The Korea Times

INTERVIEW Song Joong-ki says filming 'Space Sweepers' was learning experience

Actor Song Joong-ki / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooSong Joong-ki said he is blessed to have worked with the most warm-hearted, kind and supportive actors in the hit movie “Space Sweepers,” adding that he always loves working with director Jo Sung-hee.“I have so many wonderful memories. It's a really special movie for me because I filmed it during a dark period of my life. It's not something that I could get over with on my own, but I tried to accept distressing emotions as a natural part of life and brought all energy to my character,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times via Zoom, Tuesday.The actor didn't specify what triggered this dark period but his remarks appear to be associated with his divorce from actress Song Hye-kyo. “I'm really drawn to movies that encompass extended-family dynamics, and I think family is the most important value in our life. Whenever I have needed a reference for an emotional performance, I watched 'Legends of the Fall,' starring Brad Pitt, to understand the family code. I think I've watched it more than 50

Feb 9, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Song Joong-ki says filming 'Space Sweepers' was learning experience

'Space Sweepers' webtoon premieres in 4 countries

Shows & Dramas

Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun to star in show about escaping city life

A poster for tvN's “Unexpected Business” / Courtesy of tvNBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Zo In-sung will join Cha Tae-hyun to co-host “Unexpected Business,” tvN's latest reality show about escaping from city life.This is Zo's first time to be part of the main cast of a reality show, although he has made guest appearances on different shows in the past such as SBS' “Running Man” and KBS2's “Happy Together 3.”Created by Yoo Ho-jin, a star producer behind many successful TV shows such as KBS2's “2 Days & 1 Night,” and the production team of tvN's “Hometown Flex,” the show revolves around two friends running a small grocery store in the countryside. It intends to offer “healing” time for viewers by offering a glimpse of life outside of the city and showing the stars engage in conversation with local customers who visit their shop. Zo's fans are looking forward to getting to know the actor's real-life personality through the show. “Killer trio! Cha Tae-hyun, producer Yoo Ho-jin and Zo In-sung… Can'

Feb 8, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun to star in show about escaping city life

Films

'House of Hummingbird' star Park Ji-hu embraces her full potential in 'Black Light'

Park Ji-hu in a scene from “Black Light” / Courtesy of One-Take Film By Kwak Yeon-sooPark Ji-hu, who jumpstarted her career with the independent gem “House of Hummingbird” (2019), is returning to the big screen in the crime drama “Black Light.”The heroine of “Hummingbird” won multiple accolades for her role, including awards for best new actress in the Blue Dragon Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. She also won the award for Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature at the 18th Tribeca Film Festival “for her subtle performance of enormous range and complexity,” according to jury.Park stars in “Black Light” as Eun-young, a teenager whose life gets turned upside down after a traffic accident puts her father in a coma. Hee-joo (Kim Si-eun), the widow of the perpetrator who died in the accident, later learns that Eun-young's father tried to kill himself before the accident. Suspecting that Eun-young's father might have been attempting sui

Feb 8, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

'House of Hummingbird' star Park Ji-hu embraces her full potential in 'Black Light'

Films

Child abuse movie 'Go Back' moving and timely yet unconvincing

Actress Park Ha-seon in a scene from the film “Go Back” / Courtesy of Little Big PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe tragic death of a 16-month-old baby last year, as a result of her adoptive parents' chronic, repeated abuse, shocked the nation, sparking a public debate about better ways to protect children from violence, which has resulted in the revision of the law on child abuse. The revised law calls for dispatching police to sites where abuse has been reported and separating children from their abusive parents.Despite the strengthened legislation, the tremor felt from the poor baby being lost is still being felt. The upcoming crime drama, “Go Back,” raises public awareness of child abuse and holds adults accountable for neglecting children vulnerable to domestic violence. “Go Back” follows the story of a child named Bo-ra (Gam So-hyun), who disappears on the day of a mysterious kidnapping. The kidnapper demands that the public collect 100 million won ($89,465) within seven days, or otherwise they will kill the child. Police officer Ji-won (Ha Yun-kyun

Feb 8, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Child abuse movie 'Go Back' moving and timely yet unconvincing

Films

'Iconic actress fighting Alzheimer's, diabetes alone without proper care'

Actress Yoon Jeong-hee / Korea Times fileYoon's husband refutes claim, saying contents of petition are groundlessBy Kwak Yeon-sooSpeculation is mounting over the wellbeing of Yoon Jeong-hee, 77, who dominated the silver screen in the 1960s and 1970s as one of the three most-sought-after actresses, after an online petition claimed that the ailing star suffering from Alzheimer's disease and diabetes has been neglected by her immediate family ― her husband and daughter. An anonymous person posted a petition on the website of Cheong Wa Dae, Friday, claiming, “Yoon is in a lone fight against Alzheimer's and diabetes in an apartment in the suburbs of Paris without being properly cared for by her spouse, because they live apart.” The real names that appeared in the original text were removed by the administrator for privacy reasons. “It has been two years since her husband has seen her (Yoon). Her daughter lives nearby, but she's unable to take proper care of the actress because she's busy with her own work and family life. (Yoon's) siblings asked the daughter to allow the

Feb 7, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Iconic actress fighting Alzheimer's, diabetes alone without proper care'

Pianist Paik Kun-woo denies claims he abandoned his wife suffering from Alzheimer's

