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Park Jin-hai

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.

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Shows & Dramas

New audition show aims to nurture band music in Korea

By Park Jin-haiJoe Hahn, DJ and producer of American rock band Linkin ParkAmid the Korean music scene dominated with K-pop idol music, JTBC's new music audition show was launched on a mission to create a “super” band composed of versatile musicians capable of producing music spanning many musical genres.“Super Band” premiered on Friday evening, with many talented contestants and musical prodigies appearing on the show. Five judges ― veteran singer-producers Yoon Jong-shin and Yoon Sang, Joe Hahn of U.S. rock band Linkin Park, popular band Nell's lead vocalist Kim Jong-wan and K-pop duo AKMU's Suhyun ― participate in the show. The contestants will pair with each other to make their own bands and advance to each round. The final winning band will receive prize money of 100 million won and the chance to have a concert tour.The “super contestants” as Joe Hahn called them in the press event showed their individual talents in the first episode. Among them was a young man who had not taken any formal music training but the talent he displayed on YouTube l

Apr 14, 2019By Park Jin-hai
New audition show aims to nurture band music in Korea
Entertainment

Actor denies drug abuse allegation

K-pop singer Park Yoo-chun speaks during a news conference at Press Center in central Seoul, Wednesday. He denied the allegation that he encouraged his former girl friend Hwang Ha-na to use prohibited drugs.By Park Jin-haiPark Yoo-chun, actor and a member of the K-pop boy group JYJ, has denied allegations that he encouraged his ex-girlfriend Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of a major Korean dairy producer, to use drugs.In a press conference held at the Press Center, Wednesday evening, Park said, “I've never taken drugs nor did I force Hwang to use them.”“At a time when I'm working hard every day in order to resume my activities, it is total nonsense that I've even thought about using drugs that can make all my efforts in vain.” The 33-year-old star fell from grace following a rape charge brought against him in 2016, but he was legally cleared of the charge later.Hwang has been taken into custody following suspicions of the abuse of prohibited drugs between May 2015 and April 2018. During questioning, she allegedly said Saturday, “2015 was t

Apr 10, 2019By Park Jin-hai
Actor denies drug abuse allegation
Shows & Dramas

Drama portrays life of freedom fighter

Actor Yoo Ji-tae will play legendary independence fighter Kim Won-bong in MBC's new period drama “Different Dreams” / courtesy of MBCMBC TV series to rekindle controversy about him By Park Jin-haiMBC's upcoming blockbuster period drama “Different Dreams” will portray the life of legendary independence fighter Kim Won-bong.The drama is set in Seoul, Manchuria and Shanghai during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea (1910-1945). Starring Yoo Ji-tae and Lee Yo-won, the story revolves around Kim Won-bong, who organized a group of Korean independence fighters called Uiyeoldan at the age of 22 and led armed resistance against the Japanese imperialists. Actress Lee plays a surgeon named Lee Young-jin, a Korean adopted by a Japanese couple. She later becomes a spy for the Korean government-in-exile in Shanghai. It is being broadcast to commemorate the centennial of the March 1 Independence Movement and establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai.Yoon Sang-ho, director of the upcoming drama, said he wanted to make “the second

Apr 10, 2019By Park Jin-hai
Drama portrays life of freedom fighter
Films

Shin Seong-il retrospective: forever young

By Park Jin-hai The last actor Shin Seong-il / YonhapThe late actor Shin Seong-il is an integral part of Korean cinema history. Recalling Shin, director Park Chan-wook said, “Without understanding Shin, people cannot talk about the history of Korean cinema or modern Korean culture.”The Korea Film Archive is holding a retrospective for the great actor, titled “The Legend of Korean Cinema, Shin Seong-il,” which started last Thursday and will continue through June 30, to shine a light on his life. Shin died of lung cancer in November last year. He was 81. Since his debut in 1960 with “Romance Papa,” directed by prominent director Shin Sang-ok, he instantly emerged as the icon of young people in the 1960s. Throughout his life, he starred in 514 films.Although his roles changed from the young rebellious adult of the 1960s to a helpless middle-aged man in the 1970s and an aging man afterwards, for many movie fans Shin is remembered as a “young icon.” The exhibition focuses on his “new generation image” and why he became the icon o

Apr 8, 2019By Park Jin-hai
Shin Seong-il retrospective: forever young
Shows & Dramas

New JTBC drama brings up school violence issue

Cast members for JTBC's new drama “Beautiful World, from left, Park Hee-soon, Choo Ja-hyun, Cho Yeo-jeong and Oh Man-seok pose during a press event at Imperial Palace in Seoul, Thursday. /Courtesy of JTBCBy Park Jin-haiJTBC, the cable network that enjoyed nationwide popularity due to its portrayal of Korea's twisted education fervor in the recent drama “SKY Castle,” is heading to school again. Its upcoming weekend drama “Beautiful World” will cover the issue of school violence. The 16-part drama, starring Choo Ja-hyun, Park Hee-soon, Cho Yeo-jeong and Oh Man-seok, will tell the story of two families: the family of a school violence victim and that of the perpetrator. Choo, who gained popularity with her Chinese husband Yu Xiaoguang by appearing in the reality show “Same Bed, Different Dreams 2 ― You Are My Destiny,” is returning to the small screen here after almost a decade. The 40-year-old actress has mostly focused on the Chinese market, since she was cast in a Taiwanese drama in 2003. She will play Kang In-ha, the victim's mother who is m

Apr 5, 2019By Park Jin-hai
New JTBC drama brings up school violence issue
Books

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
Hip-hoppers visit time-honored stores
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
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