The Korea Times

Lee Jung-jae signs with CAA, takes leap onto world stage

Actor Lee Jung-jae / Courtesy of Artist CompanyBy Kwak Yeon-sooLee Jung-jae, who made a splash by playing the protagonist of Netflix's smash hit series, “Squid Game,” is propelling Korean dramas, films and fashion, to global fame by taking the leap onto the world stage.Recently, he signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation as a director, producer and actor. The U.S. talent and sports agency represents notable Hollywood directors and actors, including Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt and Will Smith.“Based on CAA's global network, Lee Jung-jae will be more active in the global market, including the United States,” Lee's agency, Artist Company, said in a statement.Lee played Seong Gi-hun in “Squid Game,” the survival drama that has garnered four Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award nominations, including Male Actor in A Drama Series, for Lee. He will be attending the announcement ceremony, scheduled for Feb. 27 (local time), with director Hwang Dong-hyuk and other cast members.In addition, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Te

Feb 27, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Lee Jung-jae signs with CAA, takes leap onto world stage

Shows & Dramas

Director Lee Chung-hyun's short film, 'Bargain,' to be remade into TV series

Actors Jin Sun-kyu, left, and Jun Jong-seo / Courtesy of Tving By Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Lee Chung-hyun's award-winning short film, “Bargain,” will be remade into a television series. Produced by Climax Studio, which saw a surge of success with “Hellbound” and “D.P.,” the long-gestating TV adaptation will star Jin Sun-kyu and Jun Jong-seo.Lee's 2015 short film, “Bargain,” won several accolades, including the Jury Prize at the 33rd Busan International Short Film Festival, the Best Film Award at the 15th Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival in 2016 and the Best Short Film at the 11th Korean Film Festival in Paris (2017). “Bargain” is a disaster thriller that unfolds when a massive earthquake hits a town. The last surviving members, who are trapped in a building, where they negotiate for black market items such as human organs, struggle to survive. Although it takes references from the original film, the series will differentiate itself by devising fresh characters and plo

Feb 24, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Director Lee Chung-hyun's short film, 'Bargain,' to be remade into TV series

Films

Film industry faces 'existential threat'

Film industry workers gather in front of the National Assembly, Dec. 21, 2021, to call for government support to revive the industry. Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooSome 500 film industry workers jointly released an official statement on Wednesday, asking the government to set up fundamental measures to revive the industry. “The decline in box office sales due to COVID-19 has posed an existential threat to the film industry. Small- to medium-sized creators, producers and distributors are having the worst time ever. We cannot overcome the current crisis merely with measures such as encouraging the release of big-budget films or distributing discount coupons,” the statement read. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the aggregate number of moviegoers in Korea set a new annual record in 2019, surpassing 220 million, and five films screened here attracted more than 10 million moviegoers each. Korea has become the fifth-leading film market by gross box revenue, and “Parasite” became the first foreign language film ever to win the Best Picture award at the Oscars. &ld

Feb 24, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Film industry faces 'existential threat'

Trends

So long YOLO, young Koreans choose 'Godsaeng'

Self-empowerment through day-to-day goals, achievements becoming new trend By Kwak Yeon-sooJung Hye-in, a 32-year-old office worker in Seoul, takes dietary supplements with warm water, does a few yoga poses and reads at least one economic report every morning before starting work. During lunchtime, she takes a TOEFL class or goes for a 30-minute walk. Before going to sleep, she writes a blog about her daily life and her interest in fashion, home decoration, music and books. “I'm naturally a planner, but I started keeping track of my habits more precisely after moving out of my parents' house in 2020. Setting a goal and diligently working toward achieving it is meaningful and fulfilling,” she said.Like Jung, an increasing number of young people in Korea are adopting simple and healthy habits ― things like keeping a tidy and organized living space, drinking 2 liters of water per day, and cutting down on screen time. They do so in order to “lead an industrious and active life” in what they see as uncertain times. Known as “Godsaeng” in Korean ― a port

Feb 24, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

So long YOLO, young Koreans choose 'Godsaeng'

Trends

Culture minister proposes Culture Olympics to IOC head

Culture Minister Hwang Hee speaks during a press conference at the Government Complex Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismBy Kwak Yeon-sooCulture Minister Hwang Hee said Tuesday he proposed holding a “Culture Olympics” to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach during his visit to Beijing for the Winter Olympics. Hwang said he presented Korea's proposal to the IOC head, citing three major reasons: first, it upholds the Olympic spirit of celebrating respect for cultural differences; second, the IOC can enhance its presence in the United Nations (UN) by expanding its scope of activities to the field of culture; finally, a Culture Olympics could have considerable social and economic benefits.“I believe a Culture Olympics will help solidify Korea's status as a cultural powerhouse. The IOC agreed in principle, but raised questions about the plans for operation, including how the items would be divided into competitive or noncompetitive forms, and how scoring would work. We will discuss further details with the IOC in

Feb 22, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Culture minister proposes Culture Olympics to IOC head

Films

Jung Woo plays third-rate gangster in action noir 'Hot Blooded'

