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Author: katt

Korean Entertainment News Update

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 Author| Post time 4-6-2006 07:54 PM | Show all posts

Jun 2, 2006

Actor Won Bin to Be Discharged from Military



Star actor Won Bin will be discharged from the military earlier than expected due to an injury sustained in his knee. He was enlisted last November.

A military official said Thursday that a discharge review committee decided that the actor's injury was serious enough to discharge him early. The decision will be finalized with the approval of his commander on Friday and he will be sent home on June 7.

The actor had surgery on his knee due to a ruptured ligament in early April.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/mcontents/enterta...9657_11692.html

--------------------------------

Jun.2, 2006

Star Discharged After Brief Stint With Frontline Unit



The Army on Friday confirmed it is discharging the actor Won Bin after the discharge review board on Thursday approved the decision.

Won Bin returns to civilian life a mere 191 days after he headed off for his military service, where he attracted much publicity by volunteering for a guard post at the border with North Korea. Won will be discharged on June 7.

Won Bin started his compulsory military service on Nov. 29 and served in the border guards or GOP that are part of the Seventh brigade in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.

When Won, who has long had trouble with his knees, went on leave in March, he was diagnosed at a civilian hospital with a rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He returned to service, but a visit to the military hospital confirmed the diagnosis. On April 14, the actor underwent surgery.

After surgery, the actor went through rehabilitation at a military hospital, where he received confirmation that he was eligible for discharge. Currently on leave in Seoul, the actor returns to the his unit on Monday, only to be discharged on Wednesday.

Following surgery, the actor has had to wear a knee brace, which will have to remain on for another two months.

Won's agency said it had yet to hear directly from him. "In this situation, he has to focus on his recovery. It's not the time to discuss a timetable for return to the entertainment industry," it said.

A ruptured knee ligament takes around one year to heal, so Won's return to acting is unlikely to happen before the first half of next year. The actor could face some negative publicity due to his sudden discharge.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Source: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0606020023.html

[ Last edited by  katt at 2-9-2006 12:47 PM ]
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 Author| Post time 4-6-2006 10:22 PM | Show all posts

Jun 2, 2006



Actor So Ji-sub Receives Cheers from Japanese, Chinese Fans



Actor So Ji-sub receives cheers from Japanese and Chinese fans on his way to work every morning.

So is currently working for Mapo Ward Office in Seoul as a public duty serviceman (a person unfit for active military service fulfilling his public service). On his way to work at 7:00 a.m. every day, he receives cheers from scores of fans waiting for him at the ward compound.

Since TV Tokyo recently began airing the drama "Sorry, I Love You," So has won such high popularity from Japanese fans that a fan club has been organized in Japan. He has won a large group of fans in China as well, as the drama has aired in Anhui Province and the Shanghai area.

His fans post messages on So's Korean homepage (http://www.sojisub.com). Some of them have gone to the length of visiting Seoul to give him cheers on his way to work.

An official of So's agency, BOF, said, "Whenever he arrives at the ward office, So Ji-sub says hello to his fans silently. His fans maintain order and remain cautious for fear that they might cause a disturbance or commotion."

So also reportedly said, "I feel apologetic to my fans who are waiting for me early in the morning every day. I am grateful to them for still loving me. I think I'll have to work hard until I finish my public service."

According to an official from the Mapo Ward Office, 30 to 40 fans wait for So from 6:00 a.m. on weekdays, and about 60 to 70 wait for him on Fridays at the entrance of the ward compound. A few foreign fans even visit the ward office on Saturdays and Sundays in the hopes that they might be able to see him.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/mconten ... /1399700_11692.html


Originally posted by yuriko at 2-6-2006 01:48 PM
erm...aku pikir pikir naper thread ni tak letak kat soap operas instead? more suitable...:hmm:


Hi yuriko!

Hal ni... kenapa tak letak thread ni di sub-board Soap Opera, saya pernah tanya emiko dulu sebab memang ingat nak start thread ni di sana. Selepas pertimbangan Mod2 di SO, rancangan ni ditangguhkan sekejap... mainly sebab board SO khas untuk drama discussion threads dari Asia, termasuk Korea, Jepun etc.

Masa tu, kebanyakan thread celebrities dah pindah ke sini (board Celebrities)... walaupun ada juga 2-3 thread actor di SO juga. Bila dah ada sub board Asian Celebrity yang khas macam ni, barulah pihak Mod bangkitkan semula idea news thread ni. Kebanyakan update pun berkaitan dengan celebrities dari Korea walaupun ada juga movie & drama news as well.

Mungkin nampak 'janggal' mula2 ni sebab di SO banyak drama Korea tapi thread newsnya di sini... harap lama2 nanti... kita semua boleh get used to it.

Ayu, emiko... boleh tambah anything for clarification?

