The Korea Times

INTERVIEW Naturalist documentarian traces lives of endangered Siberian tigers

Naturalist documentarian Park Soo-yong closes his eyes, recalling his memories of tracing the lives of Siberian tigers, during an interview with The Korea Times at Gimmyoung Publishers in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukPark Soo-yong protects world's last remaining Siberian tigers and their habitatBy Kwak Yeon-sooBefore the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, documentarian and conservationist Park Soo-yong used to spend at least six months every year in the Russian Far East, enduring loneliness and extreme weather conditions ― oftentimes with temperatures of below -40 degrees Celsius ― to study the Siberian tiger, one of the rarest species on Earth.His expertise on tigers led him to publish two books about the animal. Park's nonfiction novel, written during the pandemic, “A Tale of an Old Tiger Named Kkori (working English title),” published 10 years after his first book, “The Great Soul of Siberia: Passion, Obsession and One Man's Quest for the World's Most Elusive Tiger,” chronicles his relationship to an old tiger. The English edit

Jan 13, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Naturalist documentarian traces lives of endangered Siberian tigers

Films

Korean Film Council appoints Park Ki-yong as new head

KOFIC Chairman Park Ki-yong / Courtesy of KOFICBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has appointed Park Ki-yong, an academic and director, as its new chairman. Park was chosen through a vote by the nine KOFIC committee members during its first regular meeting on Friday. He replaces Kim Young-jin, who completed his one-year term on Jan. 3.Park previously worked a producer on director Park Kwang-su's 1993 historical war drama “To The Starry Island.” He subsequently directed the award-winning films “Motel Cactus” (1997), which won the New Currents Award at the 1998 Busan International Film Festival, and “Camel(s)” (2001), which won the Regard d'Or at the 2002 Fribourg International Film Festival. He was also the head of the Korean Academy of Film Arts (2003-09) and head of the Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival (2006-12). He is currently a professor at Dankook University's Graduate School of Cinematic Content. Park's term will run until Jan. 8, 2024.“We will communicate more actively with film industry officials to become a trustworthy

Jan 10, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Korean Film Council appoints Park Ki-yong as new head

Shows & Dramas

Choi Min-sik to star in Disney+ original series 'King of Savvy'

Actor Choi Min-sik / Courtesy of C-Jes EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooChoi Min-sik, one of the most successful movie stars in Korea, has officially signed on to star in the Disney+ original series, “King of Savvy,” previously reported to be titled, “Casino.”“King of Savvy” is a crime action drama about a casino mogul who takes risks and tries to get back into the game. It will be written and directed by Kang Yoon-sung, who helmed “The Outlaws,” and is reported to have a budget of over 20 billion won ($16.7 million). While Choi has remained active in the film industry, “King of Savvy” is Choi's first TV project in 24 years, since he starred in MBC's 1997-98 drama, “Love and Separation.” The 59-year-old actor received crucial acclaim for his role in the 2003 action thriller, “Oldboy,” and achieved commercial success with his role in the 2014 film, “Roaring Currents,” which is by far the highest-grossing film in Korea, with over 17 million admissions.Most recently, Choi played a terminally ill

Jan 10, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Choi Min-sik to star in Disney+ original series 'King of Savvy'

Films

'Sewing Sisters' explores hidden figures of Korea's labor movement

A scene from the documentary film “Sewing Sisters” / Courtesy of Jin Jin PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooChun Tae-il, a tailor and activist who set himself on fire to raise awareness of textile workers' poor labor conditions in 1970, is a symbolic figure in Korea's labor movement history. Following Chun's self-immolation, unions sprang up and hundreds of workers at Pyounghwa Market, a cluster of sweatshops in Seoul's Dongdaemun Market area, stood up to seek guarantees of workers' rights. The majority of them were women and girls who started working at garment factories as teenagers.These young women were sent off to work to support financially desperate families, rather than going to middle school. The working conditions in sweatshops were grueling. They worked overtime without proper compensation in unventilated small compartments made by factory owners, who would squeeze as many sewing machines and workers into their factories as possible. Female workers, as young as 13, would work 15 to 16 hours a day.“The trauma I faced as a teenager was the fact that I couldn't afford

