The Korea Times

Kim Hee-sun plays double roles in soul-changing thriller

From left are actor Kim Young-kwang, actresses Kim Hae-sook and Kim Hee-sun, cast for tvN's upcoming fantasy thriller “Room No.9” during a press event in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Park Jin-haiKim Hee-sun, heroine of the 2017 mystery thriller “The Lady in Dignity,” returns to the small screen this year in the fantasy thriller “Room No.9.” In the 16-part weekend drama, the 41-year-old actress will take the role of the young and beautiful but manipulative lawyer Eulji Hae-yi, whose soul gets switched with death-row convict Jang Hwa-sa, played by veteran actress Kim Hae-sook, in room No.9, an inmate-lawyer meeting room. Although the soul-switching story is not very innovative in Korean dramas, tapped mostly in romantic comedies and depicted humorously, “Room No.9” uses it as a device to intensify the plot. “The switching souls story is not entirely new. But when it was used elsewhere, it often led to humor. In this drama, soul-changing will be used differently, driving the characters into a more dire situation,” the

Oct 3, 2018By Park Jin-hai

Kim Hee-sun plays double roles in soul-changing thriller

Shows & Dramas

'Mr. Sunshine' gives new life to independence fighters

This photo taken by British war correspondent Frederick Arthur McKenzie in 1907 shows the members of the Righteous Army in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province. / Photo from Frederick McKenzie's “Korea's Fight for Freedom”By Park Jin-haiThe 24-part blockbuster drama “Mr. Sunshine” finished its journey Sunday, rekindling viewers' attention to the forgotten freedom fighters who had sacrificed their lives for the independence of Korea on the verge of Japan's annexation.The popular TV series has left burning flames in viewers' hearts. In the last episode, ordinary people _ bakers, street vendors, pawn shop owners and many more young and old _ joined the freedom fighters called the “Righteous Army” to stand up to the repression of the Japanese military. Hiding in the mountains, the Righteous Army soldiers who have been struggling with jammed old rifles and running out of bullets tell a foreign correspondent interviewing them, “We know that all of us are bound to die if we continue this fight. But, we'd absolutely hate to live as Japanese slaves. We'd muc

Oct 1, 2018By Park Jin-hai

'Mr. Sunshine' gives new life to independence fighters

Shows & Dramas

So Ji-sub returns as babysitting undercover agent

Actor So Ji-sub, right, and other cast members of MBC's new romantic comedy “My Secret Terrius” pose during a press conference at the broadcaster's headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of MBCBy Park Jin-haiVeteran actor So Ji-sub has returned to the small screen after a two-and-a half-year hiatus with MBC's new romantic comedy series “My Secret Terrius.”The series, which combines elements of thriller and comedy, kicked off to a good start garnering a viewership rating of six percent to seven percent for its special four-episode, two-hour pilot aired Thursday. The 40-year-old actor So takes on the role of legendary National Intelligence Service (NIS) black ops agent Kim Bon, known as “Terrius.” Kim lives a reclusive life after a mishap three years ago that caused the death of his lover and his colleagues chasing him after being falsely suspected of being a double spy. He finds that the same killer who he has been after, was involved with the death of a neighbor, a father of six-year-old twins, and so he volunteers to work as babysitter i

Sep 30, 2018By Park Jin-hai

So Ji-sub returns as babysitting undercover agent

K-pop

BTS delivers heartening speech at UN

In this photo released by the United Nations, K-Pop band BTS speaks during a meeting focused on youth issues at the United Nations in New York, Monday. K-Pop sensation BTS brought their star power to the United Nations on, telling the world's youth to listen to their inner voice and resist pressure to conform. AFP-YonhapBy Park Jin-haiK-pop superstar BTS took to the UN stage to deliver a speech during the UN General Assembly in New York. Kim Nam-joon, better known as RM, the band leader, in his seven-minute speech as a youth representative, urged young people to “speak for yourself” at the launch of UNICEF's “Generation Unlimited” campaign aiming to empower and support young people across the world in fulfilling their potential.News media and music critics around the world reported another history-making moment for the seven-member K-pop band, which has been regarded as already having surpassed the K-pop genre tag on the global music landscape. “I stopped looking up at the night skies, the stars. I stopped daydreaming. Instead, I just tried to jam myself

Sep 26, 2018By Park Jin-hai

Korean Heritage

Traditional performances selected by UNESCO to be staged in Oct

Samulnori performers and street dancers showcase their collaborative work for the upcoming performance “All for One, One for All” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. / Courtesy of KOTPABy Park Jin-haiStarting with Samulnori, Korea's intangible cultural properties selected by UNESCO will be performed in Seoul. Marking the 40th anniversary of Samulnori, a Korean traditional percussion music genre, Korean traditional musicians will hold a large scale collaborative performance with street dancers. In the performance titled “All for One, One for All,” under the direction of master drummer Kim Duk-soo, who created the genre in 1978, originating from Korean folk music pungmul, samulnori performers will join hiphop musicians and street dancers in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Sept. 30. “Samulnori, born 40 years ago, has evolved over the years and now it has become one of the most popular traditional music genres. Global music fans give fervent reaction to the BTS song that has a hypnotic refrain that came from samulnori,” said

