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August 4, 2008
‘You Are My Destiny’ Exceeds 30% Viewer Rating
AGB Nielsen Media Research says ‘You Are My Destiny’, a popular drama series on KBS 1TV posted a viewer rating of 31.6% on August 5. It is the first time for the drama series to post a viewer rating of over 30% since it began airing on May 5.
Daily drama series on KBS have always been consistently popular among viewers. Although a 20% viewer rating is considered quite high, it doesn’t necessarily scream “success”. ‘Likeable or Not’, a drama which preceded ‘You Are My Destiny’ was a phenomenal success, posting a viewer rating of over 40%. The huge success of ‘Likeable or Not’ had been a burden on ‘You Are My Destiny’ right from the start.
From the beginning, the performance of young actress in the drama series had been the subject of heated debate. Over the past three months, the initial storyline was altered as were the characters in the drama. The significant increase in the viewer rating can be attributed to the dramatic love story between the main characters.
Source: KBS World
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/entertainment/enter_chart_detail.htm?No=7938
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August 5, 2008
Choe Song-hyun to Begin Career as Entertainer
Choe Song-hyun, a former KBS announcer who resigned in late May recently met with a reporter and candidly talked about her plan to begin a new career in the entertainment industry. Asked whether the rumors surrounding her pending comeback, this time as an entertainer, Choe said the rumors were true. The former announcer said she is currently looking for a management agency that can best represent her.
Recently, Choe uploaded a photo of herself as a model representing the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ latest promotional campaign on her Cyworld mini blog. The former announcer was also featured in Yonsei University’s promotional video together with singer Park Jin-young.
Source: KBS Global
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/entertainment/enter_chart_detail.htm?No=7939 |
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August 6, 2008
Korean Films Nab 47.7% Market Share
According to CJ CGV’s July report, Korean movies posted 47.4% of the market share, up 22.2% from the previous month.
Korean films hit rock bottom in terms of market share in May, posting 7.8%. However, CJ CGV attributed the recent market share hike to the the release of much-anticipated summer blockbusters like ‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’ and ‘My Love is Far Away’ in the month of July.
Although the number of moviegoers was also generally low prior to July, the number rose 21.1% last month from June.
Source: KBS World
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/e ... _detail.htm?No=7940 |
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Wednesday, 6 August 2008
KOFIC to support films overseas
Written by Han Sunhee
L - R: Secret Sunshine, The Chaser, Dream, The Man Who Was Superman, Happiness
Posters in clickable-thumbnail format, please click to expand the images
SEOUL – The Korean Film Council (Kofic) Wednesday announced $54,000 of financial support to overseas distributors releasing Korean movies. Stichting Nederlands Filmmuseum was awarded Euros12,000 ($18,700) aid to help with its Netherlands release of Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine" on Sept 12. Hong Kong's Golden Scene receives $12,000 to underwrite its Sept 4 release of Na Hong-jin-helmed "The Chaser" and a further $23,000 to assist November outings of "A man who was Superman," Hur Jin-ho's "Happiness" and the December release of Kim Ki-duk's "Dream."
Source: Variety Asia
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/6650/
[ Last edited by katt at 6-8-2008 07:04 PM ] |
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August 6, 2008
Actress Choi Jung-won Cast in New History Drama 'Land of the Wind'
Actress Choi Jung-won has been cast as the heroine of a new history drama series entitled "Land of the Wind," which will begin airing on KBS in September.
The drama series will be about the life of King Muhyul of the Goryeo Dynasty, and Choi will take on the role of a Buyeo Princess with whom the king falls in love. Choi's character, who weds the king, is a dignified young woman who is highly competent in the science of medicine.
Producers of the show described Choi's character as a young woman who is forced to weather many storms in life and is an extremely strong person as a result of her past experiences.
For Choi, this will be her first appearance in a history drama series. She recently said although she is excited, she feels extremely nervous at the same time. She added that she decided to take the role because she fell in love with her character the first time she read the script.
