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HONG KONG, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In one generation, South Korea's film and TV industry has gone from censorship to winning Oscars and breaking streaming records. In this episode of CNN Original Series K-Everything, host and executive producer, Daniel Dae Kim, looks at this period of rapid change, and how it is driving a new wave of storytelling. Through conversations with some of the country's most celebrated creators, Kim finds out why themes that preoccupy Korean creatives are resonating with audiences worldwide.
To kick-off, Kim explores the rise of Korean cinema's power, depth, and beauty with film critic Darcy Paquet. An American living in Korea for almost three decades, Paquet has translated English subtitles for over a hundred Korean films, including Parasite, the first non-English language film to win best picture at the Academy Awards in 2020.
At the Busan International Film Festival, Korea's leading man, Lee Byung-hun, is on the circuit for his latest movie, No Other Choice, directed by Korean auteur, Park Chan Wook. Arguably the country's most prolific actor, Lee's career has spanned thirty years and multiple genres across Korean and Hollywood cinema and drama, including playing the Front Man in the blockbuster, Squid Game. Kim sits down with Lee in Seoul to hear about his dedication to the craft and his pride in Korean cinema's meteoric rise.
With zombies a mainstay of K-movies and drama, Kim visits Technical Art Studio CELL, founded by Hwang Hyo-kyun, widely considered to be one of Korea's top zombie special effects artists. Kim also meets up with Yeon Sang-ho, the director behind the zombie classic Train to Busan to discuss why many Korean filmmakers tend to explore such dark motifs, and why they resonate with global audiences.
One of Korea's most prolific screenwriters, Kim Eun-sook has been credited with developing rich, nuanced characters and dynamics that explore hefty emotional themes. Kim catches up with her in Seoul's picturesque Ikseon-dong hanok village to learn how to create a compelling K-drama and why love stories have such universal appeal.
Kim takes a trip to a uniquely Korean invention - the 4DX cinema - for a multisensory cinematic experience. He then talks to Vice Chairwoman of CJ Group, Miky Lee, a pioneer of the Korean entertainment industry, who helped create the infrastructure of the Korean film industry through building cinemas and nurturing top Korean film talent.
K-Everything continues the legacy of CNN Original Series' host-led storytelling that examines global culture and the human experience, joining an award-winning library of premium programming streaming on the CNN app.
The CNN Original Series is sponsored by one of South Korea's largest companies, Hyundai Motor Company, a global brand deeply rooted in Korean heritage whose growth has mirrored the country's own journey of innovation and progress.
K-Everything episode 2 (K-film) premieres Saturday, May 16 at 8pm HKT and replays on Sunday, May 17 at 8am and 11pm HKT and Monday, May 18 at 3am HKT on CNN International. The 4-episode series will stream live for CNN International pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps weekly. It will be available on demand beginning Saturday, May 9 to CNN's streaming subscribers in the US via CNN.com and CNN connected TV and mobile apps. The series will also be available to stream on HBO Max, where available.
Kim is repped by UTA, Linden Entertainment, Narrative PR and Gang Tyre.
K-Everything (K-film) trailer: http://bit.ly/4wkGxxl
K-Everything (K-film) images: https://bit.ly/4eZ95WU
K-Everything microsite: http://edition.cnn.com/world/k-everything
Airtimes for K-Everything (K-film) Episode
Saturday, 16th May at 8pm HKT
Sunday, 17th May at 8am and 11pm HKT
Monday, 18th May at 3am HKT
About CNN Originals
The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Presents, and the newly formed CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN's global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 45 multi-part documentary series and 60 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 110 awards and 445 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films' first Academy Award® for Navalny. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy® nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Emmy® nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; the Emmy® Award-nominated "Decades Series": The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; Grammy® Award nominee Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart; This is Life with Lisa Ling; Primetime Emmy® and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; and the five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; and the five-time Emmy® Award-winning The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, to stream via a CNN All Access subscription, on the CNN Original Hub on HBO Max and discovery+, on the CNN Originals FAST channel, and with a pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.
About CNN International
CNN's portfolio of news and information services is available in seven different languages across all major TV, digital and mobile platforms, reaching more than 379 million households around the globe. CNN International is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region, and Latin America and has a US presence that includes CNNgo. CNN Digital is a leading network for online news, mobile news and social media. CNN is at the forefront of digital innovation and continues to invest heavily in expanding its digital global footprint, with a suite of award-winning digital properties and a range of strategic content partnerships, commercialised through a strong data-driven understanding of audience behaviours. CNN has won multiple prestigious awards around the world for its journalism. Around 1,000 hours of long-form series, documentaries and specials are produced every year by CNNI's non-news programming division. CNN has 36 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is a Warner Bros. Discovery company.
