Kwon Hae-hyo (권해효)

MBC's New Sitcom: "Kokkiri"

2008/01/16 | Source | Permalink |

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

MBC will air a new sitcom named "Kokkiri" from Jan. 21.

While the title of the sitcom, "Kokkiri" means elephant in Korean, however, this is not a sitcom about elephants. Breaking down the word "Ko" means nose in Korean and "kkiri" means together, and the show depicts the lives of a group of characters in the sitcom having nicknames ending with "ko".

Kwon Hae-hyo plays Guk Yeong-su (Psy"ko"), a high school Korean language teacher. He is on bad terms with Ju Bok-man (Gae"ko"), played by Lee Byeong-joon, a high school student in his 40s and the landlord.

Ju's two sons and Guk's three daughters also live in Ju's house, and everyone becomes involved in various incidents and relationships, including romance.

Comedian-turned-actor Kim Kuk-jin will play a jobless tenant living in Ju's attic. His roommate, Ju's younger brother, played by Moon Se-yun, is a man of misfortune.

Joo Hyeon and Kim Chang-sook, parents of the Ju brothers, will depict th...| More

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'Last Present'

2006/04/17 | Source | Permalink |

Viewers may find this a 'three-hankie' film

Kyu Hyun Kim (internews)

"Last Present" (2001) is a tragic romance so manipulative that you can almost hear its cogwheels and pulleys clicking and whirring like a well-oiled machine. Lee Jeong-jae ("Les Insurges", "The Last Witness") plays a two-bit gagman (as a stand-up comic is known in Korea, although what the gagmen do in this film is closer to vaudeville act, more Laurel and Hardy than Robin Williams) Yong-gi, whose marriage to Jeong-yeon (Lee Young-ae of "JSA - Joint Security Area" and "One Fine Spring Day") is falling apart. A leaf is turned when he accidentally finds out that Jeong-yeon is dying from an unspecified incurable disease.

Yong-gi, initially devastated, makes a resolution to win the TV gag contest at all costs, all the while hiding the fact that he is privy to his wife's secret. Intertwined with this sappy disease-of-the-month narrative are dollops of sepia-toned flashbacks concerning Jeong-yeon's object of chi...| More

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[YEAR-END REVIEW]Shocks, embarrassments, disappointments

2005/12/26 | Source | Permalink |

This is the fifth part of a series of articles reviewing Korea's culture scene this year. - Ed.

By culture staff

Suicide of top actress

One of the most negative events that hit the country's movie industry this year was the death of Lee Eun-joo, a top actress known for her supporting role in the 2004 Korean blockbuster film "Taegukgi".

Her suicide sent shock waves through the film industry and a number of people including her friends, fans and other actors expressed deep sadness.

But a bigger problem came shortly after the local news media spotlighted her last role. She starred in "The Scarlet Letter", a provocative thriller, in 2004, and rumors swirled that she suffered from stresses involving the explicit scenes of the film.

In the movie, Lee plays Ka-hee, a secret lover for a ranking detective who seems to have everything he desires. But the story moves toward a tragic end at a precipitous pace, with the cop's complicated relationships touching off unforeseen event...| More

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Hallyu stars to appear at One Korea Festival

2005/10/28 | Source | Permalink |

Japanese sources have reported recently that many hallyu stars will make appearances in Japan at the One Korea Festival slated for Oct. 30 at the Sun Plaza in Osaka Park. The festival aims to promote the national reunification of the Korean Peninsula and peace in Asia as well as bring together Korean-Japanese. It will be attended by the members of the Korean Residents Union in Japan well as "newcomers" who immigrated to Japan after the 1980s.

Mainichi Newspaper reported on Oct. 27 that this year, which marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Korea-Japan Treaty, will serve as an opportunity to bolster the unity of the Korean Peninsula and the entire Asian region through the Korean Wave phenomenon. The newspaper also said that the cast of the popular series "Winter Sonata" and many popular singers will make appearances at the festival.

The festival, which is in its 21st year, is being co-organized by the One Korea Festiva...| More

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