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Kwak Yeon-soo

Korea Times Digital Content Reporter

Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.

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Arts & Theater

Hanji Culture and Industry Center opens to promote Korean traditional paper

Colorful sample sheets of hanji are currently on display at the Hanji Culture and Industry Center in Seoul, May 20. Various kinds of hanji are categorized by production region, use and type. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukHCIC aims to save struggling hanji industryBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe Hanji Culture and Industry Center (HCIC) has opened in Seoul on May 20 in a bid to promote hanji and revitalize the slumping industry of traditional Korean paper.With over 1,000 years of history, hanji is made from the bark of paper mulberry trees and comes in different types depending on the ratio of ingredients, techniques used in screening the fiber and thickness of the paper. Due to its strength and durability, the bark of paper mulberry was not only used for making paper but also for making shelter and items of clothing. During the Joseon Kingdom, hanji was considered fine quality paper and was exported to China where it was sold at high prices. In the wake of modernization and the introduction of mass produced pulp paper, however, hanji fell out of favor. As a result, there are only 19 traditiona

May 28, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Hanji Culture and Industry Center opens to promote Korean traditional paper
  • Hanji maker keeps centuries-old tradition alive
Arts & Theater

Hanji maker keeps centuries-old tradition alive

Kim Chun-ho, a fifth-generation hanji maker, poses for a photo after an interview with The Korea Times at the Hanji Culture and Industry Center in Seoul, May 20. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kwak Yeon-sooKim Chun-ho, 46, is a fifth-generation hanji maker following in his father's footsteps. His father, hanji master Kim Sam-shik, was designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 23-B of North Gyeongsang Province in 2005. “Since I was six years old, I've been trained to make hanji. I became fully involved in the papermaking business in 2000,” Kim said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.Hanji refers to traditional Korean paper made from the bark of paper mulberry trees. It is formed with laminated sheets and finished sheets are pounded to compress the fibers.Although the hanji making process has evolved over centuries, the most traditional method involves the same steps used during the Goryeo and Joseon Kingdoms. To make hanji, Kim harvests bark from paper mulberry trees usually between November and February from his own land that covers approximately 1

May 28, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Hanji maker keeps centuries-old tradition alive
  • Hanji Culture and Industry Center opens to promote Korean traditional paper
Shows & Dramas

Song Seung-heon back on small screen with 'Dinner Mate'

By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Song Seung-heon poses for a photo at the press conference for his new drama series “Dinner Mate” in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of MBCActor Song Seung-heon has returned in MBC's romance drama “Dinner Mate” nine years after starring in the same network's romantic comedy “My Princess” in 2011.Before “Dinner Mate,” Song appeared in a lot of action-packed dramas and movies including “The Player” and “Air Strike.” Song explained that he took the offer because it has been a while since he played a romantic role.“I've been waiting for a romance drama. When I first read the script for Dinner Mate, I could feel the excitement of the early stage of love,” Song said during an online press conference held on Monday. Based on a webtoon of the same title, the story follows the love lives of two adults with different backgrounds ― one is in a long-term relationship while the other is a serial dater. Song plays Kim Hae-kyung, a food psychiatrist who analyzes people by watching them eat. Actress Seo

May 26, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Song Seung-heon back on small screen with 'Dinner Mate'
Films

Veteran actor Jung Jin-young makes directorial debut with 'Me and Me'

Actor-turned-director Jung Jin-young, right, and actor Cho Jin-woong during an online press conference for their upcoming film “Me and Me” in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Acemaker Movie WorksBy Kwak Yeon-sooDreams guided actor-turned-director Jung Jin-young to where he is today. In a career spanning 33 years, Jung appeared in more than 50 films including box office-hits “The King and The Clown” (2005), “Happy Life” (2007) and “Ode to My Father” (2014).Taking a break from acting, Jung is set to make his directorial debut with the mystery drama “Me and Me” to embark on a successful second career as a filmmaker.The actor-turned-director confessed that he has fantasized about directing since childhood. “I've wanted to be a movie director since I was 17 years old,” he said during an online press conference, Thursday. “Whenever I saw directors make their own films or quizzed them on set about the filmmaking process, I felt like I wouldn't be able to do it because it requires too much responsibility.” Howeve

May 24, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Veteran actor Jung Jin-young makes directorial debut with 'Me and Me'
Entertainment

PyeongChang Int'l Peace Film Festival going ahead in June despite coronavirus

From left, film festival chairman Moon Sung-keun, director Pang Eun-jin and programmers Choi Eun-young and Kim Hyung-seok pose for a photo during a press conference for the second PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival held in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of PIPFFBy Kwak Yeon-sooDespite concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival (PIPFF) said the festival will be held in June as scheduled.During an online press conference streamed Tuesday on Naver's V Live channel, organizers unveiled the detailed schedule of the upcoming event, whose second edition is set to run June 18 to 23. “The festival will be going ahead as planned, adhering to strict public health guidelines,” said Moon Sung-keun, a prominent actor who was appointed festival chairman. “Unfortunately, foreign filmmakers won't be able to attend the event due to non-essential travel restrictions.”Under the slogan “Peace Again,” the PIPFF will be held at Alpensia Resort and Hoenggye area in PyeongChang, featuring 97 films from 35 countries.A

May 20, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
PyeongChang Int'l Peace Film Festival going ahead in June despite coronavirus
Films