Source: KBS Global
http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1538733_11858.html |
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August 6, 2008
[ChanMi's drama news] East of Eden, will it raise MBC's popularity?
So much money and hard work is being put into this new drama, "East of Eden".
Best actors and actresses are casted and its 50 episodes are being worked on carefully.
Since the dramas such as "When It's At Night" and "Lawyers of Republic of Korea" have not gained popularity as they expected, MBC is putting a lot of effort to bring back the viewers to this channel.
Great actors such as Song Seung-heon, Yeon Jeong-hoon, Lee Da-hae, Han Ji-hye, Park Hae-jin, Lee Yeon-hee, Lee Mi-sook, Yoo Dong-geun, and Jo Min-ki are casted in this drama.
The MBC's 47th annual special drama "East of Eden" is about a person who is tainted with evil tries to change the fate of two families.
This drama will be released this 25th.
Source:
http://cynews.cyworld.com/Service/news/ShellView.asp?ArticleID=2008080609450031191&LinkID=2
http://www.hancinema.net/[chanmi-s-drama-news]-east-of-eden-will-it-raise-mbc-s-popularity--14941.html |
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August 6, 2008
Movie sheds light on old military technology
"The Divine Weapon (Singijeon)," a Korean film directed by Kim Yu-jin, is unusual in at least two respects.
First, it is a massive project that cost 10 billion won ($9.8 million) and took almost 6 years to produce. Second, it is about a sophisticated military weapon that is not well known among Koreans, much less foreigners.
The movie, to be released on Sept. 4, is about the development of the world's first multi-launch rocket system. It was called "singijeon," which means "ghost-like machine arrow" in Korean. Once out of the launcher, the fire-arrows were set to detonate automatically near the target area.
Manufactured from the early 15th to mid-16th century, the singijeon was often used in the northern frontiers, and played a pivotal role in fending off invasions. The high-powered firearm was used in the southern provinces to keep the Japanese sea-borne marauders at bay.
"When it comes to the singijeon, we have tried to reflect historical facts as much as possible, but other elements such as the plot and characters are mostly fictional," director Kim told reporters at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday.
The movie features King Sejong, the Joseon monarch who sponsored the invention of the Korean alphabet and the development of various technologies, as well as implementing progressive policies. Played by veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki, Sejong is depicted as a complex figure who has to deal with many difficult issues, especially the tricky diplomatic relations with Ming China.
Set in 1448, the film begins with a tension-packed situation in which the Ming regime wants to nix Joseon's plan to develop a powerful military weapon. A key engineer's daughter, Hong-ri (Han Eun-jeong), disappears with a document that contains the secret design for the weapon, and the Joseon court has to confront a hostile Ming delegation.
But the real protagonist of the film is neither King Sejong nor Hong-ri. It is an obscure merchant named Seol-ju (Jung Jae-young), who gets swept into the whirlwind of treacherous political schemes -- and makes a happenstance contribution to the development of the singijeon.
"My character is the head of a Joseon merchant group, but he's not a political figure. He's a guy who loves drinking and chasing after girls. But he happens to help make the singijeon after he falls in love with Hong-ri," Jung Jae-young explained.
Han Eun-jeong said that her character is a scientist who acts on her father's wish to complete the new weapons program. "In the process of pushing for the secret project, Hong-ri develops a relationship with Seol-ju, and there are some scenes revealing her human side," Han said.
Ahn Sung-ki, who played Korea's fictional president in the film called "Hanbando," along with other powerful figures on the big screen, said that King Sejong is portrayed in an interesting way. "I really liked this character because King Sejong, in the movie, uses a cuss word when he's really upset, and I think I can understand his feeling. Even kings may swear if they are pushed into a corner," Ahn said.
King Sejong's key aide is Chang-gan, a royal guard played by Hur Jun-ho. "When I was reading the script, I realized my ignorance about the great weapon we had developed. At the same time, I felt proud of the historical achievement," Hur said. "I believe more people should feel the same pride about the singijeon."
