The Korea Times

Yoon gov't to expand support for cultural creators

By Kwak Yeon-sooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to further cultivate the arts and culture industries and establish an environment in which the public can participate and enjoy cultural life. Yoon has already made several promises during his presidential campaign to assist local artists and cultural workers with customized financing.He promised to create 500,000 jobs for young people in industries related to so-called “K-content.” Today cyber-savvy young artists are seeking to implement digital offerings with AI, metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The film, TV, webtoon and music industries are incorporating the latest technologies into their intellectual property, pushing the government to come up with support measures such as revitalizing the industrial ecosystem and preventing copyright infringement.To enhance the global competitiveness of K-content, Yoon plans to support content-related companies' and artists' activities abroad. He also pledged to expand pop culture-oriented hallyu to lifes

Mar 10, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Yoon gov't to expand support for cultural creators

People in cultural fields call on new administration to promote fairness, offer practical support

Films

Filmmaker zooms in on Korea's 'spycam' epidemic, woeful state of women's rights

Filmmaker Do You-jin / Courtesy of Do You-jin'Mass protests by women, feminist discourse are changing society slowly'By Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Do You-jin's short film “Open Shutters” zooms in on the country's “spycam” epidemic that prompted mass street protests in 2018 and a larger conversation on the woeful state of women's rights in Korea.The 35-minute documentary follows the story of Choi Ji-eun, a journalist covering women's protests against “spycam” crimes (hidden cameras often placed in private spaces), as she finds out that she was being filmed through her 22nd-story apartment window by a voyeur on the rooftop of a nearby building.From the moment a police officer notifies her about the illegal filming to the resulting court case, Choi endures pain and suffering alone. Do said she was in Thailand on summer vacation when her then workplace colleague, Choi, called her from Korea. “I remember the exact date. It was July 25 of 2018. Choi sounded super anxious and she told me what happened. It was awful to see her in pain after learning about

Mar 10, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Filmmaker zooms in on Korea's 'spycam' epidemic, woeful state of women's rights

Global Community

Scholar calls for better integration of Korea's Muslims

A 2018 photo of a “musalla,” or Islamic place of worship, in North Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of Yi Soo-jeongBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe arrival of 500 Yemeni asylum seekers on Jeju Island in 2018 sparked debate over how the country handles refugees, including an online backlash, a petition for the government to take action, and anti-refugee protests on Jeju and in Seoul.Yi Soo-jeong, a senior research fellow at the Sogang Euro-MENA Institute, recalls that this event prompted her to study the mosques serving the Muslim communities of Korea.“It started with a simple question: where exactly and how do Muslims in Korea practice their faith? As I delved deeper into the matter, I grew to understand that there are around 100-150 Islamic religious facilities in Korea, many of them relatively small,” she said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. Yi's new book “Broader Perspective for Strangers” tells a story about her 2018-2019 journey of searching for mosques and Islamic centers in Korea, Muslim communities' experiences of intolerance and discrimin

Mar 9, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Scholar calls for better integration of Korea's Muslims

Entertainment

Korea to enhance overseas promotion of Korean Wave

Actor Lee Jung-jae, left, and BTS / Korea Times file Gov't plans to expand hallyu craze to traditional cultureBy Kwak Yeon-sooWith the number of hallyu ― Korean Wave ― fans around the world reaching new highs, the government has vowed to implement its Hallyu Outbound Activation plan to boost overseas promotion of Korea's cultural content. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Friday that it will team up with other ministries to draw up a set of measures to enhance the global popularity of hallyu.Under the new plan, the government will expand the role of state-run Korean Cultural Centers overseas by allowing them to form what it calls a K-Initiative Consultative Group with other hallyu-related organizations and launch cooperative projects. For instance, it has partnered with the Korea Tourism Organization and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency to establish the K-Brand overseas promotion hall in Indonesia, which will open in the second half of

Mar 4, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Korea to enhance overseas promotion of Korean Wave

Entertainment

Korean celebrities stand in solidarity with Ukraine

Actress Lee Young-ae / Courtesy of JTBCBy Kwak Yeon-sooFollowing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a number of Korean celebrities have come forward to voice their support for the stricken country.Actress Lee Young-ae drew attention to the situation in Ukraine by donating 100 million won ($82,950) to support “victims of Russian aggression.”Ukrainian Ambassador to Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko tweeted on Tuesday: “We are very excited and touched by the letter and the great financial contribution of the famous Korean actress Lee Young-ae in support of Ukraine and the demand to end the war as soon as possible.” In the letter sent to the embassy, Lee wrote: “As a family member of a war veteran, I can certainly sympathize with the horrors of war more than anyone else."“I hope the war in Ukraine will end soon, and I pray for the well-being and safety of all Ukrainian citizens. To all Ukrainian citizens who are calling for freedom and peace, I hope you don't lose courage and hope. As a peace-loving citizen of a free South Korea, I would like to convey my small but

Mar 2, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Korean celebrities stand in solidarity with Ukraine

Entertainment

Song Hye-kyo donates to Korean Education Center in San Francisco

Actress Song Hye-kyo in a scene from SBS drama “Now We Are Breaking Up” / Courtesy of SBS By Kwak Yeon-sooActress Song Hye-kyo has collaborated with Seo Kyung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University who is at the forefront of promoting Korean culture, to produce and donate 10,000 guidebooks on Korea's independence movement to the Korean Education Center in San Francisco. The donation was to commemorate the March 1 Independence Movement Day, and it is the seventh time that the actress has sponsored the “Meet Our Country's History Abroad” series. She has previously taken part in donating the guidebooks to the cities of Shanghai, Tokyo, Paris and New York.The guidebooks, available in Korean and English, tell the history of Korea's independence movement in San Francisco, led by the Korean National Association and the Gong Lip Hyup Hoe. They provide information about Jang In-hwan (1875-1930) and Jeon Myeong-un (1884-1947), two Korean independence activists who as

Mar 1, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Song Hye-kyo donates to Korean Education Center in San Francisco

Shows & Dramas

Alcohol in TV shows: Why show so much booze?

