
Source : http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/10/135_32468.html
Love conquers everything, they say. At least, love conquered the Korean TV scene on Sunday evening. Turn on the television during prime time Sunday evening, and you’ll see reality shows that feature celebrities either dating or married. Chan...
Popular Korean actress Song Hye-gyo will be returning to TV for the first time in four years. During a recent interview, the actress, who was recently cast in the new KBS drama series "A World of Their Own," said although she doesn't give too much ...
A 2003 Korean horror film has joined the ranks of other Korean movies that have been, or are going to be, issued as American remakes. The Uninvited, to be released in the United States on Jan. 30, 2009, is a remake of Janghwa, Hongryeon (the title ...
A press conference for the 6th Asiana International Short Film Festival was held last Tuesday morning at the Kumho Art Hall in Gwanghwamun, downtown Seoul. Present were actor and festival director Ahn Sung-ki, film director Yoon Jong-chan, festival...
Korean dramas are full of entertainment, with cliched yet dramatic plots, cute and handsome male characters, both main and supporting, and always a young pretty heroine. Among these heroines is Song Hye-kyo, 26, who will appear in the new drama...
Renowned movie star and musical actor Hwang Jung-min will star in a new play, ``University of Laughs'' written by Japanese dramatist Koki Mitani. The play will be shown in Korea for the first time as the ninth work of the Yeongeuk Yeoljeon 2 (...
Actress Kim Tae-hee will make her first TV appearance in four years. According to Kim's management agency, the actress was recently cast as the heroine of a new drama series entitled "IRIS." She will star in the 20-part action drama alongside Lee B...
The 13th Pusan International Film Festival, which featured 315 films from 60 countries, wraps up its nine-day run today in the southeastern port city of Busan with the closing film "I Am Happy," directed by Korean filmmaker Yoon Jong-chan. Thanks...
Nominees for the 2008 Korea Drama Festival Awards, scheduled for November 1st at Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, were announced yesterday on October 7. For the best acting award, nominees include respected actress Kim Hye-ja of “Angry Mom,” c...
Japan's largest commercial satellite channel Sky Perfect TV will hold a two-month-long special event during which it will feature films and dramas starring Korean actor Lee Byeong-heon. The event will begin this month. Prior to the event launch,...
The nation was thrown into shock yesterday at the news of the death of Choi Jin-sil, Korea's iconic actress and the people's sweetheart. Choi, who took her own life at the age of 39, was one of Korea's most loved actresses, having starred in nu...
Top actress Choi Jin-sil was found dead Thursday morning in her home in what appears to be a suicide. She was found in a shower booth with pressure band wrapped around her neck. Police says that her body was discovered by her family member at...
Top Korean actress Choi Jin-shil has been found dead in her Jamwon-dong apartment in Seoul. According to police, Choi was found dead by her mother on the morning of October 2 at 6:15 a.m. The police are currently investigating the details of the ...
Following the footsteps of ``Radio Dayz,'' ``Once Upon a Time'' and ``The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' comes ``Modern Boy,'' another purely entertainment-driven movie set during the Japanese colonial era (1910-45). Gyeongseong, the name of Seoul ...
Famous actor Jung Woo-sung will receive the 'Achievement in Acting Award' at the 2008 Hawaii International Film Festival, to be held from October 9 to 19. According to Sidus HQ, Jung's management agency, and the film festival headquarters, Jung w...
Actress Jeon Do-yeon seems to have it all, having won the Best Actress award at Cannes last year and about to enter motherhood. In time for the release of her latest movie ``My Dear Enemy,'' the 35-year-old, five months pregnant but looking sve...
Korean movie makers are digging into the past for inspiration. The recent trend in the film industry is all about transforming historic facts and events into fiction. Director Chung Ji-woo tries to bring Seoul during the 1930s to life in his latest...
Hallyu star Lee Byung-hun will release his first studio album in Japan. Lee's official Japanese website reported that the actor was recently chosen by Japan's leading automaker Toyota as the model for its ad campaign for its latest SUV, the "RAV ...
South Korea's most in-demand actors Jeon Do-yeon and Ha Jung-woo generated a big media buzz appearing before the press as ``former lovers.'' Jeon, who won the 2007 Cannes Best Actress award for ``Secret Sunshine,'' and Ha, hero of one of this yea...
When you hit rock bottom, there's no other way but up. After hitting a record low in May, Korean cinema is slowly emerging from the slump with a string of box office hits like ``The Good, the Bad, the Weird.'' An alternative version of this ``kimc...
