As Korean actor Jang Dong-gun (33) joins hands with Amuse Group, Japan's famous all-around entertainment enterprise, it is being keenly watched as to whether he might be settled as a frontrunner of Hanryu (Korean Wave) in Japan.
Star M. Entertainment, to which Jang belonged, said that Jang Dong-gun entered an agreement with Amuse Group regarding his management within Japan recently.
An official involved in Jang's agreement at Star M. explained that Jang Dong-gun is the first that Korean actors have concluded a formal agreement with Japan's well-known entertainment firm.
Amuse is Japan's all-round entertainment enterprise, which is well known to home movie manias too by introducing Korean movies such as ' JSA - Joint Security Area, 'Silmido', 'Shiri' etc. to Japan.
Jang's real breakout came in early 2001 in Friend, which smashed the box office record set by Shiri to become the biggest Korean film of all time. After playing the nice guy in almost all his previous roles, this portrayal of a tough-talking gangster from Pusan led him to local stardom.
The following year he also starred in the popular action blockbuster 2009 Lost Memories set in a futuristic Great Japan. After appearing in the low-budget film "The Coast Guard" by controversial director Kim Ki-duk, Jang then took the lead role in Kang Je-gyu's "Taegukgi", an epic film about two brothers set during the Korean War.
By this time, Jang's name had become known widely throughout Asia. Jang followed this up with two more high-profile roles. The Promise is a $30 million pan-Asian production by Chinese director Chen Kaige in which Jang plays opposite Hong Kong star Cecilia Cheung.
Meanwhile, Typhoon by director Kwak Gyeong-taek (Friend) set a new record for the highest production budget in Korean film history at $15 million. Jang stars as a modern-day pirate who has been betrayed by both North and South Korea.
The Amuse Group is divided into the following three segments, in accordance with the operations involved: Artist Management, Media Visual, and Content. An overview of the operations is given below.
1. Promotion and management of celebrities, musicians, screenwriter, athletes and intellectuals.
2. Production, contracting and promotion of music, film, theater and vaudeville theater.
3. Planning, production, contracting and copyrighting of radio and television programs, commercial films and jingles.
4. Planning, production, manufacturing, distribution and copyrighting of audio and visual software.
5. Publication and distribution of such printed material as books and musical scores.
6. Planning, distribution, and patent management of popular character goods.
7. Operation of recording studios and lesson studios.
8. Advertisement agency.
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