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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

'Men of Plastic' director's reunion with Ma Dong-seok leads to good-natured comedy

Director Lim Jin-sun / Courtesy of ShowboxBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe new Ma Dong-seok (aka Don Lee)-Jung Kyung-ho buddy film, “Men of Plastic,” is director Lim Jin-sun's first return to the comedy genre in a decade since “Super Star” (2012). The director revealed that worked on the plastic surgery-themed comedy drama for nearly eight years with Ma, who serves as the executive producer on the film.“There was a script that was already in development, and I was prepping for another movie. After I finished shooting crime thriller 'The Villagers' with Ma, I was called on this project. I rewrote the entire script for two years,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday. The film revolves around Dae-guk (Ma), a quick-talking con man who was born and raised in Apgujeong-dong, an affluent neighborhood in the Gangnam District of southern Seoul, where plastic surgery and skin care clinics abound. He joins hands with Ji-woo (Jung), the most talented plastic surgeon in the area who unfortunately loses his medical license. Dae-guk persuades Ji-woo to

Dec 1, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Men of Plastic' director's reunion with Ma Dong-seok leads to good-natured comedy
Trends

'Talchum' listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage

Bongsan Talchum, a mask dance drama from the Bongsan region, currently in North Korea / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Talchum” or traditional Korean mask dance, was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) list, Wednesday.The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) announced that Korea's bid to inscribe talchum on the list was accepted during the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Rabat, Morocco.The UNESCO ICH Committee stated that the message of talchum of universal equality and criticism of social hierarchy is still relevant today and praised its role as a symbol of respective cultural identities represented by its variant forms.“The evaluation body highly appreciated its cultural meanings and ongoing efforts to address reconciliation and hope. For these reasons, the evaluation body recommends the inscription of talchum,” a UNESCO official said. Talchum is a performing art that encompasses dance, music and theater where an ensemble of six to

Nov 30, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Talchum' listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage
  • The baguette gets UN world heritage status
K-pop

Ex-LOONA member Chuu denies abuse of power allegations raised by former agency

Ex-LOONA member Chuu / Courtesy of BlockBerry Creative By Kwak Yeon-sooChuu, the former member of K-pop girl group LOONA, has denied allegations raised by her former agency regarding “gapjil,” (abuse of power in a workplace setting), clarifying that she did not do anything shameful in a message to her fans. “Thank you for your comforting messages and for trusting me. I have not been contacted (by the agency) regarding the situation and don't know anything about it. I'm still trying to get a grasp on the situation, but I can assure you that I haven't done anything that would be shameful to my fans,” she wrote on her Instagram Story, Monday.Her statement came three days after LOONA's agency BlockBerry Creative announced that Chuu, whose real name is Kim Ji-woo, would be expelled from the girl group. It stated that Chuu had been verbally abusive and misusing her power against members of staff.“We recently investigated Chuu's abuse of power allegations, which turned out

Nov 29, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Ex-LOONA member Chuu denies abuse of power allegations raised by former agency
People & Events

BTS' RM honored for helping to preserve overseas Korean cultural artifacts

BTS' RM / Courtesy of HYBEBy Kwak Yeon-sooBTS' leader RM received an appreciation plaque from the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) for his contribution to preserving and restoring overseas Korean cultural artifacts.RM, whose real name is Kim Nam-joon, shared a post on his Instagram Story, Friday, with a short “Thank You” note. The engraving on the appreciation plaque reads, “You have contributed to preserving and promoting Korean cultural artifacts outside the country with great affection for our cultural heritage and history. You are being honored with much appreciation and gratitude.”The K-pop superstar is well known for his keen interest in and engagement with the art community. RM is often spotted in museums and galleries even during the group's busy tours and publicity schedules, and the rapper-singer shares his exhibition visits on social media. His fans also visit the places where the star has visited, calling it an “RM tour.” He also collects a diverse set of works by domestic and foreign artists. He has donated 100 million won ($74,6

Nov 28, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
BTS' RM honored for helping to preserve overseas Korean cultural artifacts
K-pop

Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung among lineup of presenters at 2022 MAMA Awards

The lineup of presenters at 2022 Mnet Asian Music Awards / Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe star-studded lineup of actors, dancers and sports stars serving as presenters for the upcoming 2022 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) was announced on Friday. The 2022 MAMA, which is hosted by media giant CJ ENM and aired on Mnet, will take place on Nov. 29 and 30, at 6 p.m. in Osaka's Kyocera Dome in Japan. Actor Park Bo-gum and singer Jeon So-mi will host the event.Actors Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung and Yeo Jin-goo will join singer-turned-actors Ahn So-hee, Han Sun-hwa, Yim Si-wan and Hwang Min-hyun as presenters for the annual music awards.Retired Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna, retired golf legend Park Se-ri, as well as short track speedskater Kwak Yoon-gy will present awards at this year's MAMA awards. Comedians Kim Hae-jun and Lee Eun-ji, dance crew Lachica's Gabee and Hook's Aiki will also give out awards at the event. “I have decided to attend the event to support the power of music, which comforted people around the world during COVID-19,” Kim said in a state

