The Korea Times

'Cinema sales expected to fall 70 percent this year'

Seen above is an empty cinema foyer in Seoul, April 22. / YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooAmid the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea's film industry is facing billions of won in losses as theater chains are struggling with dwindling audiences and film productions are being pushed back.The film industry had been showing signs of recovering with the subsiding of the virus and eased social distancing rules starting the fourth week of April. However, a jump in the number of new virus cases that spread through visitors to a number of nightclubs during a six-day holiday from April 30 to May 5 has sparked fear of a second wave of COVID-19 cases.Major releases of local films, including “The Fortress” and “Call,” have been postponed to the second half of this year, and for now, movie theaters are heavily relying on smaller films and re-releases. In its survey of 82 film projects that have suffered losses from the coronavirus outbreak, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) said their total amount of loss (January-April) was estimated to be 21.4 billion won ($17.4 million). Of them, 51 percent o

May 12, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Cinema sales expected to fall 70 percent this year'

Shows & Dramas

Kim Dong-hee on playing pimp in 'Extracurricular,' goal as actor

Actor Kim Dong-hee poses for a photo after an interview with The Korea Times at a studio in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Kim Dong-hee landed a breakout role in “SKY Castle” in 2019, leading to parts in dramas such as JTBC “Itaewon Class” and Netflix Original “Extracurricular.” For Kim, playing Oh Ji-soo in teen crime drama “Extracurricular” was not the kind of role he was used to playing. The 21-year-old actor's character Ji-soo is a smart high school student who has never caused any trouble at school. However, there is a secret he is hiding from everyone else. His “extracurricular” activity is coordinating a few young sex workers, communicating via texts and a phone app to disguise his voice. Abandoned by his parents, this is the only way Ji-soo makes a living. His simple goal is to earn enough money to go to college. It is initially easy for Ji-soo to hide his crime in after-school hours because he's a loner. However, his anonymity does not last because his classmate Bae Gyu-ri (Park Joo-hyun)

May 10, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kim Dong-hee on playing pimp in 'Extracurricular,' goal as actor

Films

Film industry shows signs of recovery with eased social distancing

Moviegoers walk through a relatively empty cinema foyer in Seoul, Friday. / YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooWith the loosening of social distancing rules, the local box office is showing signs of a recovery. Over the five-day holiday from May 1 to 5 that included Buddha's Birthday, Labor Day and Children's Day, 441,380 people visited cinemas nationwide, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Daily box office sales recorded 114,700 moviegoers May 5, the highest in nearly two months.In April the monthly number of moviegoers hit the lowest level since KOFIC started compiling box office data in 2004. A total of 972,337 tickets were sold over the month, compared with 13.3 million tickets sold in the same period last year.The rebound in the cinema business comes after the government hinted that it would ease social distancing rules to allow people to engage in a certain level of economic and social activity while maintaining their distance. Korea has recorded around 10 or fewer new cases daily recently, a sharp drop from the Feb. 29 peak of 909.“I visited the movie theater for

May 6, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Film industry shows signs of recovery with eased social distancing

Shows & Dramas

Actresses in 40s, 50s see careers rebound

By Kwak Yeon-sooActress Kim Hee-ae / Courtesy of JTBCActresses in their 40s and 50s are seeing their careers rebound on the small screen as their performances captivated viewers for their realism and engaging stories, marking a shift in themes of popular TV series from male character-oriented stories to strong female character-centered content.Compared with the past, when a lot more opportunities were given to men, female-led stories have found a large audience thanks to bold storytelling and the delicate depiction of characters. The fact that drama series have diversified in terms of genres, themes and execution has also led such a change. JTBC drama “The World of the Married,” starring Kim Hee-ae, has become the most talked about drama in Korea. SBS drama “Good Casting,” featuring Choi Kang-hee, and tvN “When My Love Blooms,” led by Lee Bo-young, have also successfully appealed to the mainstream audience here. In “The World of the Married,” actress Kim, 53, plays Ji Sun-woo, a dedicated wife and doctor who finds out about her husband'

May 4, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Actresses in 40s, 50s see careers rebound

Films

Woody Allen's controversial film coming to Korea

Elle Fanning, left, and Timothee Chalamet in a scene from “A Rainy Day in New York” / Courtesy of Green Narae MediaBy Kwak Yeon-sooWoody Allen's new film “A Rainy Day in New York,” showing a young couple's romantic getaway in New York turning into a nightmare, is set to hit Korean theaters May 6 despite the controversy over the sexual abuse allegation made against the director.In the light of the controversies surrounding Allen, who allegedly molested his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow when she was seven years old in the early 1990s, the film was unable to be released in the U.S.His history came under renewed scrutiny as the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse grew in the wake of allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein in 2017. The film's local distributor Green Narae Media faced criticism for going forward with its release plan in Korea. To downplay criticism, it wrote the "Midnight in Paris production team,” instead of the director's name on the film's official poster. In “A Rainy Day in New York,” Oscar-nominee Timothee Chalam

May 4, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Woody Allen's controversial film coming to Korea

Films

Choi Woo-shik of 'Parasite' seeks transformation, personal growth with 'Time to Hunt'