Director Kim Jee-woon's new movie "The Good, the Bad and the Weird" is topping the box office with 400,000 people hitting theaters for the film's opening day. Selling over four million tickets in less than two weeks, producers are on their way to h...
Director Kim Jiwoon's new movie ''The Good, the Bad and the Weird'' is topping the box office with 400-thousand people hitting theaters for the film's opening day Selling over four-million tickets in less than two weeks producers are on their way to...
There he stood, oblivious to passers-by staring at him. One hand resting on the door, looking up with a faint smile, he looked ineffably cool -- rather than “good” in his new movie. Released last week, “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” by Kim Je...
“The Good, The Bad and The Weird,” a Korean western in theaters now, is a decidedly Asian take on the usually grim genre. Instead of sticking to a palette of muted earth tones, director Kim Jee-woon paints his picture with sumptuous colors, wi...
Director Kim Ji-woon's "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" and Na Hong-jin's "The Chaser" have been invited to screen at the 41st Sitges International Film Festival held in Catalonia, Spain from October 2nd to the 12th. The two films will be featu...
A suspense-filled wilderness creates an unpredictable scene for a cowboy gunfight, but a bloody battle begins that will only end in absolute victory or absolute defeat. Director Kim Jee-woon was captivated by such a scene from Sergio Leone’s...
"The Good, The Bad, The Weird," a $17-million oriental Western by veteran filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, topped the domestic box office in its opening weekend, selling a record 2.19 million tickets in four days since its release on Thursday. The strong ...
The much-awaited Korean movie The Good, the Bad, the Weird based on a spaghetti Western and nicknamed a "Kimchi Western" after the nation's signature spicy national dish, is expected to be the hottest pick of local theatergoers here but viewers...
Amid the ongoing search for catchy, stylish, attractive ideas for local dramas, many drama-makers have turned to themes that have already been seen to be popular. Movie-based dramas are no longer new, but the race for the best-made remake is expe...
Will a TV drama version of the blockbuster "Friend" be as thrilling as the original movie? Avid fans certainly hope so. The mega-hit, which garnered a record-high 8.2 million ticket sales in 2001, will be remade as a 16-episode TV series titled "F...
South Korean movies continue to make their way around the globe to vie for prizes and reach a wider audience. Some notable trips to international film festivals include feted director Kim Ki-duk's latest work ``Dream,'' the anticipated summer blo...
Ten major press agencies around Asia flocked to cover the launch of the construction of the Hallyu Wood Theme Park and the Hallyu Wood Start Festival. A 34-year-old reporter from Hong Kong's cable network CEN spent a busy day interviewing Kore...
Actor Jo Hyun-jae, who has emerged as a Hallyu star through his appearances in TV dramas and films, will visit Japan to meet his fans before starting his military duty. Jo will hold a series of fan meetings in Japan next month. The actor will ...
The 61st Cannes Film Festival has begun with fanfare, spicing up the festive mood for moviegoers all around the world. The ebullient mood remains largely the same here in Korea, but one thing is palpably different: There's no chance of a Korean movie...
For many Koreans, the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945) is remembered as one of the bleakest, most devastating times in history. Films about this era usually portray historical events that remind viewers of Korea’s tragic past as a subordinate...
Korean star Lee Byung-heon is returning to TV screen in a spy thriller titled “Iris.” Lee’s first TV drama in five years since his starring role in “All In,” “Iris” is Korea’s first attempt at a high-tech spy thriller filled with flashy action sc...
Top Hallyu star Lee Byung-hun is set to launch a large-scale film-screening tour in Japan. The actor, who successfully pulled off seven large-scale fan meetings in four major Japanese cities last year--Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya--will l...
From left, actor Song Kang-ho, actress Jeon Do-yeon, director Lee Chang-dong attend the red carpet of the Asian Film Awards as part of the event at Hong Kong International Film Festival in Hong Kong on Monday. /AP Korean film "Secret Sunshine" b...
"Secret Sunshine," the South Korean story of a widow's mental breakdown, won big at the 2nd Asian Film Awards announced Monday in Hong Kong, bagging best movie, best director and best actress for Jeon Do-yeon, AP reported. Best actor went to Hong ...
Dramas have always been the center of attention among Koreans with their cheerful characters played by young, hip and stylish celebrities. This year, the fever will go on, but this time it will be led by none other than ``ajumma.'' ``Ajumma'' ...
CGV Yongsan in central Seoul will devote a screen to the exclusive showing of popular domestic movies with English-language subtitles, an unprecedented move by a movie theater. ``It's to serve the many foreigners in Korea who want to watch Kor...