=======================================

Ha Ji-won Cleared of Share Price Manipulation



The actress Ha Ji-won has been cleared of manipulating the share price of the Kosdaq-listed firm Spectrum DVD.

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said Friday it cleared Ha of the charges because she did not dishonestly declare the purpose as participation in the management of the company. Investors must declare the purpose of purchases of a stake over 5 percent in a company. Ha initially purchased shares to take a hand in management but later changed the purpose to "pure investment" and sold some of them after a dispute with Taewon Entertainment president Chung Tae-won, who had invested in the company along with her. Prosecutors said Ha used her own money to buy the shares.

The actress purchased 11.7 percent or 660,000 shares in the entertainment firm in May last year to become the major shareholder along with Chung. Both declared the purpose as management participation. But Ha sold 200,000 shares three months later for a profit of some W1.5 billion (US$1.5 million).

The Financial Supervisory Service asked prosecutors to investigate Ha together with a major shareholder in her agency identified as Pyun and two others using Ha's reputation to make illegal profits.

Source: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0606020024.html

[ Last edited by  katt at 2-9-2006 12:46 PM ]
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 Author| Post time 5-6-2006 08:43 PM | Show all posts
06-04-2006

Se7en Opens Pop-Only Concert Hall With a Bang

By Cathy Garcia
Staff Reporter

Korea's first pop-only concert hall, the Seoul-AX, opened with a bang on Friday, as around 2,000 fans flocked to see K-pop star Se7en's concert.

Wearing a gold trench coat, black glittery top and gold pants, Se7en opened the show with a vibrant performance of his latest hit "I Know" (Nan Arayo).

Se7en's sharp dance moves drove fans wild as they screamed and waved their bright green 7-shaped glow sticks. The artist has recently become increasingly popular throughout Asia.


K-pop star Se7en, center, performs at the Seoul-AX in Kwangjang-dong,
eastern Seoul, Friday. /Courtesy of YG Entertainment


Se7en's concert was the first to be held at the brand new music hall in Kwangjang-dong, eastern Seoul. Unlike stadium events holding thousands of concertgoers, the smaller and more intimate Seoul-AX accommodates only 2,000 fans standing. Thus, Se7en was able to visibly interact with fans.

"I love this place. I can see everyone in the crowd. I can see everyone's eyes. This feels more intimate. I feel closer to you," Se7en told his fans during the concert.

The sound quality at the Seoul-AX is superior to stadium venues, which may be the reason Se7en opted to sing romantic ballads and mid-tempo R&B songs showing off his accomplished vocals.

The 23-year old singer thanked his loyal fans for continuing to support him since his debut in 2003, even if he has been mostly out of Korea in the past year. He also acknowledged his growing Japanese fan base by performing his Japanese single "Hikari." Hundreds of Japanese fans traveled to Seoul for the concert, and were spotted savoring the beat, and singing through the night.

Se7en pulled out all the stops for this concert with magic tricks, and pyrotechnics. He played the drums while singing "Love Story," a song off his latest album "24/7," performed on a floating stage, and even hung off a rope above the crowd while singing.

With all the excitement over the upcoming World Cup, Se7en couldn't resist including a performance of the Korean national anthem and a rousing medley of victory songs including "Oh Pilsung Korea."

After two and a half hours, a visibly tired but still smiling Se7en ended the show with his popular dance hits "Crazy" and "Passion."

Fans continued to snap up Se7en-related merchandise like towels, photos, T-shirts and even his signature perfume "Touch By Se7en" after the concert. Se7en held three concerts over the weekend.

The Live Star Story 2006 concert series will feature concerts by Gummy, YG Family, DJ Doc & Buda Family, Crying Nut, Deli Spice and N.E.X.T. at Seoul-AX in the coming weeks.

kt_garcia@hotmail.com

06-04-2006 18:35

Source: http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/ ... 060418355711700.htm

---------------------------------------------------

Washington Post Hails Movie 'Typhoon'
Saturday, June 3, 2006 14:14:56  



A Washington Post film critic has hailed the South Korean movie "Typhoon" as very Korean as well as universal.

In the daily's Saturday edition, Stephen Hunter said the movie deals with loss, pain and a sense of insignificance shared by Koreans but is vivid enough to have a universal appeal.

He compared the two lead actors Jang Dong-gun and Lee Jung-jae to Bruce Willis following Sean Penn.

On Lee's donning of a white naval uniform in the movie, Hunter said his gorgeous look will make people want to become a cadet.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/ne ... &key=2006060306

[ Last edited by  katt at 2-9-2006 12:40 PM ]
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 Author| Post time 5-6-2006 08:44 PM | Show all posts

Jun 5, 2006

Actor Yoo Ji-tae's Directed Work Invited to Japanese Film Festival



Yoo Ji-tae will take part in Japan's Short Shorts Film Festival Asia not as an actor but as a director.

