Synopsis
Kim Doo-han lost his mom at the age of eight and he survives on the streets as a singing beggar. His natural born fighting skills places him on the mean streets of Jongro with the kisaeng ho... More
Actor Park Sang-min's divorce finalized by the Seoul Family Court 2011/12/29, Source,
On Dec. 29, Seoul Family Court granted the divorce of actor Park Sang-min from his wife Han Na-rae. The judge presiding over the trial said, "During the marriage, Park had verbally abused his spouse Han and therefore is part responsible for the divorce". The court ordered Park to pay his former wife alimony of 30 million won ($26,000) as well as split Park's income into an 85 percent and 15 percent ratio, awarding Han with the latter amount,...More
Cinema billboard artist yearns for 'good old days' 2011/12/12, Source, Hoarding artist Paek Chun-tae's 40-year career painting cinema billboards came to an early end in the 2000s, but his work is now featured in an exhibition that will run through the end of this month.
Like many other hoarding artists, he lost his job in the 2000s as many old-style movie theaters for whom he worked were driven out by multiplex cinemas. Hand-painted cinema billboards, likewise, were replaced by large, computer-printed posters,...More
[Portrait] Filmmaker Im Kwon-taek: master of mirrors 2011/10/20, Source,
Filmmaker Im Kwon-taek drinks a cup of morning coffee during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe near his home in Suji, Gyeonggi Province on Sept. 28. / Photography by Jesse Chun for The Korea Times
At 75, the filmmaker continues to explore new ground. "I don't lie in my movies... I simply try to capture what we feel in our everyday lives".
This is the second in a series of interviews with international pioneers among Korean artists, to mark the 61st anniversary of The Korea Times that falls on Nov. 1, and is sponsored by The Korea Press Foundation. ― ED.
By Lee Hyo-won
SUJI, Gyeonggi Province/BUSAN - It took an extra second to confirm the interview venue with Im Kwon-taek. The filmmaker used "dabang", an outdated word for coffee shop rarely heard outside of retro movies.
While the 75-year-old may not care to update his parlance, he never fails to create new audiovisual languages onscreen. His extensive filmography spells out disparate themes and styles, but his movies share a common tongue in that, like mirrors, they honestly translate all the beauty, grit, joy and sorrow of life. And for this they speak across borders and generations,...More
Watch Korean retro gangster films online 2011/06/06, Source, Choi Min-soo in the 1995 film "The Terrorist"
By Yun Suh-young
The Korean Film Archive is showing nine Korean gangster movies for free online (www.kmdb.or.kr/vod) until the end of June.
The video-on-demand service, which began June 1, introduces Korean gangster movies that represent different time periods in Korean history from the 1960s to the 1990s,...More
Synopsis
Kim Doo-han lost his mom at the age of eight and he survives on the streets as a singing beggar. His natural born fighting skills places him on the mean streets of Jongro with the kisaeng house Woomigwan at the center. He is soon recognized for his incredible strength and ability. He finds out through Shin Ma-jeok, the head of a student gang, that he is the son of General Kim Jwa-jin who fought against the Japanese army. Meanwhile, the Yakuzas expand their sphere of influence and try to take over the Jongro streets but Doo-han protects the Korean vendors of Jongro and wins their respect. When the head of Woomigwan, Kim Gi-hwan is arrested, Doo-han becomes the leader of the Jongro gang.
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