Nov 26, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung among lineup of presenters at 2022 MAMA Awards
People & Events

Helping out needy people in winter season

Yoido Full Gospel Church senior pastor Lee Young-hoon, left, fills boxes with daily necessities for people in need at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Friday. The church joined hands with Seoul Metropolitan Government, Good People and CJ CheilJedang to deliver boxes to 23,000 underprivileged families in Seoul. Courtesy of Yoido Full Gospel Church

Nov 25, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Helping out needy people in winter season
Films

Jo Woo-jin teams up with Jung Kyung-ho in action comedy film 'Boss'

Actors Jo Woo-jin, left, and Jung Kyung-ho / Courtesy of YOOBORN Company, Management AllumBy Kwak Yeon-sooActors Jo Woo-jin, Jung Kyung-ho and Park Ji-hwan are set to star in “Boss” (working title), an action comedy film directed by Ra Hee-chan, known for his previous works, “Going by the Book” (2007) and “Mr. Idol” (2011).Jo will star as Soon-tae who reluctantly joined a gang to keep his family-run Chinese restaurant afloat. Eventually, he gets promoted to the crime ring's second-in-command position, but instead of taking over the gang's leadership, he wants to start a franchise with his restaurant that has been handed down for generations. The actor is having quite the year with films “Kingmaker” and “Alienoid,” followed by the Netflix series “Narco-Saints.” He can be seen next in “Harbin,” a spy action film that tells the story of Korean independence activists in the early 1900s. He will star alongside actors Hyun Bin, Jeon Yeo-been and Lee Dong-wook.Meanwhile, Jung will be playing the role of Kang

Nov 25, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Jo Woo-jin teams up with Jung Kyung-ho in action comedy film 'Boss'
Trends

Joseon-era calendrical book with details on Admiral Yi Sun-sin returned to Korea

The “Calendrical Book of the Gyeongja Year (1600) with Memoranda by Ryu Seong-ryong” is displayed at the National Palace Museum in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe “Calendrical Book of the Gyeongja Year (1600) with Memoranda by Ryu Seong-ryong,” a metal-type printed book published in 1599, has been unveiled to the public after being acquired from Japan, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Thursday. As a high-ranking official and Confucian scholar, Ryu was the equivalent of the prime minister during the reign of King Seonjo (1567-1608) during the Joseon Kingdom, and he was a longtime friend of Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598).The CHA and the Overseas Heritage Foundation repatriated the 400-year-old calendrical book from Japan to Korea in September.The “Calendrical Book of the Gyeongja Year (1600) with Memoranda by Ryu Seong-ryong” / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationThe returned item is an example of “daetongnyeok,” a type of almanac from the Joseon Kingdom that shows similarities with the calendar used toda

Nov 25, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Joseon-era calendrical book with details on Admiral Yi Sun-sin returned to Korea
Films

'A Birth' retells of life of Korea's first priest

A scene from the film, "A Birth" / Courtesy of Min FilmBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Yoon Si-yoon, who portrays Korea's first priest, St. Andrew Kim Dae-geon, in “A Birth,” said he focused on depicting Kim as a young adventurer rather than a religious figure in the upcoming biographical film. “I thought it would be impossible to sympathize with Catholic priest Kim Dae-geon. I asked myself, 'How dare I say that I understand him?' So I tried to approach him as a bold adventurer who was eager to explore the unforeseen world and accept Western culture through religion, languages and education,” he said during a press conference for the film, Wednesday. “A Birth,” directed by Park Heung-sik, focuses on the period from when Kim left to study in Macau, until he was martyred for his faith at the age of 25. Born and raised a Catholic, Kim traveled to a seminary in Macau and China at the age of 15 and was ordained as a priest in a cathedral in Shanghai in 1845. During the wave of persecution of Catholics under the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), Kim was beheaded in 1846

Nov 24, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
'A Birth' retells of life of Korea's first priest
Films

Actor Kwon Sang-woo experiences alternate life in fantasy-comedy film 'Switch'

From left, actors Kwon Sang-woo, Oh Jung-se, Lee Min-jung and director Ma Dae-yun attend a press conference for the film, “Switch,” in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap By Kwak Yeon-sooActors Kwon Sang-woo and Oh Jung-se will star in fantasy-comedy film “Switch” as best friends who have their identities swapped on Christmas. “Switch” is a humorous story that follows A-list actor Park Kang (Kwon) who wakes up one Christmas morning to find himself living an alternate version of his own life in which he had chosen to marry his girlfriend and settled into a quiet family life with two adorable kids. Oh initially plays the role of Kang's overworked manager, Jo Yoon, but thanks to some fantastical forces, he finds himself in an alternate reality where he suddenly becomes a famous actor.The film brings out the importance of relationships and values that govern our choices in life by juxtaposing career success with the emotional fulfillment arising from deep and abiding love and affe

Nov 23, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actor Kwon Sang-woo experiences alternate life in fantasy-comedy film 'Switch'
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