Lee Byeong-Heon (이병헌)

Actor Jeong Woo-seong [Taurus Films]

Korean actor Jeong Woo-seong's international debut film "Reign of Assassins" has been confirmed to open in Korea, according to the film's distributor Sungwon I Communications on Wednesday.

Sungwon announced in a press release that the action flick, which stars the Korean actor and Chinese actress Michelle Yeoh from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Memoirs of a Geisha", will be released in Korea in August....More

[Third in a series on Korea's muticultural future] A rising number of multicultural entertainers reflect a changing industry - and nation

At 20 years old, Kim In-soon had a beautiful voice, but she eked out a living singing at pubs. Then one night, a producer heard her perform, and her life in show business began. She debuted as a member of the female trio the Hee Sisters, and became part of Korea's first archetypical "girl group".

In spangle-studded dresses and form-fitting spandex, the trio stole the hearts of many male fans, but Kim was forced to put on an extra piece of clothing every time she appeared with the group: a hat or handkerchief to hide her hair.

Kim, who goes by her stage name Insooni, is the daughter of a Korean mother and an African-American soldier, and her mixed heritage gave her darker skin, a face that stood out and intensely curly hair. Because of her appearance she was often banned from appearing on TV shows, and she was denied the chance to participate in an international singing competition as a representative of Korea. Yet, today, she is still one of the country's most influential musicians.

Insooni's mother Yang-bae passed away in 2005. When Kim was born, her mother's family forced her either to abandon her child or be disowned. Kim Yang-bae chose her daughter.

When it came time to give birth to her own daughter in 1993, Insooni flew to the United States to ensure she would be an American citizen. The singer has publicly said that she did this because she was afraid her child would have the same dark skin that caused her so much pain. While other mothers may count the number of their babies' fingers or toes right after they are born, Insooni checked her daughter's skin color.

Ten years later, camera flashes splattered across the face of another beautiful young woman as she cried her eyes out. "If I had come out and said that I'm mixed, I was afraid of being discriminated against", actress Lee Yoo-jin told reporters in May 2003, blowing her nose and wiping her eyes. It had come to light that Lee's name was listed on her grandfather's family register, not her father's, making Lee and her mother sisters on paper. At this press conference Lee, then 26, confessed her long-held secret - that her father was an American of Spanish descent who served as a soldier here.

After the press conference, it took Lee, who was a regular on many hit TV sitcoms, dramas, shows and glossy magazine covers, nearly six years to come back to a major TV drama last year.

When the JoongAng Daily asked to interview Lee, her manager, Kil Jin, said, "She's had enough of it. She doesn't want to talk about it anymore. I'm so sorry".

The continuing pain Lee is experiencing shows that, despite the progress that has been made in Korean society, the issue of discrimination against multicultural peopl...More

Performance Industry Meets the World

Among the various factors that constitute human life, culture has the greatest capacity to nurture connections and exchange. One culture quickly absorbs the advantages of another culture and develops to integrate naturally into a large wave.

The same applies to the performance industry.

While it is difficult to compare live performances with other genres as they are played out directly in front of an audience, they often borrow from the sources, forms and contents of different genres. In 2010 the performance industry will meet and interact with other genres.

Reinterpreting works from different genres

Recently, the Muk Company announced that the film "JSA - Joint Security Area" will be produced as a musical.

"JSA - Joint Security Area" is an example of one-source, multi-use in the publication, film and musical fields. Based on the 1996 novel DMZ written by Park Sang-yeon, the 2000 film "JSA - Joint Security Area" was directed by Director Park Chan-wook. It was a big hit with its star cast including Lee Byeong-Heon, ...More

Top Korean actor Lee Byeong-Heon [Asia Economic Daily]

Top Korean actor Lee Byeong-Heon has said that working on his new film "The Influence" felt like an extension of shooting his KBS blockbuster TV series "IRIS" from last year.

Speaking at the film's showcase held Tuesday at Seoul CGV Multiplex, the Hallyu star described the experience as "shooting the 22nd episode of "IRIS" because filming for "The Influence" started right after "IRIS" ended".

"It was difficult and I felt burdened but I liked working with director Lee Jae-gyoo, whom I had wanted to work with", the Hallyu star said. "Personally I like movies with an element of fantasy to it so I was able to act freely and have fun"....More

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

The lineup for the spin-off series of the hit drama "IRIS" has been revealed.

Titled "ATHENA", the highly anticipated drama will feature some of Korea's top stars and another thrilling tale of terrorism, spies and secret agents, similar to the original but with a twist.

Jeong Woo-seong, 36, who is returning to the small screen after 15 years, will appear as Lee Jeong-woo, a secret agent who gets...More