The Korea Times

Underwater photographer's 30-year journey documenting humpback whales

Underwater photographer Chang Namon, right, and a humpback whale / Courtesy of Lotte World AdventureBy Kwak Yeon-sooConsidered Korea's first underwater photographer, Chang Namon has shot a number of impressive photo series of humpback whales over nearly 30 years. The travel restrictions for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic have stopped him from visiting his favorite waters, but he has been training underwater in Goseong County, Gangwon Province, to build the strength to resume his photographic journey. “I plan to resume filming whales next February. This time, I want to film sperm whales because I feel like I've taken enough photos of humpback whales. To document them, I need to go to Sri Lanka or the Dominican Republic,” the 72-year-old photographer said during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday.Korea's first underwater photographer Chang Namon / Courtesy of Chang NamonChang's connection with humpback whales began in 1992 when he had the opportunity to film Okinawa's underwater landscapes as a photojournalist for the Joongang Ilbo daily newspaper. H

Jun 2, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Underwater photographer's 30-year journey documenting humpback whales

Films

Song Kang-ho was 'starting point' of 'Broker': director Kore-eda

Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, center, and the cast of “Broker” pose during a press conference for the film in Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapKorean film by Japanese director talks about universal valuesBy Kwak Yeon-sooJapanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda shared that actor Song Kang-ho, who won Korea's first Best Actor award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, was the “starting point” of his first fully Korean film, “Broker.”The film centers on a group of crooks who form an unconventional family through a “baby box” where people abandon their unwanted infants anonymously.“I decided the starting point of the film should be Song gently holding and talking to the baby, but heartlessly selling him for money. An image of Song portraying the blurred line between good and evil struck me as I was preparing for the film,” he said during a press conference for the movie in Seoul, Tuesday.Kore-eda, who wrote and directed the film, explained what prompted him to tell a story about Korea's baby adoption system instead of shining light on soci

May 31, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Song Kang-ho was 'starting point' of 'Broker': director Kore-eda

Entertainment

For new cultural policy for hallyu

By Hong Seok-kyeong Hong Seok-kyeong, professor of communication at Seoul National University / Courtesy of Hong Seok-kyeong Hallyu, or the Korean wave, seems to be having its day as of 2022. Taking full advantage of digital transformation, Korean pop culture did not stop growing during the pandemic period. Beyond the huge global successes of BTS, “Parasite” and “Squid Game,” viewers around the world are showing a growing interest in Korean culture and Korea itself. As a former developing country, Korea has memories of difficulties, and Korean dramas and K-pop culture bear traces of suffering: colonial experience, war, poverty, inequality, the violence of excessive competition and the principle of neoliberal capitalism that compels constant self-improvement. Including those in rich countries, most of the global audience share some or all of these experiences and can relate to the stories that Korean popular culture produces and propagates. The Korean government has sh

May 28, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Books

'Cursed Bunny' misses out on Int'l Booker Prize

“Cursed Bunny” author Chung Bora, right, and translator Anton Hur attend a press conference in Seoul, April 14. Newsis By Kwak Yeon-soo“Cursed Bunny,” written by Chung Bora and translated by Anton Hur, failed to win this year's International Booker Prize, one of three largest literary awards in the world.The prestigious award went instead to “Tomb of Sand,” written by Geentanjali Shree and translated by Daisy Rockwell, according to the Booker Prize Foundation on Thursday. Shree became the first Indian author to win the international prize. “Cursed Bunny” is a genre-defying collection of 10 short stories, one that can be best described as a gripping amalgamation of absurdist tales that draw on science fiction, horror and fantasy. The English version of Chung's novel was among the six works shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize, which was established in 2005 to honor the author and translator equally for a single work of fiction translated into English.

May 27, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Cursed Bunny' misses out on Int'l Booker Prize

Films

Korean films make splash at Cannes Film Festival

Director Park Chan-wook, left, talks to reporters, with actor Song Kang-ho, right, after they won the Best Director and Best Actor awards for “Decision to Leave” and “Broker,” respectively, at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, Saturday (local time). YonhapSong Kang-ho named Best Actor; Park Chan-wook wins Best DirectorBy Kwak Yeon-sooKorean films have set a record by taking two awards this year at the Cannes Film Festival. Song Kang-ho became the first Korean male actor to win the Best Actor award for his role in “Broker,” Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's Korean debut with an all-Korean cast and dialogue. Earlier in 2007, actress Jeon Do-yeon won the Best Actress award for her performance in “Secret Sunshine,” in which Song also starred.Song has also become the third Asian actor to win the award at Cannes, following Hong Kong's Leung Chiu Wai for “In the Mood for Love” in 2000 and Japan's Yuya Yagira for “Nobody Knows” in 2004.“It's an honor. I attribute this good result to peopl

