By Margareth Theresia
Videos = CJ ENM & Netflix K-Content's official YouTube channel

Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) this year runs from Sept. 24-27. In addition to setting a festive mood with songpyeon (traditional rice cakes), grab some popcorn and get immersed in Korean content over the four-day break.

The following are four new releases not to miss over the holiday: two films premiering side by side just before Chuseok begins and a reality TV show and a historical K-drama to be seen comfortably at home.

First is the "Tazza" film series, which began in 2006 and is now playing its fourth and final hand after two decades.

"Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub," set to debut on Sept. 23, is a crime thriller based on the final installment of the original manhwa (cartoon) series by famed comic creator Huh Young-man. Also called "Tazza 4," this release features a standalone narrative that requires no knowledge of the previous three films in the franchise.

In the series' conclusion, Jang Tae-young (Byun Yo-han) loses his successful online casino after being betrayed by his close friend and business partner Park Tae-young (Roh Jae-won). As the two clash again in the global gambling arena, a high-stakes showdown driven by revenge unfolds.

In a first for the franchise, the setting expands beyond Korea to include Japan and Vietnam. Japanese actor Ayaka Miyoshi plays Kaneko, the mastermind behind a global gambling operation, and veteran Vietnamese actor Hong Dao appears as Chairwoman Thao, a powerful business tycoon who loves high-stakes competition.

Scene from "The Assassin(s)" (Hive Media Corp.)

"The Assassin(s), also set for a Sept. 23 release, is a mystery thriller that marks the first movie adaptation of the Aug. 15, 1974, assassination of first lady Yuk Young-soo, which rattled the country's modern history. The film traces the events behind the incident by exploring unresolved questions in official records and the circumstances that defy easy explanation.

The plot focuses on Cheol-gu (Yoo Hae-jin), a detective in charge of security at the scene; Jae-hwan (Park Hae-il), the city desk editor of a newspaper determined to report the truth despite media suppression; and Young-il (Lee Min-ho), a cub reporter who witnesses the assassination. Skeptical of the official investigation results, the three men work at their respective positions to uncover the truth.

The film was officially invited to the Gala Presentations section of this year's Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. It garnered high interest before its release, with all 4,256 seats at four public screenings sold out.

A reality show and a historical K-drama also await during the four-day holiday.

First, the second season of "Kian's Bizarre B&B," which premieres on Sept. 22, continues the reality show planned and hosted by Kian84 (Kim Hee-min), a webtoon creator, author and TV personality. Moving on from his seaside guesthouse on Ulleungdo Island of Ulleung-gun County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, in the show's first season, he is opening a second branch at the foot of Daegwallyeong -- a mountain pass in the eastern Taebaek Mountains -- in the dead of winter.

Former volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung, singer-songwriter and actor Lee Jun-ho, and Japanese member Kazuha of the K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM join Kian84 as his new staff. The show captures the romantic winter atmosphere and laughter shared by the employees and guests at a space brought to life by Kian84's wild imagination.

Scene from "The Scandal" (Netflix)

Finally, the original Netflix series "The Scandal" was released on Sept. 18. Set in the Joseon Dynasty, an era bound by social hierarchy and Neo-Confucian order, the story follows the exceptionally talented Lady Jo (Son Ye-jin) and Jo Won (Ji Chang-wook), the kingdom's top loathario, as they play a dangerous game of seduction centered on Hee-yeon (Nana), a woman who has strictly upheld a life of chastity.

In yet another adaptation of the classic French novel "Dangerous Liaisons" but this time in a Joseon setting, this K-drama shows how the desires and emotions of the three characters take unexpected turns as their relationships begin to unravel. The series also features an engaging blend of elements such as the use of letters, narration, pansori (traditional lyrical opera) and minhwa (folk painting).

margareth@korea.kr