Gyeongseong is emerging as a popular background for Korean films, reflecting the public's recent penchant for retro style, and filmmakers' newfound interest in the Japanese colonial period -- evidence of their quest for fresh characters and themes. ...
Leading actor Cho Jae-hyun (right) plays the chief heart surgeon while actress Kim Min-jeong and actor Ji Sung play first-year residents in "New Heart." After hitting the top with its first episode, MBC's medical drama "New Heart" has kept its N...
Singer Lee Hyo Ri is making a cameo appearance in the upcoming SBS series "On Air" which is to start airing on February 27th. In the series "On Air" which portrays the story of a broadcasting company, Lee Hyo Ri will appear as one of the top s...
This year, a long lineup of star-studded movies, both homegrown and Hollywood imports, awaits release with Korea's hottest stars and bona fide actors gracing the silver screen throughout 2008. While a high profile cast hasn't always guaranteed...
Many local movie productions suffered setbacks last year, due to increased costs and the strengthened position of Hollywood blockbusters. In 2008, leading filmmakers are betting on large-scale projects to turn things around for the embattled local fi...
Actress Jeon Do-yeon will be making a cameo appearance in the SBS television drama series 'On Air' which is set to air on February 27th. This will be the first cameo appearance for the actress who will play herself in the series. 'On Air' which is...
The Korean movie industry got off to a shaky start this year, due to the weakened market position of local flicks versus Hollywood blockbusters, but it received a big shining ray of hope from director Lee Chang-dong's thought-provoking drama, "Se...
Actress Jeon Do-yeon, center, is flanked by director Lee Chang-dong, left and actor Song Kang-ho, right at the 6th Korea Film Festival Saturday. / Yonhap By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon, the queen of Cannes, is the...
A glimpse of true glamour graced the red carpet at the Blue Dragon Awards last Friday, when Korea’s most beautiful actresses wore some of the most stunning dresses the fashion world could produce. The dress Jeon Do-yeon chose for the awards, w...
Six stars of the Korean Wave including Jeon Ji-hyun, a heroine in the hit movie "My Sassy Girl", and actor Jung Woo-sung, who appeared in the movie "The Restless," were paid compensation from a movie magazine that used their photographs without p...
Actress Jeon Do-yeon, who received the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, has once again received a Best Actress Award, this time at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The Asia Pacific Screen Awards, which celebrate...
Top Korean celebrities will attend a charity party held by the visiting pop heiress Paris Hilton. Jeong Woo-seong, Jo In-seong, Lee Jeong-jae, Lee Dong-geon, Ok Joo-hyeon, Jo Yeo-jeong and the female band LPG will attend the party held Friday ...
Dramatic Legacy Still Goes on Locations Nationwide By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Does a mega-hit drama or film leave a tourist attraction behind it? Even after dramas end, their legacy seems to remain through film sets. Since the set...
Actor Ji Sung who completed his military service back in June will return to television screens as a resident doctor in the upcoming medical drama series "New Heart." The series will also star Cho Jae Hyun, Kim Min Jung, and others. Ji Sung re...
The Korea Times, the nation's first English daily, turns 57 on Nov. 1. The TOP 10 Series, which will feature the biggest news stories, scandals, events, figures, surprises and memorable moments in the coming weeks, in celebration of the anniversa...
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"...
Directed by Lee Chang-dong (2007) According to the Buddhist tradition, because the world is subject to impermanence, to live is to suffer. To overcome suffering, it is said, we must steer a middle course between self-indulgence and complete withdr...
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 Vi...
What’s next? This was the question Jeon Do-yeon has faced since she won the best actress award at the Cannes International Film Festival in May for her performance in “Milyang,” or “Secret Sunshine,” directed by Lee Chang-dong. But after a months...
A critic once wrote that the works of Hong Sang-soo and Lee Chang-dong contain the essence of pain and joy, in that Lee finds desperation when in search of hope while Hong captures the desperation hidden behind the hopeful gloss we put on daily r...
Actress Jeon Do-yeon, who won the Best Actress award at the latest Cannes Film Festival, will appear on CNN's talk show "Talk Asia." The show introduces prominent people from Asia. Korean stars who have been invited to the show so far include ...
The Korean pop culture boom called 'hallyu' has now become an established genre in Japan thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the Korean drama 'Winter Sonata,' especially among middle aged Japanese women. Japanese entertainment portal Oric...
Lee Sun Ho who appeared in 'Snow Queen' as Kim Jung Kyu, Hyun Bin's best friend and prodigy, will transform into Joseon's greatest warrior. He will be playing General Jang In Hyung who gave up his position despite having the best swordsmanship...
