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News Index page 17
June 11, 2009: Singer Lee Jung-hyun: My Dream to Produce Movie After Turning 40
June 11: Jang Yoon-jung Wants 4 Children
June 11: It's official: Se7en, Park Han-byul are an item
June 11: Women's Groups Up in Arms Over Ruling on Late Actress
June 12: Korean Wave Sweeps Uzbekistan
June 12: Variety show hosts get serious
June 12: Playing for pandas
June 12: Rain抯 goodwill gesture
June 11: Love Is in the Air for Korean Celebrities
June 12: Seo Tae-ji Launches an Environmental Campaign
June 12: Roh Hee-kyung: 'It Hurts to Hate Others'
June 5: Reunion for 慚idsummer Night |
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June 11, 2009
Singer Lee Jung-hyun: My Dream to Produce Movie After Turning 40
"When I turn 40, when I feel that I抦 perfect, I want to produce a movie, |
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June 11, 2009
Jang Yoon-jung Wants 4 Children
Jang Yoon-jung
Top singer Jang Yoon-jung, 29, says she hopes to have four children after marriage.
Jang, who surprised the entertainment community by announcing that she is in love with entertainer No Hong-chul earlier this week, made the remark during an interview with "Nightly TV Entertainment" on SBS-TV Wednesday night. The interview was taped before the couple expressed their love publicly.
In the interview, she said, "I want to give birth to many babies. Given my age, I will have to marry soon. I'd like to have four children."
Inwoo Productions, the trot star's agency, said Monday, "It was all due to No's sincere affection toward Jang for the past two years." Jang has not had a boyfriend in the last six years. Jang and No, 30, reportedly have been in love for just one month.
The couple currently appears together on the popular matchmaking program "The Gold Misses Are Coming," but Jang said news of their marriage was premature.
Jang made her debut in 1999 and has gained fame among the young and old through her fun and easy songs, including `"Eomeona!" :Flower,'' and "Idda Iddayo" that follow the Korean traditional pop genre trot.
No started his career as a VJ for a cable music channel in 2004 and progressed to become one of the country's most famous entertainers. Appearing as a member of the hit reality entertainment program "The Unlimited Challenge" helped him attract many fans, and the success led to other shows and commercials.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr |
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June 11, 2009
It's official: Se7en, Park are an item
Confirming widespread rumors, singer Se7en disclosed his seven-year relationship with actress Park Han-byul.
On June 10, the singer put up a post on his homepage admitting to the pair's relationship, saying, "I, Choi Dong-wook (the singer's real name) and Park Han-byul have been in relationship for seven years."
"We started out as close friends during high school and lovers, supporting each other. "Watching other stars' public breakups, I felt it was right to keep my private life private for the sake of her. Now I apologize for denying the prevalent rumor by claiming our love to be a mere friendship."
The singer added, "I did not want to publicize our love in this unwilling way. However, from now on, I will be free of guilt and the uncomfortable thoughts of hiding my love for a woman while performing in front of masses."
Recently, a private picture of the couple in their underwear was circulated on the internet. Se7en explained: " Park and I made a secret room in Park's blog to share photos and letters while I was away in the United States for a long time." He explained that the photo was hacked from Park's personal blog.
Credits: [email protected] via koreaherald.co.kr |
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June 11, 2009
Women's Groups Up in Arms Over Ruling on Late Actress
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The late actress Choi Jin-sil
Women's groups are angry over the top court's ruling that ordered the late actress Choi Jin-sil to compensate a builder for failing to maintain "dignity" as a model representing its products.
They censured the Supreme Court for not realizing the suffering of domestic violence victims, which included Choi.
Korean Womenlink, the Korea Women's Hot Line, and the Korea Women's Association United issued a joint statement Wednesday lambasting the ruling.
On June 4, the court reversed a high court ruling that decided in favor of Choi in a compensation suit filed by Shinhan Engineering and Construction in 2004 against the actress, who was the model for its apartments.
