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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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Films

Disaster thriller 'Concrete Utopia' invited to Spain's Sitges Film Festival

A scene from the film "Concrete Utopia" / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Concrete Utopia,” a disaster thriller starring actors Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-jun, has been invited to the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, the film's distributor Lotte Entertainment said Friday. The film has been invited to the Orbita section of the festival's 56th edition, which will take place from Oct. 5 to 15. The Spanish film festival is considered one of the top three fantasy genre film festivals in the world, along with Portugal's Oporto International Film Festival and Belgium's Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. It specializes in film genres such as fantasy, thriller and horror, with an emphasis on innovative storytelling and creativity. The Orbita category is where action, thriller and black comedy genre films compete.“It is a boundary-breaking disaster movie that is not only entertaining to watch but raises deep questions like 'what would you do in such a situation?' The movie is moving and exciting,” said the Spanish distributor of

Jul 21, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Disaster thriller 'Concrete Utopia' invited to Spain's Sitges Film Festival
Films

Kim Go-eun to star in adaptation of best-selling book 'Love in the Big City'

Actors Kim Go-eun, left, and Noh Sang-hyun pose after the table reading for the new film “Love in the Big City” / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment By Kwak Yeon-sooActors Kim Go-eun and Noh Sang-hyun have been tapped to star in a feature film adaptation of “Love in the Big City,” Park Sang-young's bestselling novel that was longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize. The upcoming film revolves around free-spirited Jae-hee (Kim) and her gay best friend Heung-soo (Noh) who share a house together. It will be directed by Lee Eon-hee, known for her previous works including “…ing” (2003) and “Missing” (2016). “I'm so excited about portraying upbeat and fun-loving Jae-hee. I'm also curious how stories in different episodes will be adapted into a moving picture,” Kim said via film's distributor Plus M Entertainment.The original book is told in four parts, each telling stories of young people who live in a bustling city.Kim debuted in 2012 with the film “A Muse.” Sinc

Jul 21, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Kim Go-eun to star in adaptation of best-selling book 'Love in the Big City'
Films

INTERVIEW Kim Hye-soo says she was happiest being on 'Smugglers' set

Actress Kim Hye-soo / Courtesy of HODU&U EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooActress Kim Hye-soo opened up about her time shooting the film “Smugglers” (2023) and she had nothing but praise for her costars. “I was happiest being on 'Smugglers' set. Filming together underwater made it easier for us to bond. Just by staring into each other's eyes, we could feel a sense of unity,” she said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Wednesday. Kim revealed that she has aquaphobia, but her cast mates helped her overcome the fear. “When shooting an underwater scene for 'The Thieves' (2012), I suddenly couldn't breathe and was gripped by paralyzing fear. Ever since then, I have been scared of water. Honestly, I was worried that I might have another panic attack when acting underwater. But seeing others' strong diving skills and commitment made me want to get over the fear,” she said.Set in the 1970s in a peaceful seaside village, “Smugglers” revolves around two female divers who unexpectedly become involved in an illegal smuggli

Jul 20, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Shows & Dramas

Byeon Woo-seok, Kim Hye-yoon to star in fantasy romance series

Actors Byeon Woo-suk, left, and Kim Hye-yoon/ Courtesy of tvNBy Kwak Yeon-sooActors Byeon Woo-seok will be starring in tvN's new drama “Loverly Runner” with Kim Hye-yoon, the cable network announced on Wednesday.The upcoming drama tells the tale of a romance between a top celebrity, who dies in a tragic accident, and his female fan, who time travels to the past to change his fate. It combines an emotional love story with a sci-fi time element in the plot.Byeon will portray Ryu Sun-jae, Korea's top celebrity who dies in a tragic accident, while Kim plays starstruck female lead Lim Sol, who travels through time to when Sun-jae was 19 years old and struggles to prevent his accident. The show is the latest Korean series to be adapted from a web novel. In this case “The Best of Tomorrow,” written by Kim Bbang and published by Kakao Page, is the underlying source material for Lee Si-eun's screen adaptation. Lee is best known for writing the script of tvN drama “True Beauty” (2020).Byeon, who debuted as a model, began his acting career after landing a min

Jul 19, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Byeon Woo-seok, Kim Hye-yoon to star in fantasy romance series
Films

Jung Woo-sung's directorial debut 'A Man of Reason' sold to 153 countries

A scene from the film "A Man of Reason" / Courtesy of Acemaker MovieworksBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Jung Woo-sung's feature directorial debut “A Man of Reason” has been sold to over 150 countries ahead of its release at local theaters in August. The film's distributor Acemaker Movieworks announced Wednesday the film has been sold to 153 countries including France, U.S., Italy, Germany, Poland, Russia, Australia, Japan, Thailand and India. “Jung Woo-sung's 'A Man Of Reason' is a modern masterpiece in storytelling that is filled with some of the most adrenaline-inducing and innovative action sequences,” said Epic Pictures Group, the North American distributor of the film. The action feature follows a man named Su-hyuk (Jung), who is released from prison after serving 10 years on behalf of his boss. He wants to cut ties with his old gang and live a normal life, but is dragged back into the underworld as his old boss takes his young daughter hostage.The film also stars Kim Nam-gil of “Closet” (2020) and “Emergency Declaration” (2022) and Park Su

Jul 18, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Jung Woo-sung's directorial debut 'A Man of Reason' sold to 153 countries
Shows & Dramas

