by Charles Dickens' book, The Life of Our Lord, and tells the story of a father taking his youngest son on a journey through time, to restore their relationship. To this fresh approach, Jang added extraordinary computer graphics and visual effects. Director Jang endured a decade of rejections for investments to bring this film to theaters. But it is now set to make its way around the world with anticipation high for its release in South American theaters before it comes to Korea at the end of July. Lee Eunjin, Arirang News. Very timely release around Easter. I can't wait to watch the movie myself. I wish it would be prereleased here in Korea, after this bigger than expected success in North America. That's pretty amazing. Soa, we recently talked about how Exorcism Chronicles surpassed 500,000 viewers, domestically and THAT is deemed a big number But with "made in Korea" animations growing successfully abroad, we might see those numbers regularly hit millions, just like blockbusters like Parasite. Can't wait for that to materialize. "The King of Kings" meanwhile is set to be released in around 120 countries by the end of this year, we'll probably talk more about it later on.

[K-enter] Exo's Kai makes a return to music!

2025/04/22 14:00

So, let's kick off with our daily dose of K-enter news. Starting off with some news from an EXO member. Who are we talking about? On Monday afternoon, a showcase was held at Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul, to celebrate the release of EXO member Kai’s fourth mini-album "Wait On Me" with fellow EXO member Suho serving as the MC. In February, Kai completed his military service and returned to music with this album being Kai's first musical release since his third mini-album "Rover". The new album features seven tracks, including the title track "Wait On Me", the pre-release track "Adult Swim" which is getting a lot of attention, as well as "Walls Don’t Talk", "Pressure, Ridin’", "Off and Away", and "Flight to Paris". Kai shared, “I believe this album will show that I’ve spent my time meaningfully. I know many of my fans have been waiting for me, and I, too, have been waiting for this moment." Kai will kick off his solo tour with the "2025 KAI Solo Concert Tour KAION" starting on May 17 at Seoul Olympic Park’s Handball Gymnasium. Next up we are talking about another return to music, this time from a boy group. Boy group TWS have made a return after taking a short five month break. On Monday afternoon, TOURS held a media showcase in Seoul to celebrate the release of their third mini-album "TRY WITH US." The third mini-album "TRY WITH US" captures the bold energy of diving into new experiences at the age of twenty. Having previously released songs inspired by school life, TWS now portray the joy of youth stepping into adulthood beyond the classroom. The album includes six tracks, such as the title track “Isn’t It Cool to Follow Your Heart?”, “Random Play,” which expresses the thrill of spontaneously traveling with friends, and “GO BACK,” which conveys the fluttering emotions of falling in love. I'm so happy my playlist is full of these new songs! Lastly let's take a break from K-pop and move on to K-movies. K-movie "The Match" starring Lee Byung-hun surpassed 2 million cumulative viewers on its 27th day since release. Among all 2025 releases, "The Match" ranks third at the box office, following "Mickey 17"과 "Hitman 2". Despite being in its fourth week of release, the film has consistently remained at the top of the box office, not only surpassing its break-even point of 1.8 million viewers but also smashing the 2-million-mark. "The Match" tells the story of Cho Hun-hyun , a legendary master of Go or Baduk who, after a series of losses to his protégé Lee Chang-ho , makes a comeback to challenge the top once more.