The advertiser claims she did not keep her contractual obligation to "maintain dignity," because she disclosed to the public her bruised and swollen face which was caused by the violence of her then husband, former baseball player Cho Sung-min. They divorced soon afterward.
The top court ruled that she caused damage to the company by "failing to keep her social and moral honor" and thus depreciating the brand image. Following Choi's suicide last October, her two children ― one preschooler and the other primary schooler ― are now the parties against whom the suit was filed. Their grandmother is their legal representative.
The firm demanded 3 billion won ($2.3 million) in compensation. As to the ruling, the groups claimed that revealing the results of domestic violence was not a matter of "dignity" but a matter of "survival."
"The core of the case is domestic violence, which is rampant here but is rarely reported to police. Many people also think that victims are partly to blame for domestic violence. Despite such social notion, Choi, a top celebrity, disclosed her situation, and it showed that she had severe suffering and was desperate to escape," the groups said in the statement.
"The ruling will silence many more domestic violence victims. The court gave up its social responsibility for domestic violence," a director of Korean Womenlink said.
"Every individual has the right to maintain his or her dignity. When a person is suffering, he or she needs to restore their dignity and social honor by disclosing the damage and seeking proper legal help as Choi did. But by ruling that she failed to maintain dignity, the court made her honor unrecoverable forever," she said.
The groups said they deplore the top court's appalling decision that forces a victim to "maintain dignity" and makes them responsible for all damages. "The court ignored the 'right to be safe,' which is the basic right for 'survival.' We urge the court to apologize to Choi, her family, and other domestic violence victims," they said.
Credits: rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr |
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June 12, 2009
Korean Wave Sweeps Uzbekistan
Korean TV soaps have found an unlikely market in Uzbekistan, where the old stalwart "Winter Sonata" garnered 60 percent viewer ratings, while "Jewel in the Palace" and " Prince of the Legend" were replayed several times at the overwhelming demand of viewers.
Uzbekistan, which became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, lacks the technology and resources to produce quality TV programs and currently depends mostly on Russia for entertainment. Korean companies who made inroads into the Uzbek market decided to use their advertising budget to buy a license to air Korean dramas in Uzbekistan through local broadcasters, and this sparked a little Korean Wave there.
It has also ignited demand for Korean-language classes. The Korean Education Center in Tashkent opened in 1992 with the aim of teaching Korean to the descendents of ethnic Koreans living there. But now 58.5 percent of 1,370 students there are Uzbeks, outnumbering the 41.5 percent ethnic Koreans.
In the past, most students wanted to find a work in Korea, but now the number of those who hope to study in Korea has risen sharply. Kim Jeong-seok, the director of the center, says, "Korean language departments have been established in nine major universities in Uzbekistan, and 24 universities now run Korean classes."
Korean TV dramas are not the only source of Uzbeks' infatuation with the country. When Daewoo Motor and Kabool Textiles set up branches in the 1990s, they gave Uzbeks a taste of the high quality of Korean products. The Daewoo plant is now owned by Uzbekistan, but Daewoo's Tico, Matiz and Nexia produced there dominate the roads.
Credits: englishnews@chosun.com |
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June 12, 2009
Variety show hosts get serious
Comedian No Hong-chul and trot singer Jang Yoon-jeong announced this week that they抮e an item.
Jang, the 29-year-old famous for songs like 揙h My Goodness |
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June 12, 2009
Rain抯 goodwill gesture
Rain was appointed Seoul抯 first Global Goodwill Ambassador on Tuesday in a ceremony at City Hall.
As a Global Goodwill Ambassador, Rain will appear in promotional films for the city and the Seoul government will set up booths at the singer抯 Asian concerts.
Rain was featured in a Discovery Channel documentary called 揌ip Korea |
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July 11, 2009
Love Is in the Air for Korean Celebrities
The month of June must be the season of love, as Korean celebrities admit their relationships and make a wedding announcement.