A scene from the film "Hot Blooded" / Courtesy of Kidari Studio By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Jung Woo said he wanted to break away from “the funny guy” image that he had and show off the tough, charismatic side of him in the action noir “Hot Blooded,” a film adaptation of Kim Un-su's novel of the same title. Set in a shabby town near the port city of Busan, the film tells the story of a third-rate gangster Hee-su (Jung Woo), who unwittingly becomes involved in a brutal gang war. The film also stars Kim Kap-soo, Choi Mu-sung and Ji Seung-hyun.“At first, I wasn't so intrigued by this story because I've already played a character like this before ― a gangster from Busan who uses Busan dialect,” he said during an online press conference for the film, Monday. “In the past, I've mostly played really bright, quirky characters. This time, I had this feeling that I could show a hyper-tough guy image by taking the lead in a mostly masculine story. It was the type of character that m

Feb 21, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Jung Woo plays third-rate gangster in action noir 'Hot Blooded'

Films

Park Chan-wook, Apple team up for short film 'Life is But a Dream'

From left, cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung, actors Yoo Hai-jin, Kim Ok-vin, director Park Chan-wook and actor Park Jeong-min pose during an online press conference for the film, “Life is But a Dream.” Courtesy of AppleBy Kwak Yeon-sooPark Chan-wook has teamed up with Apple to create a short film “Life is But a Dream” shot entirely on the latest iPhones. The 21-minute “Life is But a Dream” opens with a spooky scene then slowly reveals itself to be part fantasy, part martial arts and part musical. It also features “pansori” (a traditional Korean musical narrative) and “madanggeuk” (a traditional Korean outdoor play) to tell a supernatural-based tale featuring both a ghost wedding and funeral.Shot on the iPhone 13 Pro, it follows the story of an undertaker (Yoo Hai-jin) who digs up an abandoned grave to steal a coffin for the burial of a warrior (Kim Ok-vin) who had died saving a village. While digging, he accidentally awakens the ghost of an ancient swordsman (Park Jeong-min). When the ghost tries to take back its coffin, it rou

Feb 18, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Park Chan-wook, Apple team up for short film 'Life is But a Dream'

Films

Balladeer, trot singer make inroads into cinema

Singers KCM, left, and Song Ga-in right / Courtesy of Image9comms, PocketDol Studio By Kwak Yeon-sooBalladeer KCM, whose full name is Kang Chang-mo, and trot singer Song Ga-in are expanding their areas of expertise into cinema. Kang, who has been enjoying his second heyday as a member of the MSG Wannabe project group formed on MBC's variety show “Hangout with You,” made his debut as actor in the music-themed film “Refresh.”Directed by Kim Gil-young, it tells the story of “K,” a washed-up singer who makes his living performing for patients suffering from depression, ADHD and alcoholism. The film, which opened in theaters on Wednesday, is a semi-autobiographical work that is based on Kang's own life story. “Although the film has been adapted to some extent, it incorporates many life experiences that I've been through. The scene where K sings in a nightclub is inspired by my real-life story. Filming that scene brought back memories of me performing in small clubs and b

Feb 18, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Balladeer, trot singer make inroads into cinema

Books

INTERVIEW Why are young Koreans being radicalized?

Kim Nae-hoon, the author of “Radical 20s: K-Populism and the Political,” poses before an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulSocial issues divide fairness-sensitive 20-somethings: scholarBy Kwak Yeon-sooIn his inauguration speech on May 10, 2017, President Moon Jae-in promised his supporters “equal opportunities, fair process and just results.”This was a message of hope and optimism for young Koreans, who had high expectations for the new administration after the impeachment of scandal-plagued former President Park Geun-hye. However, it didn't take long for them to “turn their backs” on the government as Moon and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) grappled with fairness issues.As examples, the younger generation showed strong opposition to sacrificing some national players to form a unified inter-Korean ice hockey team at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018. Then in 2019, the elitism scandal surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family angered you

Feb 17, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Why are young Koreans being radicalized?

Politics

Presidential candidates' speaking style and what it reveals about their personalities

gettyimagesbankSpeaking in public is 'very important part of the job' as president: expertsBy Kwak Yeon-sooNo matter what one's political opinions may be, it is widely accepted that a presidential candidate's speaking style is an important factor in evaluating his or her overall qualifications to be a state leader.A candidate's speaking style also tells us important things about what kind of president he or she would make. Unfortunately, Korea's public has few chances to learn about each candidate's vision and mission before the March 9 election because the TV debates are not moving forward as scheduled. With less than three weeks left until the big day, there have been only been two TV debates between the four main candidates and none among the two top-polling candidates. The candidates' different styles and strengths as speakers may bring pluses and minuses to their quests to become president, according to communication experts. The election debates may also have dramatic effects on voters who haven't made up their minds yet. Psychologist Kim Tae-hyung and public speaking expert Pa

Feb 17, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kwak Yeon-soo

Read more

Lee Jung-jae signs with CAA, takes leap onto world stage

Director Lee Chung-hyun's short film, 'Bargain,' to be remade into TV series

Film industry faces 'existential threat'

So long YOLO, young Koreans choose 'Godsaeng'

Culture minister proposes Culture Olympics to IOC head

Jung Woo plays third-rate gangster in action noir 'Hot Blooded'

Park Chan-wook, Apple team up for short film 'Life is But a Dream'

Balladeer, trot singer make inroads into cinema

INTERVIEW Why are young Koreans being radicalized?

Presidential candidates' speaking style and what it reveals about their personalities

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