Kim Sang-kyeong (김상경)

'May 18' to Open in Japanese Theaters in May

2008/02/27 | Source | Permalink |

'May 18', a film which attracted 7.3 million moviegoers last year and was chosen by audience members as the Best Film of 2007, will open in theaters in Japan in May.

The film will be distributed by Japan's leading film production and distribution company Kadokawa Pictures. The PG-12 rated film will open in numerous cinemas around Tokyo, including Shinjuku and Shibuya.

The film features some of Korea's top actors, including Kim Sang-kyeong, Ahn Seong-gi, Lee Yo-won, Lee Joon-ki, Park Cheol-min and Park Won-sang. Prior to its official release in Japan, the film will first be introduced to Japanese movie fans at the 18th annual Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Hokkaido, Japan for five days from March 19. ...| More

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Stars aligning for the Year of the Rat

2008/02/06 | Permalink |

Apart from being famous worldwide, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Al Gore and Zinedine Zidane have one other thing in common -- they were born in the Year of the Rat, according to the traditional zodiac system still widely used in Korea.

With the first day of the Lunar New Year tomorrow, rats, the first among the 12 animals in the zodiac, symbolize diligence, fecundity and cleverness. Kim Hoon, a top-rated writer, was born in the rat year, and nobody questions his diligence.

Forget dirty, germ-spreading rodents because the zodiac only focuses on the positive traits of each animal. There are plenty of role models for those who identify themselves with the rodent. Mickey Mouse is a fine example. Or Remy of "Ratatouille", a young rat who cooks delicious meals at a French restaurant.

Since there are only 12 animals, it is hardly surprising that Korea has many celebrities who were born in the Year of the Rat. But what's unusual is that many of today's leading stars, now in their mid-30s, we...| More

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Trend in 2007 box-office success in Korean film industry, "The naming value of a star and the number of audience are in inverse proportion"

2008/01/07 | Source | Permalink |

"What is the interrelationship between the naming value of a star and the number of audience?"

In conclusion, the interrelationship is inverse proportion according to the trend in 2007 box-office success in Korean film industry. Among the 100 movies released this year, only 4 movies had more than 3 million audiences, including "D-War" (8 million), "May 18" (7 million), "Voice of Murderer" (3.25 million) and "Le Grand Chef" which recently reached 3 million.

Among many movies that went into the black, following are those which closely reached the break-even point, including "Miracle on 1st Street" (Im Chang-jeong and Ha Ji-won), "Voice of Murderer" (Seol Kyeong-gu and Kim Nam-joo), "May 18" (Kim Sang-kyeong and Lee Yo-won), "D-War" (Jason Behr), "Paradise 1986" (Park Hae-il and Seong Ji-roo), and "Le Grand Chef" (Kim Kang-woo and Lee Ha-na). Among the 100 movies released this year, only 7% made a profit.

However, all movies that drew attention for top stars' appearance have fa...| More

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Epic Dramas Continues to Boom This Year

2008/01/01 | Source | Permalink |

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

KBS starts the New Year with two new epic dramas, "Hong Gil Dong", a Korean Robin Hood story and "The Great King Sejong", another drama portraying the king of Joseon.

Both dramas are set back in the time of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). "Hong Gil Dong" is a comical remake of novel of the same name written by Heo Gyun under King Gwanghaegun's reign (1575-1641).

The rather young director Lee Jung-sub, 36, defines the soap opera as being a "totally new epic drama". He prepared for this drama for about a year with writers Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran, also known as the "Hong Sisters" of "Sassy Girl, Chun-hyang" (2005) and "Fantastic Couple" (2006).

Scenes from the preview were rather shocking. The protagonist, Hong Gil-dong (played by actor Kang Ji-hwan) has curly hair and wears sunglasses while Heo I-nok (Seong Yoo-ri), the heroine, looks like Chun-li, the tomboy character from the popular game "Street Fighter".

Lee Chang-hui (Jang Geun-s...| More

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Born in the Year of the Rat

2007/12/31 | Source | Permalink |

In the Year of the Rat, Korean pop culture is led by those born in another, in 1972. Coincidence or cosmic determination? Readers may decide for themselves. Known as the "president of culture" in the 1990s, Seo Tai-ji releasef his 15th anniversary album in November in a limited edition of 15,000 copies that sold out in no time. He plans to make a comeback after four quiet years next year.

Actor Bae Yong-joon is so popular in Japan that he was nicknamed "Yonsama" there after he captured the hearts of Japanese women with his role in uber-soap "Winter Sonata. He recently renewed his appeal when he played Great King Gwanggaeto the Great of the Koguryo Kingdom in period drama "Taewangsashingi (The Four Guardian Gods of the King)", which, unusually for a series, is even being shown in theaters in Japan, before it airs on NHK next April. Can we feel another craze coming on?

Singer and producer Park Jin-young not only produced the debut album of five-girl group "Wonder Girls", whose song...| More

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