The Korea Times

BLACKPINK documentary offers honest look at K-pop's biggest girl group

A scene from Netflix documentary “BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky” / Courtesy of Netflix By Kwak Yeon-soo“BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky,” Netflix's first-ever documentary about a K-pop group, tracks the progress of its four members ― Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa ―from their early years as trainees to their rapid rise to stardom.The feature-length documentary by “Salt Fat Acid Heat” director Caroline Suh, gives an intimate look at BLACKPINK's life and journey, filmed over the last few years.It features never-before-seen footage of the BLACKPINK members in childhood and during their trainee years, as well as behind-the-scenes videos of the group's Coachella performance in 2019 and their world tour.“We decided to shoot this documentary because we wanted to show a more honest and genuine side of ourselves to Blink (BLACKPINK's global fandom),” Jisoo said during an online press conference held in Seoul, Tuesday. “However, it turned out to be a meaningful time for us too becaus

Oct 14, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

BLACKPINK documentary offers honest look at K-pop's biggest girl group

Films

INTERVIEW Actor Yu Jae-myeong proud of taking meaty role in 'Voice of Silence'

Actor Yu Jae-myeong poses after an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Acemaker MovieworksBy Kwak Yeon-sooYu Jae-myeong, an actor having made strong impressions with the tvN dramas “Stranger” (2017) and “Itaewon Class” (2020), has taken on a meatier role in the crime drama “Voice of Silence.”For his latest role ― as Chang-bok in the upcoming film ― Yu has gone deep and dark. He makes a living cleaning up crime scenes for criminals with his cohort Tae-in (Yoo Ah-in). But as the story unfolds the two find themselves stuck with a kidnapped girl named Cho-hee (Moon Seung-ah).Yu said he liked how director Hong Eui-jeong uses comedic mise en scene and symbolism to lighten up the intense atmosphere and narrative.“In the pre-production stage, director Hong and I discussed a lot about Chang-bok's character, like what caused him to limp and how he became close with Tae-in. But we later agreed that all of these details don't matter that much,” Yu Jae-myeong said during an interview with The Korea Times at a ca

Oct 13, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Actor Yu Jae-myeong proud of taking meaty role in 'Voice of Silence'

Films

Kim Hye-soo set to return as detective in 'The Day I Died'

Kim Hye-soo in a scene from the film “The Day I Died” / Courtesy of Warner Bros. KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooKim Hye-soo will return to the silver screen in the upcoming mystery thriller “The Day I Died” as a police detective investigating the suspicious disappearance of a teenage girl.The new film, the directorial debut of Park Ji-wan, is about police detective Hyun-soo (Kim) trying to find a missing teenage girl named Se-jin (Roh Jeong-eui) with the help of a witness who has aphasia (Lee Jung-eun). Although the plot centers on a detective unraveling secrets behind the missing girl, the film is not a typical mystery thriller. Rather, it's a character-driven drama where protagonists take a deeper look at themselves and their situations.Kim, who starred as a police detective in the 2016 tvN drama “Signal,” plays down her “strong woman” persona and subtly conveys the character's complex emotions in the upcoming film. “Hyun-soo tries to gather a full account of what happened to the girl. In the process of tracking the girl down, characters

Oct 9, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kim Hye-soo set to return as detective in 'The Day I Died'

Books

'Star Trek' writer releases book about King Sejong the Great

By Kwak Yeon-sooThe book cover of the historical fantasy novel “King Sejong the Great” / Courtesy of FitBookJoe Menosky, a writer who has worked on four TV series of the sci-fi franchise “Star Trek,” has released a history fantasy novel titled “King Sejong the Great” that revolves around the fourth king of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom. This is the first time a non-Korean writer has contributed a work of fiction on King Sejong.Both English-language and Korean-language editions were published on Hangeul Day on Oct. 9, which commemorates the promulgation of Hangeul in 1446.The story is based on King Sejong, who reigned 1418-1450, and his lifelong mission of inventing Hangeul, the writing system for the Korean language, which eventually promoted the literacy level of the general public.In “King Sejong the Great,” the king is described as a wise ruler who forms friendships with his servants who oppose his governing policies and as a humble sovereign who shows respect even to his palace gatekeepers. Menosky first learned about King Sejong whe

Oct 9, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Star Trek' writer releases book about King Sejong the Great

Films

'Stone Skipping' shows how blind faith can distort truth

From left, actors Kim Eui-sung, Song Yoon-a and Kim Dae-myeung pose during a press event for the film “Stone Skipping” in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Little Big PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe film “Stone Skipping” shows how one true fact can be interpreted differently by different people due to their prejudice, misunderstanding, self-interest and blind faith. As a result, the truth becomes distorted and rumors spread like the ripples left by skipping stones across a lake. In the film, Kim Dae-myeung plays intellectually challenged Seok-gu, who lacks the basic life experience of most men his age and runs a rice mill in a small town. One day, his world is turned upside-down after he gets involved in a crime.The conflict intensifies between Catholic priest (Kim Eui-sung) defending Seok-gu and shelter adviser (Song Yoon-a) convinced of his guilt. Director Kim Jeong-sik, who is making his feature debut with “Stone Skipping,” explained that he intended to portray how our beliefs shape how we interpret a situation and may impair our ability to get to the t

Oct 7, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Stone Skipping' shows how blind faith can distort truth

Films

Antiquities thieves captured in comedy film 'Collectors'

