Kang Boo-ja (강부자)

"Ogu" Play, Meaning of Life and Death

2008/03/10 | Source | Permalink |

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

"Ogu: The Ritual of Death" by veteran playwright and director Lee Yoon-taek, featuring "gut", or shamanistic rituals, will go on stage next month as part of the theatrical masterpiece series of the Oulim Nuri Arts Complex.

The Gyeonggi-based arts complex prepares the special series to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Korean contemporary theater this year. The year 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Korean contemporary theater. "Silver World" (Eunsegye) by Lee In-jik, was first staged at Wongaksa, one of the early theaters in Seoul, in 1908.

"Ogu", one of the most highly acclaimed dramas viewed by many Korean theater-goers, returns four years after the last performance in 2005.

"Ogu" effectively depicts Korean conceptualizations about life and death, melting a tragic story of the death of an old mother into the traditional Korean shamanistic ritual, creating a satiric and humorous touch.

Ogu is a word that Lee abbreviate...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

3 New Weekend Dramas to Air

2008/01/29 | Source | Permalink |

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

All three major television networks will start new weekend dramas for the entire family in February.

KBS will air "Mom's Dead Upset", which deals with four-generations living together and the various incidents resulting from generation gaps. MBC will air "A Beauty Unmatched, Park Jeong-geum", about a divorced single mom, while SBS will air "I Am Happy", about a happily married couple.

The first episode of "Mom's Dead Upset" will air at 7:55 p.m., Feb. 2. Written by Kim Su-hyun, the hit maker who wrote for dramas such as "My Man's Woman" (SBS, 2007), "Love and Ambition" (SBS, 2006) and "Trap of Youth" (SBS, 1999), the drama's expectations are high.

The drama features powerful actors and actresses. Lee Soon-jae, who currently plays King Yeongjo on MBC's "Yi San", Baek Il-seob, Kim Hye-ja and Kang Boo-ja are the grandfather, father, grandmother and mother of the family respectively while Sin Eun-kyeong, Kim Jeong-hyeon and Lee Yoo-ri will play t...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?

Make me a match: Can love be arranged?

2007/10/27 | Source | Permalink |

Arranged meetings have a long history and don't always work, but some busy singles remain open- minded.

Early last month, middle-aged actress Kang Boo-ja was rumored to be a "Madame Ttu" - in Korea a woman who offers her networking services to introduce that appropriate someone to your son or daughter.
Kang was offended by the gossip.
"My heart is torn apart by the ridiculous rumor", she said, denying that she introduced entertainment stars to leading political and financial people in return for large sums of money.
Kang's angry response is no surprise. In Korea the term Madame Ttu carries a negative connotation, sometimes referring to a procuress or a panderer.
"It was illegal for Madame Ttus to match couples", said Cha Il-ho, head of the Bangbae Matrimonial Agency in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. Professional but unlicensed Madame Ttus were arrested by local police officers.
A typical 1970s Madame Ttu was in her late 70s to early 80s. To establish relations with young professi...| More

To participate to HanCinema, you must sign up or log in. Sign up, Why ?