His second directed work "What Dream Does a Blind Person Have?" has been invited to the special program section of the film festival, which will run June 7 through 11 in Tokyo. The short film won the Fuji Film Award at the 2006 Busan Asia Short Film Festival in late May.

During his four-day, three-night visit from June 9 to 12, Yoo will give interviews to Japanese media companies and hold a special seminar in which he will talk about his thoughts on films.

Other Korean directors' works, Kim Byung-jeong's "Please Defend My Earth" and Ahn Sang-hoon's "Passover," will be screened in the competition section of the film festival.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/mcontents/enterta...9959_11692.html

-------------------------------------

Actor Lee Seo-jin to Hold First Fan Meeting in Japan



Actor Lee Seo-jin will hold his first fan meeting in Tokyo on June 10. A talk show with Lee and a video viewing of Lee's activities have been prepared for the 924 Japanese fans scheduled to attend the fan meeting. During a handshaking session, Lee will greet all the fans present.

The fan meeting has drawn significant attention in Japan since it is the first by Lee. In April, when applications for the meeting began being accepted, all 924 seats were booked in just six minutes. Moreover, the applications had been scheduled to start at noon on a first-come-first-served basis at the time, but many Japanese working women who wanted to join the meeting expressed their intention to take the day off from work, so the time was postponed to 9:00 p.m. that evening.

Ahead of the fan meeting, Lee will appear on a MXTV program on June 9 in Japan. Lee has been enjoying growing popularity there since the hit dramas "Damo" and "Phoenix" were aired on NHK satellite channel BS2 and Fuji TV, respectively.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/mcontents/enterta...0002_11692.html

[ Last edited by  katt at 2-9-2006 12:38 PM ]
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 Author| Post time 7-6-2006 12:56 AM | Show all posts

06-05-2006

To Know Korea, Understand the War

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

Tuesday is Memorial Day, a day when the entire nation honors the veterans who sacrificed their lives for their country and fellow Koreans during the Korean War.

Apart from a patriotic perspective, it is also important to understand the war and its aftermath still have a great influence on people's lives although it has been 56 years since hostilities commenced.

To facilitate understanding of the tragedy, the Korean Film Archive (KOFA) is offering special program every weekend this month with a collection of eight films that were produced from 1950 to 2000.


The Korean War is one of most commonly used motifs in local
movies, but its portrayal has been varied depending on directors
and the time period. "Joint Security Area or JSA" (2000) by Park
Chan-wook is one of the first works that started to see North
Korea as a neighbor.


"Without understanding the war, you cannot understand Korea and its people," said Kim Bong-young, the team leader of the research and education department at KOFA. "The war has had a large influence on the social, political and cultural sectors of the nation."

Titled "Weekend Classics," the program collects movies concerning the war and its effects. To assist for foreign audience members, they will all be screened with English subtitles.

The movies are "Piagol" by Lee Kang-cheon from 1955; "The Red Muffler" by Shin Sang-ok, 1964; "Mismatched Nose" by Im Kwon-taek, 1980; "The Winter That Year Was Warm" by Bae Chang-ho, 1984; "North Korean Partisan in South Korea" by Jeong Ji-young, 1990; "To the Starry Island" by Park Kwang-su, 1993; "Spring in My Hometown" by Lee Kwang-mo, 1998; and "Joint Security Area" (JSA) by Park Chan-wook, 2000.

"The movies will also help people understand the changes in the view of the war and the relationship between the North and South as they have been portrayed differently depending on the directors and on the time period," Kim said.

Right after the war ended, most films dealt with propaganda issues as the government focused on spreading anti-socialism and, in many cases, abused it politically.



The early works such as "Piagol" and "The Red Muffler" show how people struggled to live in the war-torn country where they also suffered from ideological confusion.

But in 1990s and 2000s, people started to make an effort to see the North as a neighbor, not as a mere enemy. One of the most impressive works is "Joint Security Area," which looks at a friendship that develops among South and North Korean soldiers serving in the Demilitarized Zone near the border.

Along with "Weekend Classics," four movies set in the Choson Dynasty, will be screened at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday at the archive, starting with "Women of [the] Yi-Dynasty" (1969) by Shin Sang-ok on Wednesday, followed by "Eternal Empire" (1994) by Park Jong-won, "The Hut" (1980) by Lee Du-yong and "The Sino-Japanese War and Queen Min the Heroine" (1965) by Lim Won-shik.

The screenings take place at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets for each screening are 2,000 won. The Korean Film Archive is located in the Seoul Arts Center, near exit 5 of Nambu Bus Terminal Station on subway line 3. For more information, call (02) 521-2101 or visit www.koreafilm.or.kr.

e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr

06-05-2006 18:25

Source: http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/20...18250611690.htm
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 Author| Post time 7-6-2006 12:58 AM | Show all posts

June 6, 2006

History Attests to Korean Stars' All-Natural Looks
  
The chiseled features -- can Korea's gene pool really have produced the perfection that graces TV screens all over Asia without the help of the country's otherwise so very busy army of plastic surgeons? The Chosun Ilbo listens to the rumor mill to discover just how natural the Korean Wave is.  

