The Korea Times

INTERVIEW 'My father was idealist and optimist'

Ralph Ahn, the youngest son of independence activist and reformer Ahn Chang-ho, holds his father's last photo taken before his death in his home in Mission Hills in L.A. on Feb. 22.         /    Korea Times photo by Park Jin-haiThis is the second in a series of articles highlighting Korea's overseas independence fighters to mark the centennial of the March 1 Independence Movement ― ED. Ahn Chang-ho's youngest son recalls patriotic father, his legacyBy Park Jin-haiLos Angeles, CA ― Ralph Ahn, 92, the youngest son and only surviving child of independence activist, educator and politician Ahn Chang-ho, better known by his pen name Dosan, has little memory of his father. The youngest child of the activist was unable to meet his father while he was alive, because Ahn had been preoccupied all his life with fulfilling his lifetime mission ― Korea's independence from Japanese colonial rule. “My siblings have told me he was a good father though,” Ralph Ahn said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at his home in Mission Hills

Mar 3, 2019By Park Jin-hai

[INTERVIEW] 'My father was idealist and optimist'

Politics

Former journalist becomes R&B singer

Singer-songwriter Sobae       /       Courtesy of Ilzo & COBy Park Jin-haiSobae, real name Kim Ji-young, is an aspiring Korean-American singer-songwriter. But one thing surprising fans of her music is her unlikely former career ― she was a journalist. The 26-year-old R&B singer chose to pursue music as a career with her 2017 debut single “Switch Up,” leaving behind her promising future as a broadcast journalist. “Everyone thought it was nuts. They were like why are you doing this right now? I thought about this 100 times,” the artist, a graduate of the master's program at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.As a student journalist, she's met various people from gang members to politicians and lawyers to homeless people. When she was in Chicago, she and a camera partner often went to the south side, one of the most dangerous areas of the city, risking her own safety for a good story. She has recorded narrations on the road, and used an editing

Mar 2, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Trends

Young activist unearths, brings forgotten heroes back to life

Jung Sang-gyu poses with his book “Forgotten Heroes, Independence Fighters.” Courtesy of Jung Sang-gyuBy Park Jin-haiJung Sang-gyu, author and social activist, is an odd man out. People of his age have grown increasingly nonchalant to history as they are busy honing foreign language skills and pursuing higher education. Jung, who studied mathematics and economics at the University of Oregon, renounced his permanent U.S. residency status and chose to join the Air Force to fulfill his military duty. In 2014, while he was serving as an officer, he began to study independence fighters, and a year later launched the “Independence Fighters App.”“I was no different from others before. As an expat student living in the U.S., I had lived fiercely constantly trying to prove myself, competing with other students,” said the 31-year-old Jung who is a working committee member for the Presidential Commission on the Centennial Anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the Korean Provisional Government. He was determined to come back to his home country

Feb 21, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Young activist unearths, brings forgotten heroes back to life

Patriotism brings older, younger generations together

Trends

Patriotism brings older, younger generations together

Doh-ol, left, and Yoo Ah-in reach out to the young audiences in KBS talk show and tell why people of today should remember history. Courtesy of KBSInteractive centennial anniversary programs narrow generation gapBy Park Jin-haiIn October 1926, actor and director Na Woon-gyu's silent film “Arirang” premiered, and the Dansungsa cinema in Seoul was filled with the sound of audiences wailing.In Korea's first nationalist film, Na plays university student Young-jin who lost his mind after being imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese for his involvement in the March 1 independence protest of 1919 against the Japanese occupation of Korea. When a Japanese collaborator tries to rape his sister, he kills the person with a sickle and gets arrested by the Japanese police, while villagers weep together.Audiences under the oppression of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule sympathized with Young-jin. They wept all together and sang the traditional folksong Arirang, as it was played in the film. In commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the Korea P

Feb 21, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Patriotism brings older, younger generations together

Young activist unearths, brings forgotten heroes back to life

Films

INTERVIEW Lee Jung-jae less flamboyant in 'Svaha'

Lee Jung-jae poses prior to an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of CJ EntertainmentLee Jung-jae returns less flamboyant in 'Svaha' By Park Jin-haiVeteran actor Lee Jung-jae, who instantly shot to stardom with his silent bodyguard role in 1995 drama “Sandglass,” has starred in many dramas and films, portraying strong and attractive characters in slick black suits.Looking at his recent work, the 46-year-old actor seems to have taken off some weight and become “less flamboyant.” The star of “The Handmaiden” (2010) has appeared in the mega-hit “Along with the Gods” film series as a supporting actor, and in his latest thriller “Svaha: The Sixth Finger,” it seems his focus has been getting viewers to follow the plot, rather than admiring the actor himself. “Viewers always expect something new. So basically, I tend to try new characters. I've received many offers for manly, strong characters like a detective and a secret agent, but I decided to join this film because I thought as an actor

Feb 18, 2019By Park Jin-hai

[INTERVIEW] Lee Jung-jae less flamboyant in 'Svaha'