Jan 7, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Sewing Sisters' explores hidden figures of Korea's labor movement

Films

INTERVIEW 'Drive My Car' actor tells of his rise to global fame, desire to star in Korean movie

Actor Hidetoshi Nishijima in a scene from the film “Drive My Car” / Courtesy of Triple Pictures, ZOA FilmsBy Kwak Yeon-sooHidetoshi Nishijima, one of the biggest Japanese stars, received a staggering amount of attention for his performance in the three-hour drama “Drive My Car.” On being named one of “The Best Actors of 2021,” he thanked director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the cast and crew for their support throughout.The actor said there were lots of table readings and rehearsals, just like in the movie, and all the actors enjoyed the process of diving into the meaning of each line. “It was an honor. Accepting the director's style of directing was a new experience for me. We rehearsed many times, and that helped me discover various qualities within the character,” Nishijima said in a recent interview with The Korea Times via Zoom. “Drive My Car,” based on the 2014 Haruki Murakami's short story collection “Men Without Women,” tells the story of Kafuku (Nishijima), the widowed stage director who slowly lets go of his bur

Jan 6, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] 'Drive My Car' actor tells of his rise to global fame, desire to star in Korean movie

Films

Upcoming Korean movies to watch in 2022

The poster for the film, “The Roundup” / Courtesy of ABO EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe year 2022 is shaping up to be a big year for the film industry, with an enormous lineup of movies coming to theaters. These include a number of delayed blockbusters rescheduled for release in 2022 because of the pandemic, such as “Emergency Declaration,” “Life is Beautiful” and “Hero.”New releases by directors like Kim Han-min, Choi Dong-hoon and Kim Yong-hwa will provide viewers with a wider selection. Some actors will also expand their talents behind the camera for their feature directorial debuts.Long-awaited movie sequels will be among the biggest releases of 2022. “The Pirates: Goblin Flag,” a sequel to the 2014 action film, “The Pirates,” will be coming to theaters on Jan. 26. The upcoming film, featuring Kang Ha-neul and Han Hyo-joo, promises a new adrenaline-pumping storyline and a cast of fresh faces. The previous movie, starring Son Ye-jin and Kim Nam-gil, garnered about 8.7 million in ticket sales in 2014.“T

Jan 5, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Films

Jeon Do-yeon to play assassin in Byun Sung-hyun's upcoming Netflix thriller

Actors Jeon Do-yeon, left, and Seol Kyung-gu / Courtesy of Management SOOP, C-JeS EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooJeon Do-yeon and Seol Kyung-gu will be reuniting for the third time in director Byun Sung-hyun's upcoming Netflix thriller, “Kill Bok-soon” (working title), about an assassin who gets in trouble before renewing her contract. The two actors had previously been cast as romantic partners in “I Wish I Had a Wife” (2001) and as a married couple in “Birthday” (2019). In the upcoming film, Jeon will play the role of Kill, who lives a double life as a ruthless killer for hire and a single mom who faces financial struggles looking after her 15-year-old daughter. Seol, who has appeared in Byun's two other films, “The Merciless” (2017) and “Kingmaker” (2022), will portray Cha Min-kyu, the head of the assassins' organization, M.K., who taught Kill to become a skilled assassin. The cast also includes Esom as Cha's sister, Cha Min-hee, the director, M.K. and Koo Kyo-hwan as Han Hee-seong, an assassin who, regardless of his talent

Jan 4, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Jeon Do-yeon to play assassin in Byun Sung-hyun's upcoming Netflix thriller

Films

INTERVIEW Funnyman Song Sae-byeok on playing bad cop in 'Special Delivery'

