• Naver Webtoon Announces Webtoon "Yumi's Cells" Will Be Produced As Animation and Musical

    Following the drama, the popular webtoon 'Yumi's Cells', boasting a total of 3.4 billion views, will be produced as an animation and musical.

    Naver Webtoon announced on the 10th that the webtoon 'Yumi's Cells' (written/illustrated by Lee Dong-gun) will be produced as a feature-length animation for theaters and a domestic musical.

    The webtoon ‘Yumi’s Cells’ is a work that expresses the daily life and love story of ‘Yumi’, an office worker in her 30s, through the eyes of cells in her head. It received favorable reviews for its unusual setting that cells in the head control each character's love, reason, and appetite, realistic episodes, and delicate psychological descriptions between characters.

    In particular, on the 30th of last month, Season 1 of TVING's original drama 'Yumi's Cells', based on a webtoon, ended in popularity. It was produced in a format that combines live-action and 3D animation for the first time in a Korean drama, and it has attracted a lot of attention as a novel attempt to break the frame of existing dramas.

    Next, the webtoon 'Yumi's Cells' will be made into animations and musicals. First, you can meet 'Yumi's Cells' as a feature-length animation for theaters. The work is co-produced by Studio N, a subsidiary of Naver Webtoon, and Locus (Sidus Animation), which produced the 3D animated movie ‘Red Shoes’, and is aiming to be released in the first half of 2023.

    In addition, it will be presented as a domestic musical. This work is also produced by Studio N and Sam Company, a subsidiary of Naver Webtoon, and is currently in the planning and development stage. It is a performance content that conveys a different charm from the original webtoon and drama, and is expected to be able to enjoy 'Yumi's Cells' more vividly.

    Kwon Mi-kyung, Studio N CEO said "We plan to contribute to the revitalization of the webtoon IP industry by producing content in the area.”

    Source(1)

  • Hwanhee’s Agency Hits Back Against Shocking Claims of Favoritism on ‘King of Singers Season 2’—Vows to Defend His Reputation

    Hwanhee's agency, BT Entertainment, is firing back after serious fairness allegations were raised regarding the popular show ‘King of Singers Season 2’. They’ve denied all accusations and promised strong legal action for defamation.

    On February 5th, the agency issued a statement through their official fan cafe, saying, “We want to correct the false claims.”

    They explained that Hwanhee was initially approached to join the show in August 2024 by the production team. However, after checking with the event planning company, Dion Communication, they confirmed Hwanhee had no connection to the show or any related performances.

    Despite this, the agency pointed out that certain media outlets published unverified articles, wrongly suggesting that Hwanhee’s involvement could compromise the fairness of the program.

    BT Entertainment was quick to defend their artist, stressing the damage done to both Hwanhee's reputation and the agency itself due to these false claims. They added, "This has caused great harm to Hwanhee, who joined the program after careful consideration."

    The statement didn’t stop there. BT Entertainment made it clear that they won’t stand for any further defamation. They said, “We are taking legal action against these baseless reports” and emphasized their commitment to protecting Hwanhee from any further harm.

    They also reassured their fans, stating, “We will take swift action against any future misinformation to avoid any further harm to Hwanhee and his supporters.”

    This controversy started after a media outlet raised concerns on January 23rd about Hwanhee’s participation in the show. The report claimed that BT Entertainment’s CEO, who is also a director at Dion Communication, had invested 1.1 billion KRW in the ‘King of Singers Season 2’ concert, leading to suspicions of favoritism towards certain contestants.

    In the meantime, ‘King of Singers Season 2’ continues its intense competition, with Hwanhee making it to the semifinals. Fans are watching closely as he currently holds 1st place in the first round of the semifinals, cementing his position as a strong contender to represent Korea in the Korea-Japan King of Kings battle.

    Source: [1]