Rapper Cheetah makes big screen debut in 'Jazzy Misfits'

Rapper-turned-actress Kim Eun-young (aka Cheetah) in a scene from “Jazzy Misfits” / Courtesy of Triple PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooRapper Cheetah is making her big screen debut under her real name Kim Eun-young in “Jazzy Misfits,” in which she stars alongside actress Cho Min-soo.Kim plays aspiring singer Sun-deok, who looks for her missing sister Yu-ri with her mother, to whom she has not spoken in years. The mother and daughter search Itaewon, Seoul's most diverse and foreigner-friendly (in the film) district, to find Yu-ri, who ran off with their money.The two run into individuals who are vulnerable to prejudice ― a homosexual, a black-Korean and a drag queen ― in Itaewon. However, the setting and the story are about overcoming such prejudice and embracing difference.Kim said it was an honor to work alongside Cho, the award-winning actress of Kim Ki-duk's “Pieta.” “Like the image I have as rapper Cheetah, there was a strong and powerful image of Cho Min-soo in my mind,” Kim said during a press conference for “Jazzy Misfits” in

May 19, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Rapper Cheetah makes big screen debut in 'Jazzy Misfits'
Entertainment

Indie bookstores, music labels and arthouse cinemas are fighting to survive pandemic

By Kwak Yeon-sooOn May 10, independent bookstore Hangang Moongo closed after 13 years in business. “Due to a change in market conditions and a declining number of in person readers, we've decided to shut the store,” a poster read on the front of the bookstore.This is just one example of how the coronavirus pandemic has taken a heavy toll on small cultural outlets including independent bookstores, music labels and art house cinemas.In a survey of 61 independent bookstores, the Korea Bookshop Network (KBN) said 19 respondents reported that sales fell 40 percent to 60 percent in the January to March period from a year earlier, and that another 24 bookstores reported a fall in sales of more than 60 percent. “It's difficult for small, independent bookstores to receive coronavirus rescue loans. The Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) is offering relief funds, but only a few actually receive help,” a KBN official said. “There are fewer than 2,000 independent bookstores nationwide, and if we cannot overcome this crisis, we will go out of busin

May 19, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Indie bookstores, music labels and arthouse cinemas are fighting to survive pandemic
Shows & Dramas

Cast emotional as 'The World of the Married' airs final episode

Actress Kim Hee-ae poses with her script for the final episode of “The World of the Married.” / Courtesy of JTBCBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe cast of the smash-hit drama “The World of the Married” shared their final thoughts about the TV series and expressed gratitude to fans. Based on the BBC One TV series “Doctor Foster,” the 16-episode drama set a new ratings record for a cable drama. Its final episode attracted 28.4 percent of the total viewership for its timeslot, Saturday, breaking the previous record of 23.8 percent set by the final episode of JTBC hit drama “Sky Castle” in 2019.In “The World of the Married,” Kim Hee-ae plays Ji Sun-woo, a dedicated wife and doctor who finds out about her husband's affair and sets out for revenge. It has caught viewers' attention with its fast-paced, suspense-filled plot, in which characters experience a whirlwind of emotions.Actress Kim shared that she got emotional after shooting her final scene, but has no regrets because she put her all into portraying the character. “I was alone in t

May 18, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Cast emotional as 'The World of the Married' airs final episode
Entertainment

Korea's longest-running comedy show going on indefinite hiatus

“Gag Concert” will go on indefinite hiatus after falling viewership. / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Gag Concert,” Korea's longest-running TV comedy show on KBS, will go on indefinite hiatus after struggling with falling ratings.“The program will be taking a break for renewal due to various reasons, including the changing media landscape, comedy trends and limits of an open comedy show,” KBS said Thursday. “Gag Concert,” launched in 1999, soared in popularity with a mix of slapstick and prop comedy skits. Its viewership peaked at 28.9 percent in 2003 and hovered around 20 percent until the early 2010s. However, the numbers plunged to about 5 percent to 6 percent in recent years as entertainment trends changed. Outdoor variety shows and dating, cooking and music competition shows have gained wide popularity over the past few years, signaling the end of sketch comedy TV shows. As a result, SBS's long-running comedy show “People Looking for a Laugh,” which enjoyed its heyday in the mid-2000s, faded into history in 2017.In 20

May 15, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korea's longest-running comedy show going on indefinite hiatus
Films

Movie 'Bori' presents child's eye view of disability, differences

Actors Kim Ah-song, left, and Kwak Jin-suk in a scene from “Bori” / Courtesy of JinJin PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooUnlike a myriad of tear-jerking films that tell the story of disabled characters and their struggle to fit into society, the family drama “Bori” approaches the issue of disability and difference with a child's eye. As the title suggests, the movie is centered on 11-year-old Bori, who is the only hearing member of her family. As a CODA, an acronym for children of deaf adults, Bori often feels left out of the close-knit circle of her deaf parents and younger brother because she finds it difficult to join in sign language conversations at home. One day, she gets lost at a crowded firework festival. After being temporarily separated from her family, Bori strongly feels alienated and wishes that she was deaf, too. So she makes several attempts to lose her hearing by first listening to music at ear-splitting volumes and then by throwing herself into the sea. When she finally wakes after having been pulled out of the water and hospitalized, it appears that s

May 13, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
Movie 'Bori' presents child's eye view of disability, differences
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