Korean Entertainment News 2012 - 2013

katt

August 8, 2012


'26 Years' Bae Soo Bin-Im Seul Ong Still Cuts Revealed
BY KOREAPORTAL STAFF WRITER



The veil of actors Bae Soo Bin and Im Seul Ong's images is uncovered.

Producer Chung Uh Ram of '26 Years' revealed the still cuts of Bae Soo Bin as Kim Joo An and Im Seul Ong as Kwon Jung Hyuk during filming.

In this film, Bae Soo Bin plays chief secretary Kim Joo An of conglomerate leader Kim Kab Se. Kim Joo An is the genius schemer of the conglomerate's project.

Audiences are not only attracted to his perfect image replica of the original webtoon, but also his safe acting skills, as well as his cold but thoughtful character.

2AM member and actor Im Seul Ong plays the role of police officer Kwon Jung Hyuk, who participates in the project. As much as the film is sparking interest socially, Im Seul Ong is engaging in his greatest efforts, to the point in which his script became worn out, to portray a complete character.
     
In particular, Im Seul Ong's fan club has treated the struggling actors and staff members with food and cheers, brightening the mood of the filming site.

Film '26 Years' stars Bae Soo Bin, Im Seul Ong, Jin Goo, Han Hye Jin, Lee Kyung Young, and Jang Kwang and will be released later this year.

katt

August 9, 2012

Bourne Legacy's Tony Gilroy describes Seoul as "the best place for shooting"
By Park Eun-jee Korea JoongAng Daily

Director Tony Gilroy of the summer’s expected hit “The Bourne Legacy” said that Seoul was the best-fit location for the fourth installment of the spy series.

“Seoul is the best filming location. I was really impressed and surprised when I shot “The Bourne Legacy” for a week,” said the director in a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency.

He came to Korea last June when he filmed scenes at Seoul’s Gangnam Subway Station.

“We’ve been around the world, looking for an appropriate filming location. We want a location still unfamiliar to people, but still has skilled filmmakers who can assist our team,” Gilroy said.

He added, “Seoul was exciting and I was impressed by the proficiency of those involved in the film industry.”

The thriller is set to hit theaters on Sept. 6 in Korea.

katt

August 9, 2012

Netizen sends apology letter to court
By Park Eun-jee Korea JoongAng Daily



A member of an anti-Tablo online community known as “Tajinyo” sent a letter of apology yesterday to the Seoul High Court after the accused, surnamed Park, received a 10-month sentence on July 6 for spreading false rumors about Tablo’s university degrees on the Web site.

“In the letter, Park says he is deeply repentant,” an unnamed source at the court said.

Many in the legal profession see Park’s move as an attempt to reduce his jail term on appeal.

Members of the online community made claims questioning the validity of rapper Tablo’s degree from Stanford University. After months of being beleaguered by false rumors, the 31-year-old singer last year filed a defamation lawsuit against nine members of the Web site.

Following the lawsuit, the Seoul Central District Court issued eight- to 10-month sentences to eight members of the Web site. The eight are among the 12 netizens indicted.

katt

August 9, 2012

Nichkhun case headed to prosecutors
By Park Eun-jee Korea JoongAng Daily



Gangnam police say that Nichkhun of boy band 2PM will be handed over to prosecutors without detention for hitting a motorbike while driving under the influence.

“ We will wind down the investigation on Aug. 9 and send our findings over to the prosecutors’ office,” said a police spokesperson.

The Thai-American idol singer was booked last month after his car allegedly struck a motorcycle that was entering an intersection. He is accused of driving under the influence.

At the time of incident, according to police, the 24-year-old singer had a blood alcohol level of 0.056 and his driver’s license was revoked . He reportedly said he had two cans of beer.

The boy group member and motorcyclist reached a settlement concerning the accident last Thursday.