HONG KONG, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In one generation, South Korea's film and TV industry has gone from censorship to winning Oscars and breaking streaming records. In this episode of CNN Original Series K-Everything, host and executive producer, Daniel Dae Kim, looks at this period of rapid change, and how it is driving a new wave of storytelling. Through conversations with some of the country's most celebrated creators, Kim finds out why themes that preoccupy Korean creatives are resonating with audiences worldwide.
To kick-off, Kim explores the rise of Korean cinema's power, depth, and beauty with film critic Darcy Paquet. An American living in Korea for almost three decades, Paquet has translated English subtitles for over a hundred Korean films, including Parasite, the first non-English language film to win best picture at the Academy Awards in 2020.
At the Busan International Film Festival, Korea's leading man, Lee Byung-hun, is on the circuit for his latest movie, No Other Choice, directed by Korean auteur, Park Chan Wook. Arguably the country's most prolific actor, Lee's career has spanned thirty years and multiple genres across Korean and Hollywood cinema and drama, including playing the Front Man in the blockbuster, Squid Game. Kim sits down with Lee in Seoul to hear about his dedication to the craft and his pride in Korean cinema's meteoric rise.
With zombies a mainstay of K-movies and drama, Kim visits Technical Art Studio CELL, founded by Hwang Hyo-kyun, widely considered to be one of Korea's top zombie special effects artists. Kim also meets up with Yeon Sang-ho, the director behind the zombie classic Train to Busan to discuss why many Korean filmmakers tend to explore such dark motifs, and why they resonate with global audiences.
One of Korea's most prolific screenwriters, Kim Eun-sook has been credited with developing rich, nuanced characters and dynamics that explore hefty emotional themes. Kim catches up with her in Seoul's picturesque Ikseon-dong hanok village to learn how to create a compelling K-drama and why love stories have such universal appeal.
Kim takes a trip to a uniquely Korean invention - the 4DX cinema - for a multisensory cinematic experience. He then talks to Vice Chairwoman of CJ Group, Miky Lee, a pioneer of the Korean entertainment industry, who helped create the infrastructure of the Korean film industry through building cinemas and nurturing top Korean film talent.
K-Everything continues the legacy of CNN Original Series' host-led storytelling that examines global culture and the human experience, joining an award-winning library of premium programming streaming on the CNN app.
The CNN Original Series is sponsored by one of South Korea's largest companies, Hyundai Motor Company, a global brand deeply rooted in Korean heritage whose growth has mirrored the country's own journey of innovation and progress.
K-Everything episode 2 (K-film) premieres Saturday, May 16 at 8pm HKT and replays on Sunday, May 17 at 8am and 11pm HKT and Monday, May 18 at 3am HKT on CNN International. The 4-episode series will stream live for CNN International pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps weekly. It will be available on demand beginning Saturday, May 9 to CNN's streaming subscribers in the US via CNN.com and CNN connected TV and mobile apps. The series will also be available to stream on HBO Max, where available.
Kim is repped by UTA, Linden Entertainment, Narrative PR and Gang Tyre.
K-Everything (K-film) trailer: http://bit.ly/4wkGxxl
K-Everything (K-film) images: https://bit.ly/4eZ95WU
K-Everything microsite: http://edition.cnn.com/world/k-everything
Airtimes for K-Everything (K-film) Episode
Saturday, 16th May at 8pm HKT
Sunday, 17th May at 8am and 11pm HKT
Monday, 18th May at 3am HKT
About CNN Originals
The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Presents, and the newly formed CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN's global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 45 multi-part documentary series and 60 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 110 awards and 445 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films' first Academy Award® for Navalny. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy® nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Emmy® nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; the Emmy® Award-nominated "Decades Series": The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; Grammy® Award nominee Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart; This is Life with Lisa Ling; Primetime Emmy® and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; and the five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; and the five-time Emmy® Award-winning The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, to stream via a CNN All Access subscription, on the CNN Original Hub on HBO Max and discovery+, on the CNN Originals FAST channel, and with a pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.
