Seo Yeong-hee (서영희)

Korean actress Ko Hyeon-jeong [MBC]

Top Korean actress Ko Hyeon-jeong won the grand prize at the MBC Acting Awards, held at MBC's Open Hall on Wednesday.

Ko, who won rave reviews for her portrayal of royal concubine Mi-shil in historical drama "Queen Seon-deok", won the year's top crown while many of her co-stars also collected their share of awards.

"I believe there was a moment when Mi-shil really came to life [during the show]", said Ko in her acceptance speech. "I was very nervous because I had never done a traditional drama before, but thank you for giving me the opportunity to wear a dress like this". The actress got teary and emotional when she added, " I hope my kids are watching this... "

"Queen Seon-deok" -- which was also voted Drama of the Year -- was handed a total of 12 awards, winning the count over another hit drama "My Wife is a Superwoman", which won 7 in total. Writers of both dramas were awarded Writer of the Year at the event....More

Actress Seo Yeong-hee has been picked as the main character, "Murder Case of Kim Bok-nam".

This new film is about a murder case that happened in the beautiful and peaceful island. It is a murder thriller!

Seo Yeong-hee is the lady of the island who has never left her small island...More

Na Hong-jin's debut feature restores faith in Korean genre cinema
Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)

Jung-ho (Kim Yoon-seok, "Tazza: The High Rollers" - "The War Of Flower") is a former cop turned pimp for a "massage parlor". He is convinced that a young, dorky customer Young-min (Ha Jeong-woo, recently on a roll, also excellent in US-lensed "Never Forever") has kidnapped and sold his "girls", including Mi-jin (Seo Yeong-hee). Unfortunately, what the cops uncover is far worse: Young-min is an impotent serial killer who uses a chisel and a hammer to slaughter his female victims. While the police investigation stumbles and takes detour, Jung-ho becomes increasingly aware that Young-min's latest victim, Mi-jin, is still alive somewhere, bleeding and bound: and that he is the only person who can rescue her.

"The Chaser" is the hands-down grittiest, snazziest and gutsiest Korean thriller of 2008, possibly in last three years or so. It is difficult to believe that this is a feature film debut for the director Na Hong-jin. Supported by an intricate, sharply intelligent screenplay that always...More

A dark thriller exposes the underbelly of monarchical splendor
Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)

The time is the Joseon dynasty -- unspecified but presumed to be around 18th century. The place is the women's quarters inside the court, entirely staffed by women and governed by their own inhumanly strict rules. In this world completely devoid of a male presence, a simple act of stealing might result in amputated hands, while falling in love with a male court officer might lead to a Grand Guignol-like semi-public execution.

A royal maid, Wol-ryung (Seo Yeong-hee, "Jealousy Is My Middle Name"), is found dead by hanging in a room, an apparent suicide. However, the medical officer, Cheon-ryung (Park Jin-hee, "Spy Lee Chul-jin", "Love Talk"), uncovers that not only was Wol-ryung murdered, but also that she recently gave birth to a child.

The supervising officer, ...More

The 12th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) came to a close Sunday Jul. 27 after a thrilling 10-day run. This year's fest brought 1978 official guests to the city of Bucheon, a record number for PiFan, helped along by the addition of its first project market called Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF2008).

PiFan's always exciting official competition section saw 12 high quality films vying for cash prizes, with top honors this year going to a stand-out Korean film that has already shaken up local audiences and won a slew of awards. Sleeper hit The Chaser, directed by Na Hong-jin in his feature debut, captured the "Best of Puchon" prize along with two more awards, making it the night's big winner.

The festival's international jury also handed "The Chaser" a Best Actress prize for Seo Yeong-hee, who played a prostitute brutalized by a deranged serial killer. Another special jury from the European Federation of Fantastic Film Festivals (EFFFF) named The Chaser recipient of its Asian Award. EFFFF also gave special mentions to Lim Pil-seong's fairy-tale horror "Hansel and Gretel" and Yoshihiro Nishimura's Tokyo Gore Police.

The Best Director prize went to Swedish art house vampire film, Let the Right One In, by...More