Lee Jong-hyeok (이종혁)

As a runaway slave, actor Oh Ji-ho wields a sword and bites into reptiles

The KBS TV drama "The Slave Hunters" is a smash, with ratings of around 30 percent, putting it tops among Wednesday-Thursday TV dramas. And it shows no signs of stopping.

Much of that popularity is thanks to a strong plot about slave hunters in pre-modern Korea, but at least a little of its appeal comes from its flamboyant action sequences, with leading male characters flexing their six-packs. Foremost among these heartthrobs is Oh Ji-ho, who, to put it inelegantly, keeps female viewers drooling - and glued to the tube.

Oh rose to stardom in romantic comedies, and at first, industry insiders said the actor had been miscast as the complex character Song Tae-ha in the serious drama. Even Oh himself once said that he had failed to land roles so often that he began to see his goo...More

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

It somehow feels like doing math homework using a history book, with rock music blasting in the background. The seed idea of "Parallel Life" was catchy but the tree that grew from it ended up being a tangled mess.

First-time director Kwon Ho-young draws on the idea that history repeats itself. Case in point: former U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy were elected to the senate in 1846 and 1946, respectively, and then the presidency in 1860 and 1960. Their assassinations both took place on a Friday, in a Ford Theater and a century later in a Ford car. Their assassins were born a century apart, in 1839 and 1939.

The film is set in modern-day Korea, and opens with a cancer-stricken academic (Oh Hyeon-kyeong) vehemently arguing in favor of the parallel lives theory....More

Seven Korean films, including "Old Boy" and "Samaria", will be shown on an American cable TV network.

Kim Ji-suk, a programmer of the Pusan International Film Festival, said on Mar. 3, "Sundance, an influential movie channel in the United States, has recently bought the televising rights to a total of eight Asian films, including seven Korean movies, from the distribution agency Tartan. No televising schedule has been fixed yet. But a decision has been tentatively made to air them during prime time on Sundays".

The Korean movies that will be shown on the Sundance network will be "Old Boy" (2003) and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (2005) directed by Park Chan-wook; "Samaria" (2004) direc...More

Four Korean films have been selected to screen at the Oporto International Fantastic Film Festival in Portugal, more commonly known as Fantasporto. The festival's 28th edition will feature Park Ki-hyeong's "Acacia", Kim Ji-woon's A Tale of Two Sisters, and ...More

The Hawaii International Film Festival, held on various islands throughout the state of Hawaii, has invited seven Korean films to screen in its 23rd edition.

Baek Woon-hak's Tube and Jeong Yoon-soo's Yesterday will form part of a section titled "Action Asia", while box-office hit My Tutor Friend by Kim Hyeong-hyoong will screen as a Gala Presentation.

Meanwhile, a Spotlight on Korea section will feature four films: "H" (dir. ...More