The Korea Times

Drama, film festival to open in Tokyo in March

By Kim Ji-sooEthnic Koreans in Japan will hold a Korean drama and film festival, as a means to defreeze the chill in relations between the two countries.The World-Okta’sTokyo branch, in association with an ethnic Korean residents’ groups, will host the “First Shinokubo Drama and Film Festival” for 10 days starting March 21.The Korean embassy and the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo have volunteered to assist in the event.The festival was planned to jumpstart sagging sales at Shinokubo’s Korea Town, the World-Okta’s Tokyo branch said.A total of 10 Korean films and five televisions dramas or more are expected to be screened during the festival. The films will be screened at Studio O while the television dramas will be shown at concert venues or large-sized cafes.The preparatory committee was launched last June, and the Korean film “Miracle in Cell No. 7” was screened.Actor Kim Si-hoo, who has starred in the film “Sunny” and the KBS television drama “Love Rain,” has been named as the festival’s goodwill ambassa

Jan 22, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

Dasom embraces biracial students

Park Jun-ho, right, looks on as his classmate makes a cup of coffee at Seoul Dasom School. Park is learning both cocktail-and coffee-making but the emphasis is on the former for which there is a nationally-recognized test. / Courtesy of Seoul Dasom School‘Jobs are future of the young’By Kim Ji-sooPark Jun-ho, who is an 11th grader at Seoul Dasom School, works the cocktail shaker and mixer as he prepares a Black Russian, Pina Colada and Manhattan, Friday. His instructor dutifully watches over to see how he is doing, whether he can make three cocktails in seven minutes. That’s a requirement for him to pass the national test to become a bartender.Park, born to an ethnic Korean mother from China and a Korean father, is hard at work even on a holiday at the school in Hongin-dong, eastern Seoul.“I hope to be able to find a job bartending after graduation, to make enough for a living,” said Park. The school educates the students well enough to pass the national exam in cocktail making, which is vital for employment in the sector.Asked how much that would b

Jan 22, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

Stage shows attract foreign tourists

Musical “December” starring K-pop star Kim Jun-su is drawing foreign tourists from Japan and China. / Courtesy of NEWBy Chung Ah-youngYang Yo-seap, a member of B2ST, who starred in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor  Dreamcoat”“Three Musketeers” starring Kyuhyun from Super Junior and Jun. K from 2PMOnly 10 years ago, Korean performing arts were underappreciated both at home and abroad. Back then, musicals coming from Broadway or the West End used to sell out theaters but now K-pop stars in the shows are becoming the most important factor for drawing in audiences, particularly foreign tourists.Recently, “December,” a musical by theater and film director Jang Jin, based on the songs of the late singer Kim Kwang-seok, made waves among foreign tourists from Japan and China.Produced by Next Entertainment World (NEW), the musical now being performed at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts stars hallyu heartthrob Kim Jun-su, a member of the K-pop band JYJ, and Park Geon-hyeong, one of the country’s most sought-after

Jan 17, 2014By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

Lee back as `zombie' bride

By Kim Ji-soo Singer Lee Jung-hyunThe cover of singer Lee Jung-hyun’s special single, “V.”A “zombie” bride appears amid a house swing pop tune. Fully clad in puffed-up wedding gown, the zombie bride executes curt, angular dance moves to the catchy song “V.”Lee Jung-hyun, 33, is back on the Korean stage.She released “V,” a special single, this month to keep a promise she made to her fans three years ago in 2010. Two films “Juvenile Offender” and “Myung-ryang, the Crying Sea” kept her away from music until now.“It’s amazing, the pace the fans from other countries are responding to the song. I am grateful to hallyu fans,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Times.Hallyu, meaning “Korean wave,” refers to the popularity that Korean pop music, drama and film is enjoying overseas, mainly in Asia. For the music video for “V,” director Park Chan-wook and his brother Park Chan-kyung, who is also a director, chipped in their talents.Lee, a singer and actress, has been

Aug 1, 2013By Kim Ji-soo

'Be different' (Interview with Lee Jung-hyun)

Shows & Dramas

'Character' industry lacks strategy

  Korean animation character Pororo statues set in lines outside the COEX exhibition halls in the capital’s Gangnam district where “Seoul Character & Licensing Fair 2013” is being held. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of the little penguin character.‘Asians love cute little characters, Americans aggressive ones’By Park Jin-haiWith 10-year-old Pororo, Pucca and Robocar Poli in the lead, domestic character companies are aggressively expanding overseas.Armed with active government support, the sales of local character brands in the nation also surpassed those of foreign-born ones for the first time in 2011.Aspiring animators with the hope of repeating the global success of Pororo created a whole bunch of cute and children-friendly characters.Vital at this stage for domestic animators is to have the right marketing strategy, with the right licensing agents on its side to turn their ideas into products to put on store shelves.Larva, an animation character produced by Tuba Entertainment, is printed on various customer items,