Kim Tae-hee



Kim Tae-hee hit the big time when she was still in high school in Ulsan. She attended a nationally renowned school that brought together top students from local middle schools, yet even there the actress was able to stay on top of her class for the entire three years. And her looks have not changed since then: they made her the object of desire among the boys of all the surrounding schools. One rumor circulating about the actress at that time was that she studied for free at a private tutoring college. According to the rumor, her presence there was thought to attract so much business from male students that the institute waived the fee.


Ko So-young



Ko So-young has been a great beauty since her school days. So haughty, yet so pure -- no wonder the tongues are wagging. The rumor is that when she left home to head to school of a morning, a line of expensive cars lined up in front of her house driven by men who yearned for the privilege to chauffeur her to school.


Kim Hee-seon



Kim Hee-seon is a doll; and, would you believe, she has always looked like this.


Lee Young-ae



Lee Yong-ae spearheads the Korean Wave. Childhood pictures and photos of young Young-ae in hanbok from her school days can be found all over the Internet. Devoted Netizens can attest, therefore, that no surgeon's knife was needed to improve her.


Jeon Ji-hyun



Sexy Jeon Ji-hyun also remains unaltered by science since her school days.


Kim Ah-jung



A picture of Kim Ah-jung at the age of 20 has recently been circulating online, from an interview where she confessed to her dream of becoming a model. There is the body, there is the face, already perfect.


Han Ga-in



Han Ga-in appeared on a TV quiz show when she was a high-school student, and she was also captured in TV footage of interviews with high-school students. Her looks needed no improvement. The story of how entertainment bigwigs spotted her in the news clip and immediately went to her school to offer her a part is already legendary.


Song Hye-gyo



Song Hye-gyo also started out in entertainment while at high school. "She was active in show business when she was in the first year of high school, and she appeared on a TV show in the third year, so she wasn't able to attend class often," a teacher recalls. "But with her cheerful character, she mixed well with her friends and was always in a bright mood." Needless to say her looks are said to be entirely nature's work.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Source: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0606060005.html

[ Last edited by  katt at 8-6-2006 08:12 PM ]
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 Author| Post time 7-6-2006 01:03 AM | Show all posts

2006.06.05

Copied from Everything Lee Byung Hun-soompi.com, thanks to Hyc for the translation

Source: http://japanese.joins.com/article/article....de=700?ode=710


"Korean Hallyu Stars Exhibition" from 13th June to 2nd July in Japan

揔orean Hallyu Stars Exhibition" will be showing photographs that are not exhibited before of about 50 top Korean stars to the public. The exhibition is held from the 13th this month to the 2nd of next month in Tokyo International Forum (Exhibition Room A) in Tokyo and Marunouchi.

Fuji Television Network and Nippon Broadcasting System are sponsors of this event, and it is backed up by South Korea movie magazine "Screen". Top stars like Lee Byung Hun, Kwon Sang Woo, Choi Ji Woo, Jang Dong Gun, Won Bin, Jung Woo Sung and others' personal goods will be displayed to the public. And after it ends for the period, the exhibited photographs would be presented to the spectators by drawing lots.

As for the earnings, the full amount obtained from the charity auction of the personal goods is scheduled to be donated to UNICEF. The charge for each ticket is 1500 yen for advance purchase, and 1800 yen for on the spot purchase (both including tax).

[ Last edited by  katt at 7-6-2006 01:41 AM ]
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 Author| Post time 7-6-2006 12:32 PM | Show all posts

07-06-2006

Originally posted by katt at 2-6-2006 01:48 PM
Actor Won Bin to Be Discharged from Military

A military official said Thursday that a discharge review committee decided that the actor's injury was serious enough to discharge him early. The decision will be finalized with the approval of his commander on Friday and he will be sent home on June 7.








Click on image for bigger captures



Source: newsen.com
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Post time 7-6-2006 01:56 PM | Show all posts
Originally posted by katt at 7-6-2006 12:32 PM








Click on image for ...


harap2 cepat le sembuh oppa ku...:pray:
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 Author| Post time 7-6-2006 02:25 PM | Show all posts

June 7, 2006

Rain to Perform in Vietnam



Singer Rain will give a concert on Thursday in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, the origin of the Korean Wave or Korean pop culture craze. Expectations for the first concert to be given there by the talented Korean singer have run so high that some 20,000 tickets sold out just two days after they went on sale on May 29.