In contrast to the widespread assumption that Joseon Dynasty officials indulged in bureaucratic squabbles at the cost of military preparedness, the first half of the 500-year era was a time in which a military build-up was the chief concern among top policymakers.
King Sejong, in particular, was deeply interested in developing gunpowder firearms, including rocket-based weapons. According to the Joseon Dynasty Annals, he ordered that 5,500 rocket launchers called "juhwa" -- which were the base for the singjieon -- to be positioned at the northern frontiers to enhance the country's military strength.
Historical documents show that the singijeon was capable of firing as many as 100 fire arrows or explosive grenades. Its long-range firepower tended to catch the enemy off-guard. The fire arrow contained a device equipped with gunpowder and shrapnel.
Director Kim said the production team restored the original singijeon with the help of experts, but noticed that it was difficult to control the rocket-launcher system. "It was very challenging to run the restored rocket system, and my impression is that our forefathers had better technology in dealing with the timed detonation for the singijeon," Kim said.
By Yang Sung-jin ([email protected]), image from empas.com
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ |
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AUG 06, 2008
Korean Movies' Popularity Rebounds This Summer
ARTICLE
The number of movie-goers in July jumped more than 21 percent compared to the previous month to 17-and-a-half million. Korean movies in particular accounted for half of total screenings nationwide last weekend.
That's a rebound from their record low of 7 percent in May.
Korean-style Western movie "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird" is the box-office hit with 5-point-4 million viewers so far. As for director Kwak Kyungtaek's action flick "Eye for an Eye" more than a million people watched it in its opening week, "Sunny" a movie set during the Vietnam War attracted more than 1-and-a-half million theater-goers.
[Interview : Lee Sangyong, Korean film investment team CJ Entertainment]
"It's true there used to be a tendency to rely on a movie's scale and cast. But the current trend shows what's the most important is the story."
The domestic industry had suffered lackluster popularity in the months leading up to July due to over-investment and poor production quality. This professor of film industry studies says now is a good time to turn the tables around.
[Interview : Seo Insook, Professor Sangmyung University]
"Economic slowdowns tend to boost the number of movie-goers. I think it's a crucial time for Korean movies."
In the late 19-90s the Asian financial crisis opened doors for Korean productions to gain favor in the domestic movie industry. With sluggish economic growth many Koreans are turning to cinema once again for comfort.
Lee Jeewon, Arirang News.
Reporter : [email protected]
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=82825&code=Ne6&category=7
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August 7, 2008
Ha Ji-won's 'Hwang Jin Yi' to Air on NHK's Landwave Channel in October
"Hwang Jin Yi," a history drama series on KBS 2TV starring Ha Ji-won, will be broadcast in Japan on NHK's landwave channel.
Wellmade Star M said on August 5 that Hwang Jin Yi will air every Saturday at 11:10 p.m. beginning October 11.
The drama series was first aired on NHK's satellite channel BS2 from April and posted the number one viewer rating out of all the programs aired during the same time slot.
An NHK official said it was rare for a show to be moved from a satellite channel to a landwave channel.
Meanwhile, Ha has become hugely popular in Japan thanks to her two other popular drama series "Damo" and "What Happened in Bali." She held her first fan meeting in Japan in May.
Source: KBS Global
http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1538941_11858.html
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Thursday, 7 August 2008
Local hits lift Korean summer B.O.
Written by Han Sunhee
SEOUL - A series of summer hits has given the beleaguered Korean film industry a welcome box office boost after a dismal performance in the first half of the year. But next week kudos seems set to be Batman's.
According to a new report by leading distributor CJ CGV, market share for Korean films was 48% in July, with total admissions of 17.5 million nationwide.
Market share was a marked improvement for local films compared with the 7.8% figure in May and 26% in June. It is also higher than the 19% recorded in July 2007, though lower than 54% in July 2006.
