The Korea Times

Gong Ji-young reflects on life as a novelist in new book

By Park Jin-haiNovelist Gong Ji-young / Hankookilbo photo by Bae Woo-hanBest-selling novelist Gong Ji-young, 56, known for books “Go Alone Like a Rhino Horn” (1993), “Our Happy Time” (2005) and “The Crucible” (2009), has published an anthology looking back on her life as an author over the past three decades. The prolific author started writing full time in 1988 and her many works focused on social and labor issues. As one of the most popular Korean novelists, Gong's books have sold a total of 12 million copies. The newly published collection includes novels and essays. Gong's 2012 novel “Pain is Part of Love” and her more recent five works, including “Tall Blue Ladder,” “Recipes for My Daughter,” “Grandmother Never Dies” and “Haeri (dissociation),” have been newly edited and compiled. Among Gong's 25 works, the author carefully selected books she wanted to share with her readers for the new collection. The 365-page anthology also comes with some 32 photos that portray Gong's daily life. T

Apr 3, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Gong Ji-young reflects on life as a novelist in new book

Films

Romance films to charm moviegoers in April

Taiwanese heartthrob Darren Wang, right, is seen in the film “Fall in Love at First Kiss.” /Courtesy of AUDBy Park Jin-haiA flurry of romantic films will be released this spring to charm local audiences. With “Fall in Love at First Kiss,” starring Taiwanese heartthrob Darren Wang, currently faring well in the local box office, two more romances “Perfect World” and “Five Feet Apart” will give local audiences sentimental memories of puppy love this month.Although romance has not been a favored film genre for years, “Fall in Love at First Kiss,” telling of the romance between two teenagers at high school, is currently in third place at the box office. The adaptation of the Japanese manga series “Itazura na Kiss,” directed by Chen Yu-Shan, has attracted an accumulated 210,000 viewers since its March 27 release.The girl falls in love with an older boy on the first day of high school but keeps it to herself. When an earthquake hits her house, she and her father move into the house of her father's college friend, who ha

Apr 3, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Romance films to charm moviegoers in April

Entertainment

Go Joon-hee denies involvement in Seungri scandal

Go Joon-hee. Courtesy of Hankook Sports EconomyBy Park Jin-haiActress Go Joon-hee, rumored to have been involved in the sex scandal centered on Seungri, the former member of BigBang, has denied an allegation that she was invited to one of the K-pop singer's sex-for-business parties held for Japanese investors.In a statement issued Monday evening on Instagram, the 33-year-old actress denied any connection to Seungri, claiming the rumor was groundless. In a recent episode of an SBS investigative journalism show “Questions Unanswered,” part of a 2015 KakaoTalk group chatroom conversation between Seungri, Choi Jong-hoon and Jung Joon-young was revealed. In the chat, Seungri and Jung implied they were recruiting women for the party and Choi said, “This actress is in New York right now.” When Seungri asked “Noona (sister) is in New York again?” Choi replied “Actresses always go abroad whenever they have time off.”After their conversation was disclosed, netizens issued wild speculations presuming Go was the “New York noona” mention

Apr 2, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Go Joon-hee denies involvement in Seungri scandal

Shows & Dramas

Hip-hoppers visit time-honored stores

Cast members of O'live TV's new reality show "Old House Rapper" pose during a press event at Stanford Hotel in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Park Jin-hai“New retro” has become a popular trend ― with “retro,” or old things, being recreated with a modern touch, so they provoke nostalgia for the older generation, and newness for millennials unfamiliar with them. This trend has been incorporated into a reality show. In cable network O'live channel's new reality show “Old House Rapper,” which premiered last Monday, hip-hop rappers ― icon of newness ― visits old stores that have been there for generations. Through meetings with store owners, hip-hop musicians create songs inspired by their lives. The five cast members ― comedian Moon Se-yoon, and rappers Mad Clown, DinDin, KillaGramz and Hangzoo, question the owners, find points that they “respect” and create songs. Through the process, the show aims to provide a communication channel between the old and new generations.“This show has been designed basically as our tribute to an

Apr 1, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Shows & Dramas

Drama depicts smart farming, young romance

Apink member Bomi, left, and actor Lee Tae-hwan pose during a press event for the drama “Farming Academy” at SBS headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of SBSBy Park Jin-haiWith more people seek happiness through living a slow life, departing from the stressful and hectic city, SBS launched a new drama series depicting young farmers. “Farming Academy,” a four-part miniseries starring K-pop girl band Apink member Bomi and actor Lee Tae-hwan, is a campus romance story, set in the National Farming and Fishing Academy in Korea. It portrays the dreams, enthusiasm and friendships of young people who want to become professional farmers.“People just regard farming as just for the elderly. But currently farming employs many smart technologies. In the drama, we wanted to show young farming academy students learning those new technologies as well as their coming-of-age story through challenges, love and ordeals,” the drama's producer Kim Da-young said during a press event at the TV network's headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. “I believe audiences by

Mar 31, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Drama depicts smart farming, young romance