Actor Song Sae-byeok in the film, “Special Delivery” / Courtesy of NEW, M PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooWith his penchant for playing comical characters in “The Servant” (2010) and “The Suck Up Project: Mr. XXX-Kisser” (2012), actor Song Sae-byeok has earned a reputation as the funnyman of the film industry.In 2014, he sought transformation from a comic relief character into a villainous character with “A Girl at My Door,” in which he plays a deadbeat dad. Song discussed the challenge of playing a villain in movies, including the latest “Special Delivery,” saying he lost about 5 kilograms and couldn't eat or sleep well “There were times when I woke up in sweat or had to prick my fingers with a needle to calm my upset stomach. It was stressful,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times. “I imagined that a person whose sole purpose of life is to make money wouldn't enjoy eating. So I lost some weight even before our first table read, and the director seemed happy with the idea.” In “Special Deli

Jan 4, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Funnyman Song Sae-byeok on playing bad cop in 'Special Delivery'

Trends

INTERVIEW Be prepared for spike in hallyu tourists after pandemic: culture minister

Culture Minister Hwang Hee / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismCulture Minister Hwang Hee vows to upgrade infrastructure to prepare for post-pandemic tourism boomBy Kwak Yeon-sooCulture Minister Hwang Hee had firsthand experiences of the ever-growing influence of hallyu, or the Korean wave, during a recent trip to France. Some of them were so surreal that he couldn't believe his eyes. Reflecting on his visit to a “Squid Game” pop-up store and meeting with K-pop fans at Kick (“K-pop is for cool kids”) Cafe, a concept cafe in Paris for people who enjoy popular Korean music, he said that what he saw was “jaw-dropping.”“Although it was raining, visitors were waiting in a long queue outside the store that sells Squid Game merchandize. The line of people waiting to get in wrapped around the building at least twice!” the soft-spoken minister said with excitement during a recent interview with The Korea Times. “It's not just the drama that's become a breakthrough hit. When a Korean-language class of 40 students opened at

Jan 3, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Be prepared for spike in hallyu tourists after pandemic: culture minister

Shows & Dramas

Netflix zombie series 'All of Us Are Dead' to be unveiled on Jan. 28

A scene from Netflix's series, “All of Us Are Dead” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooAfter “Kingdom” and “Hellbound” took the world by storm, another Korean zombie apocalypse series, “All of Us Are Dead,” will be coming to Netflix on Jan. 28, the streaming giant announced on Friday. Based on Joo Dong-geun's popular web-comic, titled, “Now at Our School,” “All of Us Are Dead” centers on high school students who are trapped in a school during a zombie apocalypse. The trapped students must fight their way out of the virus-ridden school or otherwise, they too will turn into zombies.Ahead of the release, Netflix released its trailer to give a glimpse of the school campus overrun by zombies and the bloody battle between students-turned-zombies and survivors, who are desperate to escape the place. It is helmed by Lee Jae-kyoo, who has directed such hit TV series as “Damo” (2003) and “Beethoven Virus,” (2008) along with films like “The Fatal Encounter” (2014) and “Intimate St

Jan 2, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Kwak Yeon-soo

Read more

INTERVIEW Naturalist documentarian traces lives of endangered Siberian tigers

Korean Film Council appoints Park Ki-yong as new head

Choi Min-sik to star in Disney+ original series 'King of Savvy'

'Sewing Sisters' explores hidden figures of Korea's labor movement

INTERVIEW 'Drive My Car' actor tells of his rise to global fame, desire to star in Korean movie

Upcoming Korean movies to watch in 2022

Jeon Do-yeon to play assassin in Byun Sung-hyun's upcoming Netflix thriller

INTERVIEW Funnyman Song Sae-byeok on playing bad cop in 'Special Delivery'

INTERVIEW Be prepared for spike in hallyu tourists after pandemic: culture minister

Netflix zombie series 'All of Us Are Dead' to be unveiled on Jan. 28

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