Shows & Dramas

Superpowered 'Item' debuts with eye-pleasing visual effects

Actor Ju Ji-hoon, second from left, speaks during a press conference for MBC's new sci-fi fantasy drama “Item” at the network's headquarters in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of MBCBy Park Jin-hai What if ordinary people discover special items like a bracelet that gives them psychokinetic powers or a future-seeing Polaroid camera? What would they try to do with them? MBC's sci-fi blockbuster “Item” starring Ju Ji-hoon starts with these questions. The webcomic-based fantasy drama tells the story of a prosecutor and criminal profiler duo who track down a conspiracy revolving around items that enable ordinary people to gain “superpowers.”The much-anticipated Monday-Tuesday drama premiered Feb. 11 with a good start, debuting with 4.9 percent viewership. The first episode started with a strange dream of Kang Gon, played by Ju, of panicked passengers trapped in a runaway train. Kang wearing a mysterious bracelet with a blue aura jumps down onto the train tracks, wields enormous power and stops the disaster. Also in his dream, he sees a woman jumping from a bu

Feb 12, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Superpowered 'Item' debuts with eye-pleasing visual effects

Shows & Dramas

INTERVIEW Yum Jung-ah depicts twisted maternal love

Actress Yum Jung-ah poses prior to the interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in southern Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Artist CompanyBy Park Jin-hai In the recently ended JTBC drama “SKY Castle” that made history as a cable TV series with record ratings, actress Yum Jung-ah played a “tough mom.” Her character Han Seo-jin, was enough to be called an evil parent who would do anything for her own sake. Han, born as Gwak Mi-hyang from a family who sells meat products including intestines, forged a fake identity as a banker's daughter. Getting married to a doctor under the false identity, she always listened to her own desires, looking to be at the top of the social class, ignoring others she may hurt along the way. But viewers responded more fervently to the plotting mother Han than the philanthropic, good-hearted mother Lee Soo-im. “With this drama, I've been receiving the most attention from people in my entire 28-year acting career,” said the 46-year-old actress, who played the elite mother living in the affluent SKY Castle residential complex,

Feb 8, 2019By Park Jin-hai

[INTERVIEW] Yum Jung-ah depicts twisted maternal love

Films

'Extreme Job' takes over box office by storm

A scene from the film “Extreme Job” / Courtesy of CJ EntertainmentBy Park Jin-haiDirector Lee Byeong-heon's new comedy film has taken over the local box office. The low budget film continues to surprise the film market, renewing daily ticket sales.Lee said he tried not to feel pressure thinking about reviews and “just made it, thinking it is an entertainment show.” It has topped the box office for nine straight days since its Jan. 23 release. The film, starring Ryu Seung-young and Lee Ha-nee, tells the story of a team of vice detectives who go undercover inside a fried chicken eatery to crack down on an organized crime ring. But things take an unexpected turn when the detectives' chicken shop earns sudden fame as the hottest eatery in town. It sold over 5 million as of Friday. Previously, it broke the daily admission record with the sales of 1 million tickets on the opening weekend, surpassing that of box office-hit “Along With The Gods” with some 916,000, set Jan. 1 2018. It only took eight days for the film to reach the 4 million admissions mark,

Feb 1, 2019By Park Jin-hai

'Extreme Job' takes over box office by storm

Shows & Dramas

TV show unveils truth about 'faith healer' pastor

A scene captured from MBC's “PD Notebook”By Park Jin-haiA local investigative TV show has revisited the case surrounding megachurch pastor Lee Jae-rock, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison last November for raping and sexually harassing at least eight female congregants. MBC's PD Notebook, aired a segment Tuesday which reported that the 75-year-old pastor of Manmin Central Church saw himself as equal to God and looked into allegations raised repeatedly against the pastor involving sexual abuse. This included grooming young victims and forcing them to have sex with him. In 1999, the same show previously attempted to report the allegations but the Seoul Central District Court accepted the church's filing for an injunction and ruled that MBC should delete parts related to the sexual abuse allegations. During the broadcast, the MBC building was besieged by thousands of Lee's followers, some of whom stormed the TV station and cut off the power. Tuesday's show aired the deleted 15-minute clip along with other allegations. The show garnered a 5.4 percent viewership, its high

Jan 30, 2019By Park Jin-hai

TV show unveils truth about 'faith healer' pastor

Shows & Dramas

INTERVIEW Kim Seo-hyung steals show

Kim Seo-hyung / Courtesy of Fly Up EntertainmentActress talks about role of villain in hit drama SKY Castle By Park Jin-hai Neatly combed-back haired and dressed in all-black, when actress Kim Seo-hyung appears in the popular JTBC drama “SKY Castle,” she steals the show with her domineering charisma and eerie, mysterious aura. The 45-year-old veteran actress plays cold-hearted personal counselor Kim Ju-young in the drama, who is hired by super-rich parents, who want to give their children easy tickets to the most coveted university to pass on their wealth and social status. “Hearing just that the drama revolves around mothers obsessed with their children's education, I was worried that it could end up being the same old soap opera with helicopter moms. But the first two episodes changed all that,” the actress said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in southern Seoul, Tuesday. “Each episode felt like a film with great cinematography and great directing. So to some extent, I forecast that it would garner good rankings. I thought it might ri

Jan 30, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

INTERVIEW 'My father was idealist and optimist'

Former journalist becomes R&B singer

Young activist unearths, brings forgotten heroes back to life

Patriotism brings older, younger generations together

INTERVIEW Lee Jung-jae less flamboyant in 'Svaha'

Superpowered 'Item' debuts with eye-pleasing visual effects

INTERVIEW Yum Jung-ah depicts twisted maternal love

'Extreme Job' takes over box office by storm

TV show unveils truth about 'faith healer' pastor

INTERVIEW Kim Seo-hyung steals show

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