The Korea Times

Jeju World Heritage Festival makes joyful live return

Staff members of the 2022 Jeju World Heritage Festival shine flashlights inside Manjanggul on Jeju Island, during a press tour to promote the festival, Aug. 24. Courtesy of World Natural Heritage Village Preservation AssociationBy Kwak Yeon-sooJEJU ISLAND ― The World Heritage Festival on Jeju Island, which seeks to promote the cultural significance of the volcanic island's UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites, will return for the third year with a promise to be bigger and more exciting than ever. It marks the return of the in-person event that was put on hold as the festival had to cancel live events and offer online alternatives last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.The World Heritage Festival was launched in 2020 to promote UNESCO-designated cultural heritage and natural heritage sites in Korea. This year, Jeju was chosen along with the cities of Andong and Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province to hold the festival. Under the theme of “Connect,” the 2022 World Heritage Festival in Jeju Island will be held from Oct. 1 to 16 at three sites ―

Aug 25, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Jeju World Heritage Festival makes joyful live return

Films

1980s-set action film 'Seoul Vibe' boasts huge cast, big thrills

Director Moon Hyun-sung, left, and the cast of “Seoul Vibe” pose during a press conference for the film at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooSet in the 1980s, “Seoul Vibe,” features plenty of spectacular driving sequences, retro-style vehicles and a hip-hop-infused soundtrack. “Seoul Vibe” revolves around a group of drivers and mechanics called Sanggye-dong Supreme Team that are recruited to be spies for the prosecution during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.The team consists of a star-studded cast: Yoo Ah-in as a skilled driver, Ko Kyoung-pyo as a DJ, Lee Kyoo-hyung as the team's navigator, Park Ju-hyun as the leader of a Seoul bike crew and Ong Seong-wu as a genius mechanic, are hired to infiltrate into the money laundering scheme of Chairwoman Kang (Moon So-ri), who wields enormous influence over the incumbent president.Packed with spectacular car chases and old-school hip-hop music, the film is directed by Moon Hyun-sung, whose previous works include the sports drama “As One” and the comedy film “The King's

Aug 23, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Films

Slice-of-life film 'Rolling' explores tiny pleasures amid pandemic

A scene from the film, "Rolling" / Courtesy of Indie StoryBy Kwak Yeon-sooShim Dal-gi, who has portrayed vulnerable or rebellious teens in a slate of films and TV series such as “Snowball” (2021) and “Juvenile Justice” (2022), shows off her own understated charms in the slice-of-life film “Rolling.” Directed by Kwak Min-seung, the film revolves around 25-year-old Ju-ri (Shim), a college dropout who avoids socializing and stays at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her mother, Young-shim, struggles to keep her gimbap (rice rolls wrapped with seaweed) store open as consumer spending halts amid pandemic measures. One day, Young-shim leaves to take care of her sick mother and asks Ju-ri to take charge of the restaurant. Ju-ri, who is dependent on delivery food and hesitant about leaving home, slowly rebuilds her life with the help of friendly neighbors and regular customers.“Rolling” exudes a familiar indie drama aesthetic by proceeding at a slow, unhurried pace that allows the audience to focus on Ju-ri's journey instead of her destination

Aug 22, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Slice-of-life film 'Rolling' explores tiny pleasures amid pandemic

Films

Brad Pitt says 'Bullet Train' is explosive action-packed summer blockbuster

Actors Brad Pitt, right and Aaron Taylor-Johnson pose during a press conference for the film “Bullet Train.” Yonhap By Kwak Yeon-sooHollywood star Brad Pitt made his fourth visit to Korea, this time to promote his latest movie “Bullet Train” with co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, enjoying time with fans on the red carpet and pre-release screening events.“It's great to be back. I'm not here for the movie, I'm here for the food. 'Bullet Train' is a great summer action adventure film that we shot during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Pitt said during a press conference held at Conrad Seoul in Seoul, Friday. Directed by David Leitch, the film is a fast-paced thriller packed with action and humor. Pitt plays a former assassin named Ladybug who is on a mission to collect a briefcase from a high-speed passenger train in Japan. But he realizes that the train is packed with other elite assassins, including Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry), Tangerine (Taylor-Johnson) and Prince (Joey King), al

Aug 19, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Brad Pitt says 'Bullet Train' is explosive action-packed summer blockbuster

Trends

Rare Joseon-era spherical sundial unveiled to public

Choi Eung-chon, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, speaks during a press event to unveil “Iryeongwongu” at the National Palace Museum in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap By Kwak Yeon-sooThe “Iryeongwongu,” a portable spherical sundial from the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom era, has been unveiled to the public after returning from the United States, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Thursday.The CHA and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation purchased the rare relic at an auction in the U.S. in March. The bronze globe sundial is believed to have been produced in 1890 by Sang Jik-hyeon, a military officer, under King Gojong's reign, as the inscription on the repatriated item reads, “It was newly produced at the beginning of the seventh lunar month of the gyeongin year, corresponding to the 499th year of the founding of the Joseon Kingdom.” It measures 11.2 centimeters in diameter and 23.8 centimeters in height. The use of elaborate metal casting m

Aug 18, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Rare Joseon-era spherical sundial unveiled to public

