Hwan-hee (환희)

Love is no bed of roses in SBS drama

Source | 2008/03/04 | Permalink |

SBS tackles the thorny matter of marriage in its latest drama, "I Love You - 2008", slated to hit the small screen on March 31.

A spin-off of Heo Yeong-man's hit comic book series "I Love You - 2008", SBS's new miniseries keeps it light and fuzzy in what promises to be a bold and cheeky take on the lives of three married couples.

At the press screening held on Feb. 14 at Sangam CGV, reporters and fans were treated to a two-hour sneak peek at this upcoming series.

Judging from the preview, "I Love You - 2008" ventures into risky territory from the get-go -- adultery, divorce, premarital sex and pregnancy, all within two hours, and, with a comic slant.

When asked about the implications of dealing with such serious matters so lightly, Hallyu star Ahn Jae-wook, who will be playing the lead, shrugged it off with a joke or two:

"Contraception ... yes. There is a lot to be careful about", Ahn, 36, said, jokingly referring to the preview, in which his character, Suk Chul-soo, ma...| More

2007 PIFF to Feature Edward Yang Retrospective

Source | 2007/09/05 | Permalink |

By Lee Hwan-hee
Staff Reporter

A retrospective honoring the late Taiwanese director Edward Yang will be held at next month's 2007 Pusan International Film Festival. The complete lineup was also announced Tuesday.

While the deaths of film directors Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman were covered widely, another master who passed away this year, with less recognition, was Taiwanese director Edward Yang, who died last June at age 59.

Along with fellow directors Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, Yang helped to turn Taiwanese film into the most critically acclaimed national cinema of the past 20 years or so, which some consider to be on par with the French New Wave or the classical Japanese cinema of Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi and Akira Kurosawa. This retrospective will be the first time where all of his 8 films are shown.

"A Brighter Summer Day", widely thought to be his masterpiece, comparable to Hou's greatest, "City of Sadness", has rarely been shown due to var...| More

Heartthrob Jeong Woo-seong to Star in Japanese Drama

Source | 2007/08/27 | Permalink |

By Lee Hwan-hee
Staff Reporter

Actor Jeong Woo-seong, who has concentrated on his film career in recent years, will star in a 20-episode Japanese TV miniseries based on the manga "City Hunter", according to the Yonhap News Agency. The miniseries will be a Japanese-Korean co-production and is scheduled to air early next year. Jeong, who will play the protagonist Ryo Saeba, will be the only Korean actor cast in the series.

The manga was adapted into a movie several times in Hong Kong, the most prominent version being the one released in 1993 with Jackie Chan playing the main character.

Jeong is quite popular in Japan since his 2004 film "A Moment to Remember", which is one of the highest-grossing Korean films released in Japan.

He is currently filming the highly anticipated "The Good, the Bad, the Weird", in China, which also stars Lee Byeong-heon and Song Kang-ho. The film is being directed by Kim Ji-woon, and is described as a revisionist western set in 1930s Manchuria. ...| More

Hwang Seok-young Sees Hope for Korean Literature

Source | 2007/08/26 | Permalink |

By Lee Hwan-hee
Staff Reporter

Who would you say is the greatest living Korean writer? Some would say Ko Un or Kim Chi-ha. Or maybe Park Kyong-ni, Choi In-hoon or Yi Cheong-jun. Another writer who would figure prominently in that discussion would have to be novelist Hwang Seok-young; a critical favorite since the 1970s and now in his 60s, he is perhaps alone among the select group mentioned above in that he is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity too. His new novel "Baridegi", is doing well on the best sellers lists.

The renewed awareness of his works is probably attributable to his interesting life as well. And it was one of the topics that he delved into when he gave an informal talk Friday at the Lotte Cinema near Konkuk University in Seoul. The event was sponsored by the Internet bookseller Yes24.com and it was a fascinating sight as the audience of nearly 250 consisted mainly of college-age people.

Hwang is known as a raconteur, and he moved effortlessly between...| More

Actress Jang May Lose Professorship

Source | 2007/08/17 | Permalink |

By Lee Hwan-hee
Staff Reporter

Veteran actress Jang Mi-hee may lose her professorship at Myongji College if current allegations regarding her academic background are found to be true.

Jang, who ruled the silver screen during the 1970s and 1980s as one of a popular actress troika, claimed to be a Dongguk University graduate in her profile information and various interviews given over past decades. She has been teaching acting at Myongji College as an associate professor since 1998.

But amid snowballing scandals involving a series of academic record forgeries of prominent figures in the art and culture worlds, Dongguk University confirmed Friday that there is no record that she was ever accepted there.

The 50-year-old has also claimed to have Master's Degrees from Hawthorne University, a distance-learning school in the U.S., and Myongji University. Myongji University has confirmed that she received the degree but announced that it may be annulled if she lied about her academ...| More