A scene from Tving's drama series, “Work Later, Drink Now” / Courtesy of TvingBy Kwak Yeon-sooAs alcohol consumption has become more common on television, some concerned viewers and experts are questioning whether there might be too many drinking scenes in dramas and entertainment shows. The increasing displays of drinking on TV may reflect the medium's increased respect for realism.Netflix's “Paik's Spirit,” which was released last October, features culinary star Paik Jong-won and celebrity guests talking about life over intoxicating meals. Han Ji-min, who appeared as a guest in the second episode, later said in an interview that she felt less pressure drinking in front of the camera on the show. “I would have been hesitant to appear in the show if it aired on one of three major broadcasters. But since it's an over-the-top (OTT) platform, I felt I could be more true to myself,” Han said. The OTT and cable-TV revolution have changed the way alcohol is portrayed. Tving's “Work Later, Drink Now,” which will be renewed for a second season

Mar 1, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Alcohol in TV shows: Why show so much booze?

Films

Foreign films likely to dominate local box office in 2022

Actor Robert Pattinson in a scene from “The Batman” / Courtesy of Warner Bros. KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooKorean films' share of the box office has plunged to its lowest in 11 years. The future looks bleak as distributors are still holding back new releases. Instead, foreign films are likely to take the lead in the faltering market.According to a recent survey by the Korean Film Council, the market share of Korean films at the box office fell to 30.1 percent in 2021. This broke the 10-year streak of local films' dominating box office receipts. By contrast, U.S. films gained a 61 percent market share in admissions thanks to “Spider-Man: No Way Home” which grossed over $58.4 million as of January. In terms of box office sales, domestic films held a market share of 29.7 percent while foreign films accounted for 70.3 percent. The ticket sales figure was down 73 percent compared to 2019, the busiest year on record for the box office in Korea. However, the future doesn't seem promising as the release dates for some 70 Korean films, including big-name blockbusters like act

Mar 1, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Foreign films likely to dominate local box office in 2022

People & Events

Late minister Lee O-young was 'cultural icon' of literary criticism

Former Culture Minister Lee O-young poses at the Young-in Literary Museum in this August 2021 file photo. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooLee O-young, who died on Saturday at the age of 89, roughly five years after being diagnosed with cancer, was an eminent literary critic who served as Korea's first culture minister and helped the country reach its status as a cultural powerhouse. A renowned scholar, he had long been considered one of the brightest minds in the country. While attending Seoul National University in 1956, he made his literary debut as a critic through an article titled “Destruction of an Idol,” which criticized thinkers and writers for their authoritarianism while arguing that literature and creative arts must possess a spirit of resistance. Lee worked as an editorial writer for several newspapers including Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun and Kyunghyang Shinmun. He wrote more than 130 books over 60 years, including novels, poems and essays, and prided himself on writing about Korea's vibrant cultural legacy. Some of his established works include “In

Feb 28, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Late minister Lee O-young was 'cultural icon' of literary criticism

Entertainment

Seo Yea-ji apologizes 10 months after scandal involving ex-boyfriend

Actress Seo Yea-ji / Courtesy of Gold MedalistBy Kwak Yeon-sooActress Seo Yea-ji has issued a public apology 10 months after being accused of gaslighting her former boyfriend, actor Kim Jung-hyun, bullying at school and falsifying her educational background.In April of last year, the actress was embroiled in claims that she showed controlling and manipulative behavior toward Kim when he was filming MBC's romance drama, “Time,” in 2018. The actress allegedly pressured him to “change the script to delete romantic scenes and physical contact” with his co-star Seohyun. Seo has also come under fire for alleged bullying at school, mistreating staff and falsifying her educational background. Although Seo's agency denied the accusations by describing the scandal as having resulted from her “emotional immaturity,” the actress has remained silent for nearly a year. Following the scandal, she withdrew from OCN's drama project, “Island.”“First of all, I sincerely apologize for conveying my feelings so late through these written words. I have

Feb 27, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kwak Yeon-soo

Read more

Yoon gov't to expand support for cultural creators

Filmmaker zooms in on Korea's 'spycam' epidemic, woeful state of women's rights

Scholar calls for better integration of Korea's Muslims

Korea to enhance overseas promotion of Korean Wave

Korean celebrities stand in solidarity with Ukraine

Song Hye-kyo donates to Korean Education Center in San Francisco

Alcohol in TV shows: Why show so much booze?

Foreign films likely to dominate local box office in 2022

Late minister Lee O-young was 'cultural icon' of literary criticism

Seo Yea-ji apologizes 10 months after scandal involving ex-boyfriend

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