Jul 19, 2013By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

Government recruiting 'hallyu' experts

By Kim Ji-sooThe Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that it will be recruiting regional international cultural experts” through July 31.Done in conjunction with the Korea Arts Management Service, the inaugural project is to recruit would-be experts in the cultures of Africa, Central and South America, Middle East and Central Asian region so that they would be the “agents of ‘hallyu’ or Korean wave.”Once selected, the international cultural experts will be dispatched to some 10 Korean Cultural Centers overseas from September 2013 through June 2014. The 10 centers will be in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and South Africa. The budget for the program is estimated at 400 milllion won.“We chose these centers because its countries the private sector involved in culture and ‘hallyu’ or Korean wave have not made much inroads,” said Hwang Hyeon-jeong, an official the ministry said.The program at the Korea Cultural Center in Egypt will be eight-months long, leaving room f

Jul 19, 2013By Kim Ji-soo

Shows & Dramas

Why Lotte, Plaza, Shilla sing blues

Hana Tour, the nation’s leading tourist agency, has jumped into the business hotels, opening this Center Mark Hotel in Gwanhun-dong, Seoul last year. / Korea Times fileGrowing number of business hotels stalling premier hotelsBy Kim Ji-sooDecades after its heyday industrialization, the landscape of Seoul is always changing as new constructions go up by the day. These days, it’s the construction of hotels, as more foreigners are visiting Korea.The number of tourists marked an unprecedented 11 million last year, and officials in the related fields are hoping to see a similar or higher level in these figures in the coming years.More visitors invariably mean the demand for accommodation, and office space in Seoul are giving way to hotels. In the most recent statistics released jointly by Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Institute, Seoul still lacks 15,791 rooms for visiting foreigners. Aventree Hotel Jongno operated by Mode Tour that opened last September in Jongno, Seoul.Hotels are fast rising in Myeong-dong and Chungmuro, especially the so-called business hot

Jul 15, 2013By Kim Ji-soo

Travel & Food

Fraser Place Namdaemun opens

Enjoy the majestic view from Fraser Place Namdaemun’s Panorama Lounge located on the 16th floor of the premier serviced apartments and boutique residences.By Kim Ji-sooThe Fraser Place Namdaemun enjoys a privileged proximity in the huge metropolis that is Seoul.The premier serviced apartments and boutique residences are located near National Treasure No.1, Namdaemun, which stands majestically in the downtown area. The ancient gate of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), also known as Sungnyemun, reopened after five years of restoration on May 4. The apartments are within walking distance of Namdaemun Market, one of the city’s largest outdoor markets and the shopping center of Myeong-dong.“We are seeing business clients that are visiting the city not only to launch new businesses but also to become part of a task force. They are staying from one month up to six months,” said Choe Peng-sum, CEO of Frasers Hospitality at a press conference held in Seoul, Monday.“At the same time, we have family travelers many of whom would like a home away from home,” he s

Jul 11, 2013By Kim Ji-soo

Others

Si.Wha.Dam, poem, painting, story on food

Oh Chung, left, CEO of KOOD Inc. and his wife Park Kyoung-won, creative director at Si.Wha.Dam smile while talking about “hansik” or Korean food at the restaurant in Itaewon, Thursday./ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulThis is the first in a series of interviews with “power couples” leading in their respective fields. — ED.By Kim Ji-soo“White Lotus Flower Water” is organic white lotus flower brewed in hot water, with a lotus flower stalk as a natural straw. It is served as an appetizing drink.We usually eat to keep hunger at bay.“Si.Wha.Dam” is one of those restaurants that inspires a deeper enjoyment of dining far beyond the basic need of eating to survive.The husband-and-wife couple who own and run this 50 seat restaurant, provide customers with a chance to appreciate a life made richer because of food.Of course, the fare on offer is extraordinary. Not only is each dish tasty and beautiful to look at, there is also a story behind it.Here is a small appetizer about what you can expect there: the restaurant’s name is

Jul 10, 2013By Kim Ji-soo

Others

'Old' K-pop stars making comeback

Moon Hee-jun, Eun JI-won, Danny Ahn, Tony An and Cheon Myeong-hoon pose in a press conference for their show titled “Pretty Boys of the20th Century” in this file photo. / Courtesy of QTVThe first generations are usually revered for paving the way.In the fast-moving music industry, that hasn’t been quite the case as newer and latest boy and girl-groups have taken over from their predecessors, leaving not much stage room for the first and second generations.First generation K-pop stars have been struggling to re-establish their presence on stage as differences have led to disbandment, expiration of contracts and male stars being called to perform compulsory military service. A rare exception has been the six-member Shinhwa who came out with their 11th album, “The Classic,” in late May. The single “This Love” briefly topped local charts, and the group also successfully launched a tour through Asia.However, some first-generational K-pop stars are slowly breaking through the trend. Comprised of Tony An, formerly of H.O.T, Moon Hee-joon also former

Jul 5, 2013By Kim Ji-soo

Kim Ji-soo

Read more

Drama, film festival to open in Tokyo in March

Dasom embraces biracial students

Stage shows attract foreign tourists

Lee back as `zombie' bride

'Character' industry lacks strategy

Government recruiting 'hallyu' experts

Why Lotte, Plaza, Shilla sing blues

Fraser Place Namdaemun opens

Si.Wha.Dam, poem, painting, story on food

'Old' K-pop stars making comeback

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