The release of a new Japanese music album, originally scheduled for next month, has been put on hold. He also did not appear in a “JYP Nation” concert held last Saturday.

katt

August 8, 2012

"The Thieves" heads for 10 million
Nate Reporter: Lee Tae-ho Editor: Monica Suk Kstar10.com



Korean blockbuster “The Thieves” is one step closer to reaching 10 million audiences.

The director Choi Dong-hoon’s latest film, which hit local theaters on July 25, has since brought in 7,596,732 moviegoers as of Wednesday, according to the data compiled by Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

Thanks to the tremendous upturn, the movie shattered the 2012 local box office record and held off the former No. 1 of the year, "Avengers."

The superhero pic stopped at attracting about 7,060,000 moviegoers since its opening on April 26.

The comedy action flick, starring actor Lee Jung-jae, Kim Yoon-seok, actress Jun Ji-hyun and Kim Hye-soo, has landed at No. 7 at the Korean box office history, beating out the former ranker “Arrow The Ultimate Weapon” (2011).

Box office watchers are expecting "The Thieves" to catch up with the record set by Bong Joon-ho’s “The Host” (2006), which attracted about 13 million audience in just 21 days of opening in local theaters.

This does not seem to be a difficult task for the hit film, considering that "The Thieves" reached seven million ticket sales in 13 days of premiere while “The Host" accomplished it in 12 days.

The latest 10-million-audience film in Korea is director Yoon Je-kyoon's blockbuster "Haeundae," which posted 11 million ticket sales in 2009.

katt

August 8, 2012

Actress Ha becomes mentor for future filmmakers
By Lee Hyun-jae, Intern reporter The Korea Herald



Renowned actress Ha Ji-won and director Kim Ji-hoon will serve as mentors for the Korea-China youth cultural exchange program “Beijing Toto Laboratory,” scheduled to be held in Beijing’s Kwanggeomun Middle School, Aug. 13 -17.

Forty teenagers from Korea and China will participate in making eight films during the five-day program jointly sponsored by CJ CGV and Boys Vanguard of the Chinese Communist Youth Association.

Ha and Kim, who gained popularity in China with their film “Sector 7,” will lecture on filmmaking and take part in puzzle games with the teens. On the last day, the actress and the director will attend the screening of films shot by the participants and present prizes to the winners.

“I want to contribute to promoting cultural exchanges between Korea and China through the event being held to mark the 20th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic ties,” Ha said in an interview with Yonhap News.

The 34-year-old actress debuted in 1997 in supporting roles in television productions and eventually acquired fame and large fandom through her diverse roles in hit dramas such as “Damo,” “What Happened in Bali” and “Secret Garden.” She also starred in several films, including “Haeundae” released in 2009 which attracted 11.3 million viewers.

katt

August 9, 2012

Jang Keun-suk Donates Rice to Help Poor
ChosunIlbo



Actor Jang Keun-suk has donated 7,100 kg of rice to the Gangnam District Office in southern Seoul to be used to help undernourished children and elderly people who live alone.

The district office said Wednesday that Jang sent 710 bags of rice, each weighing 10 kg, to the district through his agency.

The rice was originally given to the celebrity by his fans while he was filming his latest drama, "Love Rain."

"I'm always thankful for my fans' support," said Jang. "I will keep helping others."

Also last December, he donated W10 million (US$1=W1,130) to a welfare center for children in need that was having difficulty raising funds to install equipment to meet its energy needs.

katt

August 9, 2012

ChosunIlbo



Actress Shin Se-kyung smiles at a press event for her new film in Seoul on Wednesday.

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August 9, 2012

'Boys Over Flowers' actor back in time-travel romance
By Jean Oh The Korea Herald

Lee Min-ho stars in thriller blending action, fantasy, melodrama

Actor Lee Min-ho has yet to reprise the success he saw with his breakout performance in the hit KBS series “Boys Over Flowers.”