But the SK Telecom office in Ho Chi Minh, the organizer of the concert, is still being inundated with calls asking about tickets. SKT arranged the "S-Phone Forever Concert" to celebrate sales of over 500,000 handsets of its CDMA (code division multiple access) S-Phone in Vietnam and distributed invitation tickets to local customers.

It is not only Korean residents and teenage fans in the Vietnamese city who badly want to attend the concert. Rain抯 fans in Hanoi have also expressed regret about not being able to attend the concert and expect that they can see him during his Asian tour scheduled late this year.

Besides Rain, Jewelry and Chaeyeon, both also popular in Vietnam, will participate in the concert along with other top Vietnamese singers.

Thanh Nien, the leading local newspaper, reported that Korean singer Rain, who became popular in the country through the hit drama Full House and was named one of 100 most influential people in the world by the U.S. magazine Time, will visit Vietnam.

The Korean cable channels K-MTV and M-Net as well as Vietnam TV will film the concert. Local police say that they will station some 750 police officers around the venue where the concert is to be held and have other officers standing by in case of emergency.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/mconten ... /1400187_11692.html
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 Author| Post time 7-6-2006 04:50 PM | Show all posts

June 7, 2006

Originally posted by ayie77 at 7-6-2006 01:56 PM
harap2 cepat le sembuh oppa ku...:pray:


Actor Won Bin Discharged from Military Service Due to Illness



Actor Won Bin (29, real name: Kim Do-jin), who enlisted in the Army in November of last year and volunteered to work at a frontline post in the DMZ, was discharged from the military after six months of service due to illness on June 7.

Around 9:30 a.m. that day, Won arrived limping in military uniform and white sneakers at the main gate of the Armed Forces Hospital in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.

He gave a press interview after reporting his discharge from military service to his superiors at the hospital. He said, "I feel very sad despite my discharge from military service. I'm sorry for having failed to keep my promise to fulfill my military duty as an ordinary serviceman."

Asked when he will resume acting, he answered, "I'll have to wear a protective brace on my knee for the time being. I have no plan right now to resume acting, but will focus on rehabilitation therapy for a while."

After the interview, Won left the hospital in a white Carnival SUV, saying "Thank you for having come to meet me!" to about 70 journalists and cameramen.

Since he joined the Army on November 29, 2005, Won had worked at a frontline post in the DMZ. Back in April, he was diagnosed by the Armed Forces General Hospital as having a partially ruptured cruciate ligament in his left knee. In an official statement on June 2, the Ministry of National Defense announced his discharge from military service due to illness.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/mconten ... /1400218_11692.html
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 Author| Post time 7-6-2006 08:45 PM | Show all posts

June 7, 2006

Injured Star Discharged from Military Service   



Only a few months after starting his compulsory military service and volunteering to huge publicity for a frontline unit, the actor Won Bin was discharged on Wednesday.

Recently approved for medical discharge due to a rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), Won filled in his release papers at the military hospital at the unit where he was recovering from a knee operation in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province and emerged at about 9 a.m.

He appeared in white sneakers rather than combat boots. "The fact that I went all the way to the front line to serve may have made my early discharge even more disappointing for the fans," he admitted. "I'd just like to tell all my fellow soldiers that I'm grateful for everything, and I'm sorry."

"I experienced pain in my knee before I joined the Army, but it was ruled that it wouldn't be an impediment to military life. It may have been aggravated by serving in mountainous area," the star explained. Asked why he volunteered for border guard duty despite the pain, he said, "I could have been in the entertainment corps, but I wanted to keep my promise to fans that I would do regular military service."

Asked when he will make his acting comeback, Won said, "There are no plans, currently," and cut off the questions.

Meanwhile, it was the online topic of the day. Internet users were divided. "When he shoots films he's always running and jumping all over the place but now he can't even take two years in the army," one user wrote on a discussion board. "A discharge is reasonable for people who are ill or can't adjust to military life, but why do stars who look healthy on the outside always have some problem on the inside?" But there was no shortage of posts expressing sympathy for the actor.

"An injury to the ACL makes it impossible to continue with military life even the person wants to," one of them said. "There are many ordinary people who have been discharged for tearing their ACL, so why does everyone have to go on about Won Bin?"

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Source: http://english.chosun.com/w21dat ... 6/200606070011.html
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 Author| Post time 8-6-2006 12:47 PM | Show all posts
Too Handsome

JUNE 08, 2006 03:01
by Seung-Jae Lee (sjda@donga.com)
  


If "Something Happened in Bali" was a TV drama that made Jo In-sung (25) famous as a TV actor, "A Dirty Carnival," scheduled to be released on June 15, will likely to establish him as a movie actor.

In the movie directed by Yoo Ha, the director of "The Cruel History of Maljuk Street," Jo In-sung stars as "Byung-du," a third rate gangster who lifts himself out of poverty, dreams of success, but falls due to the very reasons why he succeeds. In the movie, he looks young and sounds young, but he wields a knife ruthlessly. The "gangster who is not like other gangsters" creates a curious reality in the movie. This reporter met Jo In-sung on June 6.

