Lee Ho-jae (이호재)

2005/12/28 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Kim Tae-jong, Park Chung-a
Staff Reporters

How will you remember the year 2005? Perhaps more than other years, this year has been a roller coaster ride, full of many proud moments and shameful incidents.

As the year draws to a close, The Korea Times looks back on the 10 hottest culture issues of the year.

Korean Wave Strong in Asian Countries

"Hallyu", or the Korean wave, does not seem to be letting up as Korean pop culture continues to flow into neighboring countries.

Thousands of people from Asian countries screamed for Korean stars such as pop singers "Rain" and BoA and, of course, Bae Yong-joon, affectionately called Yonsama by his Japanese fans. Korean TV dramas such as "Jewel in the Palace" - "Dae Jang Geum" and "Winter Sonata" have had encore runs in Hong Kong, China and Japan.

South Korea's export of cultural contents is estimated to exceed $1 billion this year, according to Korea Culture and Contents Agency. The figure represents another hefty jump in the...

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2005/12/26 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

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...

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2005/10/20 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Seol Kyeong-gu, a Korean film star with outstanding talent, will be back where he started as he prepares to land a major role in a Daehangno drama for the first time in nine years.

Under the directorship of his college professor Choi Hyung-in, Seol, who is well known through his high-profile films such as "Peppermint Candy" (2000) and "Oasis" (2002), will play Andrew Makepeace in A.R. Gurney's two-person drama "Love Letters", which will be staged at Hanyang Repertory Theater in Daehangno from tomorrow through the end of the year.

"What attracts me to drama is that it is always performed live in front of the audience", Sul told reporters Tuesday. "I feel a bit awkward acting on the stage, but still, acting is acting. Not much will be different".

Starting his professional acting career as a theater actor in 1993, Sul made his big-screen debut with a small movie role in the 1996 movie "A Petal". He jumpstarted his career with "Peppermint Candy" four years later, which brought him...

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