The Korea Times

INTERVIEW Actor Um Tae-goo has many faces

Actor Um Tae-goo / Courtesy of Netflix By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Um Tae-goo is innately driven toward playing strong characters, but that doesn't define who he is in real life. The 38-year-old actor confessed that he actually dislikes violence and horror movies. Instead, he finds simple pleasure in sipping iced vanilla latte and watching cute videos of his dog.During an interview with The Korea Times, Um shared insights and memories about everything from his strengths and weaknesses as an actor, why he's attracted to noir films, his hopes of gaining higher levels of recognition and how he stepped into the shoes of a mobster for “Night in Paradise.”In director Park Hoon-jung's sixth feature “Night in Paradise,” Um plays Park Tae-goo, who is driven by the urge to take revenge against an organized crime gang, Buksung, which killed his sister and niece in a deadly car accident. Outraged over the loss of his family members, he stabs gangsters and the head of the gang, which

Apr 15, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Actor Um Tae-goo has many faces

Shows & Dramas

Seo Yea-ji's career goes into tailspin amid multiple allegations of misconduct

Actress Seo Yea-ji in a scene from “It's Okay to Not Be Okay” / Courtesy of tvNBy Kwak Yeon-sooActress Seo Yea-ji is facing what may be the biggest crisis of her career, concerning her reputation. A few days after she was blamed for controlling her then-boyfriend and actor Kim Jung-hyun while he was filming MBC's romance drama, “Time” in 2018, Seo has been accused of school bullying, mistreating staff and falsifying her educational background. On Monday, local tabloid Dispatch reported that Seo and Kim, co-stars of the 2018 romance film, “Stay with Me,” were dating when Kim was shooting the “Time” series, and the actress demanded him to decline to be filmed in any romantic scenes with his co-star Seohyun. Seo allegedly pressured Kim “to change the script to delete romantic scenes and physical contact” and to “act cold” toward female co-stars and staff. Kim eventually stepped down from his role, citing sleeping and eating disorders.Responding to reports, Seo's management agency, Gold Medalist, said Tuesday that me

Apr 14, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Seo Yea-ji's career goes into tailspin amid multiple allegations of misconduct

Films

INTERVIEW Gong Yoo contemplates what it is to be human in sci-fi film 'Seobok'

Gong Yoo / Courtesy of Management SOOPBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Gong Yoo said he came to think a lot about life and death while filming “Seobok,” a sci-fi film about the relationship between a terminally-ill man and a human clone.“Through this film, I was able to look back at my own life and pose questions about what kind of human I want to be. I think how you live is more important than living a long life,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times via Zoom, Tuesday. Directed by Lee Yong-joo, “Seobok” tells the story of a Ki-heon (Gong), a former intelligence agent who is suffering from a terminal illness and is given a final mission to secretly transport the world's first human clone, Seobok (Park Bo-gum), to a safe haven. However, they find themselves in a number of life-threatening situations as other forces seek to take possession of Seobok. The 41-year-old actor revealed that he initially turned down the role. “I read the script and at first, I rejected the offer because I couldn't give a clear-cut answer to the film's big question,&

Apr 13, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Films

Bong Joon-ho to appear at 93rd Academy Awards as presenter

Bong Joon-ho / Korea Times file By Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Bong Joon-ho, whose film “Parasite” won four awards at last year's Academy Awards ― Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film ― will take part in the 93rd Oscars ceremony as a presenter.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday a number of this year's presenters, which also included Halle Berry, Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Additional presenters will be announced at a later date. It is still unclear which category Bong will present, but U.S. outlets such as Deadline predicted he will give the Best Director Award.He will likely meet the cast of “Minari,” which has earned six nominations ― Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Score. Bong has shown continuous support for “Minari,” hosting talks with director Lee Isaac Chung and actress Youn Yuh-jung. He previo

Apr 13, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Bong Joon-ho to appear at 93rd Academy Awards as presenter

Films

Youn Yuh-jung draws laughter for playful BAFTA acceptance speech

Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, held at Royal Albert Hall in London, Sunday (local time). Courtesy of BAFTA 'Minari' star takes huge leap towards Oscars with BAFTA winBy Kwak Yeon-sooIf there were an award given to the most humorous actor, Youn Yuh-jung would be one of the strongest contenders. She didn't lose her sense of humor even during her improvised acceptance speech at Sunday night's British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards. Playfully calling British people “snobbish,” the Korean actor said that this trait of theirs has made her even more proud of winning the Best Supporting Actress Award. “First, I express my deep condolences regarding your Duke of Edinburgh. And thank you so much for this award. Every award is meaningful, but this one, especially the fact that I am being recognized by British people, who are known to be snobbish… the fact that they approve of me as a good actor makes me very happy. Thank you so much,” Youn said. Her remarks drew the l

Apr 12, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Youn Yuh-jung draws laughter for playful BAFTA acceptance speech

Korean Youn Yuh-jung wins best supporting actress for 'Minari' at BAFTA

Shows & Dramas

New series 'Taxi Driver' kicks off with replacement cast member

SBS's new crime action series “Taxi Driver” reached a 13.5 percent viewership rating on Saturday. Courtesy of SBSBy Kwak Yeon-sooSBS's new TV series “Taxi Driver” got off to a good start with its first two episodes scoring over 10-percent viewership ratings. The series went to air on Friday, with a 10.7 percent viewership rating. The rating rose to 13.5 percent when the second episode was broadcast on Saturday.Before airing the first episode, the production team of “Taxi Driver” hit a snag because its original cast member Lee Na-eun of K-pop group April was mired in accusations that she ostracized her former bandmate, Lee Hyun-joo. Lee was replaced by actress Pyo Ye-jin.Based on the webcomic called “The Deluxe Taxi,” the series revolves around a former Special Forces officer named Kim Do-ki (Lee Je-hoon) who works for Rainbow Taxi Company, which seeks revenge on behalf of victims who have been unable to get justice via the Korean legal system. Kim brings justice against those who take advantage of blind spots in the legal system in this

