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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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Music

Fifty Fifty breaks silence on public dispute with agency

K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty / Courtesy of AttraktBy Kwak Yeon-sooFifty Fifty members Keena, Saena, Sio and Aran have finally broken their silence about their ongoing dispute with their agency Attrakt. In June, the members filed a lawsuit against Attrakt seeking to suspend an exclusive contract. The group cited a lack of financial transparency and disregard for their health conditions as reasons for the legal action. The court ordered mediation, but Fifty Fifty did not agree to settle the dispute out of court.In a handwritten letter to fans on Thursday, the K-pop girl group explained why they have remained silent on the recent controversy. “Misunderstandings and accusations have been snowballing. We were deeply shocked by this and have been going through a tough time. Nevertheless, we believe there is a truth that needs to be uncovered despite these difficulties,” the group wrote in a letter.Fifty Fifty members claimed they filed the lawsuit against their agency because they believed that taking this issue to court was the right way to solve the situation. “We first

Aug 18, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Fifty Fifty breaks silence on public dispute with agency
Entertainment

Directors and screenwriters demand legal reforms to receive performance-based royalties

Current law dictates that intellectual property and profits from video belong to studios and platformsBy Kwak Yeon-sooIt's been a year since Rep. Yoo Jung-ju of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and Rep. Sung Il-jong of the ruling People Power Party each proposed a bill to revise the current Copyright Act to guarantee fair remuneration for directors and writers in the era of streaming. However, discussions at the National Assembly are pending without much progress, largely affected by the standoff between the Directors Guild of Korea (DGK) and the Media Platform Alliance for Copyrights Issues, which is made up of broadcasters, cable channels and streaming service providers.On Monday, the DGK, Screenwriters Guild of Korea (SGK) and 16 other related organizations held a press conference at the Assembly, calling on lawmakers to promptly process the bills and revise the Copyright Act that prevents them from receiving residuals in case of reruns, syndication or streaming.The current act dictates that all intellectual property and profits from video content belong to service pr

Aug 18, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Directors and screenwriters demand legal reforms to receive performance-based royalties
Entertainment

'Gag Concert' to return on KBS after 3-year hiatus

“Gag Concert” will return to television after three-year hiatus. Courtesy of KBSBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Gag Concert,” Korea's longest-running comedy show on KBS, will return to television in November after a three-year hiatus. The program aired for 21 years until it was axed in 2020 amid a ratings slump. The emergence of social streaming platforms, which give people immediate access to countless uncensored comedic videos, led to the downfall of the sketch comedy TV show.It will return on Nov. 5 and air every Sunday night on KBS at 10:25 p.m. (KST). The show will contain all the familiar format points, but with brand new cast members. Before it goes on air, the cast will be perform a comedy show at the 11th Busan International Comedy Festival (BICF), which will run from Aug. 25 to Sept. 3.Some established comedians welcomed the news. “It's exciting that the broadcaster is bringing the show back again. I hope it gives opportunities to fresh talent and leads to the revival of comedy,” comedian Kim Dae-hee said at a recent press conference for BICF.Another co

Aug 15, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Gag Concert' to return on KBS after 3-year hiatus
Shows & Dramas

Lee Sun-kyun, Yoo Jae-myung to lead mystery thriller series 'No Way Out'

Actors Lee Sun-kyun, left, and Yoo Jae-myung / Courtesy of Ace Factory, HODU&U EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooLee Sun-kyun and Yoo Jae-myung will lead the new mystery thriller series “No Way Out,” which will begin filming in October.The upcoming series follows Kim Gook-ho (Yoo), a serial killer who is freed after spending 13 years in jail. He is hunted by civilians after a mysterious crime stopper offers a reward of 20 billion won ($15 million) for the murder of the recently released criminal. Lee plays the role of Baek Joong-sik, a police officer who has to prevent Kim from being killed by bounty hunters, while Yoo portrays Kim, dubbed the “axis of evil.”The series is helmed by director Choi Kook-hee, known for his previous works “Split” (2016), “Default” (2018) and “Life is Beautiful” (2022). The script is written by Lee Soo-jin who wrote the screenplay for “The Devil's Deal” (2023). It is produced by LG U+'s video content brand Studio X+U with TwinFilm.“We will continue to produce works that can delive

Aug 14, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Sun-kyun, Yoo Jae-myung to lead mystery thriller series 'No Way Out'
Films

3 domestic films ready to compete at Chuseok holiday box office

A scene from the film, "Cobweb" / Courtesy of Barunson E&ABy Kwak Yeon-sooThree domestic films are set to hit local theaters next month to attract film buffs ahead of Chuseok, Korea's autumn thanksgiving holiday. It is an important period for Korea's film industry as it is one of the country's longer holidays along with the Lunar New Year holiday, which fall in January or February. This year, Chuseok will be a four-day extended holiday over the weekend, running from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1.With the arrival of highly anticipated films like “Cobweb”, “Road to Boston” and “Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman,” all boasting substantial budgets and needing significant ticket sales to break even, the box office will likely witness tough competition. “Cobweb,” directed by Kim Jee-woon, has set off a wave of excitement among moviegoers ahead of the film's scheduled release in September. The film was screened at the Out of Competition section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival and received a whopping 12-minute standing ovation.The film starring Song Kang-h

Aug 13, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
3 domestic films ready to compete at Chuseok holiday box office
Films

