Kim Ji-woon (김지운)

Korean actor Lee Byeong-Heon and Madame Miyuki at the International Jewelry Tokyo event [BH Entertainment]

Hallyu star Lee Byeong-Heon has won an award for being the best jewellery wearer alongside Japan's First Lady at a jewellery event in Tokyo held Wednesday.

According to his agency BH Entertainment, the actor attended the opening ceremony of the International Jewellery Tokyo 2010 and jointly won a special award in the category with Miyuki Hatoyama....More

In an interview at a hotel in Sokong-dong, actor Song Kang-ho said, "First of all, I could easily identify my own personality with the character I played in the movie ‘Secret Reunion' better than in any of my other movies. The character of Han-kyu in Secret Reunion seems to me to be a mix of previous characters I played before, including Doo-man ("Memories of Murder") and Kyung-pil ("JSA - Joint Security Area"). I think that my character Han-kyu is a unique character, but I also used several of my previous characters from my other movies to influence the character 'Han-kyu'. I see my role as Han-kyu to be an assorted gift of my acting experiences for my fans. I tried to show the essence of my acting through Han-kyu and to express him as a father and a husband in his daily life, even though Han-kyu is an agent of the National Intelligence Service (laughing)".

Song, who has gained growing popularity and recognition for his acting credentials, plays Han-kyu, a former agent of the NIS in the movie "Secret Reunion", which is the second movie by director Jang Hoon, whose first project as the main director was "A Movie is a Movie". "Secret Reunion" will be released on February 4....More

(From left) Actors Lee Byeong-Heon, Choi Min-sik and director Kim Ji-woon

Top Korean actor Lee Byeong-Heon has joined the cast of a new thriller film by famed director Kim Ji-woon, according to Lee's agency BH Entertainment on Thursday.

An official at BH explained that Lee is set to star in the film -- titled "I Saw The Devil" -- although the actor has not finished signing the contract as of yet....More

Top star, Lee Byeong-Heon is in the new Director Kim Ji-woon's film, "Saw the Devil".

Lee's agency, BH Entertainment confirmed through that phone that he is in this movie but it has not been written in papers, yet.

He is in this director's film for the third time after ...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 time...More