May 27, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Films

Veteran actors receive spotlight on big screen

A poster for the film “Good Morning” / Courtesy of D Station By Kwak Yeon-sooAn array of veteran actors are taking on lead roles in TV shows as well as cinema. While actors like Ko Doo-shim and Kim Hye-ja take on title roles on the small screen, stars like Ahn Sung-ki, Lee Soon-jae and Na Moon-hee are seen playing central characters on the silver screen, proving that “old is gold.”Veteran actor Lee, 87, stars in director Cha Bong-joo's debut feature “Good Morning,” which premiered on May 25. The film follows an orphan named Soo-mi (Kim Hwan-hee), who attempts suicide but is saved by Seo-jin (Yoo Sun), a hospice volunteer who lost her daughter five years ago. Seo-jin suggests that Soo-mi join her. At the hospice house, Soo-mi learns life lessons by teaching an old man nearing death named In-soo (Lee) how to read and write.“When you reach my age as an actor, you usually get small or limited roles. I don't take those roles. When I read the script for 'Good Morning,' ho

May 25, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Veteran actors receive spotlight on big screen

Films

'The Witch: Part 2' director still has more story to tell

Actress Shin Si-ah in a scene from the film “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One” / Courtesy of NEW Sequel to rare superpower heroine franchise returns with rookie actressBy Kwak Yeon-sooOn returning with the much-anticipated sci-fi thriller “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One,” a sequel to “The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion” (2018), director Park Hoon-jung made it clear that there is still more story to tell. The upcoming film tells the story of a girl who comes out into the world as a lone survivor of a top-secret lab where the facility creates creatures with superpowers. The first installment of the female-centered heroine franchise attracted over 3.1 million moviegoers in 2018.“It's taken us four years to get a sequel. Our project has been delayed due to COVID-19. Under challenging circumstances, we weren't sure when we could resume filming. The plot also changed over time. I feel like I haven't told a 10th of the story in mind, but I think this one turned out to be

May 24, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

'The Witch: Part 2' director still has more story to tell

Films

Actor's short film 'Dark Yellow' nominated for Asia competition at Japan's film festival

A poster for actress Koo Hye-sun's fifth short film “Dark Yellow” / Courtesy of IOK Company By Kwak Yeon-soo“Dark Yellow,” a short film directed by actress Koo Hye-sun, has been nominated for the competition section of Japan's Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2022, an Academy Awards-accredited film festival that specializes in Asian short films.The 24th edition is scheduled for June 7 to 20. Koo's fifth short film follows a woman who works at a flower shop and a man who becomes interested in her. “Dark Yellow” premiered at the 2021 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, where the 38-year-old actor-director explained that her film is told from the perspective of women through the color yellow. “Rather than wanting to purposefully make a film about women, I followed the perspective of women. By making this film, I wanted to understand both women and men. I wanted to deal with subjects such as our inferiority complex and vulnerabilities,” she said. “Dark Yello

May 23, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Actor's short film 'Dark Yellow' nominated for Asia competition at Japan's film festival

Films

Hollywood blockbuster sequels poised to hit theaters, streaming platforms

A scene from the film “Jurassic World Dominion.” Courtesy of Universal PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooA raft of sequels to Hollywood blockbusters are poised to bring more people back to theaters in the coming months following “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which outdid the original “Doctor Strange” in ticket sales in Korea.Moviegoers are flocking back to cinemas now that there is a wide selection of movies available. As a result, “Doctor Strange 2” attracted more than 5.47 million moviegoers as of Sunday, outpacing “Doctor Strange,” which attracted 5.45 million people. “Jurassic World Dominion,” which will be released on June 1, is the sixth and final installment in the franchise which dates back more than three decades. The film picks up after the events of “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (2018) where dinosaurs have escaped the island of Isla Nublar and are now living among humans. It features the return of Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and BD Wong from the first installment of the s

May 23, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Hollywood blockbuster sequels poised to hit theaters, streaming platforms

Films

Kim Hee-sun to return to big screen after 19 years

Actress Kim Hee-sun / Courtesy of MBCBy Kwak Yeon-sooActress Kim Hee-sun, who recently wrapped up filming the MBC drama, “Tomorrow,” will return to the big screen for the first time in 19 years. Her last movie was the 2003 romance film, “A Letter from Mars.”In the upcoming romantic comedy film, “Sweetish” (literal translation from Korean), she will portray a single mother. Actor Yoo Hai-jin will play her partner ― a guy who has never dated before. The filming will start in June.It will be written by Lee Byeong-heon, well known to have directed “Extreme Job” (2019) and “Twenty” (2015), and directed by Lee Han, who was behind “Innocent Witness” (2019) and “Punch” (2011)Kim debuted as a TV commercial model in 1993 and was propelled to stardom after appearing in dozens of works, including the drama, “Men of the Bath House” in 1995 and “Sunflower” in 1998.She has been featured in Chinese movies and TV series, including “The Warring States” (2013) and SBS' “Alice&rd

May 22, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kwak Yeon-soo

Read more

Underwater photographer's 30-year journey documenting humpback whales

Song Kang-ho was 'starting point' of 'Broker': director Kore-eda

For new cultural policy for hallyu

'Cursed Bunny' misses out on Int'l Booker Prize

Korean films make splash at Cannes Film Festival

Veteran actors receive spotlight on big screen

'The Witch: Part 2' director still has more story to tell

Actor's short film 'Dark Yellow' nominated for Asia competition at Japan's film festival

Hollywood blockbuster sequels poised to hit theaters, streaming platforms

Kim Hee-sun to return to big screen after 19 years

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