About CNN International
CNN's portfolio of news and information services is available in seven different languages across all major TV, digital and mobile platforms, reaching more than 379 million households around the globe. CNN International is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region, and Latin America and has a US presence that includes CNNgo. CNN Digital is a leading network for online news, mobile news and social media. CNN is at the forefront of digital innovation and continues to invest heavily in expanding its digital global footprint, with a suite of award-winning digital properties and a range of strategic content partnerships, commercialised through a strong data-driven understanding of audience behaviours. CNN has won multiple prestigious awards around the world for its journalism. Around 1,000 hours of long-form series, documentaries and specials are produced every year by CNNI's non-news programming division. CNN has 36 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is a Warner Bros. Discovery company.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Daniel Dae Kim goes behind the scenes of South Korea's dynamic TV and movie industry in CNN Original Series K-Everything
A Market‑First Measure of Longevity Readiness in Health and Wealth
The overall Index score stands at 62 out of 100, placing HNW and UHNW families in the "Developing" range, with healthspan readiness lagging behind wealth planning
HONG KONG, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AIA Alta, AIA Hong Kong's unique proposition exclusively for its high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) customers, today announced the launch of the AIA Alta High‑Net‑Worth Optimal Longevity Index[1] ("the Index"). Initiated by AIA Alta and developed by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the Index is a first‑in‑market framework drawing on research analysis provided by BCG to measure the longevity readiness of HNW and UHNW individuals across health and wealth in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland.
The inaugural Index recorded an overall score of 62 out of 100, placing the segment in the "Developing" band. This indicates that (U)HNW families recognise long‑age challenges, but these have not yet been fully translated into repeatable, institutionalised mechanisms, particularly when managing health, wealth, and legacy decisions across multiple jurisdictions.
Key findings reveal that while approximately 80% of HNW individuals have established at least one wealth continuity mechanism (such as wills, trusts, or succession plans), only around 20% have health-decision continuity mechanisms (such as medical directives or decision‑authorisation documents) in place — highlighting that affluent families focus heavily on financial planning while neglecting critical health and medical decision arrangements. Additionally, up to 79% of UHNW respondents identify integrated coordination across health, investment, insurance, and finances as their most critical need.
Alice Liang, Chief Proposition & Healthcare Officer of AIA Hong Kong & Macau, said: "To truly elevate longevity into 'longevity readiness', 'health' planning and 'wealth' planning must carry equal weight. We introduced the AIA Alta High‑Net‑Worth Optimal Longevity Index to provide a clear, fact‑based understanding of how ready these families are for longevity, and where the most significant execution gaps lie. Insights from the Index enable AIA Alta to translate research findings into practical, actionable solutions, supporting customers in building longer‑term, sustainable plans that remain effective across generations and jurisdictions, and ultimately achieving an optimal balance of wealth and health."
Ms Liang added: "The Index makes one point very clear: longevity cannot be managed in silos. While families understand what matters and are confident in their ability to respond, the routines, documents, decision authorisation, governance structures and cross‑border pathways required to execute decisions are not yet fully institutionalised. Through AIA Alta, we are redefining longevity by orchestrating health and wealth into one integrated system, empowering families to protect today, grow tomorrow and sustain legacies across generations."
How the Index Works
The AIA Alta High‑Net‑Worth Optimal Longevity Index provides a structured measurement system scoring longevity readiness on a scale of 0 to 100 that can be repeated year after year. It measures readiness across two equally weighted pillars, Health and Wealth, using three easy-to-grasp measures:
- Awareness (30%): how respondents understand key health- and wealth-related risks, implications, and emerging trends associated with longer lifespans
- Confidence (30%): how confident respondents feel about their ability to maintain long-term health and wealth wellbeing, independence and quality of life
- Preparedness (40%): how far respondents have put plans into action, including having the right documents, structures, resources and routines in place to respond when circumstances change
The Index groups scores into five "readiness bands" to make results easy to interpret: 0–49 (Vulnerable), 50–59 (Foundational), 60–69 (Developing), 70–79 (Optimising), and 80–100 (Mature). Vulnerable indicates major gaps, with limited plans that may not hold up when circumstances change. Foundational reflects initial steps taken, but with limited depth or coordination. Developing indicates good awareness and confidence, but inconsistent execution. Optimising reflects more structured, actively reviewed plans, while Mature represents plans that are highly organised and repeatable, working consistently across time, events, and jurisdictions.
Overall Index Insights
The inaugural overall score of 62 out of 100 places HNW and UHNW families in the Developing range with strong awareness (74) but weaker preparedness (54), revealing a clear execution gap. It highlights several defining behavioural and structural shifts among (U)HNW families today:
- Cross‑border complexity is sharply elevating the need for an integrated orchestrator.
Up to 79% of UHNW respondents say integrated coordination of health, investment, insurance and finances would add significant value to their advisory relationships, well above HNW (63%). This underscores that fragmentation across jurisdictions is now a critical barrier demanding unified execution support.
- Execution readiness is uneven: wealth continuity is strong, health continuity is significantly underdeveloped.
Approximately 80% of (U)HNW have established at least one wealth-decision continuity mechanism — including wills, trusts, governance frameworks or succession planning. Yet only around 20% have a health-decision continuity mechanism in place, such as medical directives or decision‑authorisation documents, revealing a major structural gap in health governance even among the wealthiest families.
