So Ji-sub (소지섭)

Director Jang Hoon [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

There are two men. Whether they have their backs turned or are facing each other, they are enemies. They stand together only because they need to, and the distance between them fails to narrow. Gang-pae (played by So Ji-sub) and Soo-ta (Kang Ji-hwan) met in "Rough Cut" to shoot a film and Han-gyu (Song Kang-ho) and Ji-won (Kang Dong-won) meet in "Secret Reunion" to find what they have lost. Yet while Gang-pae and Soo-ta end up scarring each other deeply, Han-gyu and Ji-won find peace.

The man who made these men meet, made them fight and then reconcile, is director Jang Hoon. He has returned with his second directorial feature "Secret Reunion", again telling the story of two male characters as he did with "Rough Cut" but things are different this time...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

"Road No. 1" cast Kim Ha-neul, Yoon Kye-sang and So Ji-sub [Lee Ki-bum/Asia Economic Daily]

From left, Kim Ha-neul, Yoon Kye-sang and So Ji-sub pose at a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony at Pucheon Fantastic Studio in the city of Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province of South Korea on February 24, 2010. Gyeonggi Province, Bucheon city and the Gyeonggi Performing & Film Commission will support the production of war drama "Road No. 1" starring the actors....More

* First broadcast: TBA (estimated to be June)

Drama "Road No. 1"

Leading actors So Ji-sub, Kim Ha-neul and Yoon Kye-sang tell of their first impressions!

2010's most highly anticipated drama series is about the turbulent times of the Korean War, "Road No. 1". Its actors So Ji-sub, Kim Ha-neul and Yoon Kye-sang took it upon themselves to introduce the production and talk about life on set for the eager viewers.

So Ji-sub (Jangwoo) "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity".
"Road No. 1"'s Jangwoo is a character who lives through the Korean War, his emotions of love just as desperate as his fight to survive the war. An empathetic character who finds himself agonizing between friendship with a comrade and a ...More

The activity in the nation's film industry in the first half of the year might best be summed up by the word "collaboration". And with so many filmmakers, producers, actors and actresses from diverse countries teaming up to make films these days, the divisions between them are being blurred on screen and off.

Take for example a new film that will tentatively be titled "Late Autum". Its leading actors are South Korean heartthrob Hyeon Bin and Chinese actress Tang Wei.

The actors are Korean and Chinese, the director is Kim Tae-yong, a Korean, the film "Manchu" is being co-produced by Korean and American production companies and it is being shot in the United States. It is the most recent example of the kinds of cross-cultural collaborations in the film industry today.

"Teaming up could be ...More