Choi Min-soo (최민수)

* First broadcast: TBA (estimated to be June)

Drama "Road No. 1"

Leading actors So Ji-sub, Kim Ha-neul and Yoon Kye-sang tell of their first impressions!

2010's most highly anticipated drama series is about the turbulent times of the Korean War, "Road No. 1". Its actors So Ji-sub, Kim Ha-neul and Yoon Kye-sang took it upon themselves to introduce the production and talk about life on set for the eager viewers.

So Ji-sub (Jangwoo) "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity".
"Road No. 1"'s Jangwoo is a character who lives through the Korean War, his emotions of love just as desperate as his fight to survive the war. An empathetic character who finds himself agonizing between friendship with a comrade and a ...More

In 2010, the clock of the Korean pop culture is set for June 1950. TV and movies will be flooded with war stories as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. TV stations are raising their stakes in war-themed mega dramas and Chungmuro, the Korean counterpart of Hollywood, is also betting high on block-buster war movies.

Ammunition (casting of top stars) is loaded and the war chest (massive budget) is huge.
The battle between two major networks KBS and MBC first grabs attention. One turns the clock back and remakes "Comrades", a hit TV series of the 1970s into a modern war drama while the other meets the challenge head-on with a block buster costing 10 billion won in budget. KBS' 20-episode series "Comrades" is the remake of a weekday TV series of the same title that was aired from 1975 to 1977. Both series are scheduled to start airing in June.

The 2010 version of "Comrades" centers on the battlefields during the Korean War, focusing on comradeship among soldiers fighting for life under dire circumstances while depicting various kinds of people from all walks of life. Choi Soo-jong was cast as the platoon leader, the lead character, making a comeback to TV after a 3-year hiatus. Each episode will cost 300 million won.

Kim Hyeong-il, chief producer of KBS said, "This is not a simple anti-communist drama. We are trying to graphically and vividly describe the horr...More

Interview with the actor who appeared in SBS TV series "Father's House" and played the actor Ko Soo's younger part in SBS TV series "Will It Snow for Christmas??"

Actor Kim Soo-hyeon-I [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

My name is Kim Soo-hyeon-I. Some people are curious to know why I didn't make a stage name since my name is the same as that of the great scenarist Kim Su-hyun...... What would be good? Kim Soo-gyum? Kim... Carley? Hahahaha.
I was born on February 16, 1988. I major in acting at Joongang University.
I'm an only child but a brusque son at home. I still do call out for my mom though when I get startled.
My first part-time job was at a fastfood restaurant when I was in high school. But I got fired in the first three days because I couldn't get there on time after school. I still got paid for those three days though and how I was happy when I saw the money wired into my account. I heard that you're supposed to buy a pair of socks for your parents when you get paid for the first time so that's what I did... My mom never wore them though. I think I should've bought her socks with lace on it instead.
I once learned how to do mountain climbing. It was back when I was in high school and I used to climb boulders and even took part in competitions. I didn't win because I fell during the second course...... But I've also learned how to scuba dive. I put in an effort to learn sports that aren't usually easy to learn. ...More

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

The tiger may well be Korea's most beloved animal throughout its history. The country was once dubbed the "nation of tigers" as it has mountainous areas that provided them with a good habitat.

The animal has been a symbol of bravery, strength and dignity, and hence 2010, the Year of the Tiger, according to Chinese astrology, will be fervently hailed as a year of good fortune and vigor.

Tiger as Time, Space and Zodiac Sign

The tiger is the third sign in the Chinese zodiac of 12 animals. It is also represented by the month "inwol", the first month of the year; and the hour "insi", the 3rd in the 24 hour clock ― 03:00-5:00 a.m. in the lunar calendar. It also points to the bearing east-northeast. The white tiger is one of the four guardian gods ― three others are the blue dragon, the red bird and the black tortoise. They protect the four major directions with the tiger taking care of the west.

From Myth to Everyday Life

People's perception of tigers has changed over time ― in the past, they feared becoming prey to them, but nowadays they probably only see tigers in a zoo.

But the process of that change is interlaced with mysticism. The tiger, a vicious and ferocious beast, is also considered a mystical creature that keeps away evil spirits.

"In ancient times, the tiger was deemed a scary animal, but our ancestors weren't consumed by that fear. What is rather mystifying is that people also saw it as a guardian that drove away evil spirits, keeping peace and well-being in the village", Gu Mun-hoe, curator of the National Folk Museum of Korea, said.

Gu said that in their daily lives, warding off evil spirits was one of the major duties of the tiger. "It means the animal keeps a...More

Top 10 News of 2009

Two former presidents and a king passed away. One wrong remark during an entertainment show took the entire country by storm. Such unbelievably enormous incidents were played out in unbelievable directions during 2009. Thus, the top ten news of 2009 selected by <10 Asia> may seem like the ten most incredulous news of the year. But one could say that what these ten news stories have in common is that they carry the flow of Korea's pop culture. Can you really believe that all these things happened within a span of one year?

News 1. Actress Jang Ja-yeon commits suicide

Actress Jang Ja-yeon [KBS]

On March 7, one little known actress wrote in her suicide note, "I am a weak, powerless actress. I want to be free from this pain" and killed herself. It was actress Jang Ja-yeon, who was appearing in KBS TV series "Boys over Flowers" at the time. The suicide note, which was 12 pages long on A4-sized paper, explained that she had been physically abused by her agency, forced to drink and provide sexual services. It also listed names of high-ranking executives in the industry, including a head of media company, television drama director and owners of business companies. People started calling the note "The Jang Ja-yeon List". The incident brought to surface how badly aspiring actresses and female celebrities in general have been violated and the ugly power of the media. But due to slow, passive investigation by the Korean authorities, the truth never came to light. Of all people who were under investigation, only two people involved in the incident -- former head of Jang's agency and former manager who exposed Jang's suicide notes -- were indicted and the suspects whose names were listed in the documents were all cleared of charges and let go. Was the death of Jang Ja-yeon a suicide or a homicide?...More