Earlier in the week, popular singer Jang Yun-jeong surprised everyone by admitting that she and wacky comedian Roh Hong-cheol were indeed a couple. Then K-pop idol Se7ven confirmed the rumor that he has been seeing actress Park Han-byeol for the past seven years. The whole affair came to light when Se7en wrote a posting entitled 揑抣l Tell You Everything |
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June 12, 2009
Seo Tae-ji Launches an Environmental Campaign
Korea抯 foremost music icon Seo Tae-ji has started an environmental campaign to save polar bears. This is an extension of his eighth album, which warned of the impending environmental disasters.
Together with the director of the Teddy Bear Museum in Jeju Island, Seo has launched the Save the Polar Bears campaign. Under the motto, 揂 Temperature Difference That Changes the World, |
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June 12, 2009
Roh Hee-kyung: 'It Hurts to Hate Others'
Writer Roh Hee-kyung, who is famous for the TV dramas 揥orlds Within |
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June 5, 2009
Reunion for 慚idsummer Night |
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June 13, 2009
Bong Joon-ho on the Controversy Surrounding 'Mother'
Bong Joon-ho
"Mother," the latest film by Bong Joon-ho, has drawn 2.19 viewers in 11 days since its release on May 28, and the film is getting more controversial the more viewers it attracts due to the room it leaves for different interpretations.
Bong said, "I wanted many mothers to watch 'Mother,' and I think my wish came true. There are many viewers during weekdays since most housewives have time on weekday afternoons. I think it will get a bigger audience than I expected."
The movie is about a mother with overbearing love for her son, who has been charged with murder. "I had a couple of chances to talk about the characters during press interviews and previews even before the release of the movie," says Bong. "The mother, the protagonist of the movie, appears to be unusual if you expect the stereotyped image of a mother you might have in mind. That seems to be a reason many viewers say it is terrifying."
He says the movie "is deeply focused on the nature of a mother who goes to any length to protect her mentally fragile son, so the movie deals with her moral dilemma through her extremism."
Bong says he doesn't like to use a lot of cinematic trickery that insinuates something behind the scene. "Hiding something is not the aesthetic that I pursue in my films. I think the manipulative use of mise en scene can make audiences miss other important elements of the film."
His last movie "The Host" was hugely popular, drawing 13 million viewers in Korea alone, and in France it was voted as one of the best three art house movies of 2006. "I'm still young and have made only four movies so far. Maybe 15 years from now, 'Mother' might be classified as one of my early works. I hope people enjoy the film itself and wait and see what great movies I will make in the future," he says.
Credits: englishnews@chosun.com |
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June 12, 2009
Actor Oh Arrested for Smoking Marijuana
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Actor Oh Gwang-rok
Popular actor Oh Gwang-rok, most famous for his role in "Taewangsasingi" (The Four Guardian Gods of the King)'' as a wise man, was arrested Thursday for smoking marijuana, police said Friday.
According to Namdaemun Police Station, Oh is suspected of having smoked marijuana on several occasions, including once in February at his house in Seoul. He allegedly smoked with the head of an unidentified information-technology company, known as Park, investigators said.
Police said Park bought the drug from a local dealer and shared it with eight others, including animation film director Kim Mun-saeng.
Oh has appeared in numerous films including "Seven Days" and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance."
Credits: bjs@koreatimes.co.kr |
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Sunday June 14, 2009
Lee's Hip Korea
A star talks about his upcoming Hollywood experience and being part of a documentary about South Korean pop culture
By ELIZABETH TAI
IN Asia, South Korean actor Lee Byung Hun is a big star. He is, after all, one of the major stars of the hallyu (Korean wave), the surge of popularity that Korean pop culture has enjoyed around the world for the past few years.
Lee made his TV debut in 1991 in the drama Asphalt My Hometown after a successful audition for the Korean Broadcasting System in Seoul.
揑t was just something I did as a whim but I ended up making it, |
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June 12, 2009
Comedian Jung to tie knot with scriptwriter
By Hyun Ji-hyang
Comedian Jung Hyung-don and scriptwriter Han Yu-ra will get married in September, Jung's management agency said on Thursday.