Films

'Minari' earns one Golden Globe nomination

A scene from the film “Minari” / Courtesy of Pan CinemaBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Lee Isaac Chung's moving immigrant drama “Minari” was nominated in one category for the upcoming 2021 Golden Globe Awards, organizers said Wednesday.The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organizer of the Golden Globes, released the list of nominees for its 2021 awards, and announced “Minari” had been nominated for “Best Foreign Language Film.”The Globes honor achievements in film and television and the ceremony is often considered an unofficial kickoff to the awards season, with the Oscars following. Controversially, “Minari” was not allowed to compete for the top prize, but instead for the best foreign language film, because the characters in the film predominantly speak Korean. The film is nominated alongside director Thomas Vinterberg's “Another Round,” Jayro Bustamante's “La Llorona,” Edoardo Ponti's “The Life Ahead,” and Filippo Menghetti's “Two of Us.”Despite much anticipation, actress

Feb 3, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Minari' earns one Golden Globe nomination

'Outdated' Golden Globes rules cause stir again over 'Minari'

Films

Yoo Teo plays Paralympic snowboarder in rom-com 'New Year Blues'

Actor Yoo Teo / Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Yoo Teo said his own experience recovering from a sports injury helped him get into character for “New Year Blues.” In the upcoming romantic comedy, Yoo plays Paralympic snowboarder Rae-hwan who is about to marry Oh-wol (Choi Soo-young of Girls' Generation) his girlfriend of seven years.“From ages 12 through 20, I played basketball. I was serious about becoming a professional basketball player and I was scouted by several teams. But I suffered cruciate ligament injuries twice and ruptured my Achilles tendon. When I was 17, my doctor told me that I'd be lucky if I could walk comfortably. I walked on crutches for six months,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times held Wednesday via Google Meet. “Of course I don't know what it's like to lose a limb in an accident, but I used my personal experience to understand how Rae-hwan grows from his pain.”Helmed by Hong Ji-young, the director behind

Feb 3, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Yoo Teo plays Paralympic snowboarder in rom-com 'New Year Blues'

Films

Blade Runner meets Goonies in 'Space Sweepers,' featuring Song Joong-ki

From left, actors Jin Sun-kyu, Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri and Yoo Hai-jin pose during a press conference for the film “Space Sweepers” in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe cast of “Space Sweepers,” Korea's first movie set in space, expressed satisfaction with the film's upcoming release at a press conference on Tuesday.“Space Sweepers” is set in the year 2092 when Earth has become barely habitable, and follows the story of a spaceship crew who sell space junk for a living. During one of their searches for space debris, they discover a mysterious cybernetic being who, as they learn later, is a dangerous weapon capable of mass destruction.When the crew members learn what she is capable of and that she is wanted by the UTS Space Guards, they decide to strike a profitable deal.Song Joong-ki plays the intelligent pilot Kim Tae-ho of spaceship Victory, who is able to think on his feet and come up with useful schemes. Despite this, he's not entirely happy with his life.“When I first came across Tae-ho's character, I imagined hi

Feb 2, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Blade Runner meets Goonies in 'Space Sweepers,' featuring Song Joong-ki

Films

Kim Young-kwang, Lee Sun-bin star in action comedy 'Mission Possible'

From left, actor Kim Young-kwang, director Kim Hyeong-ju and actress Lee Sun-bin pose during a press event for the film “Mission Possible” in Seoul, Monday. /Courtesy of Merry ChristmasBy Kwak Yeon-sooAction comedy film “Mission Possible” tells the story of a private detective teaming up with a secret agent to complete a secret mission. In the upcoming film, Kim Young-kwang plays Woo Soo-han, who runs a private detective agency and gets embroiled in a dangerous operation after partnering with spy Yoo Da-hee (Lee Sun-bin). Director Kim Hyeong-ju explained that the upcoming film has nothing to do with Hollywood's “Mission Impossible” series. “I could have chosen a simpler title, but I thought Mission Possible best represents the genre and tone of the film. It would cost a lot of money to make something similar to Mission Impossible. I'd like the audience to understand that it's a separate creation,” he said during a press event for the film, Monday. On choosing action comedy for his debut feature, Kim said, “I've always liked fun mo

Feb 1, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kim Young-kwang, Lee Sun-bin star in action comedy 'Mission Possible'

K-pop

Stars feel pressure to bring abusive content creators to justice

By Kwak Yeon-sooWith the increasing popularity of secondary content derived from K-pop, writing, sharing and reading fan fiction featuring idols has become common in fandom. However, risks lurk in such creative works as seen in a recent presidential petition. Sexualizing K-pop singers in fan fiction caused a stir earlier this year after an anonymous petitioner filed a complaint on the Cheong Wa Dae website, calling for harsh punishment for “real person slash” fiction (RPS) involving underage male idolsRPS is a subgenre of fan fiction depicting same-sex relationships involving real people, rather than fictional characters. In Korea, RPS first became popular in the 1990s with the rise of first-generation idols H.O.T. and Sechs Kies. Over the decades, fans have continued to share RPS fan fiction with other enthusiasts in the form of writings, drawings, memes and videos. Many depict romantic, and often erotic tension between K-pop idols of the same sex. Some involve sex acts as well as exploitive scenes of rape and other sex crimes.Calling such content “too raunchy,&rdq

Feb 1, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kwak Yeon-soo

Read more

INTERVIEW Song Joong-ki says filming 'Space Sweepers' was learning experience

Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun to star in show about escaping city life

'House of Hummingbird' star Park Ji-hu embraces her full potential in 'Black Light'

Child abuse movie 'Go Back' moving and timely yet unconvincing

'Iconic actress fighting Alzheimer's, diabetes alone without proper care'

'Minari' earns one Golden Globe nomination

Yoo Teo plays Paralympic snowboarder in rom-com 'New Year Blues'

Blade Runner meets Goonies in 'Space Sweepers,' featuring Song Joong-ki

Kim Young-kwang, Lee Sun-bin star in action comedy 'Mission Possible'

Stars feel pressure to bring abusive content creators to justice

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