Gong Yoo, Seo Hyun-jin to star as married couple in new Netflix series

Actors Seo Hyun-jin, left, and Gong Yoo / Courtesy of Management SOOPBy Kwak Yeon-sooActors Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun-jin will co-star as a married couple in Netflix's new series “The Trunk.”Based on Kim Ryeo-ryeong's novel of the same title, the mystery series follows Jeong-won (Gong), a music producer who finds himself entangled in an unexpected marriage contract with In-ji (Seo), who works for a matchmaking company. Their lives take a twist when a mysterious trunk found in a lake throws them into a whirlwind of events behind the matchmaking service. “The Trunk” is directed by Kim Gyu-tae, whose previous works include hit TV series such as “Our Blues” (2022) “It's Okay, That's Love” (2014), and written by Park Eun-young of “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth” (2016). The release date has not yet been confirmed.Seo debuted as singer as part of K-pop girl group M.I.L.K in 2001 and turned to acting in 2005 through musical “The Sound of Music.” She has starred in hit TV series, including “Another Miss Oh” (201

Jul 17, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Gong Yoo, Seo Hyun-jin to star as married couple in new Netflix series
Entertainment

Celebrities provide donations to help flood victims

Trot singer Lim Young-woong, left, and actress Kim Hye-soo / Courtesy of Mulgogi Music, NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooCelebrities donated hefty sums to help victims hit by the recent heavy rainfall that killed at least 40 people nationwide.Relief efforts are underway after unusual torrential rains triggered floods that led to the loss of human life, damage to property and destruction of crops and livestock. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters reported 40 people dead, nine missing and about 10,608 evacuated from their homes, as of Monday 11 a.m.Trot singer Lim Young-woong and his management agency, Mulgogi Music, donated 200 million won ($157,923) to the Community Chest of Korea for flood relief efforts. The singer, who rose to fame through TV Chosun's 2020 audition program “Mr. Trot,” has consistently been making philanthropic efforts, making disaster-related charitable donations under his fan club.According to the Korea Disaster Relief Association, actress Kim Hye-soo donated 100 million won to help those affected by the flooding. She has stepped forwar

Jul 17, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Celebrities provide donations to help flood victims
Arts & Theater

Veteran stage actor slams Son Suk-ku over likening stage acting to 'fake acting'

Actor Nam Myeong-ryeol / YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooVeteran actor Nam Myeong-ryeol criticized actor Son Suk-ku for making controversial comments about stage directors instructing actors to do “fake acting” onstage. At the press conference for the play “Army on the Tree” last month, Son talked about why he transitioned from theater to film and television. “Army on the Tree” marks Son's return to theater after he last starred in the 2014 play “Love is Burning.” Until recently, he has appeared in hit drama series such as “My Liberation Notes” (2022), Disney+ series “Big Bet” (2022-2023) as well as action thriller “The Roundup” (2022). He is set to reprise his role in the second season of the popular Netflix series “D.P.,” which drops on July 28.“I remember one time, a play script said 'whisper love (to a co-actor).' I said, 'I don't understand how to do this unless somebody gives me a microphone to amplify my voice. If the audience cannot hear my whisper, it's fake acting. So I decided to mo

Jul 16, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Veteran stage actor slams Son Suk-ku over likening stage acting to 'fake acting'
Films

Yoo Ji-tae to direct, star in short film 'Talk to Her'

Yoo Ji-tae in a scene from short film "Talk to Her" / Screen capture from Yoo Ji-tae's InstagramBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor and filmmaker Yoo will direct and star in the short film “Talk to Her,” about an aspiring Korean-American filmmaker falling in love with a struggling actress.Sean Richard, who left a strong impression on the audience with his role in the film “Operation Chromite” (2016), and Cho Hae-jung, who recently starred in the tvN series “Our Blues” (2022), will star as co-leads. Actor Lee Bum-soo and Yoo will make brief appearances in the romance film. “'Talk to Her' has finally wrapped up filming, and the project has now entered the post-production stage. We will be able to share the final film with the audience in the latter half of this year,” the production company said in a statement.Yoo has helmed short films “The Bike Boy” (2003), “How Does the Blind Dream” (2005), “Out of My Intention” (2007) and “Invitation” (2009) as well as the feature-length film “Mai Ratima”

Jul 13, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Yoo Ji-tae to direct, star in short film 'Talk to Her'
Shows & Dramas

Actors accused of school bullying return to small screen

Singer-turned-actress Kim So-hye in a scene from KBS' series "My Lovely Boxer" / Courtesy of KBSBy Kwak Yeon-sooActors, who have suspended professional activity after being accused of school bullying as teenagers, are making their return to the small screen.Kim So-hye, the former member of disbanded girl group I.O.I., is set to return to acting on TV with a lead role as a female boxer in KBS' series “My Lovely Boxer.” “My Lovely Boxer,” which will begin airing on Aug. 21, follows a young talented female boxer named Kwon-sook (Kim) who takes the boxing world by storm, but then disappears from the public eye. Three years later, a sports agent named Tae-young (Lee Sang-yeob) convinces her to return to the ring. The singer-turned-actress was embroiled in school bullying accusations in 2021, whereby an unnamed former schoolmate accused her of being verbally abusive in middle school. Although Kim denied the allegations, it was later revealed that she had been charged by the school's bullying prevention committee, responsible for assessing the degree of seriousness i

Jul 13, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actors accused of school bullying return to small screen
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