You are too handsome for a gangster-

揟he moment the shooting starts I forget about my face. People say that a brilliant performance cannot be expected of handsome actors. But I was not born like this because I wanted to. Even if I look like this, I never, even for one second, have stopped making all efforts to act, and have always been serious about acting."

Indeed, among "character actors," handsome actors are hard to find-

揗y appearance can either harm or benefit me. However, I can become as good an actor as those character actors by making the effort, but character actors cannot look like me no matter how much they try. I am proud of myself because I make efforts to achieve goals as an actor if those goals are achievable."

Your record as a movie actor has been poor compared to your success in TV dramas. Your previous film, "Namnam-buknyeo," made me wonder, "Why did Jo In-sung decide to star in the movie?"-

揑 am good at expressing intense emotions, but I don't perform confidently when emotions are not intense. I learned that from "Namnam-buknyeo," and that experience (a failure at the box office) was a valuable lesson for me. I want to be an actor whose end is more beautiful than his beginning."

Your face shows two contrary images. It is bright on one hand, but dark and full of pathos on the other. It may be because of the wrinkles in your face-

揗y father has wrinkles in his face just like me. People suggested me to try Botox injections, but I don't like the idea. I love my wrinkles, because they show my life."

You lived in a semi-underground house because of financial difficulty that your family was in. For me, your real life curiously overlaps with the life of 揃yung-du," who struggles to lift himself out of poverty-

揑 went through the Asian financial crisis just like all other Korean people. Just like in the movie, which is filled with betrayals, people betrayed my father, didn抰 pay back their debts and ran away. We had no choice but to live in the semi-underground house because we had no income. The semi-underground house has both merits and demerits. It is really cool in the summer. But lots of fungi sprout because of the high humidity (laughter). It may have been because of this experience that I did not feel uncomfortable in the slum where Byung-du lives in the movie."

You earn a lot, but you did not move into a big apartment in the southern part of Seoul like other actors do-

揥hat for? I attended elementary school in Cheonho-dong, middle school in Cheonho-dong and high school in Cheonho-dong. All of my friends live in Cheonho-dong. If I move to the southern part of Seoul, I have to come to Cheonho-dong to hang out and drink with my friends. Going back and forth appeared to be cumbersome to me. I love to do things the way I used to."

Byung-du abruptly kisses Hyun-ju (played by Lee Bo-young), his alumna from the elementary school, and asks her "Would you go out on a date with me?" How is Jo In-sung in real love life?-

揑 make the first move. If I feel certain of my feelings, I don't drag my feet. I make my feelings known without any ambiguity. If the woman says "No" at first try, it's O.K. I try for the second time. But if she says "No" again, I give up her without hesitance.
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 Author| Post time 8-6-2006 05:45 PM | Show all posts

Jun 8, 2006

TVXQ, M to Receive Awards at Thailand Music Awards



Boy band TVXA and singer M (Lee Min-woo), also a member of the boy band Shinhwan, will receive awards at the 5th Thailand Channel V Music Video Awards, the country's largest music awards, to be held at BEC TERO Hall in Bangkok on June 16.

TVXQ is the strongest nominee for the Asian Most Favorite Artist Award and International Most Popular Music Video Award.

As of Wednesday, the group led the Asian Most Favorite Artist category with 43.22 percent of the votes, followed by Japan's Tackey and Tsubasa (20.46 percent), Arashi (17.16 percnet), and Taiwan's Wang Lee Hom (12.25 percent). In the International Most Popular Music Video category, it garnered an overwhelming 48.21 percent with its hit song "Rising Sun," leaving other famous artists such as Black Eyed Peas and Madonna behind.

The group's agency SM Entertainment said that although polls will continue until Saturday on the award's website, it has already been informed that it is almost certain that TVXQ will win the awards. "It is the first time that an artist has received two awards since the awards were launched in 2002," it added.

The group will visit Thailand for the first time to attend the award ceremony, where it will perform its two hit songs, "Rising Sun" and "The Way U Are," at the finale.

M will be awarded the Asian Sensation Award. His agency, Good EMG, said that Channel V Thailand had informed it that M has been chosen as the winner. "Shinhwa is also nominated in the category, but M is recognized for his active performance last year for releasing a single album and second feature album," it added.

M will attend the awards and perform "Battle" and "Bump" from his second album. M's second album will be released on June 13 in Thailand under license.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/mconten ... /1400349_11692.html
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 Author| Post time 8-6-2006 05:46 PM | Show all posts

Jun 8, 2006

Singer Rain's 2nd Single Album Ranks 9th on Japan's Oricon Charts



Asian star Rain (24) has been listed on Japan's Oricon Charts once again.

