The Korea Times

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

Celebs cook for 'Korean food-sick' foreigners

Trends

Charisma incarnate - women save men

Female characters in films, dramas transformingBy Park Jin-haiIn the recent local box-office hit “Extreme Job,” drug lord Lee Moo-bae (played by Shin Ha-kyun) has a female body guard Sun-hee. The tall, tight-lipped woman in a black suit with her hair pulled up in a ponytail dispatches all the henchmen of a rival drug ring with decisive action.She doesn't speak a word or display any emotion on her face. She has the single-minded goal of defending her boss from all possible dangers.Just as Lee Jung-jae appealed to female fans through his charismatic bodyguard role in SBS' 1995 hit TV series “Sandglass,” Sun-hee faithfully completes every job her boss tells her to do and does it perfectly. On the small screen, the female lead of the ongoing KBS drama “My Lawyer, Mr. Jo 2: Crime and Punishment” has a secretary and right-hand “woman.” Having excellent physical prowess, the secretary accompanies her boss at all times and protects her with loyalty. Experts say Korean dramas and films are increasingly portraying strong female characters, reflec

Mar 20, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Entertainment

Uncomfortable parallels between K-pop scandal and 'Intimate Stranger'

Graphic by Bae So-youngBy Park Jin-hai In last year's hit film “Intimate Stranger,” tensions fill the air among four couples as smartphone rings sound whenever new chat messages arrive. In the seemingly innocuous party game, where they consent to unlocking their cellphones and sharing all its contents with others, they know what problems their phones can bring. As their smartphones reveal their dirty secrets which they tried to keep for their entire lives, the whole situation goes out of control. “I thought I knew everything about you. But it turned out you are a complete stranger," one of the four women shouts in despair. The film carries the message that “People lead three different lives ― a public life, a private one and a secretive one.”The fictional story has become a reality in the latest sex video scandal that wreaked havoc on the careers of several K-pop stars. The incident began with a minor offense case. As the police embarked on their investigation, however, shocking revelations have come day after day. Like “Intimate Stranger” sh

Mar 18, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Uncomfortable parallels between K-pop scandal and 'Intimate Stranger'

Shows & Dramas

'2 Days & 1 Night' viewers call for end of show

A scene from KBS reality show “2 Days & 1 Night” / Courtesy of KBSBy Park Jin-haiThe long-running KBS reality show “2 Days & 1 Night” has been hit by the worst crisis in its 12-year-long broadcasting history. The show has halted its production and broadcasting following one of its cast member's Jung Joon-young's being accused of illicitly recording and sharing sex videos online. If that is not enough, the show has faced requests from viewers for the show to be ended for good, citing the production crew's chronic moral hazard problems. K-pop singer Jung's case surfaced for the first time, when Seungri of K-pop act BIGBANG was interrogated for his involvement in a snow-balling sex and drug scandal at local nightclub Burning Sun the latter has taken a part in running. Jung and Seungri's agencies axed the two controversial K-pop stars. KBS, taking responsibility, announced on Friday that the show has been replaced for the time being. “For the two episodes that we've finished filming with Jung, I previously considered editing Jung's part and broadcast

Mar 17, 2019By Park Jin-hai

'2 Days & 1 Night' viewers call for end of show

Corrupt ties between police, K-pop star's nightclub revealed

Films

Yum Jung-ah returns with family fiasco movie

Yum Jung-ah seen in the film "Another  Child" / Courtesy of ShowboxBy Park Jin-haiYum Jung-ah, star of JTBC's hit drama “SKY Castle,” who impressed viewers with her strong mother character, returns to the big screen to play another mother role. In the film with “Another Child,” directed by actor-turned-director Kim Yun-seok, the 46-year-old actress plays the role of Young-ju, whose happy normal life is suddenly turned upside down. The film revolves around two families whose two underage daughters discover their parents' infidelity. While Young-ju's daughter tries to deal with her father's cheating on her own to save the family, Mi-hee, the daughter of her father's cheating partner, spills the beans and things come crashing down. “It is a film that makes people think (about life). If my previous mother roles focused more on motherhood and maternity, my new role depicts more of her 'woman' side faced with the family crisis,” said Yum during a press conference at a local theater in Seoul, Wednesday. “Although it was not an easy role to take

Mar 13, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Yum Jung-ah returns with family fiasco movie

K-pop

German baritone with disability to perform in Seoul

By Park Jin-haiThomas Quasthoff / Courtesy of LG Arts CenterThomas Quasthoff, 59, was born as a “Thalidomide baby.” Due to the drug his mother took in her pregnancy, he is only 1.34 meter tall, with small arms attached close to his trunk. But the tiny man has a mighty voice that can transcend all prejudices. The German bass-baritone is coming to Seoul for his debut performance here. After his Daejeon concert at Daejeon Arts Center on Saturday, he will perform at LG Arts Center in southern Seoul, on March 19, as a jazz singer. His concerts are part of an Asian tour for his latest jazz album “Nice 'N' Easy” released in May, last year. He started taking singing lessons at 13 as a hobby. After his entry into the conservatory in Hanover was denied due to his physical limitations, he studied voice privately. His music career was launched in 1988 when he won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. In 2003, he finally hit the opera stage and he has become a three-time Grammy award-winner for Best Classical Vocal Performance in 2000, 2004, and 2006. Followin

Mar 12, 2019By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

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

Charisma incarnate - women save men

Uncomfortable parallels between K-pop scandal and 'Intimate Stranger'

'2 Days & 1 Night' viewers call for end of show

Yum Jung-ah returns with family fiasco movie

German baritone with disability to perform in Seoul

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