The result was achieved by the highly anticipated local summer releases "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," with 4.75 million admissions in July was the month's top score - and it has since passed the 5 million admissions milestone. Among the 6 films that passed 1 million ticket sales mark, three were local films, "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" "Public Enemy Returns" and "Sunny."
According to separate box office statistics by Korean Film Council, "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" grossed $33.2 million from 5.28 million admissions to date. On the box office chart of the last weekend, pic was knocked off its number one spot by the sensational opening of "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," but still managed 636,000 admissions for three days from Friday to Sunday.
"Public Enemy Returns," which opened in mid June, appears to have long legs and still ranked at No.10, lifting its cume to $26.3 million gross from 4.18 million admissions to date. In its second week, "Sunny" sustained well at the box office, taking $9 million from 1.43 million admissions.
Another local movie showed an impressive performance. An action thriller by helmer Kwak Kyung-taek ("Typhoon"), "Eye for an Eye" ranked at No.3 on the chart, grossing $5.6 million from 890,000 admissions to date, for production shingle Taewon Entertainment and distributor Lotte Entertainment.
Local titles however are expected to take a back seat in the upcoming frame. After "Emperor" attracted 2.15 million admissions in its first week, next up is the opening of "The Dark Knight."
Opened unusually on a Wednesday, "The Dark Knight" is currently topping KOFIC's advanced ticketing charts, and accounts for 49% of pre-sales. On Tuesday, pic attracted a handy 57,000 admissions from previews at 242 screens nationwide. "Emperor" is also holding well with 14% share of the pre-sales market.
Source: Variety Asia
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/6666/ |
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August 7, 2008
The four-member rock band Nell has been invited to the "Summersonic Rock Festival" in Japan
Nell and other international pop stars such as Coldplay, Alicia Keys and Panic at the Disco will be performing on August 9th and 10th in Tokyo and Osaka for the Summersonic. Nell goes onstage on the 10th for Osaka's "Park Stage" section. Since Seo Taiji's invitation to perform in 2001, Nell is the first Korean group to participate.
"Summersonic producers liked Nell's musical style and the individuality of the members," announced Woollim Entertainment, which represents Nell. "They believe that Nell has a musical style which is appealing to fans overseas."
Woollim added, "We are honored and this is perfect timing because Nell is wrapping up promotions for their fourth album. We will try to show everyone what our world of rock sounds like."
Nell released their fourth album, "Separation Anxiety," in March and since then have sold over 60,000 copies. Their concert last month sold out.
The number of concert-goers for Summersonic are estimated to be 80,000. Past international stars who have performed at the Summersonic Rock Festival includes, Linkin Park, Green Day, Metallica and Radio Head.
Source: KBS Global
http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1539175_11858.html |
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August 7, 2008
'Dachimawa Lee' Straddles Homage, Mockery
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
In Ryu Seung-wan's larger-than-life retro action film "Dachimawa Lee,"
Lim Won-hee, center, plays the role of the "handsome" spy while actresses Kong Hyo-jin, left,
and Park Si-yeon are his sexy partners./ Courtesy of Showbox/Mediaplex
Hip young director Ryu Seng-wan ("The City of Violence," 2006) brings the big screen edition of an Internet flick that he calls "abnormal." But the retro spy story "Dachimawa Lee" is so faithful to its own internal logic that it makes sense in wonderfully wrong ways, and its fine cast makes the larger-than-life story all the more endearing.
Dachimawa Lee, a character who can be described in Western parlance as a cross between Austin Powers and Mr. Bean, seems tailor-made for eccentric screen persona Lim Won-hee ("Le Grand Chef," 2007). The homely actor plays the role of the "handsome" and suave master spy ― and everyone, from love struck damsels to Japanese foes, reminds you of his good looks by swooning "oh how handsome he is" every other minute. He dodges bullets for the independence of his motherland and banishes his evil enemies on "a fast train ride to hell," but he's also sensitive, and swallows back tears over women who break his heart.