Rain's second single album entitled "Free Way" ranked ninth on Oricon's daily single charts on June 7, the day of its release. His first single album "Sad Tango," which was released on January 25, finished 11th on Oricon's daily single charts on the day of its release and 14th on Oricon's weekly charts. His second single album features two songs, "Free Way" and "Feel So Alight."

Rain will leave for Japan to promote his newest single album on June 13. He is scheduled to give interviews to TVs and newspapers there. He will hold a meeting for his Japanese fan club, "Cloud Japan," as well as his birthday party, at Budokan, Tokyo on June 15-16. At the fan meeting on June 16, he will present video images from a photo album entitled "Road For Rain," which is featured in his DVD.

An official from his agency, JYP Entertainment, said, "Rain will return home on June 19 after promoting his newest single album and holding a fan meeting in Japan. Prior to his visit to Japan, Rain will leave for Vietnam on the morning of June 8 to attend the 'S Phone Forever Concert' sponsored by SKT (SK Telecom) in Ho Chi Minh, and return home on June 9."

Meanwhile, Rain will release his fourth full-length album in Korea on October 15. He will make a concert tour of 11 Asian nations in December. His debut film entitled "I'm a Cyborg. But That's OK" directed by Park Chan-wook is expected to be released in December.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1400372_11858.html
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 Author| Post time 9-6-2006 12:56 PM | Show all posts

Jun 9, 2006

Actor/Singer Ryoo Si-won to Tour Japan



TV star/singer Ryoo Si-won will launch a tour of seven Japanese cities for one month.

After releasing his third album, "Asian Blow," in May, Ryoo will give concerts entitled "Ryoo Si-won's Japanese Live Tour 2006" in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Sendai, Niikata, Hiroshima and Nagoya.

The concerts will take place at the International Forum in Tokyo on June 13-14, at Sanbares in Fukuoka on June 19, at the Osaka International Convention Center in Osaka on June 21-22, at the Sendai Sun Plaza in Sendai on June 30, at the Hiroshima Pension Building in Hiroshima on July 3, at the Aichi Art Theater in Nagoya on July 8-9 and at the Budoukan in Tokyo again on July 11-12.

Some 70,000 spectators are expected to visit the concert, the largest audience any Korean singer or actor has ever drawn in Japan. Ryoo gave concerts successfully at Tokyo's Budokan and Osaka抯 International Convention Center in last November.

Ryoo抯 agency, R's Company, says Ryoo will meet with 40 fans backstage after each concert in a surprising event.

The agency added that Japanese fans flocked to buy tickets to the concert, which were sold out via drawing shortly after they were put on sale in mid-May.

During Ryoo's tour, KBS TV2's series "Wedding," which also stars singer/actress Jang Na-ra, will air in Japan on TV Tokyo at 12:30 p.m. from June 15 through July 18. Ryoo抯 song "Come Back
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 Author| Post time 9-6-2006 09:10 PM | Show all posts

June 9, 2006

Kim Tae-hee Goes After Online Slanderers



Police are going after people who allegedly spread a rumor that the star actress Kim Tae-hee married into one of Korea's big family-owned corporations or chaebol as well as Internet users who commented on the rumors with derogatory posts.

"We can't know where the rumor Kim that married into a chaebeol family originated, but with its spread across the Net and the vicious replies that some have posted, Kim's reputation has definitely suffered," the actress
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 Author| Post time 11-6-2006 07:20 PM | Show all posts

06-11-2006

'Host' Is a Fight Against Prejudice, Director Says

The director of "The Host (Koemul),'' one of the most anticipated local films this year, said last week his new film challenges prejudice against local sci-fi films.

"Everybody wanted to dissuade me from making a sci-fi film in the very beginning when they first heard about my idea,'' Bong Joon-ho said during a news conference Thursday at the Westin Chosun hotel in Seoul. "Some said that it would leave a stain on my career.''


Director Bong Joon-ho


Many people voiced concerns about his new film as no local sci-fi films, especially featuring a monster, have been commercially successful. But Bong said their preconceptions motivated him to make a quality film.

As he needed to work with people who trust him, most of his film crew had worked on his previous films including actors Song Gang-ho and Park Hye-il from his second feature film "Memories of Murder (Sarinui Chuok)'' in 2003 and Bae Doo-na from his debut film "Barking Dogs Never Bite (Pullandasui Kae)'' in 2000.

"The Host,'' which opens July 27, tells of a mutant rising from the Han River in Seoul, and the director says the film borrows from his own experience.

"When I was a high school student, I saw a strange creature crawling up on the Chamsil Bridge, and I was determined to make a film about it when I became a director,'' Bong recalled.

For realistic renderings of a monster, its special effects and computer graphics, the crew were helped by staff from the "Harry Potter'' series and "The Lord of Rings'' trilogy.

