Song Kang-ho (송강호)

Movie poster of "Secret Reunion" [Showbox]

Korean film "Secret Reunion" and "Harmony" took over the Korean box office over the weekend to end the reign of Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar", estimates showed on Monday.

According to figures by the Korean Box Office Information System (KOBIS), newly released action film "Secret Reunion" knocked out seven week winner "Avatar" out of the top spot by selling 741,552 tickets between February 5 and 7.

"Secret Reunion", about a former South Korean intelligence official and North Korean spy who re-encounter each other six years after their initial meeting, stars actors Song Kang-ho and Kang Dong-won who play the role of the failed agents....More

Seollal (Lunar New Year's Day) and Chuseok (Mid Autumn Festival) are the busiest season for movie theaters. As the Lunar New Year approaches, a host of Korean films are getting ready to hit the screens once the Avatar blast is over.

Many of them are so called "well-made movies" that are both entertaining and touching since the Lunar New Year's Day is a holiday for family reunion. Genres and stories range widely, offering a broad array of choices for movie goers.

A heart-warming drama about a choir of a female prison starring Kim Yoon-jin

#The Tear-Jerker "Harmony"

Harmony (directed by Kang Dae-gyoo and produced by JK Film) tells the story of a choir made up by female prisoners. The globally-recognized actress Kim Yoon-jin and Korea's representative veteran actress Na Moon-hee play the lead roles, raising expectations for movie aficionados.

Kim Yoon-jin plays Jeonghye, a young woman of great maternal love who gives birth to a baby in prison and organizes a ...More

Actors Kang Dong-won (left) and Song Kang-ho in "Secret Reunion" [Showbox]

Movie "Secret Reunion" - The terms of brotherhood

On a peaceful afternoon, several rounds of gunshots are fired in an apartment complex. As the terrified residents run out of the apartment building, two men face their twisted fate during the chaos. That day, NIS (National Intelligence Service) agent Hangyu (played by Song Kang-ho) gets kicked out of his organization for failing to accomplish his mission while North Korean spy Ji-won (played by Kang Dong-won) also gets abandoned by his home country for being a traitor. Six year pass and the two men meet again, each convinced that the other does not recognize him. The two are closer to being enemies than sworn brothers as they both dream of turning around their life again at the expense of the other. But as they start living together and look into the other person's loneliness, the mood between the two men start to change, little by little. What is worth watching in "Secret Reunion" is how the relationship between these two men change over time....More

Poster for film "Thirst" [CJ Entertainment]

Song Kang-ho and Kim Hye-ja have been recognized last year's top film actors by Korean film journalists.

The Korea Film Reporters Association (KOFRA) held the 1st Korean Film Award on Wednesday, naming Song best actor for his role in film "Thirst" and Kim as best actress for her role in "Mother - 2009".

Song, 43, is considered one of Korea's most successful actors who has starred in a handful of hit films including "Memories of Murder", "The Host" and "Thirst", which won the Jury Prize at Cannes earlier last year....More

Director Bong Joon-ho's "Mother - 2009" scored six nominations, including best film and director, for the fourth Asian Film Awards, the organizer said Friday.

The thriller about maternal love was also nominated for best actress for Kim Hye-ja, best supporting actor for Won Bin, best screenwriter and best editor for Moon Sae-kyoung. It led the nominations along with Teddy Chan's Hong Kong-China co-production film "Bodyguards and Assassins".

Chinese-language films from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were led the pack with 32 nominations in 14 categories, followed by South Korea with 17 and Japan with 13.

Director ...More