Films

K-pop singer IU to make film debut through Netflix

By Park Jin-haiK-pop singer and actress Lee Ji-eun, a.k.a. IU, poses during a press event for her debut film “Persona” at Conrad Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapK-pop singer and actress Lee Ji-eun, a.k.a. IU, will make her film debut in Netflix's original ensemble piece “Persona.” Four directors ― Lee Kyoung-mi, Yim Pil-sung, Jeon Go-woon and Kim Jong-kwan ― created four individual films for the ensemble, inspired by the 25-year-old K-pop icon.“I'm a bit bewildered to have my film debut. I tossed and turned last night with excitement, before the press conference,” IU said during the event at Conrad Seoul, Wednesday. “I accepted the offer, thinking it was a fresh experiment. Four directors through their own interpretation created four different characters. And I had to play them in a fairly short period of time. I think this project will remain in my memory for a long time.” IU began her music career as a singer-songwriter in 2008 and had many hit songs including “Good Day,” “You and I” and “Bbibbi.” Startin

Mar 27, 2019By Park Jin-hai

K-pop

Girl bands join 'Corset-free movement'

Mamamoo performs “Waggy” on MBC's “Show! Music Core.” / Courtesy of MBCBy Park Jin-haiIn the recent live concert for an SBS music show, K-pop girl group Dreamcatcher's members threw away their high heels between songs and danced barefoot in their next song “Chase Me.” Popular K-pop girl group Mamamoo took the stage wearing sweatshirts, easy pants and sneakers and sang “Waggy” on MBC's “Show! Music Core” earlier this month, while twelve-member girl group Loona's music video for their song “Butterfly” shows members in trouser suits with no facial expressions and intense dance choreography. Loona's music video also includes girls of other races and different body shapes and styles. K-pop girl groups, which were previously almost all identical in terms of their image that pursued a sexualized girlish image, appear to now be thinking outside the box and trying to present their own images. The ongoing sex video scandal involving K-pop stars Seungri, Jung Joon-young and other male celebrities was a turning point as it p

Mar 26, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Films

Park Chan-wook gets out of comfort zone

Park Chan-wook poses prior to an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of WatchaFilmmaker talks about UK drama debut By Park Jin-haiAward-winning filmmaker Park Chan-wook, one of the most celebrated Korean directors who has put Korean cinema on the global map through a series of works including “Old Boy”(2003), “Thirst” (2009) and “The Handmaiden” (2016), has made his first small screen debut in the U.K.The British miniseries “The Little Drummer Girl,” an adaptation of John le Carre's 1983 best-selling novel of the same name, set in the late 1970s, is a spy thriller revolving around a young, idealistic actress Charlie, played by Florence Pugh. She is recruited by the mysterious Gadi Becker, an Israeli intelligence officer, whom she is drawn to, and takes on a dangerous mission devised by spy mastermind Kurtz as a double agent who infiltrates a Palestinian terrorist group. Charlie is caught in a love triangle as she falls in love with both Becker and Kurtz. Director Park said he first contacted the novel's a

Mar 25, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Films

Hong Sang-soo returns with self-reflective opus

Actress Kim Min-hee, center, is seen in Hong Sang-soo's new film “Hotel by the River.” / Courtesy of Contents PandaBy Park Jin-haiHong Sang-soo, the prolific auteur who has been avoiding exposure to local media after he made public his extramarital affair with actress Kim Min-hee in 2017, returns to the local cinema with his latest film “Hotel by the River.”The sixth joint project between the director and actress, like their previous works “On the Beach at Night Alone” and “Claire's Camera,” is self-reflective. Hong's third film in black-and-white starts with the 58-year-old director's low, plain voice narrating the names of the cast and when and where the film was shot, along with the director's hand-written opening credits. The film revolves around two guests at a small provincial hotel on the frozen shores of the Han River and what happens in a single day. Young-whan, played by Hong's regular Ki Joo-bong, is an aged and divorced poet who has earned some fame with a book. Thanks to the courtesy of his fan and the hotel owner, Young-wh

Mar 22, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Hong Sang-soo returns with self-reflective opus

Shows & Dramas

Celebs cook for 'Korean food-sick' foreigners

Cast members of tvN's new show "Miss Korea" pose during a press conference at Stanford Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Park Jin-hai“I miss being in Korea. If you're asking me one thing (I miss the most), the number one thing is the food,” said Mark Lippert, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea known for his love of Korea, in tvN's upcoming food show. “There is nothing like Korean food. It's just amazing,” said the former diplomat who returned to the U.S. after his four year tenure ended in 2017. His Washington home is decorated with jangdok, Korean jars, hangeul, and hanbok-wearing dolls. In tvN's new show “Miss Korea,” (a twist on “I Miss Korea”) celebrities including Park Na-rae, Jo Se-ho and Han Go-eun, visit foreigners who miss their time in Korea and serve their favorite Korean foods in return for their stay. Other guests on the show include Johnny McDowell, one of the first foreign basketball players who played in the Korean Basketball League in the late 1990s ― the sport's heyday in Korea. “It's a 'Cook Stay' var

Mar 20, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

Gong Ji-young reflects on life as a novelist in new book

Romance films to charm moviegoers in April

Go Joon-hee denies involvement in Seungri scandal

Hip-hoppers visit time-honored stores

Drama depicts smart farming, young romance

K-pop singer IU to make film debut through Netflix

Girl bands join 'Corset-free movement'

Park Chan-wook gets out of comfort zone

Hong Sang-soo returns with self-reflective opus

Celebs cook for 'Korean food-sick' foreigners

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