But Bong said he didn't want to mock monsters from Hollywood blockbusters.

"I wanted to create a monster with Asian touches that would suit actors Song and Bae rather than Tom Cruise or Arnold Schwarzenegger,'' Bong said.

During the conference, a short video clip revealed a mutant in the film for the first time. The monster, the size of a bus, has a long tail with four legs.

Some of the scenes show the mysterious creature taking the youngest daughter of a family away and crawling on a bridge over the Han River.

The beauty of this film is that a monster appears from where ordinary people live and it threatens an ordinary family not a hero, Bong added.

Although the film features a monster, Bong said his film centers on a family different from a typical sci-fi monster film.

"I want to talk about a family, which struggles to fight a monster without receiving any help,'' the director said. "I also want to portray the world without compassion.''

Thanks to his fame, largely attributed to the success of the crime thriller "Memories of Murder,'' his new film was premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival last month, receiving positive reviews. But Bong said audiences there couldn't fully enjoy the film due to its many Korean themes and because computer graphics and music had been incomplete.

"I had to show the uncompleted version at Cannes as the festival has the biggest film market and I wanted to promote my film. I was so happy to know many people really loved it, but I think it has Korean humor and themes which can be only appreciated by Korean audiences,'' Bong said.

At the film festival, the film was sold to 10 countries including the United States, Britain, Argentina and Brazil, for a total of about $ 2.3 million. Due to the sales there as well as its pre-sale in Japan, the film has earned about two thirds of its 11 billion won production budget.

e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr

06-11-2006 17:41   

Source: http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/20...17411511690.htm
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 Author| Post time 11-6-2006 07:36 PM | Show all posts

Sunday June 11, 2006

A pain in the knee


Won Bin:
National service cut short.


The long wait could well be coming to an end. According to Takungpao, South Korean heartthrob Won Bin, who signed up for military training in November last year, may be released from the army earlier than expected.

Last month, he underwent knee surgery and is, at the moment, recuperating at a Korean military hospital in Chuncheon. Won Bin will be examined by army doctors who will then decide if it is necessary to release him from his military duties. The South Korean media reported that he has already fulfilled all the necessary requirements for an early release.

Before entering the army, Won Bin was having problems with his knee and should have had it examined more carefully. However, worried that people would accuse him of evading military service, he enlisted without a proper check-up.  

Source: http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.as...7686&sec=movies
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 Author| Post time 12-6-2006 11:59 AM | Show all posts

2006/06/12

British brothers to remake Korean thriller 'A Tale of Two Sisters'

SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- British brothers Tom and Charlie Guard are to direct a remake of the South Korean film "A Tale of Two Sisters" for the U.S. studio DreamWorks, which holds the remake rights, according to Hollywood Reporter.

Production will begin this fall, the report said. Kim Jee-woon's 2003 domestic box office hit "Janghwa, Hongryeon," as the film was titled in South Korea, also screened in Japan, China and Hong Kong.

DreamWorks paid US$1 million for the remake rights in 2003 and is required under the contract to pay another $1 million once production on the film begins.

The new movie will revolve around the tale of teenage sisters Anna and Alex Rydell who return home from a mental hospital only to find their recovery unraveling because of a wicked stepmother, clueless father and a lingering ghost, the report said.

It is to be the first feature film by the British duo who have made award-winning short films, it said.

The original Korean movie starring Yeom Jeong-a, Im Soo-jung and Moon Geun-young sold 2 million tickets in South Korea, a record for a domestic horror movie.

hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

Source: http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20060612/...12115402E3.html

------------------------------------

Remake of "A Tale of Two Sisters" to Begin Shooting



A Hollywood remake of "A Tale of Two Sisters" starring Lim Soo-jung and Moon Geun-young will begin shooting three years after DreamWorks made a surprise purchase of the film's remake rights for 1 million dollars, U.S. entertainment site Hollywood Report said.

The internet entertainment news site said that the Korean movie is another horror movie that DreamWorks hurriedly bought remake rights to after earning a significant amount of income with the remake of the Japanese horror movie "Ring."

The remake will be directed by Tom and Charlie Guard, who have gained their reputation filming commercials, and adopted by Craig Rosenberg, who wrote the screenplay for the movie "Jurassic Park 3." The DreamWorks version will focus on two teenage sisters, Anna and Alex, who return from a mental hospital only to face struggles with their cruel stepmother and clueless father as well as a lingering ghost.

The Guard brothers studied film at Cambridge University in Britain and produced several short films together. The movie will be their debut feature.

"A Tale of Two Sisters" was a box office hit that drew over 3 million viewers when it was released here in 2003. The horror thriller deals with conflict between a stepmother and two sisters played by young actresses Lim and Moon, who received favorable reviews for their acting.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/mconten ... /1400988_11692.html

[ Last edited by  katt at 12-6-2006 04:20 PM ]
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