Gong Ji-young (공지영)

KBS 'TV Book Club' Celebrates 300th Episode

2008/06/09 | Source | Permalink |

"TV Book Club", a popular television show on KBS 1TV that introduces the notable books of our time, is about to celebrate its 300th episode.

The program has introduced around one thousand books since it first aired in May 2001 and has invited some 250 notable foreign and Korean literary figures, including Park Wan-seo, Gong Ji-young, Park Beom-shin, Kim Hoon, Hwang Seok-young, Cho Jung-rae and Bernard Werber. Other notable guests have been former U.S. President Bill Clinton, French economist Jacques Attali, American writer and futurist Alvin Toffler and American economist Jeffrey Sachs.

The 300th sepcial episode will be aired on June 9 at 11:30 p.m. under the title "You Can Also Write Books".

Philosopher Tak Seok-san, doctor and economic analyst Park Kyung-cheol, singer Horan and publishing critic Han Mi-hwa will make guest appearances in the special episode and offer their insights on writing books. ...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Gong Ji-young's Novel to Captivate Japanese Readers

2007/05/09 | Source | Permalink |

"Our Happy Time", a novel by Korea's most celebrated female writer Gong Ji-young, will be published by a Japanese publisher in time for the Japanese premiere of the film that is based on the book.

Gong has already received a positive response in Japan after her book "Things That Come After Love", co-written with renowned Japanese writer Hitonari Tsuji, was introduced in Japan. Hitonari is widely known in Korea for his work, "Between Calm and Passion".

The release of the film "Our Happy Time" will also be helpful in boosting Gong's name recognition in Japan, because the male lead of the film, Kang Dong-won, is a rising star among young Japanese people.

Gong's publisher in Japan said that it is very unusual for the Japanese media to show such keen interest in a Korean writer and added that her novel will benefit from the release of the film in late June or early July.

The publication of Gong's novel in Japan is quite meaningful for the Korean literary circle. It remains to be...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Lee Mi-yeon: Still in Love With Acting

2007/01/20 | Source | Permalink |

"Acting has produced the biggest energy and the greatest pain in my life. I can't promise you that I'm going to be an actress for the rest of my life. When I fall out of love with acting, I'll quit immediately. But I'm still in love". So says Lee Mi-yeon, who will return to TV screen, with a new SBS soap opera fittingly called "Crazy for Love". It starts airing on Feb 3, six years after she starred in "The Last Empress" in 2001.

Lee isn't interested in being in dramas all the time, but she has remained in the public consciousness due to her frequent appearances in commercials. "It is dangerous for an actor to feature in too many TV commercials", she admits, but adds, "People seem to have been looking out for me even during my break because of my healthy image".

In the drama, her character falls in love with the man who killed her fiancé in a car accident just a day before her wedding. Could that happen in the real world? "Well, love isn't rational. I don't think such things are i...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Gong Ji-young, Creator of Bestselling Novels

2007/01/03 | Source | Permalink |

Novelist Gong Ji-young is the most sought-after novelist by publishing companies, because the number of her readers ranges between 100,000 and 800,000. Gong's works always draw the attention of filmmakers, film directors and even performance producers because of their deep and broad subjects.

The Gong Ji-young syndrome

Three of Gong's works have become bestsellers concurrently. That's an impressive feat given the recent slump in the domestic publishing sector. The "Gong Ji-young syndrome" began in April last year. Since writing her bestseller "My Sister Bongsoon" seven years ago, Gong wrote another big hit, "Maundy Thursday", and recently drew the spotlight for "Things That Come After Love", which she co-authored with Japanese writer Tsuji Hitonari, and the prose piece "I Was Alone Like a Raindrop". "Maundy Thursday" ("Our Happy Time"), on which a famous Korean movie is based, drew significant attention when the movie opened in September, becoming the first Korean novel in four ...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

A wind blew, generations fought, a poet died

2006/12/29 | Source | Permalink |

December 30, 2006 ㅡ It was a quiet year for the publishing industry. No major incidents took place, no shouting between North and South Korean writers on the peak of Mount Baekdu like last year. Nevertheless there were ups and downs. Here are sone key words that sum up Korea's literary scene in 2006.

The wind of Gong Ji-young

Gong's name stood out in an industry dominated by translated novels. Her book "Our Happy Time", a tale of love between a vulnerable art professor and a man facing the death penalty, which was also made into a film, has now sold over 750,000 copies since its release in April 2005. The critics dubbed the phenomenon "the wind of Gong Ji-young". When the film was released in November the book remained on top of the bestseller's list for eight weeks. It was the first time in four years that a Korean novel had achieved such success, and Gong received an honorary award from Amnesty Korea for leading the campaign to abolish capital punishment.
It was a good ...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?