Jang Dong-gun (장동건)

Andre Kim's Star-Studded Network

Source | 2009/11/19 | 0 comments | Permalink |

A galaxy of stars including Lee Young-ae, Jeon Do-yeon, Song Yoon-ah and Han Chae-young and actor Won Bin will appear at the Best Star Award hosted by designer Andre Kim on Nov. 27. At 73, the flamboyant designer is as active as ever, with fashion shows here and abroad attracting many celebrities.

The normal hurdles to casting A-listers do not seem to exist for Kim. Lee Young-ae, who has drastically cut down on public since after her marriage, will willingly appear for him. So how does he do it?

Kim wakes up at 5:30 a.m. every day and reads 17 newspapers. "Reading newspapers is the best way to absorb a massive amount of knowledge and information with little investment. So I read newspapers no matter what", he says.

That has helped him develop a knack for discovering rising stars and support them. Kim casts them as model for his fashion shows so that they can get media coverage, and that is why they can't refuse him even when they become hugely famous.

Kim Tae-hee has been i...| More

Film Review - "Good Morning President" PIFF's Opening Film

Source | 2009/11/12 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Komeda
Staff Writer

"Good Morning President", the most recent film by writer and director Jang Jin ("Guns and Talks", "Righteous Ties") may have been a safe choice as the opening film for the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) held last month: humorous and unthreatening. Tickets to the screening of the film at the largest international film festival in Asia were sold out within two minutes of their availability, possibly aided by the hallyu (Korean wave) powers of Jang Dong-gun.

The film skips stones across the domestic and foreign politics of Korea, without fully taking a plunge into the murky waters of ties between the two Koreas or the ethical dilemmas that politicians face during their tenure. Instead, we are left with a few great comedic moments in the movie that leave you feeling like you just witnessed a hybrid between Love Actually and a Korean sitcom.

The movie is vaguely divided into vignettes of three fictional Presidents. The first of these anecdotes ...| More

Korea's most eligible bachelor finds love

Source | 2009/11/11 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Korean entertainment industry is bigger than ever. Increasing numbers of Korean singers and actors are gaining popularity across Asia, riding the hallyu, or Korean wave, abroad and bringing the Korean entertainment world closer to its goal of becoming the Hollywood of Asia.

In particular, actors are becoming more like their Hollywood counterparts, with more star couples coming out of the closet with their relationships, which was once uncommon.

The relationship of Hyeon Bin and Song Hye-kyo, two hallyu stars who went public as an item in August, was the most talked-about example of this trend - until last week.

Two high-profile Korean actors, Jang Dong-gun and Ko So-young, surprised the industry last Thursday when they went public with their relationship of about two years.

The public's reaction was immediate and the two were instantly given a nickname that is the Korean equivalent of "Brangelina", the moniker often used to refer to Hollywood super-couple Brad Pitt an...| More

'Good Morning, President' Draws 2 Million Viewers

Source | 2009/11/09 | 0 comments | Permalink |

"Good Morning, President" starring Jang Dong-gun has attracted 2 million viewers in the 17 days since its release, topping the box office chart.

According to statistics by the Korean Film Council, a total of 2.06 million people had bought tickets for the film as of Saturday.

Korea's cinema industry recorded its greatest sales in history in the third quarter, attracting 46.04 million spectators and sales of W328.7 billion (US$1=W1,169).

Thanks to the success of films like "Haeundae" and "Take Off", Korean films have been maintaining 60 percent market share for the last three months.
...| More

Star Couple to Marry Vast Assets

Source | 2009/11/09 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Stellar couple Jang Dong-gun and Ko So-young are suffering a massive onslaught of media interest after they admitted their romantic relationship. Among other things, fans are now getting curious about the couple's conspicuous wealth.

Ko has massive real estate assets, including a building in the chic Cheongdam district in southern Seoul worth at least W10 billion. She reigned as the queen of advertising for a decade, modeling for anything from apartments and cosmetics to home electronic appliances and beer. She has been less active in recent years but still remains one of the most sought-after models in Korea.

Jang is believed to be roughly as rich as Ko, being a large shareholder in his management company AM Entertainment. The company is a management agency of a number of top stars like actor Hyeon Bin and actress Sin Min-ah. They are popular across Asia, and AM Entertainment expects to record over W10 billion in sales this year. Jang also awaits the release of his Hollywood deb...| More