Kim Boo-seon (김부선)

Actress Under Fire for Backing Marijuana

Source | 2009/06/22 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

Actress Kim Boo-seon's calls on national TV for marijuana use to be legalized are causing a public uproar.

In a pre-recorded interview on MBC's live morning show on Friday, the 46-year-old, who has advocated the legalization of the drug, said, "Marijuana is not a narcotic; it is technically an Oriental herbal medicine which Koreans have used for 5,000 years".

Kim, who has been arrested for marijuana use several times, launched a campaign for the drug's legalization in 2004 after being sentenced to a suspended jail term. She then filed a petition with the Constitutional Court for a review of the constitutionality of the country's marijuana-related laws.

In MBC interview, she took the opportunity to protest the recent arrest of actor Oh Kwang-rok on charges of marijuana use, saying his actions caused no harm and that the drug did not affect his ability to act.

"Have you ever heard of any news that I committed a crime after smoking marijuana? I h...| More

Drug Scandal Jolts Showbiz Industry

Source | 2009/04/28 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

Several More Top Entertainers on List of Suspects

Police are expanding their investigation into the smuggling and use of drugs involving movie stars and models.

In the latest drug bust of entertainers, police booked popular film star Joo Ji-hoon, 27, on suspicion of drug use and arrest warrants were sought for actress Yoon Seol-hee, 28, and model Ye Hak-yeong, 26, for alleged smuggling ecstasy tablets and ketamine into the country from Japan. Two other residents were booked on similar suspicions.

"Besides the suspects on the list we have secured, there are likely more, given the amount of drugs smuggled. Further investigations are unavoidable", an officer of the Seoul Metropolitan Policy Agency said.

Police officiers said the entertainers appear to have been tempted to use drugs on assumption that that ecstasy and other drugs kill the appetite, helping them reduce their weight. Ecstasy is a mildly hallucinogenic amphetamine and the most po...| More

[TALK OF THE TOWN] Legal wrangling follows in the wake of Choi Jin-sil's suicide

Source | 2008/11/11 | 0 comments | Permalink |

More than a month has passed since the death of actress Choi Jin-sil but tongues are still wagging.

Former pro baseball player Cho Sung-min, whom Choi married in 2002 and divorced in 2004, has been demanding that his parental and property rights be reinstated. Cho gave up custodial rights for his kids after he got divorced.

Some activists, mostly female, are mad. Actresses Son Sook and Kim Boo-seon, TV host and single mom Heo Soo-kyung plus actor Kwon Hae-hyo and Lee Jung-hee of the Democratic Labor Party held a press conference yesterday at the Press Center, opposing the current parental rights law. The present law states that when a parent gives up his or her parental rights after a divorce, he or she can regain those rights should the other parent die.

Meanwhile, there's a rumor circulating online that Cho has married the actress Woo Yeon-hee. Woo has rejected this claim and asked the police to investigate who spread the Internet rumor....| More

Actress Named Goodwill Amb. for Progressive Party

Source | 2008/03/10 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

Actress Kim Boo-seon will serve as a goodwill ambassador to publicize the tentatively titled New Progressive Party (NPP), alongside photographer Lee Sang-youp and novelist Kim Tak-hwan.

Kim made a name for herself in the 1980s appearing in soft-core pornographic movies such as "Ae-ma Woman 3". She made a return to the entertainment industry with the movie "Spirit of Jeet Kune Do" ("Once Upon A Time In Highschool") and the drama "Phoenix" in 2004. However, she was charged with smoking marijuana and placed on probation.

Kim now campaigns for the decriminalization of marijuana use in Korea, which is receiving mixed responses from supporters of the NPP.

Lee is a renowned documentary photographer. He has held many individual and group photo exhibitions and published books on photography. He also contributes to newspapers such as the Hankyoreh.

Kim Tak-hwan has written many hit novels, including "Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin" and "Hwangjin-i", b...| More

An actress's new role: making marijuana legal

Source | 2005/03/10 | 0 comments | Permalink |

March 10, 2005 ㅡ Actress Kim Boo-seon was hardly the talk of the town until recently. As a soft-core pornography actress who hit her peak in the 1980s, Ms. Kim, now 44, seemed to be past her prime. She has served several jail sentences for drug use and also suffered from the social stigma of being a single mother after she had an affair with a married man.
With the passage of time, however, the baby girl became a teenager, and last year Ms. Kim made a long-awaited comeback. Featured in a small but impressive role in "Once Upon a Time in High School" as a middle-aged snack bar lady who seduces a high school student, Ms. Kim began to regain her charismatic presence on screen.
She cemented that recognition by starring in a TV drama, "Fire Bird", which attained a high audience rating. What she's best known for at the moment, however, is not her acting. It's her fight to legalize marijuana in Korea.
She has a personal reason for speaking out on the issue. Last year, in the middl...| More