Entertainment

'Mukbang' binge-eating shows give way to new trend of eating little

TV celebrity Park So-hyun in a scene from the YouTube channel, “Unnies without Appetite” / Screenshot from YouTubeBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Mukbang” shows, in which people livestream themselves consuming a large quantity of food, have risen in popularity over the past few years. As this trend swept the globe, the Korean term for binge-eating shows was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2021.It's no wonder that the excessive eating trend first emerged in Korea, a country where people believe biting off noodles while slurping, or picking at one's food, bring bad luck. However, eating excessive amounts has also drawn sharp criticism from those who argue that it poses health risks and creates too much food waste. Viewers, who have grown tired of the extreme eating trend, are steadily turning away from “mukbang” videos and instead finding solace in watching clips of “sosikjwa” or people who have less desire to eat and consume only small amounts of food. A portmanteau of “sosik,” which translates to eating a small quantity of food,

Aug 18, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Mukbang' binge-eating shows give way to new trend of eating little

Films

'Confidential Assignment 2' has even more action, humor

Actor Hyun Bin in a scene from the film “Confidential Assignment 2: International” / Courtesy of CJ ENM By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Hyun Bin, who is reprising his role as a North Korean agent in the upcoming movie, “Confidential Assignment 2: International,” promised the sequel will be jam-packed with more hard-hitting action ― and humor ― than its predecessor. “There's more action in this film. Coming back to it felt very natural because I had a great time with my co-stars and the previous film received immensely favorable response from audiences,” he said during a press conference for the film, Tuesday. “Confidential Assignment,” which was released in January 2017, racked up 7.81 million ticket sales.The 39-year-old actor recalled the emotional moment on set when he reunited with Daniel Henney after 17 years. The two starred in the 2005 hit series, “My Lovely Sam-soon.” “It was an absolute pleasure to reunite with Henney. I'm really proud of how far we've come,” he said

Aug 16, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Confidential Assignment 2' has even more action, humor

Films

INTERVIEW Actor Ko Kyoung-pyo explains why he doesn't obsess over lead roles

Actor Ko Kyoung-pyo in a scene from the film, “6/45” / Courtesy of Sidus By Kwak Yeon-sooPerforming comedy is hard because everybody has a different sense of humor and jokes often don't translate the same way for other people. Actor Ko Kyoung-pyo is among very few powerful comedy actors who can parlay such a unique brand of humor into a film with his funny and flexible facial expressions.However, this didn't happen overnight. He used to be a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live Korea and starred in the 2013 horror comedy film “Horror Stories II,” which taught him how to make viewers roll with laughter.“I learned from my previous experiences that humor builds on an emotional connection with audiences and it needs to be delivered in the most authentic way possible. It's usually the given situations where a character suffers misfortunes that generate laughter,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times on Friday. The 32-year-old actor also revealed why he

Aug 14, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Actor Ko Kyoung-pyo explains why he doesn't obsess over lead roles

Trends

Lee Kun-hee's art collection likely to be exhibited abroad in 2024 or 2025

Yoon Sung-yong, director-general of the National Museum of Korea, speaks during a press conference held at the museum in central Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe art collection of late former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee will be exhibited abroad in 2024 or 2025 after stints in four cities here ― Seoul, Gwangju, Daegu and Cheongju. Yoon Sung-yong, the new director-general of the National Museum of Korea (NMK), said the state-run museum will complete the registration for cultural heritage of Lee's private collection by the end of this year.“Once the registration is done, citizens will be able to view Lee's art collection through an e-museum starting January of next year. The exhibition of Lee's collection will only be held in four cities in Korea before showcasing them abroad, because it's important to preserve and manage cultural assets,” he said during a press conference at the museum in central Seoul, Thursday. In the second half of 2022, Lee's art collection will be exhibited at the Gwangju National Museum. Next year, it will be displayed at the Daegu National

Aug 11, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Lee Kun-hee's art collection likely to be exhibited abroad in 2024 or 2025

Late Samsung chairman's collection highlights painter Lee Jung-seop as family man

Films

Crime thriller 'Limit' is about mother's quest to save abducted son

Actress Lee Jung-hyun in a scene from the film, "Limit" / Courtesy of JNC Media GroupBy Kwak Yeon-sooLee Jung-hyun has shown the ability to play all kinds of characters in any manner of film. She has appeared in both solid films with serious topics such as “Alice in Earnestland” (2015) and spectacular films like “Peninsula” (2020). “Limit” stars Lee as So-eun, a police detective who, at one time, was the best among her peers in hunting down criminals. But a traumatic experience that left a victim dead in one case made her step back and just take emergency calls or patrol the neighborhood ― that is, until one day the police get a call from a couple whose child has been kidnapped. So-eun goes undercover to help the parents locate their abducted child. However, the kidnappers soon find out that So-eun is not the child's real mother. Infuriated by the fact that Soe-un has been fooling them, they kidnap her own son, too. So-eun then finds herself in a tense psychological battle with the abductors and goes on a solo mission to get her son back. The crime

Aug 10, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kwak Yeon-soo

Read more

Jeju World Heritage Festival makes joyful live return

1980s-set action film 'Seoul Vibe' boasts huge cast, big thrills

Slice-of-life film 'Rolling' explores tiny pleasures amid pandemic

Brad Pitt says 'Bullet Train' is explosive action-packed summer blockbuster

Rare Joseon-era spherical sundial unveiled to public

'Mukbang' binge-eating shows give way to new trend of eating little

'Confidential Assignment 2' has even more action, humor

INTERVIEW Actor Ko Kyoung-pyo explains why he doesn't obsess over lead roles

Lee Kun-hee's art collection likely to be exhibited abroad in 2024 or 2025

Crime thriller 'Limit' is about mother's quest to save abducted son

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