From left, actors Lee Je-hoon, Jo Woo-jin, Shin Hae-sun and Lim Won-hee pose during a press event for the film “Collectors” in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of CJ EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooCrime comedy “Collectors,” fronted by actors Lee Je-hoon and Shin Hae-sun, revolves around a team of excavators who set out on a mission to retrieve an ancient king's treasure that is buried in a royal tomb located in Seoul. The so-called “collectors” with diverse skills team up to uncover relics hidden underground.Lee, who plays genius thief Kang Dong-goo, said the script was fun and he was able to bring out different sides of himself in the film.“What I loved about the script, when I read it, was that I couldn't stop laughing. It was as though the characters were alive and I had a feeling that the audience would love to see an ensemble of four enthralling characters,” Lee said during a press event held online, Tuesday. Jo Woo-jin, who appears as ancient tomb mural expert Dr. Jones, described “Collectors” as a fun, fast-paced comedy.&ldqu

Oct 6, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Antiquities thieves captured in comedy film 'Collectors'

Shows & Dramas

INTERVIEW 'The School Nurse Files' is hero's coming-of-age story

Director Lee Kyoung-mi poses after a video interview with The Korea Times, Oct. 5. / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Lee Kyoung-mi, who has made a strong impression on viewers with her relatable female protagonists in films such as “Crush and Blush” and “The Truth Beneath,” said her new series “The School Nurse Files” is a coming-of-age drama of a female hero with supernatural abilities.The six-episode series stars Jung Yu-mi as Ahn Eun-young, a high school nurse who tries to protect students from what she calls “jellies” using rather unlikely tools ― a multi-colored toy sword and a BB gun.The jellies are invisible “blobs of greed” that can stick to humans and manipulate their actions. They are unleashed when Hong In-pyo (Nam Joo-hyuk), a teacher of Chinese characters, accidentally breaks a containment seal on an urn in the school basement. Then, Ahn and Hong team up to fight off these supernatural creatures.“Ahn Eun-young is pretty badass. Although she doesn't feel inclined to help others, Ahn accepts her

Oct 6, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] 'The School Nurse Files' is hero's coming-of-age story

Films

'Pawn' actress Ha Ji-won craves more diverse, inclusive stories

Actress Ha Ji-won poses at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of CJ EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooHa Ji-won, who has performed in movies spanning a variety of genres including action, romance, drama and comedy as well as created numerous hits for both TV and cinema, has returned to the silver screen with the tear-jerker “Pawn.”The film revolves around debt collectors Doo-seok (Sung Dong-il) and Jong-bae (Kim Hee-won) who take a nine-year-old girl as “collateral” from an illegal immigrant named Myung-ja (Kim Yun-jin). Myung-ja gets deported and the two are left to look after the child. The three come together to create a familial bond. Ha Ji-won plays a grownup Seung-yi, while child actress Park So-yi plays the younger version of the character.Returning to the big screen four years after her last film “Life Risking Romance” in 2016, Ha said she wanted to join the cast despite the part being relatively limited.“Before reading the script, I knew that my part wasn't going to be huge. However, it seemed like my role was perfectly a

Sep 29, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Pawn' actress Ha Ji-won craves more diverse, inclusive stories

Films

Mystery flick depicts 3 young, ambitious women in 1990s

From left, actors Ko A-sung, Park Hye-su and ESom pose at the online press event for the film “Samjin Co. English Class,” Monday. Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Samjin Co. English Class” is a detective-mystery movie in which three young office workers, who aspire to become successful career women in the patriarchal society of the 1990s, join forces to reveal corruption at their company.Set in 1995, Ko A-sung plays Lee Ja-young, an employee who discovers that her company has contaminated a river with toxic material and is trying to cover it up.Lee teams up with Jung Yoo-na (ESom) from the company's marketing team and Shim Bo-ram (Park Hye-su) from the finance team to take up an uphill and seemingly unwinnable cause for what they believe is right.Director Lee Jong-pil explained that the story is based on real event. “In the mid-1990s, the country's globalization policy pushed corporations to offer English TOEIC classes to their employees. The three main characters are high school graduates who try to obtain TOEIC scores for promotion,&rdqu

Sep 28, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Mystery flick depicts 3 young, ambitious women in 1990s

Entertainment

Netflix unveils Korean original series 'The School Nurse Files'

From left, actor Nam Joo-hyuk, novelist Chung Se-rang, director Lee Kyoung-mi and actor Jung Yu-mi pose during an online press event for Netflix series “The School Nurse Files,” Thursday. Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooNetflix's “The School Nurse Files,” adapted from writer Chung Se-rang's novel of the same name, is a fantasy comedy that follows the story of a school nurse with the supernatural ability to see jelly-like creatures that are invisible to others.Actor Jung Yu-mi plays Ahn Eun-young, a high school nurse who tries to protect students from “jellies” using rather unlikely tools ― a multi-colored toy sword and a BB gun. The jellies are invisible blobs of greed that can stick to humans and manipulate their actions. They become unleashed when Hong In-pyo (Nam Joo-hyuk), a teacher of Chinese characters, accidentally breaks the containment seal in the school basement. Then, Ahn and Hong team up to fight off these supernatural creatures.Director Lee Kyoung-mi, who was behind hits like “Crush and Blush” (2008) and “The Truth

Sep 25, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kwak Yeon-soo

Read more

BLACKPINK documentary offers honest look at K-pop's biggest girl group

INTERVIEW Actor Yu Jae-myeong proud of taking meaty role in 'Voice of Silence'

Kim Hye-soo set to return as detective in 'The Day I Died'

'Star Trek' writer releases book about King Sejong the Great

'Stone Skipping' shows how blind faith can distort truth

Antiquities thieves captured in comedy film 'Collectors'

INTERVIEW 'The School Nurse Files' is hero's coming-of-age story

'Pawn' actress Ha Ji-won craves more diverse, inclusive stories

Mystery flick depicts 3 young, ambitious women in 1990s

Netflix unveils Korean original series 'The School Nurse Files'

Top 5 stories