Hwang Jeong-min (황정민)

Jang Dong-gun said a song he recorded with five other actors, titled "WE", would soon be released as a CD single. Under the name Actors Choice, Jang, Kim Seung-woo, Hwang Jeong-min, Kong Hyeong-jin, ...More

Actor Kim Beom [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

Kim Beom has grown as an actor everytime we see him. The young boy that first appeared in 2006 TV series "Rude Women" as a child who takes good care of his single mom, made himself known to the public through MBC sitcom "High Kick!" and made his presence more prominent through just a few series of appearances in the beginning of "East of Eden" playing the child part of Hallyu star Song Seung-heon. It became certain last year that he had secured a position on the small screen when he made the hearts of many female viewers flutter through KBS drama "Boys over Flowers".

Kim then showed how he had finally become a 'man' and one that is ready to play a lead role through SBS TV series "Dream - Drama". "Expressing a character is similar to trying on different clothes. The characters I played in 'Boys over Flowers' or 'Dream - Drama' were articles of clothing I tried on as a hanger or mannequin. They may not fit me initially since they may be too long or short but there comes a point when it fits you just right after some adjustment. That is when you look at yourself in the mirror and start being evaluated by others too for how you look in that item of clothing. Taking on a new role is like adding a new piece of clothing to your wardrobe so I must say that I'm very eager when it comes to work"....More

Meeting a star, especially one who is at the peak of their career, is exciting and thrilling even for reporters. Hence we at 10Asia also share our opinions on the celebrity we interview amongst ourselves, re-living the emotions we felt while exchanging dialogue with a top actor or artist. But the most exciting moment is when the star we all know, emerges as someone with distinctions of their own during the interview. An interview becomes not work, but a memory of an encounterance with someone when that celebrity turns from a star in the media to a person we are engaged in a conversation with. For the first time in a year, 10Asia reveals those memories with the public.

 

Shin Hye-sung

Singer Shin Hye-sung [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

The reason the interview with Shin Hye-sung could have seemed easy is solely because the conversation was not about him as a singer but concentrated on his then new album "Keep Leaves". "It's easy to make an album if you devote a lot of attention to the title track and the first few songs on an album, and then add on a few whatever songs to the end. But I just didn't want to do that. Because it's mine". Whether you call it his strong sense of identity as a musician or his stubbornness as an artist from the album generation, he had not released an album -- a double album to be precise -- 'just for the sake of it'. And the entire process moved in tune with his intention "to do the best job possible". An actor or musician becomes real when he or she focuses on the outcome and not their name value. That is why Shin Hye-sung is a real musician who is not consumed by the fact that he is a former idol group member.

 

Jeong Il-woo

Actor Jeong Il-woo [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

Three things you notice when you meet Jeong Il-woo in person: he is taller than you would expect him to be, he has a good voice and he has pretty facial features. He has matured much more than in 2007 when he was still shy after shooting to stardom through MBC sitcom "High Kick!"....More

Actor Ryoo Seung-beom (29) has been building a considerable filmography for the last 10 years. It includes various genres from noir to comedy, unknown short films, animation voice work, and impressive works in which he was acting as a special guest.

It also includes director Lee Moo-young's "Everlasting Husband" which could be considered Ryoo's first romantic movie, the original cartoon of Kang Pool "29 Years" which could not be filmed to completion, and the omnibus movie "Mankind Fall Report" which was filmed but never released.

Ryoo Seung-beom, who was interviewed on Dec. 28 in a cafe located in Kangnam, expressed that this whole work is a "process".

Ryoo said, " I choose a work based on the impression I get from it. I will probably be able to tell if the work has outstanding artistic merit only on my dying day, or I may never know about that. I always consider every role and am upset when the role does not go well. However, every step is a part of the process". "No Mercy", which will open soon, is also a part of the process, as well as one of Ryoo's inflection-painted works....More

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The past year represented hope and revitalization for Korean cinema. While problems such as piracy linger on, the forecast for 2010 cinema appears promising with diverse projects in the making.

Cineastes are finding inspiration from the past and are bringing remakes of Korean classics as well as unique period movies. Big action flicks are gearing up for the 60th anniversary of the Korean War (1950-53) while much-anticipated sequels will cater to fans. Furthermore, a couple of Hollywood projects will head here for shoots.

2009 in Review

Both commercial blockbusters and unique indie films pulled the industry out of a three-year slump and cineastes made their mark near and far.

Kim Choung-ryoul's documentary "Old Partner" rewrote box-office history for the genre, while Yang Ik-joon's "Breathless" made waves by sweeping almost two dozen prizes at international festivals. Park Chan-ok's low-budget drama "Paju" was well-received among critics and moviegoers and the micro-budget road movie "Daytime Drinking" gained popularity near and far.

The positivity peaked in the summer. The success of the sports movie "Take Off" fed directly into the big-time box office scores set by the tsunami blockbuster "Haeundae", which drew over 10 million audience members in Korea for the first time in three years since "The Host" in 2006.

Stars shined strongly through the big screen. Korean actors debuted in foreign works, most notably Lee Byeong-Heon in "G.I. Joe" and Rain in "Ninja Assassin", while Kim Myeong-min made headlines for shedding 20 kilograms for his role in "Closer to Heaven".

Celebrity directors also made long-awaited returns. Park Chan-wook revisited the Cannes Festival with his vampire flick "Thirst" while Bong Joon-ho made a splash with the thriller "Mother - 2009".

On the flip side, illegal online distributions of "Haeundae", before its release in Chinese theaters, and of "Thirst", before DVD sales opened in the United States, led to big financial blows and signaled the red light on piracy. The country's top stars, including Jang Dong-gun and Kim Tae-hee, stepped up as representatives for the anti-piracy campaign: "Good Downloader".

Meanwhile, imported 3D movies tapped into the local theater market. While the number of theaters catering to the genre remains relatively small, there seems to be growing reception for 3D films. Animations such as "Monster vs. Aliens" and "Up" drew family audiences while "Avatar", new in theaters, has drawn over 1 million audiences in the shortest timeframe among 2009 films.

2010 Forecast

Back to Classics

During Korean cinema's Golden Age of the 1960s, well over 100 films rolled out per year (more than 200 from 1968 to 1969), and cineastes are finding inspiration in films from that time. Classics never go out of style, and next year, "The House...More