Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
41st Blue Dragon Awards postponed as COVID-19 cases continue to spike
By Kwak Yeon-soo
A poster for the 41st Blue Dragon Awards / Courtesy of Blue Dragon Awards organizing committee
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The 41st Blue Dragon Awards ceremony has been postponed after the government raised the social distancing level to 2.5.
The organizing committee announced Tuesday the decision to push back the awards to early 2021 as COVID-19 continues to impact the film industry. It was originally scheduled to take place on Dec. 11.
“Due to the growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19, we have decided to postpone the event. It is regrettable because a diverse list of nominees were expected to compete this year. However, safety and the protection of the health of our actors, directors and staff should come first,” the organizing committee said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the release dates for multiple films have been pushed back to 2021.
CJ Entertainment said Monday that it will put off the premiere of sci-fi action film “Seobok,” which was originally scheduled to hit theaters Dec. 23. The movie was initially set to open in theaters on Dec. 2, but then moved its premier date to Dec. 23 after the government raised the social distancing level to 1.5. In its most recent announcement, the company did not offer an exact date for the film's release.
Starring Gong Yoo and Park Bo-gum, “Seobok” was one of the most anticipated blockbusters for the winter season. In the film, Ki-heon (Gong) is given one final mission to discreetly transport Seobok (Park) to a safe place, but they find themselves in a number of life-threatening situations as other forces seek to take possession of Seobok.
Lotte Entertainment said it will delay the release of musical film “Life is Beautiful” to next year.
“Due to growing uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent spike in cases, we have decided to delay the release of our film,” the company official said in a statement. “We will closely monitor the situation, and then announce alternate dates after we come up with a way to abide by the preventive measures laid out in the social distancing guidelines.”
In “Life is Beautiful,” Ryu Seung-ryong plays Jin-bong who reluctantly agrees to help his terminally ill wife Se-yeon (Yum Jung-ah) find her first love as her birthday wish.
The Walt Disney Company Korea, the local distributing unit of the U.S. entertainment giant, delayed the press screening of the animated film “Soul” indefinitely.