Category: K-Wave

Actress Ha Ji-won is stepping onto the Major League Baseball stage. On July 21 local time, she'll throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Boston Red Sox-Baltimore Orioles game at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. It marks the first time a Korean actor has thrown a first pitch at the historic ballpark.

The invitation comes as part of a Major League Baseball initiative that blends sports and pop culture to connect with fans around the world. Ha's team said she was grateful for the invitation to such a meaningful event and hopes to create good memories with the players, the local Korean community, and baseball fans from around the globe who come to the ballpark.

This isn't Ha's first time on the mound this month. On July 16, she threw the first pitch at a Korean professional baseball game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul — her first appearance on a Korean mound in 12 years. With the Fenway Park appearance following less than two weeks later, she's connecting with baseball fans in two countries in quick succession.

Ha has recently been broadening her range of activities, appearing as a college freshman on a web variety show aimed at connecting with younger viewers, and she's set to return to Korean theaters with a new film in September.

Director Yeon Sang-ho's zombie disaster film 'Train to Busan' is heading back to overseas theaters next month to mark its 10th anniversary. Distributor NEW announced on July 21 that the newly remastered 4K version will open first in the Philippines on August 5. North America follows on August 14, Japan on August 21, and Italy on September 2.

The scale of the North American rerelease stands out. The film had only limited screenings in select markets during its original 2016 run, but this time it's confirmed for more than 500 screens — over 10 times the reach a decade ago. NEW says it also plans to expand into Latin American markets including Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Spain, Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

The film follows passengers fighting to survive aboard a KTX high-speed train from Seoul to Busan as a mysterious virus spreads. Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, and Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee) star, and the film became the launchpad for what's since grown into Yeon's so-called "Yeonniverse" of interconnected projects.

Before its official 2016 release, 'Train to Busan' earned early buzz by screening in a Midnight Screenings section at the Cannes Film Festival. It went on to draw 11.57 million admissions in Korea, with combined domestic and international box office revenue reaching roughly $93.5 million — about 138 billion won.

Lee Jung-ha, CEO of Contents Panda, which is handling the overseas distribution, said the film is finally getting a full wide release in North America a decade after its limited 2016 debut there. He added that since the film was what first put Korean-style zombie movies on the map globally, he hopes this rerelease brings new audiences fresh enjoyment.