Lee Jeong-hyang (이정향)

[THE HIGH TIDE OF THE KOREAN WAVE(25)] Hallyu: the Koreanization of world culture

Source | 2008/03/21 | Permalink |

In the last few years, Korean films, TV dramas and pop music have become immensely popular abroad, a phenomenon known as the Korean Wave. This is the 25th in a series of essays by a select group of scholars and journalists looking at the spread of Korean pop culture in Southeast Asian countries and beyond. - Ed.

"Hallyu", or the Korean Wave, marks the long overdue re-emergence of Korean culture into the global arena. Korean culture's newfound international vogue situates South Korean cinema, TV melodramas, K-pop, and computer games as active participants in the transformation of world culture.

These "domestic" electronic audio-visual cultural creations are no longer limited to just the Korean peninsula and the global Korean diaspora despite that they are produced in the Korean language - a language that is not one of the globalized imperial languages such as English, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese.

Despite this linguistic barrier, hallyu is now a recognized agent of gl...| More

[Books] French Writer Talks on Korean Cinema

Source | 2007/03/09 | Permalink |

By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter

Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio is a French writer whose name often appears on pundits' lists of candidates for the Nobel Prize for Literature along with South Korean poet Ko Un. He is also one of the French writers who have a peculiar hold on the Korean literary circle, with his novels such as his debut work in 1963, "The Interrogation", as well as later works including "The Flood" and "The Golden Fish".

As if rewarding the attention his works have enjoyed here over the last decade, the 66-year-old has visited Korea quite frequently since 2001. Last year, he even backpacked for one month around Yongwol, Kangwon Province.

Now Le Clezio is visiting South Korea for the fourth time. This time, he is on an official mission _ interviewing Korean film directors and writing a piece on Korean cinema. The organizing committee of the Cannes Film Festival asked him to contribute to a book to be published this year marking the 60th anniversary of the festival...| More

Child actors come of age in Korea

Source | 2006/09/25 | Permalink |

Four years ago, a small boy moved the hearts of more than 4 million Koreans. He was Yoo Seung-ho, the young star of director Lee Jeong-hyang's movie "Jiburo", or "The Way Home" in English, a heartwarming story about a boy and his deaf-mute grandmother.
Seung-ho played the grandson in the movie, earning the title of "forever the young boy".
But four years have passed and the 10-year-old has grown up.
He will soon return to the cinema with a main role as a teenager whose only family is his dog "Maumy".
The film "Maumy" ("Heart is ..".) is coming to theaters late next month, but moviegoers are already excited to see their favorite boy actor coming back to screens, entertainment Web sites show.
It seems that he has gained a lot of teenage girl fans as well.
"He has a million-dollar smile", wrote "Ruelo" on the bulletin board of Interpark, a Web site for film ticketing. Another article posted by a female fan read, "He has grown up to become so handsome and so cute".
He was voted to b...| More

'Art Museum by the Zoo'

Source | 2006/03/21 | Permalink |

Though a 'small' film, it's one that deserves attention

Darcy Paquet (internews)

Yet another film by a first-time director/screenwriter, "Art Museum by the Zoo" is the only film in this list directed by a woman (Lee Jeong-hyang). It debuted a week before Christmas and was extremely well received by audiences and critics alike. It stars a very popular actress in Shim Eun-ha ("Christmas in August") together with first-time actor Lee Seong-jae. Of all the films I saw in 1998, I think this one may be my favorite.

The story is reportedly based on events from the director's own life. On leave from the military, a man named Chul Soo arrives at his fiancee's apartment and finds her not at home. He cleans the apartment and prepares dinner for her, only to discover that she has moved out, and another woman is now renting the apartment. When a few days later his fiancee tells him she is marrying another man, he has nowhere to go, and ends up staying at the apartment.

Much of the s...| More

The Way Home a hit in Argentina

Source | 2003/11/13 | Permalink |

LEE Jeong-hyang's drama The Way Home, which became the second-highest grossing Korean film in the U.S. last year, is turning in a strong box-office performance in Argentina.

Although South America has generally been one of the weakest markets overall for Korean cinema, The Way Home opened at #6 despite playing on only 9 screens (other films in the top ten played on up to 45 screens). It was by far the highest screen average of the week, leading the distributor to add 4 more theaters in its second week.

A strong marketing plan by independent distributor Eurocine, together with a gala preview show organized by the Korean embassy in Argentina, is being credited with the success of the film.

The Way Home tells the story of a 7-year old boy who is dropped off to live with his mute grandmother in a remote country village. It was a #1 smash hit in Korea in spring 2002, with over $20m earned at the box-office....| More