Kang Boo-ja (강부자)

Kang Boo-ja Once Again Stars in Play 'Ogu'

Source | 2008/10/28 | Permalink |

The theater production "Ogu", starring Korea's leading veteran actress Kang Boo-ja, will be staged at the Geomdan Hall of Hanam Arts Center on November 22. The play, which premiered at the 1989 Seoul Theater Festival under the title "Good Bye", was directed by Lee Yun-taek in 1990 and has since received a consistently favorable response from local audiences.

The popularity of the play went to a whole new level when Kang joined the cast herself as the old mother in 1997. That year, the play attracted a total of 2.6 million audience members.

The play takes a look at the tragic and painful elements of death from a humorous perspective. The story begins on a leisurely afternoon in a quiet agricultural village. The old mother has a premonition about her own death and begs her children to hold an Ogu gut ritual so she can safely pass on to the next world. During the gut, she passes away and the quiet house suddenly becomes a house in mourning. But the house also becomes a space filled ...| More

Nominees Announced for the 2008 Korea Drama Festival Awards

Source | 2008/10/08 | Permalink |

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 "Mom's Dead Upset ", charismatic actor Choi Soo-jong of "Dae Jo Yeong", acclaimed actors Kim Myeong-min of "White Tower" and Jo Jae-hyeon of "New Heart", and top actresses Bae Jong-ok of "My Man's Woman" and Kim Ha-neul of "On Air".

Nominees for the best drama category include "The Legend", "Mom's Dead Upset ", "Dae Jo Yeong", and "Gourmet". Life time achievement nominees are Choi Bool-am, Baek Il-seob, Nah Moon-hee, and Kang Boo-ja.

The first international festival for a single genre, the festival will feature a wide variety of interesting events, such as drama photo exhibition at the Jinju National Museum, Asian drama screening show, an international forum on Korean dramas, and a talent search.
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"Ogu" Play, Meaning of Life and Death

Source | 2008/03/10 | Permalink |

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

"Ogu: The Ritual of Death" by veteran playwright and director Lee Yoon-taek, featuring "gut", or shamanistic rituals, will go on stage next month as part of the theatrical masterpiece series of the Oulim Nuri Arts Complex.

The Gyeonggi-based arts complex prepares the special series to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Korean contemporary theater this year. The year 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Korean contemporary theater. "Silver World" (Eunsegye) by Lee In-jik, was first staged at Wongaksa, one of the early theaters in Seoul, in 1908.

"Ogu", one of the most highly acclaimed dramas viewed by many Korean theater-goers, returns four years after the last performance in 2005.

"Ogu" effectively depicts Korean conceptualizations about life and death, melting a tragic story of the death of an old mother into the traditional Korean shamanistic ritual, creating a satiric and humorous touch.

Ogu is a word that Lee abbreviate...| More

3 New Weekend Dramas to Air

Source | 2008/01/29 | Permalink |

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

All three major television networks will start new weekend dramas for the entire family in February.

KBS will air "Mom's Dead Upset", which deals with four-generations living together and the various incidents resulting from generation gaps. MBC will air "A Beauty Unmatched, Park Jeong-geum", about a divorced single mom, while SBS will air "I Am Happy", about a happily married couple.

The first episode of "Mom's Dead Upset" will air at 7:55 p.m., Feb. 2. Written by Kim Su-hyun, the hit maker who wrote for dramas such as "My Man's Woman" (SBS, 2007), "Love and Ambition" (SBS, 2006) and "Trap of Youth" (SBS, 1999), the drama's expectations are high.

The drama features powerful actors and actresses. Lee Soon-jae, who currently plays King Yeongjo on MBC's "Yi San", Baek Il-seob, Kim Hye-ja and Kang Boo-ja are the grandfather, father, grandmother and mother of the family respectively while Sin Eun-kyeong, Kim Jeong-hyeon and Lee Yoo-ri will play t...| More

Make me a match: Can love be arranged?

Source | 2007/10/27 | Permalink |

Arranged meetings have a long history and don't always work, but some busy singles remain open- minded.

Early last month, middle-aged actress Kang Boo-ja was rumored to be a "Madame Ttu" - in Korea a woman who offers her networking services to introduce that appropriate someone to your son or daughter.
Kang was offended by the gossip.
"My heart is torn apart by the ridiculous rumor", she said, denying that she introduced entertainment stars to leading political and financial people in return for large sums of money.
Kang's angry response is no surprise. In Korea the term Madame Ttu carries a negative connotation, sometimes referring to a procuress or a panderer.
"It was illegal for Madame Ttus to match couples", said Cha Il-ho, head of the Bangbae Matrimonial Agency in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. Professional but unlicensed Madame Ttus were arrested by local police officers.
A typical 1970s Madame Ttu was in her late 70s to early 80s. To establish relations with young professi...| More