Jung's fiance Han is four year younger than the 31-year-old comedian and is currently working for an MBC comedy show. She also starred in a TV drama and many TV advertisements.
The couple first met on the set of the show "Mystery Swat" in 2008, in which Jung appeared as an MC. They quickly developed a romance in October. Jung went public with their romance in April, describing his lover as a "perfect" woman.
Jung debuted in the entertainment industry in 2002 as a KBS-selected comedian and basked in the limelight by appearing on the MBC show "The Infinite Challenge," which started in 2006. ([email protected])
Source: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEW ... 12/200906120067.asp |
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June 11, 2009
慣he Warrior's Way' aka Laundry Warrior抯 Release Date Set
Producer Barrie Osbourne抯 long awaited Kung Fu/Western The Warrior抯 Way has just had its release date set. The film starring Korea抯 JANG Dong-kun wrapped up filming in New Zealand late 2007. JANG appears alongside Geoffrey Rush and Kate Bosworth playing an ex laundry washer worker who is forced to hide in the trouble plagued badlands with baby in tow.
Both the journey portrayed on screen and the production process represents a postmodern, multicultural epic. Barrie Osbourne, originally a U.S. producer used U.S. funding but the film was shot entirely in New Zealand on the out skirts of its largest City Auckland. Osbourne also produced the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001,02,03) which was also shot entirely in NZ. Geoffrey Rush, who plays the town抯 local drunk is Australian and JANG Dong-kun the lead actor is South Korean. The Warrior抯 Way also features fight choreography from Japanese action/motion director Yuji Shimomura. Korea抯 JANG dong-kun also represents a number of Korean actors who have recently appeared in productions with English speaking roles. These include Lee Byung-hun who stars in Tran Ahn Hung抯 I Come with the Rain and also appears in the soon to be released GI Joe. Blood: The Last Vampire, released recently sees Korean actor JUN Ji-hyun of My Sassy Girl (2001) fame appearing in the starring role. Such international exposure is positive for a film industry that sees its future tied to international, English productions.
The Warriors Way was also written and directed by Korean LEE Seung-moo. The 45 million dollar epic is being produced through Sad Flute films a company set up by Michael Peyser (Speed 2) and Asia wide producer Lee Joo-ick (Seven Swords). The film will be released this August.
Credits: David Oxenbridge (KOFIC) |
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June 11, 2009
Park Chan-wook's Thirst U.S. Date Set
PARK Chan-wook抯 dark vampire story Thirst is set for a U.S. release. The Cannes Jury Prize winning film will be released on July 31. The screenings will begin in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York and will then go on to be released in states across the country.
The film stormed across Korea when it opened in early May attracting 2.2 million viewers raking in $5.36 million in its opening weekend. As well as its formal success at Cannes, Thirst was also sold to 20 countries across Europe, Asia and South America. The film is being distributed by Focus Features in North America.
Credits: David Oxenbridge (KOFIC) |
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June 11, 2009
The Good The Bad and The Weird to be Released in Japan
After success at home, last year抯 Cannes Film Festival and at festivals around the world, KIM Ji-woon抯 The Good, The Bad and the Weird is finally opening in Japan. The film, released almost a year ago in Korea July 17 2008 will open in Japan August 29. In Japan it will play on 100 screens including the high profile Toho Cinemas Chanter in Ginza and T-Joy Shinjuku Wald 9. Distribution is being handled jointly by CJ Entertainment and Japan抯 Show Gate, the first time a consortium has been created to handle the international release of a Korean film. Even though the film has garnered much attention worldwide its success in Japan remains to be seen given the portrayal of the Japanese army who pursue the lead characters throughout the film during the annexation of Manchuria in the 1930s. Japan is also famous for its own unique blend of avante guarde, spaghetti style, kung fu cult movies.
The Good, The Bad and the Weird is set during the early part of the century when Korea too was in the hands of the Japanese. An eccentric thief, a dark, anime like hit man and a bounty hunter each embark on an action filled race, across the dusty expanse of Manchuria to liberate a treasure map, often from each other. The film stars current 慽t |
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