Taegukgi (Movie - 2004)

Korea's most eligible bachelor finds love

Source | 2009/11/11 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Korean entertainment industry is bigger than ever. Increasing numbers of Korean singers and actors are gaining popularity across Asia, riding the hallyu, or Korean wave, abroad and bringing the Korean entertainment world closer to its goal of becoming the Hollywood of Asia.

In particular, actors are becoming more like their Hollywood counterparts, with more star couples coming out of the closet with their relationships, which was once uncommon.

The relationship of Hyeon Bin and Song Hye-kyo, two hallyu stars who went public as an item in August, was the most talked-about example of this trend - until last week.

Two high-profile Korean actors, Jang Dong-gun and Ko So-young, surprised the industry last Thursday when they went public with their relationship of about two years.

The public's reaction was immediate and the two were instantly given a nickname that is the Korean equivalent of "Brangelina", the moniker often used to refer to Hollywood super-couple Brad Pitt an...| More

Guess What! They've Been Dating for 2 Years

Source | 2009/11/05 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter

Their children will be so impossibly cute we might puke.

According to their representatives, actor Jang Dong-gun, voted the most beautiful male celebrity in a KBS television survey earlier this year, has been dating starlet Ko So-young for the past two years and marriage is a possibility. The couple, however, dismissed the rumors that their wedding has been set for December.

Jang and Ko met while the 1998 melodrama, "Love Wind, Love Song" and became friends, according to Jang's management agency, and have been a couple since 2007.

The country has seen its share of celebrity couples in recent years, with movie stars Seol Kyeong-gu and Song Yoon-ah tying the knot in May, and actress Choi Ji-woo, who may have a larger following in Japan than her home country, surprising her fans by announcing her relationship with Lee Jin-wook, a lesser-known television actor.

Actor Hyeon Bin has been dating Song Hye-ko, his co-star on the 2008 television s...| More

Success of 'Haeunda' Invigorates Korean Film Industry

Source | 2009/08/28 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The massive popularity of the disaster movie "Haeundae", which has drawn more than 10 million viewers so far, has ramifications that reach beyond the film's producers and investors. After falling into a rut since the success of the monster film "The Host" three years ago, the Korean movie industry has finally scored another unequivocal hit. The industry believes that the success of "Haeundae" also shows that the solid box office performances of "Speedy Scandal" (8.3 million viewers) and "My Girlfriend Is an Agent" (4.04 million viewers) were not temporary phenomena.

The opening day box-office numbers of "Haeundae" were not impressive, but on the first weekend following its release 1.24 million people flocked to see it, leading to projections that it would break the 10-million milestone. That is the second-largest first weekend for a Korean movie, trailing only "The Host", which scored 1.28 million viewers. Another Korean film, "Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War", which closely rese...| More

'Haeundae' Attracts 10 Mil. Audience

Source | 2009/08/24 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

More than 10 million viewers have now watched the big-budget disaster film "Haeundae" since its release on July 22, becoming the fifth South Korean movie to reach the milestone.

Featuring a tsunami that hits the nation's largest port city, Busan, the movie drew 220,000 and 200,000 viewers over the weekend, respectively, according to film distributor CJ Entertainment.

By reaching the landmark, the film joined the so-called "10 million club" which includes the other hit motion pictures "The Host" (2006), "The King and The Clown" (2005), "TaeGukGi: Brotherhood of War" (2004) and "Silmido" (2003). Thanks to its catchy storyline and effective CG techniques, the film has garnered fans that range from teens to middle-aged people, which has increased ticket sales.

Movie experts are considering the jump in viewers as a green light for further investment in local films, as the success of "Haeundae" came during a difficult time for local cinema.
Accor...| More

Disaster Movie 'Haeundae' Heads for 10-Million Mark

Source | 2009/08/17 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Korean disaster film "Haeundae" has attracted more than 9 million spectators in the 26 days since its release and is about to surpass the 10 million mark. Dstributor CJ Entertainment on Monday said the film drew a total of 9.07 million viewers by Sunday. And as of Saturday, with an accumulated number of 8.8 million spectators, it already surpassed "D-War" to take the fifth place in the all-time box office hit parade for Korean films.

"Haeundae" is also the second fastest of four Korean films that attracted over 10 million spectators, topped only by "The Host", which drew 9 million viewers in just 18 days. "Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War" took 31 days, "The King and the Clown" 38 and "Silmido" 45.

"Take Off", a story about ski jumpers, is enjoying growing popularity in its third week, topping the box-office chart in terms of the number of spectators per day for three days since Friday over "Haeundae".

According to statistics compiled by the Korean Film Council as of Sun...| More