Sin Ha-gyoon (신하균)

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

Cast of "Harvest Villa": actress Lee Bo-young, actor Shin Ha-kyun and Baek Yoon-sik [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

"Harvest Villa" - tvN TV

Written by: Jang Hang-joon, Kim Eun-hee
Directed by: Jo Hyeon-tak
Starring: Sin Ha-gyoon (as Oh Bok-kyu), Lee Bo-yeong (as Yoon Seo-lin), Baek Yoon-sik (as Park Tae-chon), Kim Chang-wan (as Kim Sang-chul), Jo Mi-ryeong (as Madame Hong), Go Soo-hee (as Kim Choo-ja), Moon Hee-kyeong (as No Mae-ja), Kang Byeol (as Park Song-i)
In one sentence: About a guy who inherits a small villa from his father and also meets the woman of his dreams but does not know of the huge crime that lingers in the background.
Premiere date: March 5, 2010, 11:00 PM...More

Korean actress Lee Bo-yeong [photographed by Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

A poster shoot for "Harvest Villa" was taking place at a studio in Nonhyun-dong of Seoul. The actors, each already full of character, displayed facial expressions that summarized the roles they had taken for the drama and drew curiosity by simply standing still in front of the camera. Actor Baek Yoon-shik, who plays the problem-solver in the drama, expressed his concern by saying, "Make me look sturdy". But once he went into shoot, he put on a tough guy-like appearance and looking relaxed, remarked "Should I act like I just killed about 50 people?" But it was actress Lee Bo-yeong, who plays the female lead in the drama and looked cheerful throughout the photo shoot, that stood out more than anyone at the studio. Her character Seo-rin approaches Bok-gyu (played by Sin Ha-gyoon) pretending to be the perfect woman but she actually works in the adult entertainment business. Here we reveal the stories Lee told us about "Harvest Villa".

Q: This drama claims to be a cruel thriller. Were there any difficulties you encountered during the shooting?...More

Kim Mi-Sook

Kim Mi-Sook [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

"You lived in the same neighborhood as me? So was that why you became interested in me? (laugh)" I lived in the same neighborhood as Kim Mi-Sook when I was young and thanks to that, my mother would often tell me anecdotes about the 'high schooler Kim Mi-Sook' when she pops up on TV. From that point on, Kim became my first 'goddess' and my heart raced during my interview with her, much faster than it had with any other younger actress I had interviewed. And then there is her elegant voice and calm hand gestures. I knew my parents did not like it but I was right to stay up late nights when I was 10 years old to watch her dramas.

 

Kim Beom

Kim Beom [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

The Kim Beom I met in "High Kick!" three years ago was a high school student with a strong spirit. Different from his young looks, he said "I don't show that I'm sick, even if I am because it makes me feel like I'm losing". The Kim we met later -- who had appeared in TV series "East of Eden", "Boys over Flowers" and then achieved his long-lived dream by starring in SBS TV series "Dream - Drama" -- no longer spoke of winning or losing but it was proof of how much at ease he was at. "It may seem like I make up my mind quickly in choosing which role to play next but I do think and worry about it a lot....More

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

The tiger may well be Korea's most beloved animal throughout its history. The country was once dubbed the "nation of tigers" as it has mountainous areas that provided them with a good habitat.

The animal has been a symbol of bravery, strength and dignity, and hence 2010, the Year of the Tiger, according to Chinese astrology, will be fervently hailed as a year of good fortune and vigor.

Tiger as Time, Space and Zodiac Sign

The tiger is the third sign in the Chinese zodiac of 12 animals. It is also represented by the month "inwol", the first month of the year; and the hour "insi", the 3rd in the 24 hour clock ― 03:00-5:00 a.m. in the lunar calendar. It also points to the bearing east-northeast. The white tiger is one of the four guardian gods ― three others are the blue dragon, the red bird and the black tortoise. They protect the four major directions with the tiger taking care of the west.

From Myth to Everyday Life

People's perception of tigers has changed over time ― in the past, they feared becoming prey to them, but nowadays they probably only see tigers in a zoo.

But the process of that change is interlaced with mysticism. The tiger, a vicious and ferocious beast, is also considered a mystical creature that keeps away evil spirits.

"In ancient times, the tiger was deemed a scary animal, but our ancestors weren't consumed by that fear. What is rather mystifying is that people also saw it as a guardian that drove away evil spirits, keeping peace and well-being in the village", Gu Mun-hoe, curator of the National Folk Museum of Korea, said.

Gu said that in their daily lives, warding off evil spirits was one of the major duties of the tiger. "It means the animal keeps a...More