After he won fans over as a prickly, rich brat in the rom-com, he seemed to play it safe with yet another sweet romance opposite Son Ye-jin in MBC’s “Personal Taste” before following it up with the action-packed “City Hunter.”

Neither series racked up the massive ratings of “Boys Over Flowers,” putting him in danger of becoming one of those actors whose entire career is eclipsed by the popularity of one hit drama.

Yet Lee seems to have no intention of buckling under pressure to live up to his as-of-yet most famous character.

Unquelled by the relatively lukewarm response to his turn as an action hero in “City Hunter,” the 25-year-old is taking a gamble by tackling a multi-genre challenge in his latest series, SBS’ “The Great Doctor.”

In keeping with the current trend toward historical fantasies involving time travel, Lee plays a Goryeo period warrior tasked with kidnapping a modern-day surgeon to rescue the king’s wife from death.

In a nutshell, that means he needs to pull off his action stunts and deliver a convincing Goryeo period accent and demeanor with the sort of charm that will make him a charming knight-in-shining-armor type.


SBS’ “The Great Doctor” co-stars Lee Min-ho (left) and Kim Hee-seon
attend the drama’s press conference in Seoul on Thursday. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)

“Our drama is a melodrama-action-fantasy-thriller,” Lee said at the drama’s press conference in Seoul on Thursday.

Of his role, Lee said, “My character harbors scars from his past and so finds living to be burdensome and thinks of nothing but death. Then when he brings Eun-soo (Kim Hee-seon) from the future to the past, he begins to experience a new life.”

If success has anything to do with star power then “The Great Doctor” has a bright future.

Legendary directing-scriptwriting duo Kim Jong-hak and Song Ji-na of “Hourglass” fame are teaming up for the fifth time for this project.

Veteran actress Kim Hee-seon is returning after a six year hiatus to the small screen to star opposite Lee as his love interest, the modern-day surgeon Eun-soo, whom he kidnaps back to the Goryeo Kingdom.

The 20-minute highlight reel that ran at the drama’s press conference hinted at a relatively comedic take on the historical romance, though still retaining a somewhat serious yet melodramatic flair.

Actress Kim takes on most of the comedic brunt work as a 21st century plastic surgeon suddenly transported to the Goryeo Kingdom, a task she carries out well, and which may be the primary saving grace of a potentially cheesy and overly-fantastical series.

The 35-year-old actress-and-mother did not mince words when describing her role as a heroine with a dirty mouth who chose to specialize in plastic surgery for the money.

“I swear a lot, pretty much through half of the drama,” she said. “I think this is the first time I get to swear this much in a series.”

Of her confident and brash character, she said, “I feel like this role quite possibly suits me the most out of any role that I have played before.”

“The Great Doctor” starts airing Aug. 13 on Monday and Tuesday nights at 9:55 p.m. on SBS.

katt

August 9, 2012

Ha Ji-won to lecture on film in China
By Park Eun-jee Korea JoongAng Daily

Korean actress Ha Ji-won and director Kim Ji-hoon plan to give a lecture on movie production in China as part of CJ CGV’s cultural exchange program Toto’s Workroom.

“I am really pleased to act as a mentor and I want to play a role in exchanging cultures between China and Korea through this program,” Ha Ji-won said. “I am already looking forward to meeting teenagers from both countries.”

The program is designed to encourage teenagers from China and Korea to engage in film production. The students will learn how to draw storyboards as well as shoot and edit film during the event, which runs from Aug. 13 to 17 in Beijing.

The actress and director, who worked together in the movie “Sector 7,” will present an award for the best movie on the last day of the program.

In June, Ha attended a special screening of the movie “As One” in Los Angeles. The movie began screening in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia as well as Vancouver and Toronto from June 1.

katt

August 9, 2012

Lee Da-hae to debut on Hunan TV
By Park Eun-jee Korea JoongAng Daily



Actress Lee Da-hae’s first drama series in China will begin airing this month on Hunan TV. The show, tentatively titled “Love Recipe,” has garnered attention for starring a Korean actress who will speak in Chinese.