Crime action film 'Smugglers' surpasses 4 million admissions

A scene from the film, "Smugglers" / Courtesy of NEWBy Kwak Yeon-sooCrime action film “Smugglers” has attracted over 4 million admissions, surpassing its break-even target after just 17 days.According to NEW, the film's distributor, its total ticket sales recorded over 4.19 million as of Saturday, becoming the second highest-grossing film of the year following “The Roundup: No Way Out,” which garnered more than 10 million moviegoers.“Smugglers,” starring Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah, and Zo In-sung, revolves around female divers from the 1970s who unexpectedly become involved in an illegal smuggling scheme. With the debut of “Concrete Utopia,” however, “Smugglers” slipped to second spot but continues to perform well at the box office. “Concrete Utopia,” starring Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-jun, has drawn more than 1 million viewers in four days after its release on Aug. 9. The film revolves around survivors of a massive earthquake who try to rebuild their lives in the only apartment complex left standing following the

Aug 13, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Crime action film 'Smugglers' surpasses 4 million admissions
Films

INTERVIEW Jung Woo-sung says he avoided film references in directorial debut

Actor-director Jung Woo-sung / Courtesy of Acemaker MovieworksBy Kwak Yeon-sooJung Woo-sung said he intentionally avoided referencing other films when making his debut feature and neo-noir action thriller “A Man of Reason.”“The first direction I gave to my film crew in the pre-production stage was, 'don't look up for references and get your inspiration from the script,'” he said during an interview with The Korea Times via Zoom, Thursday. The star, whose acting career spans 30 years and includes roles in myriad prestige and blockbuster projects such as “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” (2008), “The King” (2017) and “Steel Rain” (2017), was keen to let the film stand on its own two feet. “I have always been skeptical of movies filled with references and cliches. I think they prevent us, filmmakers, from being truly creative. I believe that every new challenge opens up the door to a fresh perspective and endless possibilities,” he said. “A Man of Reason” follows a man named Su-hyuk (Jung), who is released

Aug 11, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
[INTERVIEW] Jung Woo-sung says he avoided film references in directorial debut
Music

INTERVIEW Progressive rock band Dongyang Gozupa blends East and West

Progressive rock band Dongyang Gozupa / Courtesy of Dongyang GozupaBy Kwak Yeon-sooThrough a blend of the “yanggeum,” a Korean metal-stringed zither, and modern Western sounds, progressive rock band Dongyang Gozupa, which translates to “eastern high frequency,” has created a trailblazing sound.Consisting of bass guitar, percussion and the yanggeum, the trio fuses “gugak,” or traditional Korean music, with progressive rock, experimental music and heavy metal. What sets them apart from other fusion bands that reinterpret gugak is that they don't have vocals. Instead, they try to create a percussion-driven sound with the yanggeum at its center. “We wanted to focus more on the rhythms than the vocals. Vocalists are often the main focus of a band, but music without vocals can be beautiful. I think instrumental compositions are enough to communicate with our fans,” percussionist Jang Do-hyuk said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.After their debut in 2018, the trio gained a lot of attention quickly through global tours. They were

Aug 10, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
[INTERVIEW] Progressive rock band Dongyang Gozupa blends East and West
Trends

INTERVIEW 'Thailand aims to bring Buddhist art to Nat'l Museum of Korea in 2025'

Visitors look around "A New Encounter: Immersive Gallery of Korean Art" exhibition at the National Museum of Bangkok. Courtesy of the National Museum of BangkokBy Kwak Yeon-soo"A New Encounter: Immersive Gallery of Korean Art," an exhibition at the National Museum of Bangkok (NMB) exploring Korean cultural heritage, has been extended until October due to its huge popularity.The multi-sensory digital art exhibition features two immersive digital videos: “Journey of the Soul” depicting Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife, and “Royal Procession with the People,” which features the rituals of the Joseon royal court that embodied Confucian belief systems. It also features two Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara ― or “Gwaneum Bosal” in Korean ― sculptures from Korea and Thailand to highlight the long-standing Buddhist traditions and artistic achievements of the two countries. It is jointly organized by the NMB and the National Museum of Korea (NMK).Nitaya Kanokmongkol, executive director of the Office of National Museums at Thailand's Ministry of Culture / Cour

Aug 9, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
[INTERVIEW] 'Thailand aims to bring Buddhist art to Nat'l Museum of Korea in 2025'
Films

'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman,' starring Gang Dong-won, to hit theaters in September

A poster for the film "Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman" / Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman,” a mystery thriller starring actor Gang Dong-won, will hit local theaters in September, the film's distributor CJ ENM said Tuesday. Based on Hooressha's webtoon “Possessed,” the film revolves around a fake exorcist who ends up facing a real case of demonic possession. He travels around the country with his assistant to perform fake exorcisms until they get involved in a case of a girl possessed by an evil spirit and are faced with the challenge of saving her.Gang portrays fake exorcist, Dr. Cheon, while Huh Joon-ho plays the role of an evil spirit hunter. Actress Esom will play Yoo-kyung, who seeks the help of Dr. Cheon to save her sister who is possessed by a mysterious demonic entity. Actors Lee Dong-hwi and Kim Jong-soo will appear as Dr. Cheon's assistant and business partner, respectively. The film is the directorial feature debut of Kim Seong-sik, an assistant director to Bong Jong-ho on “Parasite” (2019) and Park Chan-wook on

Aug 9, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman,' starring Gang Dong-won, to hit theaters in September
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