Set during the 1940s in the last years of Japanese colonial rule, the film traces the whereabouts of a stolen national treasure, a golden Buddha statue that also contains a list of Korean freedom fighters wanted by imperial authorities.
Lee, however, fails miserably, and to add more woe, his "Bond girls" or sexy partner spies Yeon-ja (Kong Hyo-jin) and Mary (Park Si-yeon) perish in the process. The road to recovering his pride, however, becomes complicated by a Chinese merchant, quirky Korean vagabond (played by director Ryu's younger brother, popular actor Seung-beom) and a Japanese spy with a knack for magic tricks and his retinue of colorfully dressed ninjas.
Ryu walks a fine line between reverence and mockery of retro Korean action films ― a product of what he calls "an ambivalent, love-hate" sentiment toward his predecessors. The dialogue, all dubbed the old-fashioned way, is over the top, while action sequences are packed with Bruce Lee-style martial arts. The so-called Japanese and Chinese, with no offense intended for either of the languages, are, in fact mock jargon ― Korean spoken with Chinese intonation, by adding a "la" to every word. The Korean subtitles also ridicule the amateur translations in local pirated movies, where people often claim credit to their work using their Internet user ID.
The movie is light and entertaining enough, but a closer look shows the basis for serious analysis as a cinematic venture. The mock Japanese for example, is not simple comedy. In the 1970s, when there was an official ban on things Japanese in Korea, veteran directors like Im Kwon-taek had to deal with the situation by having so-called Japanese characters speak in Korean with a Japanese intonation. The old becomes new, and in this case, cause for big hearty laughter.
Renowned film critic Chung Sung-ill always says that movies are about watching the process of filmmaking, and the means for reaching the end becomes all the more relevant. The film takes the audience on a breathtaking run with the spies from Shanghai and Manchurian deserts to Princeton, New Jersey and the Swiss Alps. But believe it or not, the movie was shot 100 percent in Korea.
"Dachimawa Lee" is a product of simultaneous combustion among the creative cast and crew. Kill preconceptions of what is appropriate in a movie, and be ready to laugh your heart out. It will also be an interesting compliment to the other, more "serious" and truly cross-border, multilingual film "The Good, the Bad, the Weird." The costume design is by the same artist, who whips up more modern looks for "Dachimawa Lee."
In theaters Aug. 14. 12 and over. 99 minutes. Distributed by Showbox/Mediaplex.
Credits: [email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/08/135_28932.html
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August 7, 2008
[ChanMi's star news] Son Ye-jin trip to Cuba alone
It's her first trip alone and it's to Cuba.
The new movie "My Wife is Married" has finished filming the final scene. Son Ye-jin has left Korea to have some time of rest in Cuba!
Why Cuba? She has been in Cuba before for a film and fell in love with the nature and kind people.
"My Wife is Married" will be released this October.
It is a movie about a woman who fell in love with a man though she is already married and attempts to marry again.