The upcoming drama is centered on the life of a talented chef working in a dumpling house. The 28-year-old actress has been cast to play the protagonist, who overcomes obstacles in her daily life while raising her nephew.

A representative of Lee’s agency, Foster Entertainment, said that hopes are high for the Chinese drama.

“We heard that the series will also make its way to other major broadcasting channels such as CCTV and regional stations in the country,” the representative said.

Lee is said to have been learning Chinese intensively since 2005, when her Korean drama “Green Rose” was broadcast in China. She also appeared on Chinese variety show “Happy Camp” this year without an interpreter.

She has a significant fan base in China with nearly three million followers on her Weibo microblog.

katt

August 9, 2012

Fish Out of Water Story Gets Chinese Twist
ChosunIlbo

The proverbial "fish-out-of-water" story gets an interesting twist in a  new romantic comedy called "Shanghai Calling." It is the tale of a rising Chinese-American lawyer named Sam Chao who by all appearances should be comfortable in his new surroundings but is not.

Sam gets the nod from his bosses, against his will, to pursue a major business deal in Shanghai for a revolutionary smart phone. He may look like he belongs in Shanghai, but Sam has never been outside of  New York so is clueless about his new location when he arrives. It's a classic case of culture shock.

"Shanghai Calling" is written and directed by Daniel Hsia. This is Hsia's first feature film and shot entirely on location. The 33-year-old Los Angeles-based director said the idea for the movie came from a college friend who decided to move to Beijing without any knowledge of Chinese and had never lived outside of the United States.  Hsia said he was told "dozens of hilarious and bizarre stories about what it was to be an American immigrant living in China."


Daniel Henney stars in "Shanghai Calling."

Hsia picked Shanghai for the movie because "it was where I needed to go in order to get into the business community" and "an extremely cinematic city, I was really committed to putting that on film."

The movie's main character Sam knows nothing about Chinese customs. His transition is not made any easier by a very attractive Caucasion re-location specialist who speaks Mandarin. Sam does not speak a word of it. He also must deal with a pirate phone manufacturer who threatens to turn everything into a legal disaster.

Hsia said he was focused on making the humor "a very realistic and very contemporary vision of what life is like in China today."

The film is a U.S.- China co-production. Through the movie's production and marketing, Hsia said, "I learned a tremendous amount about what is happening in China and how to conduct business." In many ways he explained, "my own personal journey has become more and more like the journey of our main character Sam" and "mistaken about many of his assumptions."

The movie stars Daniel Henney as Sam and Eliza Coupe as Amanda, a romantic interest and ex-pat guide to the ways of Chinese culture.

"Shanghai Calling" is playing in China and comes with impressive credentials. The two Daniels -- director Hsia and leading man Henney -- have won several awards for their work in the movie from California and Shanghai film festivals.

To find out more go to shanghaicalling.com

katt

August 9, 2012

Ryu Si-won readies for divorce case
By Park Eun-jee Korea JoongAng Daily



Actor Ryu Si-won has commissioned six legal representatives from law firm Barun Law for a divorce suit brought by his wife, Cho Su-in, in March after 18 months of marriage, according to local media outlets.

The actor has said that he wants to keep his family and reach a settlement. The hiring of the attorneys is seen by many as an attempt to actively engage in the divorce mediation proceedings.

By contrast, Cho is said to have fired her legal representative in May and has undergone the legal procedure on her own.

The attorneys are said to have handled the alimony lawsuit filed by actress Lee Ji-ah last year. Lee later dropped the case.

Cho had filed for a divorce at the Seoul Family Court on March 22, but left the reason blank, prompting the spread of rumors on the Internet. In May, the actor’s wife had turned in a request to the Seoul Family Court for Ryu Si Won’s phone records and financial information.

The divorce mediation will take place on Aug. 28 at the Seoul Family Court.