HomeActor/ActressKang Soo-yeon
Kang Soo-yeon
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At the same time, Kang won over younger fans with her appearance in Lee Kyu-hyung's hit film Mimi and Chul-soo's Adolescent Sketch, in which she played opposite Park Joong-hoon. Over the coming years she would appear in a mixture of popular features and works by the leading directors of the so-called Korean New Wave. Her best known films from the 1990s were Jang Sun-woo's acclaimed Road to the Racetrack; box office hit That Woman, That Man by Kim Ui-seok; Lee Myung-se's intense look at adultery Their Last Love Affair (1996); and Im Sang-soo's debut film Girls Night Out (1998).
In all, Kang has acted in over 30 films. From 2001-2002, she also starred in an hugely popular 150-episode TV drama on SBS TV called Ladies in the Palace ("Yeo-in Cheon-ha"), which gave her new visibility among mainstream viewers.
Eugene Selected as PiFan Spokesmodel
Actress and former K-Pop artist, Eugene, has been selected to be the "PiFan Lady" by the organizational committee of the 12th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan). Last year, Eugene made her silver screen debut with the movie "Unstoppable Marriage," and is currently in the middle of filming "198th Page of That Man's Book" with actor Lee Dong-wook. During the course of the film festival (July 18th-27th), Eugene will participate in its various public and promotional events. Former "PiFan Ladies" include Bae Doo-na, Jang Jin-young, Ha Ji-won, Kang Soo-yeon, Choo Sang-mi and Jin Hee-kyung. And from 2006 to 2007, Park Joong-hoon, Lee Jun-ki, Lee Wan and Song Chang-hui have had the honor of becoming "PiFan Guys."
Int'l Awards Only the Start for Jeon, Kang
A crowd swarmed Haeundae Beach in Busan on Saturday, hoping to catch a glimpse of "the lady of Cannes" and "the lady of Venice." Kang Soo-yeon, winner of the Best Actress award at the 1987 Venice Film Festival for her role in "The Surrogate Womb", and Jeon Do-yeon, who won the same award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for "Secret Sunshine", were the star guests of an open talk show at the 12th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). Past open talk shows at PIFF have always included foreign actors. This was the first with only Korean actors, but the crowd was bigger than ever. Kang had high praise for Jeon, saying she is jealous of Jeon's acting skills. Jeon responded, "I've been a fan of Kang since her 1987 movie 'Springtime of Mi-mi and Cheol-su' and to be here with her now is a privilege for me." Kang couldn't hold back her tears as she watched Jeon winning her award at Cannes on TV, she said. "When I saw her taking the platform, joy and tears welled up in my heart. I was very, very happy -- as if it was me who won the prize," Kang said. Jeon, meanwhile, was trying not to appear too tense. "I struggled to hide my nervousness," she told the crowd at Busan. "I tried to look confident so as not to freak out." She also congratulated her fellow Korean actors. "I may have won the award thanks to my predecessors' efforts," she said. The audience at the talk show wanted to know about the actresses' dreams. Having accomplished so much, a college student asked Kang, what are her dreams now? "Attaining fame with one film does not mean success," Kang replied, as the audience clapped. "I feel like I take my first step whenever I start work on a new film. My dream is to keep acting into my 70s, like the actress of 'The Way Home'." To the same question, Jeon said, "I want to be a respected actress even when I'm old. Like Kang, my dream is to keep trying to be a good actress." "Teens have dreams for teenagers, middle-aged people have their own dreams, and seniors have their own dreams too, I think," Kang said to the young audience. "Holding on to our dreams and always trying to make them come true will make us happy." The weather forecast said a typhoon would be coming, but on Sunday Haeundae Beach was especially bright.
Two World Stars Speak About Life, Acting
Award-winning actresses Kang Soo-yeon, 41, and Jeon Do-yeon, 34, participated in an open chat show by the seaside, talking about their acting careers and passion for life face-to-face with fans, Saturday evening. The outdoor theater in PIFF Village by Haeundae Beach was already packed more than an hour before the show started. Crowds went wild when Korea's favorite leading lady Kang arrived. The actress rewrote Korean cinema history when she won the award for Best Actress at the 1987 Venice International Film Festival for her role in ``Sibaji'' (The Surrogate Mother). ``It was a time when people didn't even know Korea had a film industry. People even asked me if I was from North or South Korea,'' she said. Kang has regularly attended the Busan festival since its foundation, and said ``Korean cinema's international standing exists due to such a history. Nothing comes from nothing.'' A buzz went through the crowd _ ``Jeon Do-yeon must have arrived,'' said Kang _ and multifaceted actress Jeon came onstage a little late. The star had graced the Cannes Film Festival in May as Best Actress for her role in Lee Chang-dong's ``Secret Sunshine.'' Glamorous in her silver gown, Jeon retained her composure when accepting her award at one of the world's most prominent film fests. The two actresses displayed mutual respect and friendship, Kang saying she was envious of Jeon who has her own acting style, and Jeon explained how, as a young woman she was a fan of Kang's and had tried _ unsuccessfully _ to get her autograph. Kang also said she cried when Jeon won her award and was proud she was so confidant onstage. ``I was actually very nervous. But being this unknown actress in the international scene, I was determined to be even more confident,'' said Jeon. The open talk was a chance for fans to meet their heroines up close, and many young, energetic aspiring actors and actresses asked questions. One young man, a student studying theater in college, asked what their dream was, although they have already achieved so much. The elder actress said that having one good film under your belt doesn't mean much _ ``you have to start from a blank slate, from the very beginning each time. It is my dream to do great acting. If I can count four to five great works, I think I could consider that as success.'' ``But the film industry is brutally competitive and heartless, and it has no end, nor beginning,'' she warned. Jeon also agreed that receiving a big prize doesn't end anything _ and her lifelong journey continues. When asked by host of the night, film critic Oh Dong-jin what cinema means for them, the actresses were a bit baffled by the ``difficult question.'' ``I can't say for sure what cinema is. But it's a big part of my life for sure. It's something through which I feel my existence, I feel alive,'' Jeon said. ``For me, cinema is a dream. Whether it's fantasy or a nightmare, it's like a dream,'' said Kang. The actress advised the young audience to ``have big dreams. You should have an inconceivably big dream, and there really is no secret but to work hard to work toward realizing it.'' Jeon added, ``It's like a dream for me to sit here on the stage before you with the actress I most admired when I was younger.'' An air of awe and inspiration filled the warm sea air that night as the two actresses opened up their souls onstage. Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter
Film Starring Kang Su-yeon to Compete at Venice Film Festival
A movie starring world star Kang Su-yeon, her first big-screen work in 20 years, will be screened at the Venice Film Festival. Kang gained global acclaim in 1987 by winning the Best Leading Actress award at the festival for her role in Lim Kwon-taek's movie "The Surrogate Woman." Her new film is a story about a nine-year-old girl from a mining village in Gangwon Province and her views on her family and the world. Kang plays the girl's mother in the movie. Directed by Jun Su-il, the movie will compete in the "Horizon" category of the Venice festival. Lim Kwon-taek's movie "Beyond the Years" will also participate in the festival in the non-competition category.