Actor Choi Woo-shik poses for a photo after an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooChoi Woo-shik, one of the stars of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” has returned to the screen, in a new role as a tough, rebellious character, in crime thriller “Time to Hunt.”The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release in February but due to the COVID-19 concerns, it went straight to streaming on Netflix instead.“I'm actually glad that 'Time to Hunt' got distributed by Netflix. I've been getting a lot of attention from Hollywood lately, so I was hoping our film could reach more international audiences,” Choi said during a video interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday. Given the massive critical and commercial success of his previous film “Parasite” that instantly skyrocketed Choi to a new level of fame, the actor confessed that he had felt pressure when deciding on his next project.After reading the script for “Time to Hunt,” the 30-year-old actor de

Apr 30, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Choi Woo-shik of 'Parasite' seeks transformation, personal growth with 'Time to Hunt'

Films

Interest in OTT services surges as pandemic forces people to stay home

A Netflix logo is seen in this photo. / Reuters-YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooWith strict social distancing measures issued by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19, over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services have seen higher viewing and increased subscriber growth over the last few months.According to media and consumer research by Korea Broadcast Advertising Corp., 75 percent of 1,000 survey respondents reported they refrained from outdoor activities in March due to COVID-19 concerns. Around 80 percent of them responded that they watched video content through TV and other digital devices at home.A Netflix Korea official declined to disclose the number of subscriptions in Korea, but said “the company has seen a temporary surge in streams, but expects viewing and growth to decelerate as lockdown eases.” Third-party research firm WiseApp has reported seeing massive increases in usage and subscription signups for the service in March. It is estimated that Netflix's subscriber base in Korea grew from around 2 million in December 2019 to approximately 2.72 million in March 2

Apr 30, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Interest in OTT services surges as pandemic forces people to stay home

Books

'Nth room scandal shifted people's focus from victims to offenders'

By Kwak Yeon-sooSexual health educator Cho A-ra / Courtesy of Cho A-raCho A-ra, a sexual health educator and the author of “I Teach Sex Education,” said she has spotted a change in the public perception of online sex crimes over the past few years.She mentioned that the “Nth room” case has made people shift the blame from the victims to the offenders. Methods used to exploit people have become more sophisticated with technological advancements, and the public is now calling for more attention to be paid to the health and safety of victims.The Korean public expressed outrage at the news of the sex crime scandal known as the “Nth room” case which was publicized in March. Victims, including underage girls, were forced to submit explicit and sometimes violent videos of themselves to perpetrators who would share the material in Telegram group chats. An estimated 260,000 users paid for access to the group chats with either cryptocurrency or sexual exploitation videos of their own. More than 309 people accused of online sex crimes related to the case have

Apr 28, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Nth room scandal shifted people's focus from victims to offenders'

Films

INTERVIEW 'Time to Hunt' director discusses crafting dystopia

A scene from film “Time to Hunt” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooIn crime thriller film “Time to Hunt,” director Yoon Sung-hyun has meticulously crafted fictional dystopian Korea following an economic collapse. The country's currency is regarded worthless, so people become reliant on U.S. dollars as a means of exchange.The director explained that such a setting was inspired by his travel memories. “I remember being shocked by the hyperinflation in South America when buying a soft drink at a store. I also got a glimpse of slums in the U.S., which allowed me to portray streets full of graffiti in the film,” Yoon said in a video interview with The Korea Times, Friday.Along with taking reference from real-life experiences, the director built his version of a dystopian world in order to indirectly highlight “Hell Joseon” ― a term used by young people in Korea to describe the country as a hell-like place due to the hopelessness of their futures. “I've always been interested in the younger generation. There are people around me who

Apr 26, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] 'Time to Hunt' director discusses crafting dystopia

Films

'Beyond That Mountain' depicts late Cardinal's childhood

Child actor Lee Kyung-hoon, left, and actress Lee Hang-na in a scene from “Beyond That Mountain” / Courtesy of Little Big PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Beyond That Mountain” is a biopic that portrays the early life of the late Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, Korea's first Roman Catholic cardinal.Kim (played by Lee Kyung-hoon) was born in the city of Daegu in 1922, the youngest of eight children. His father Kim Young-seok (played by Ahn Nae-sang) was a pottery dealer, and so poor that he was often unable to provide food for his family. In the film, Kim's father dies because he cannot be given proper care as the family is unable to afford herbal medicine. This triggers young Kim to dream of becoming a dealer of ginseng, one of the most frequently used ingredients in herbal medicines.However, Kim's devoted mother Seo Jung-ha (played by Lee Hang-na) expresses her wish for her two younger sons to become priests. Kim begins to look deep into his heart and moves on towards the priesthood. Overall, the film focuses on Kim's relationship with his mother, and how he makes the decision

Apr 22, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kwak Yeon-soo

Read more

'Cinema sales expected to fall 70 percent this year'

Kim Dong-hee on playing pimp in 'Extracurricular,' goal as actor

Film industry shows signs of recovery with eased social distancing

Actresses in 40s, 50s see careers rebound

Woody Allen's controversial film coming to Korea

Choi Woo-shik of 'Parasite' seeks transformation, personal growth with 'Time to Hunt'

Interest in OTT services surges as pandemic forces people to stay home

'Nth room scandal shifted people's focus from victims to offenders'

INTERVIEW 'Time to Hunt' director discusses crafting dystopia

'Beyond That Mountain' depicts late Cardinal's childhood

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