Apr 11, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

New series 'Taxi Driver' kicks off with replacement cast member

Films

'Way Back Home' follows rape survivor's path to healing from trauma

A scene from “Way Back Home” / Courtesy of Monsoon Pictures By Kwak Yeon-sooThe movie “Way Back Home” focuses on a rape survivor's internal journey to put her life back together after the traumatic assault. In the film, actress Han Woo-yeon plays Jung-won, a rape survivor who is married to a loving husband, Sang-woo (Jeon Suk-ho), and is living a normal day-to-day life. One day, she receives a call from the police who says that the perpetrator who raped her 10 years ago has been arrestedHowever, Jung-won feels hesitant to tell her husband about the case, fearing his reaction. The couple's relationship becomes awkward and distant at first, but as Jung-won's traumatic past is revealed, Sang-woo comforts her, helping her to overcome the trauma.Director Park Sun-joo said she wanted to focus on the protagonist's path to healing from trauma. “I decided to make a film about rape survivor after watching news that a perpetrator was caught 10 years after committing the crime

Apr 11, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Way Back Home' follows rape survivor's path to healing from trauma

Films

INTERVIEW EXID's Hani on playing foul-mouthed runaway teenager in debut feature

Ahn Hee-yeon, also known as Hani of K-pop group EXID / Courtesy of Little Big Pictures By Kwak Yeon-sooAhn Hee-yeon, better known as Hani of K-pop girl group EXID, said playing a foul-mouthed runaway teenager in her debut feature, “Young Adult Matters,” was a brave and difficult decision.Directed by Lee Hwan, the film tells a story about a group of runaways trying to help one of their own terminate her pregnancy. Ahn plays play the role of Ju-young, a teenager who flees with her pregnant friend Se-jin (Lee Yu-mi) and comes to see the harshness of reality through a series of unfortunate events.Ahn explained that it was during her trip to Greece after terminating her contract with Banana Culture Entertainment when director Lee sent her a message asking her to review the script.“After my contract with my ex-agency expired, I went on a one-month trip to Greece and Italy. At that time, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I needed some 'me time' to think about my next step

Apr 8, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] EXID's Hani on playing foul-mouthed runaway teenager in debut feature

Films

Jeonju film festival unveils 10 films in international competition

From left, programmers Chun Jin-su, Moon Seok, Sung Moon and actress Choi Hee-seo announce the line-up of the 22nd Jeonju International Film Festival during an online press conference in Jeonju, Tuesday. Courtesy of Jeonju IFFBy Kwak Yeon-sooJeonju International Film Festival (Jeonju IFF) organizers announced on Tuesday the 10 feature films that will compete in the International Competition section this year. Selected from 398 submissions, the line-up includes Jimmy Keyrouz's Lebanese drama “Broken Keys,” about a pianist trying to escape a Syrian town controlled by ISIS; Colombian director Mercedes Gaviria's documentary “The Calm After the Storm,” which deals with familial conflicts; Ukrainian director Kateryna Gornostai's “Stop-Zemlia,” which tells the story of a teenage girl navigating emotional turmoil. “The biggest feature is that six out of 10 are works of female directors. I think there has been a breakthrough with female filmmakers around the globe and this phenomenon will likely continue. The themes were varied ― from films that cente

Apr 6, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Films

'Night in Paradise' offers rare glimpses of tranquility amid bloody gang war

From left, actors Um Tae-goo, Jeon Yeo-been and Cha Seoung-won pose during a press conference for “Night in Paradise” on Jeju Island, Friday. Courtesy of Netflix By Kwak Yeon-sooWriter-director Park Hoon-jung's new film, “Night in Paradise,” is a noir-themed crime thriller that deviates from conventional gangster movies. It places a superheroine at the forefront and offers rare glimpses of tranquility amid a bloody gang war.Park, whose screenwriting credits include “I Saw the Devil” (2010) and “The Unjust” (2010), previously directed the gangland crime drama “New World” (2013) and the female-centered heroine franchise film “The Witch: Park 1. The Subversion” (2018).The film revolves around a mobster named Tae-goo (Um Tae-goo) who is being chased by organized crime gangs. He flees to Jeju Island and meets Jae-yeon (Jeon Yeo-been), a mysterious woman with impressive sharpshooting skills, but who is suffering from a terminal illness. Cha Seoung-won plays gang chief Ma,

Apr 5, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kwak Yeon-soo

Read more

INTERVIEW Actor Um Tae-goo has many faces

Seo Yea-ji's career goes into tailspin amid multiple allegations of misconduct

INTERVIEW Gong Yoo contemplates what it is to be human in sci-fi film 'Seobok'

Bong Joon-ho to appear at 93rd Academy Awards as presenter

Youn Yuh-jung draws laughter for playful BAFTA acceptance speech

New series 'Taxi Driver' kicks off with replacement cast member

'Way Back Home' follows rape survivor's path to healing from trauma

INTERVIEW EXID's Hani on playing foul-mouthed runaway teenager in debut feature

Jeonju film festival unveils 10 films in international competition

'Night in Paradise' offers rare glimpses of tranquility amid bloody gang war

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