Jeon Do Yeon who won the best actress award at Cannes Film Festival was selected amongst Variety's Women's Impact Report listing the 30 most influential women. In the issue released on the 30th last month, Variety selected 50 women in the movi...
On the heels of her win as best actress at the 60th Cannes Film Festival in May, Jeon Do-yeon has been named among the 50 most influential women in the entertainment industry by U.S. magazine "Variety". Among all the entertainment categories in...
Actress Kim Hee-seon has begun a promotion tour in Japan with support from her close celebrity friends. Lee Byeong-heon, Ryu Si-won, Kwon Sang-woo and Jackie Chan sent video messages to her official news conference at a Tokyo hotel on July 22 ...
The American magazine, Variety, earlier this week introduced Jeon Doyeon as one of the 50 most influential women in the world. At Cannes in May, Jeon Doyeon won this year's best actress prize for director Lee Changdong's ''Secret Sunshine.'' In the...
Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon has officially become an influential world star. Jeon recently made the list of '50 Most Influential Women' released by America's Variety magazine. Quoting Korean critics, Variety described Jeon as a "chameleon" act...
Korean films have delved into new topics and covered a wide range of genres the first half of the year. Coming off of a disappointing year at the box office, the Korean film industry has answered with a number of truly noteworthy works of art. Alth...
Top Korean star Lee Byung-heon will hold a showcase to mark the publication of his third photo collection "Paris, a Monochrome Man in a Monochrome City" on July 12, his 37th birthday. The showcase was hosted by a Japanese marketing firm at the...
By Yoo Cheong-mo SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- President Roh Moo-hyun on Friday instructed his Cabinet to intensify its crackdown on pirated films after his meeting with South Korea's film industry representatives, including actress Jeon Do-yeon, who w...
“The Restless” is a costly reminder that it takes more than top-notch computer graphics and good-looking actors to make a quality fantasy film. All that remains after 102 minutes is the memory of how handsome the actors looked in perfectly staged...
Korean cinema will take a big bite of the Big Apple as the 2007 New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) begins Friday. The festival will feature more than 30 works from the East, of which almost a third are Korean. The event will take place at the I...
The movie 'Hero' starring Kimura Takuya cranked up in Tokyo on the 15th. The movie gathered attention for having filmed on location in Busan with Lee Byeong Heon. Sankei Sports on the 16th reported that Kimura Takuya was moved by the teamwork ...
Creating a new catch phrase "moviecal boom" in the country's entertainment industry, a number of musicals based on hit movies will be staged in the coming months. Smash-hit Korean movies, including "200 Pound Beauty," "Singles," "Love, So Divine,...
Contract-based sex is not a revolutionary subject in the film industry. But a talented storyteller can turn a trite topic into a refreshing tale. Such is the reality thrust upon Kim Gina, director of "Never Forever". "Never Forever", the first Kor...
"Never Forever" translates onto screen the language of love, through which Korean-American director Gina Kim hopes to connect with the audience. "I wish my film will be a means of establishing mutual understanding with the public", she said during a ...
Director Lee Chang-dong charts the story of a man corrupted by military dictatorship Howard Schumann (howard16) South Korean director Lee Chang-dong's achingly poignant "Peppermint Candy" chronicles the loss of innocence of a young man, Yong-ho (...
Hearty congratulations to Korea's most ambitious and talented actress Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim) On May 27, Jeon Do-yeon won the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival, for her searing portrait of a spiritually devastated woman in Lee Chan...
Hundreds of fans from South Korea and Japan gathered amid joyful shouts and a frenzy of camera flashes when Lee Byeong-Heon and Takuya Kimura showed up together at Paradise Hotel in Pusan last Thursday. The rendezvous of the two superstars was quite ...
"We met for the first time today, but it felt like we were really close. I look forward to working together with him". The Japanese drama, "Hero", which had a record high of viewer ratings, had Kimura Takuya come to Pusan to film on location on th...
The nation's famous filmmaker Kim Ki-duk's 13th film, "Breath", is screened with English subtitles at Sponge House theater in Chongno, downtown Seoul. It was released yesterday nationwide at 15 theaters. It deals with the relationship between a ma...
A press conference was held on Monday at Yongsan CGV theaters for Ken Watanabe, the star of the film "Memories of Tomorrow". It was his first visit to Korea. While it's not uncommon for foreign actors to come to Korea to promote their movies, Ken'...