Source:
http://cynews.cyworld.com/servic ... 2008080710222597139
http://www.hancinema.net/chanmi- ... ba-alone-14971.html |
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NEWS INDEX page 36
August 7, 2008: Seo Min-jeong's daughter An Ye-jin
Aug 5: 7 episode commercial film, "Summer Days"
Aug 7: 'Crossing' to Represent Korea for Oscar
Aug 6: Bae Kkop (Belly Button) set to open Sept. 11 has preview rejected by Korean movie board
Aug 7: Sa-kwa aka Sorry Apple (w/ Moon So-ri) finally set for release Oct. 16th
July 31: Satoshi Tsumabuki learns Korean for his role in “Boat”
Aug 7: "Crossing" selected as Korea's Oscar hope
Aug 8: 'You are My Destiny' Viewer Ratings at 30%
Aug 8: Hallyu Singers Perform at Atamix
Aug 7: Park Shin-yang Says 'Garden of the Wind' "Intensely Powerful"
Aug 8: 10,000 Thai Fans Flock to Watch Big Bang Live
Aug 8: Super Junior's Han Carries Olympic Torch
July 11: Bae Yong-joon rekindles Korean wave
Aug 10: 'Hyorish' Is Sexy, Friendly
Aug 10: The Good The Bad The Weird attracts 6 million viewers
Aug 8: Park Min-yeong in Big Bang music video
Aug 10: Actor Lee Seon-gyoon at Shinsangok Teen Film Festival
Aug 11: Bae Yong-joon Receives Shoulder Surgery
Aug 11: K-Pop Resounds at Beijing Olympics
Aug 8: Kim So-young’s Treeless Mountain premieres at Toronto
Aug 10: Lee Tae Ran, Kim Sung Soo, Ji Hyun Woo to lead weekend drama "My Beloved Gem"
Aug 12: FIlm depicting N. Korean defectors submitted for Oscar
Aug 12: South Korean actress sings Olympic swimming theme (Han Ji Hye)
Aug 11: 2nd Chungmuro International Film Festival to focus on current films
[ Last edited by katt at 12-8-2008 09:40 PM ] |
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August 7, 2008
'Crossing' to Represent Korea for Oscar
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The North Korean defector movie "Crossing" will represent South Korean cinema as a possible competitor in the foreign film section at the 81st Academy Awards, the Korean Film Council announced Thursday.
"The seven jury members decided, after a two-day debate from July 30 to Aug. 1, to submit 'Crossing' for the competition spot in the foreign language film section of the Academy Awards," said the council. The film's publicist, Coming Soon, also confirmed the news.
"Crossing" beat other big Korean films "The Good, the Bad, the Ugly" and "The Chaser," both of which were shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The nation's first movie tackling the issue of North Korean refugees was judged, considering its international appeal and potential to draw more public attention to the pressing issue, to be most appropriate, said Han Sang-joon, head of the jury.
Last year, Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine," which gave Jeon Do-yeon the Best Actress Award at Cannes, did not make the nomination list for the Oscar. Since veteran director Shin Sang-ok's 1963 film "Mother and a Guest' tried to make the competition pool. Others including Kim Ki-duk's "Spring, Summer, Fall Winter.. and Spring" and Lee Jun-ik's "King and the Clown" followed but none made the final cut.
"Crossing" stars top actor Chan In-pyo as a father who crosses the border to China and becomes forever separated from his family. It was first shown in April at the North Korea Freedom Coalition meeting held in Washington D.C.
In July, the film was screened at the European Union Parliament in Brussels. A group of some 50 South Korean bicyclists took the film across Europe, from the Netherlands to Germany, as part of a campaign hosted by Justice for North Korea, an organization devoted to human rights issues.
Credits: [email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/08/141_28992.html |
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August 6, 2008
Bae Kkop (Belly Button) set to open Sept. 11 has preview rejected by Korean movie board
Posted by luna6
Bae Kkop (literal translation Belly Button) has selected Sept. 11th as its opening date. Bae Kkop is sex-comedy centered around a wild and crazy family. The film has already hit a small snag, because the Korean Movie Ratings Board rejected the film preview they submitted. “Hak Sung Ki” the company responsible for the movie’s marketing announced that the movie board gave no specific reasons, but stated that in general the preview was just a wee bit too hot to handle.
Bae Kkop stars a bevy of popular Korean actors like Ho-jin Cheon (GP 506), Mi-suk Lee (I Like It Hot), Seung-woo Kim (Women On The Beach), Hyo-jin Kim (Barefoot Kibong) and Seo-yun Ji (the rival pop singer in 200 Pounds Beauty). What’s known about the plot is that all family members partake in affairs and the movie spotlights the nightlife of the various family members. For the movie preview, “Hak Sung Ki” announced that they will re-edit and emphasize other scenes for their movie preview. Hopefully this one will slide by the movie board in Korea.
Source: lunapark6.com |
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