Choi Dong-hoon (최동훈)

The movie "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard", directed by Choi Dong-hoon and produced by Zip Cinema, has broken the 5-million mark in just 26 days after its release.

According to Zip Cinema, the cumulative number of people who have seen the film stood at around 4.93 million as of January 16.

Although "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard" premiered on December 23, 2009, one week a...More

'The magical arts made the impossible possible, just as CG effects do for film.

James Cameron's masterwork "Avatar" is currently in high favor with moviegoers, but it is not the only movie that's doing well at local box offices. The Korean action flick "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard" has also become a commercial success, attracting more than 5 million viewers in less than a month after its release on Dec. 23.

The movie, which is based on the classic Korean novel "Jeon Woo Chi", may not have the spectacular special effects and computer graphics that Avatar does, but the imaginative story featuring a legendary Korean anti-hero seems to be attracting moviegoers, critics say.

Director Choi Dong-hoon, 39, who is known for movies such as "The Big Swindle" (2004) and "...More

Actress Lee Na-young is one of the most coveted models for advertisers along with fellow 30-something stars like Kim Hee-seon and Ko So-young. She has appeared in almost all major commercials for cosmetics, electronics, beverage, food, telecommunication, and construction companies, and she still has many advertisers wooing her. For her management agency, she is the beautiful goose that lays the golden eggs.

Over the 10-plus years of her acting career, Lee has shown different sides of herself in each eight film she starred in, including "...More

By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter

Korea doesn't seem to spark the imagination of North Americans, and this partly explains why Korean films are not popular there, observed an award-winning filmmaker.

Choi Dong-hoon, 39, director of the latest box-office hit "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard", said that the lack of information about Korea makes it difficult for Korean filmmakers to be successful at the Western box office.

"North Americans know that Korea is part of Asia. Compared with Japan and China, however, Korea has little to appeal to the people there", Choi said in an interview with The Korea Times last Thursday at his office in southern Seoul.

By Monday, more than four million moviegoers had flocked to see his latest movie that deals with superhero Jeon Woo Chi. The critically acclaimed film, based on a Korean folktale, marked the third consecutive box-office hit produced by Choi.

Choi made his filmmaking debut in 2004 with "The Big Swindle", a thriller that drew 2.85 million moviegoers with an appealing storyline and distinctive characters.

His following work, "Tazza: The War Of Flower" ("The War Of Flower" - 2006), a drama/comedy, drew 6.85 million people, awarding him the nickname "master of well-made commercial movies".

The movie won him the Best Scenario award at the Korea Film Awards.

Global Cultural Code

"I think art and cuisine are the two critical vehicles that can lay the groundwork for a Korean film boom in North America in the long run", the director said.

To attract a global audience, Choi said, Korean filmmakers need to find global cultural codes and re-create them through their works.

"For example, we, filmmakers, need to think what topics or scenarios can entertain not only Koreans, but also, for example, Finnish college students as well. I think we should also find ways of maximizing the attraction level of the genres that our films are based on", he said.

He took ...More

A scene from film "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist WizardWOOCHI" [Zip Cinema]

"JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard" is the sole Korean movie on the local box office which will be up to par for competition against the recent rush of some of Hollywood's most anticipated films. The collaboration between director Choi Dong-hoon of hit films "The Big Swindle" and "Tazza: The High Rollers" ("The War Of Flower") and the cast composed of Kang Dong-won, Kim Yoon-seok and Im Soo-jeong is already enough to catch the eye of the moviegoers. But the plot in which character Woochi (played by Kang Dong-won) comes to life in modern day Korea for the first time in 500 years to fight off his opponent Hwadam (played by Kim Yoon-suk) and other monsters, clearly reveals what "WOOCHI" is aiming for. This 'Korean superhero flick' is a Korean-style blockbuster which creates buzz with its sheer scale, ahead of having to judge how well it has been made. Of course, its size may seem relatively small compared to its competitors but it will be interesting to see how well this movie -- made by a director who has a firm understanding on Korean stars and the mentality of the Korean public -- will fare amongst the crowd of Hollywood blockbusters....More