Sep 21, 2018By Park Jin-hai

Traditional performances selected by UNESCO to be staged in Oct

Korean Heritage

Hanbok that meets changing needs

Kim In-ja sewing master and hanbok designer stands in the garden of her workshop in Seoul, Monday. /Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Park Jin-haiSewing master Kim In-ja and her workshop look alike. Hidden on the hillside of the Bukchon Hanok Village, visitors must walk following narrow stone stairs and small flower planted rock gardens to reach the workshop that overlooks the traditional houses of the village. Although Dangchomun Kim In-ja Hanbok is not as fancy as boutiques in big cities, her small shop and Kim herself, the sewing master and the holder of Korean Important Intangible Cultural Properties No.89., exudes the simple and natural beauty of wildflowers on the street that look weak but are strong enough to rise time and again.Even with many internationally acclaimed fashion designers, including Giorgio Armani and Miuccia Prada, saying they get inspirations from hanbok, and K-pop artists like BTS and Lee Hyo-ri have shown the beauty of it, Kim says life as a "chimseonjang" or sewing master is not easy. “I, like many other hanbok designers, started sewing to make a li

Sep 20, 2018By Park Jin-hai

Hip, trendy hanbok stirs authenticity debate

Korean Heritage

Hip, trendy hanbok stirs authenticity debate

Foreign tourists wearing hanbok walk the courtyard at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Monday. /Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Park Jin-haiIn their “Idol” music video, superstar K-pop band BTS sing their song donned in Korean traditional hanbok. As it has garnered over 100 million views on YouTube in just five days after its release, their Korean attire also drew attention from global music fans. The robe-like hanbok worn with sneakers brought positive reviews online.“It's cool, I wish to see them performing in hanbok at the Billboard Music Awards,” a YouTuber left a comment, while another said, ”I like their modern and stylish designed hanbok. More so looking at them as the band that won over global audiences remembering their Korean roots.”Apart from BTS and other celebrities who claim to be hanbok admirers, more young Koreans and foreign tourists appreciate hanbok for the beauty of the traditional attire. Tourists from Japan pose for pictures in hanbok in the palace grounds. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukA big turnaround has happened in rece

Sep 20, 2018By Park Jin-hai

Hip, trendy hanbok stirs authenticity debate

Hanbok that meets changing needs

Films

INTERVIEW Ju Ji-hoon - chameleonic actor

Actor Ju Ji-hoon / Courtesy of ShowboxMost in-demand actor speaks about serial killer role in forthcoming film By Park Jin-haiJu Ji-hoon, 36, is one of the most in-demand actors, spending his busiest year since he made his debut in 2002. Ju has no limits with his acting range. He played an attractive and warm-hearted grim reaper in the smash hit fantasy film “Along with the Gods” series, whose second installment stormed local theaters this August. In the same month, in the espionage film “The Spy Gone North,” he transformed himself into the sarcastic head of the North Korean Security Agency, which also saw great commercial success at the local box office.The model-turned-actor is now awaiting the release of his latest and third film of the year. In the upcoming film “Dark Figure of Crime,” to be released Oct. 3, he takes the role of a psychopathic serial killer. “I've been totally blessed. I've been working for three full years recently without taking a break. I know that it is very rare for an actor to have such a prolific year,” Ju sa

Sep 19, 2018By Park Jin-hai

[INTERVIEW] Ju Ji-hoon - chameleonic actor

Shows & Dramas

Kim Je-dong hosts 'warm' news talk show

Kim Je-dong speaks about KBS news talk show “Tonight, Kim Je-dong” during a meeting with the press at a cafe in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of KBSBy Park Jin-haiComedian and TV personality Kim Je-dong, who hasn't been shy about voicing political opinions, has landed a job as a host on KBS's new current affairs talk show, “Tonight, Kim Je-dong.”KBS, in a bid to widen its audience appeal, tapped the 44-year-old outspoken liberal for the Monday-Thursday late-night show, which premiered last Monday. It looks at the major issues of the day from the perspective of viewers and explains them in easy-to-understand, witty words. “I've never thought that citizens' opinions are less valuable than those of experts,” Kim said during a meeting with the press at a cafe in Seoul, Thursday. “In the hope that there could be a new talk show to deliver viewers' opinions, I accepted the job. In our show, viewers are not just passive consumers of news delivered by experts, but are active suppliers of news. I as a host want to listen to people's voices more.”T

Sep 16, 2018By Park Jin-hai

K-pop

Cho Yong-pil amazed by BTS' global success

Singer Cho Yong-pil / Courtesy of artistHis “Thanks to You” concert across country continues By Park Jin-haiLegendary singer Cho Yong-pil says he was “amazed” by BTS' repeated feats on the Billboard music charts. “I was really surprised when Psy first appeared on the Billboard charts, but BTS making the chart again was definitely a shock,” the 68 year-old singer, who marks the 50th anniversary of his musical career this year, told reporters in Seoul, Thursday. “When Psy rose to the top, I thought, 'Will something like this happen again?' But BTS has done it twice. It was a bombshell not just for me but for all the people around me,” referring to BTS' first chart-topping album “Love Yourself: Tear” and the second “Love Yourself: Answer” three months later. Cho, nicknamed the first “national singer” for his popularity among people of all ages, was one of the first Korean pop singers who triggered hallyu. He entered the Japanese market in 1986 and his songs enjoyed as much popularity there as here in Kor

Sep 12, 2018By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

Kim Hee-sun plays double roles in soul-changing thriller

'Mr. Sunshine' gives new life to independence fighters

So Ji-sub returns as babysitting undercover agent

BTS delivers heartening speech at UN

Traditional performances selected by UNESCO to be staged in Oct

Hanbok that meets changing needs

Hip, trendy hanbok stirs authenticity debate

INTERVIEW Ju Ji-hoon - chameleonic actor

Kim Je-dong hosts 'warm' news talk show

Cho Yong-pil amazed by BTS' global success

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