Filming started April 25th on director Kim Ji-woon's Oriental western adventure The Good, The Bad, and the Weird. The film will showcase an ensemble of stars in the central roles with Lee Byeong-Heon, ("the good"), Jeong Woo-seong ("the bad") and Son...
Internationally acclaimed director Lee Chang-dong's three films: "Green Fish" (Chorok Moolgogi, 1996), "Peppermint Candy" (Bakhasatang, 1999) and "Oasis" (2002) will be released as a DVD box set at the end of April or early May by Taewon Entertainmen...
Films by two renowned South Korean directors are heading to this year's competition section of Cannes Film Festival, arguably the world's most prestigious film festival. The two films are Lee Chang-dong's "Miryang", the English title of which is "...
Two Korean movies will be screened in competition of this year's Cannes Film Festival. "Secret Sunshine" by Lee Chang-dong and "Breath" by Kim Ki-duk were invited to the 60th anniversary extravaganza. Since the first Korean movie, "Chunyang", was ...
Next Wednesday, the stellar triumvirate of Song Kang-ho, Lee Byeong-Heon and Jeong Woo-seong gather to start filming "The Good, the Bad and the Weird". Simply by starring the three stars, the movie is generating huge advance buzz. The Chosun Ilbo spo...
Two Korean films have landed spots in the competition section of this year's Cannes Film Festival. They are director Lee Chang-dong's love story, "Secret Sunshine", and Kim Ki-duk's drama, "Breath". These two will compete against 20 others, includi...
Two internationally renowned Korean directors will present their latest efforts in the Competition section on the 60th anniversary of the Cannes International Film Festival. Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine" and Kim Ki-duk's "Breath" will have their...
Melodramas, horror flicks, gangster comedies and thrillers have one thing in common for Korean moviegoers: they are not so popular at the box office. To find a breakthrough, filmmakers have been exploring other alternative genres and themes, one of w...
SEOUL, April 19 (Yonhap) -- Two homegrown films about love have been invited to compete in this year's Cannes International Film Festival, the films' distributors said Thursday. The two are "Secret Sunshine", the fourth feature film directed by Le...
When celebrities start dating or fall in love, they usually take pains to hide their relationships from the public eye. It's hard enough having a relationship, but it's even harder when the media is following your every move. With rumors abound on...
World famous Japanese actor Ken Watanabe will make his first visit to Korea to participate in the press preview of his latest film "Memories of Tomorrow", scheduled to be released in Korea on April 23. Watanabe has become famous worldwide for his ...
Song Kang-ho played an eccentric yet strangely charming gangster in "No. 3" (1997), when he gave a funny lecture to his underlings about how to beat up enemies: "A long time ago, there was a man named Choi Young-ui, and he staged a showdown with the ...
South Korea's all-time blockbuster "The Host" dominated prizes at the very first edition of the Asian Film Awards which took place March 20th in Hong Kong. The inaugural event aspires to be the Asian film industry's equivalent to the Oscars, recogniz...
South Korea's monster flick "The Host" has dominated Hong Kong's inaugural Asian Film Awards after winning four awards out of its five nominations. The movie, directed by Bong Joon-ho, won the Best Film, Best Cinematographer and Best Visual Effect...
Old Miss Diary - Movie I always find it interesting that most films that have a single thirty-something woman as the heroine are either romantic comedies or thrillers. This is an alarming sign. It seems that women can no longer survive in films by...
SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's record-breaking monster thriller, "The Host", has prevailed in the 1st Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, winning four prizes, event organizers said. The movie won best film Tuesday night, with its leading ma...
HONG KONG _ The South Korean film "The Host" shone at the Asian Film Awards yesterday, grabbing four awards. "The Host" won Best Film, Best Cinematographer and Best Visual Effects awards. Its main actor Song Kang-ho won the Best Actor Award. The B...
In a strong showing for a foreign film, the Korean movie "The Host" opened in the United States on 74 screens and grossed $320,000 in its first weekend. It has also received very strong reviews from the nation's leading film authorities, including Th...
The movie "The Host" by director Bong Joon-ho topped the Chinese box-office last week by grossing around 5.2 million yuan in China. The movie became the first Korean film to ever top the Chinese box-office in the first week since its opening there...
The year 2007 is all about major stars and even bigger budgets. Although the Korean pop wave hallyu is losing steam overall, more singers and bands hope to reach all-time high abroad. Local broadcasters have a lineup of top movie stars set to appear...
Women are enjoying remarkable success on the silver screen thanks to comedy. The movie "200 Pounds Beauty", which stars the actress Kim Ah-joong as an obese pop singer, has drawn more than 2.5 million people since its release on Dec. 14. This is the ...