Reversal of Fortune (2003) - 역전에 산다

Director keeps sitcoms all in the family

2007/07/25 | Source | Permalink |

The Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom once said, "I was watching a sitcom last night, and it was just so broad, not real at all". But if he ever watched the Korean weekday sitcom, "Have No Fear and Kick High", would he still feel that way?
The comedy also known as "High Kick!", and bursting with unconventional characters, ended its eight-month run last week.
Behind the success is Kim Byung-wook, 46, the show's producer and director.
Kim has produced about 2,000 sitcom episodes in his career, including "Soonpoong Clinic" (1998-2000), "No Interception" (2000-2002) and "Live Straightforward" (2002-2003). All three were also widely popular and known for their unique characters and stories.
Kim's normal pattern is to depict a huge family. In "High Kick!", three generations live together under one roof, and in each episode, relationships between husband and wife, father and son or the in-laws spell trouble.
"The family is the perfect theme to use to produce comedy", Kim said. "Normally...| More

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Actors Yoon, Im Wed

2007/02/14 | Source | Permalink |

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

Actor Yoon Tae-yeong, 32, the only son of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Yoon Jong-yong, and actress Im Yoo-jin, 26, married yesterday, Valentine's Day.

The wedding ceremony took place at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul and was not open to the public.

Entertainer Kim Je-dong was the host of the ceremony, and singer Park Jung-hyun sang a song.

The wedding attracted the public's attention because it involved both celebrities and business.

Some 2,000 guests, including celebrities and businesspeople, attended the ceremony.

The couple met while costarring in the KBS drama "Above Green Field" in 2003.

In the drama, Yoon and Im played brother and sister. They became lovers in 2005 with the intention of getting married.

Yoon graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a degree in business administration. He acted in various dramas including "Beautiful She" (1996), "Wangcho" (1999) and "Pearl Necklace" (2003).

He also acted in sever...| More

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Korean Films Left Out of Global Power Games

2006/08/13 | Source | Permalink |

By Paolo Bertolin
Contributing Writer

While Bong Joon-ho's "The Host" was effortlessly munching one record after another at the domestic box office, the Korean film world has been badly hit by two consecutive blows on the foreign front.

First, figures of Korean films exported registered a drop of 58 percent in the first half of the year from a year ago, according to the Korean Film Council.

Second, for the first time since 1998 no Korean film made it to the Grand Slam of competitive film festivals, for example Berlin, Cannes and Venice.

"Is the world falling out of love with Korean films?" many are now asking. Such questions are especially disquieting, as they are rising at a point when national production has reached new heights in both output and expenditures.

Certainly, there is a connection between decreased sales and lack of festival exposure. Such linkage obviously does not affect core markets such as Japan and East Asia, where Korea mostly caters to mainstream en...| More

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Kim Seung-woo, Kim Nam-joo to Get Married

2005/04/26 | Source | Permalink |

Popular actor Kim Seung-woo and actress and model Kim Nam-joo will get married.

The couple has yet to announce a date or location for the wedding, but it will take place in either late May or early June, according to news reports.

Though they have known each other for a long time, they are said to have become romantically involved just last year.

Kim Seung-woo made his debut in 1990 in Im Kwon-taek's film "The General's Son" and has appeared in numerous films, including "Ghost Mama", "Yesterday", "Spring Breeze", and "Reversal of Fortune", as well as various television dramas.

Kim Nam-joo is mostly known for her numerous television commercials. She has also appeared in dramas such as "Model", "Crystal" and "That Woman's House".

The couple will hold a news conference to officially announce their engagement in the near future. ...| More

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