- Demand for institutionalised, family‑office‑style governance is accelerating among UHNW families.
UHNW respondents overwhelmingly prioritise expert-network services such as cross‑border tax planning and coordination (75%), wills planning and execution (71%), integrated health and longevity planning (64%), and trust structuring, governance and management (61%) — demonstrating a shift from ad‑hoc advice to formalised, multi‑disciplinary governance. Specifically, 47% of HNWs and 61% of UHNWs who report confidence in portfolio resilience have not conducted stress testing or established regular review mechanisms, revealing a significant confidence-execution gap.
- Longevity planning expands to next-generation capability building and development.
While only around 30% of respondents have already completed next-generation training and capability preparations, a larger proportion plan to put next-generation development structures in place within the next 12 months. This pattern is more evident among second‑generation and Chinese Mainland HNW and UHNW individuals. The findings suggest that longevity planning among HNW families is expanding beyond capital management, extending further into capability building, sustaining social connections, and advancing next-generation development.
AIA Alta – A Leader for Multi‑Generational Wealth and Health Planning
Insights from the Index highlight the need to strengthen both wealth and health longevity readiness as lifespans extend and cross‑border complexity rises. AIA Alta continues to elevate its proposition, responding to customers' increasingly complex cross‑market wealth, health and legacy planning needs. This includes the official opening of the AIA Alta Prestige Wealth Centre at AIA Central, the industry-first Family Health MedTeam service[2], as well as the three‑year exclusive partnership with the Golf Association of Hong Kong, China to nurture the next generation of golfing talent.
Through a fully integrated approach, AIA Alta delivers curated wealth management services, wellness experiences, lifestyle privileges and next‑generation development programmes, to empower HNW and UHNW families to pursue Healthier, Longer, Better Lives across generations.
Access to the full report
About AIA Hong Kong & Macau
AIA Group Limited established its operations in Hong Kong in 1931. To date, AIA Hong Kong and AIA Macau have more than 19,000 financial planners*, as well as an extensive network of independent financial advisors, brokerage and bancassurance partners. We serve over 3.7 million customers^, offering them a wide selection of professional services and products ranging from individual life, group life, accident, medical and health, pension, personal lines insurance to investment-linked assurance schemes with numerous investment options. We are also dedicated to providing superb product solutions to meet the financial needs of high-net-worth customers.
| * As at 31 December 2025
^ Including AIA Hong Kong and AIA Macau's individual life, group insurance and pension customers (as at 31 December 2025) |
* As at 31 December 2025
^ Including AIA Hong Kong and AIA Macau's individual life, group insurance and pension customers (as at 31 December 2025)
| Remarks: |
| 1 | The survey covers 328 qualified respondents across Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland who participated in the survey and in‑depth interviews. Detailed analysis focuses on 201 high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth respondents with investible assets above
US$1 million. High‑net‑worth means an individual with investable wealth of US$1 million to US$30 million. Ultra-high-net worth means an individual with investable wealth of more than US$30 million. Respondents were analysed by tier, geography, generation and gender. |
| 2 | As of 16 September 2025, Hong Kong insurance industry's first healthcare support in the Chinese Mainland, which integrates Online General Health Consulting along with Personalising Health Checkup at Grade 3A Hospitals and Online Support for Chronic Disease Management and Home Medication Delivery, Priority Booking for Outpatient and Inpatient Services, and Medical Companion Service, was compared with the similar services offered by major Hong Kong insurance companies. |
Remarks:
1
The survey covers 328 qualified respondents across Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland who participated in the survey and in‑depth interviews. Detailed analysis focuses on 201 high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth respondents with investible assets above
US$1 million. High‑net‑worth means an individual with investable wealth of US$1 million to US$30 million. Ultra-high-net worth means an individual with investable wealth of more than US$30 million. Respondents were analysed by tier, geography, generation and gender.
2
As of 16 September 2025, Hong Kong insurance industry's first healthcare support in the Chinese Mainland, which integrates Online General Health Consulting along with Personalising Health Checkup at Grade 3A Hospitals and Online Support for Chronic Disease Management and Home Medication Delivery, Priority Booking for Outpatient and Inpatient Services, and Medical Companion Service, was compared with the similar services offered by major Hong Kong insurance companies.
| Important Information: |
| - All the related findings do not represent AIA standpoint and do not mean any recommendation to apply for any insurance plan.
|
Important Information:
- All the related findings do not represent AIA standpoint and do not mean any recommendation to apply for any insurance plan.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
AIA Alta High-Net-Worth Optimal Longevity Index Unveiled
