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Kwak Yeon-soo

Korea Times Digital Content Reporter

Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.

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Films

Filmmaker Shin Jung-won, B-movie pioneer, dies at 46

Filmmaker Shin Jung-won / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Shin Jung-won, an innovative filmmaker known for his unflinching, genre-bending films, “To Catch a Virgin Ghost” (2004) and “Night of the Undead” (2020), died of sepsis at Gangnam Severance Hospital on Saturday. He was 46. According to his family, Shin had been unwell for a while.“He was admitted to the hospital on Friday due to symptoms of fever and difficulty breathing. He died of sepsis complications although he had been suffering from liver cirrhosis,” they said.Shin worked as a music video director for singer Rich's “Only the Words, I Love You,” as well as the visual art director for films like “Sex is Zero” (2002) and “Romantic Assassin” (2003), before directing his own film. His breakthrough came with “To Catch a Virgin Ghost” (2004), a comedy-horror film about a gang that steals a large diamond and escapes to a small town named Sisily, where they encounter bizarre villagers. This film, which has a B-movie feel, received critica

Dec 5, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Filmmaker Shin Jung-won, B-movie pioneer, dies at 46
Films

INTERVIEW Documentary filmmaker zooms in on Zainichi Koreans

Filmmaker Kim Cheol-min / Courtesy of Indie StoryBy Kwak Yeon-sooIt was a simple coincidence that documentary director Kim Cheol-min traveled to Mount Kumgang in 2002. There he encountered not only North Koreans, but Zainichi Koreans ― a Japanese term that means “living in Japan,” and refers to ethnic Koreans who began living in Japan during the 1910-45 occupation of Korea and remained there after Japan's defeat in World War II.Feeling sadness and regret about his ignorance of their history, Kim embarked on a personal journey to learn more about the Zainichi Koreans in Japan. His documentary, “I Am from Chosun,” follows the story of the first generation of the Zainichi and their descendants, who identify themselves as people from “Chosun,”referring to the name of Korea before its division. The 94-minute film examines the systemic discrimination against ethnic Koreans in Japan, as well as how they try to protect and pass on their identity to later generations against all odds. For the Zainichi, however, neither South Korea nor North Korea is their h

Dec 2, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
[INTERVIEW] Documentary filmmaker zooms in on Zainichi Koreans
Films

Stellar cast in 'A Year-end Medley' promises mix of nostalgia, escapism

From left, actors Ko Sung-hee, Kim Young-kwang and Han Ji-min attend an online press conference for the film, “A Year-end Medley,” Wednesday. Courtesy of CJ ENM, TvingBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe romantic comedy film, “A Year-end Medley,” promises a mix of nostalgia and escapism for viewers during the Christmas season after the pandemic blighted last year's festive period. Directed by Kwak Jae-yong (“Colors of Wind” and “My Sassy Girl”), the year-end romantic drama film weaves together multiple stories of Korean celebrities who cross the lobby of the Hotel Emross in the middle of Seoul during Christmas. It brings together a stellar cast that includes Han Ji-min, Lee Dong-wook, Kang Ha-neul, Lim Yoon-a, Won Jin-a, Kim Young-kwang, Seo Kang-jun, Lee Kwang-soo, Ko Sung-hee, Cho Jun-young, Won Ji-an, Lee Hye-young and Jung Jin-young.“Love is deemed by everyone to be one of the most important things in life. But some fail to realize that love is just around the corner. Seven different kinds of love are shown in the movie. Hopefully, this movie

Dec 1, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Stellar cast in 'A Year-end Medley' promises mix of nostalgia, escapism
Films

Sandra Bullock says playing ex-convict in 'Unforgivable' was 'liberating'

Actor Sandra Bullock in a scene from the film, “Unforgivable” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-sooSandra Bullock, an actor who has taken on a wide range of roles and projects, ranging from “The Blind Side,” to “Gravity,” to “Bird Box,” said it was “quite liberating” to portray an ex-convict who is determined to reenter society despite facing the harsh reality of social stigma.In Nora Fingscheidt's “Unforgivable,” based on the British miniseries of the same name, Bullock plays Ruth Slater, who is looking to reconnect with her younger sister after serving 20 years in prison for a violent crime. The Oscar-winning actor also co-produced the film with Graham King and Veronica Ferres. For Bullock, it was the script that drew her into wanting to get this film made.“I read the film screenplay before watching the miniseries. I actually didn't watch the ending of the miniseries. I fell in love with the script and didn't want to know if we were copying something or if we were originating something new. I didn't want

Nov 30, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Sandra Bullock says playing ex-convict in 'Unforgivable' was 'liberating'
Films

Lee Kwang-soo, Seolhyun to lead murder mystery series, 'Murderer's shopping list'

AOA's Seolhyun, left, and actor Lee Kwang-soo / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooLee Kwang-soo and AOA's Seolhyun will star in tvN's new series, “The Murderer's Shopping List,” a humorous murder mystery about hunting for a killer after a body is found near an apartment complex. Based on the novel of the same title, the series will involve different characters tracking down the suspected killer based on the grocery receipts that the deceased left behind. It will be directed by Lee Eon-hee, who previously worked on the films, “The Accidental Detective 2: In Action” and “Missing.” The script was written by Han Ji-wan, who also wrote the dramas, “Wanted” and “The Ghost Detective.”In the upcoming series, Lee will portray Ahn Dae-sung, a silly but lovable son of supermarket owner Jung Myung-sook (Jin Hee-kyung). Ahn was once a smart kid, but a mysterious incident at the supermarket turned his life upside down and he is now studying for the third-consecutive year to become a public servant. AOA's Seolhyun will play the role of Ahn's

Nov 27, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Kwang-soo, Seolhyun to lead murder mystery series, 'Murderer's shopping list'
Films

Actor Yoo Teo's directorial debut film 'Log in Belgium' is love letter to cinema

Actor Yoo Teo / Courtesy of C-Jes EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooWhen the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread around the world in early 2020, Yoo Teo was in Atwerp, Belgium, filming James Payen's soccer world drama-thriller series, “The Window.”Shortly after the outbreak, borders were shut down and production was halted. The cast and crew returned home. Yoo's hands were tied because his flight was canceled due to the border restrictions. He was left with no other choice but to stay alone in his hotel room.The 65-minute film follows Yoo's daily record of 15 days of quarantine, set mostly in his hotel. Shot on smartphone, it gives a rare glimpse into his daily life, where he self-tapes for an audition, takes an evening stroll, dances like nobody's watching and makes dumplings. “In the hotel room, I was incredibly lonely. Being away from home and feeling isolated from family and friends in Korea, I was estranged and terrified. So I started recording myself so I wouldn't lose my mind,” he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times via Zoom.Yoo shared that he

Nov 26, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actor Yoo Teo's directorial debut film 'Log in Belgium' is love letter to cinema
Films

Choi Woo-shik transforms into cop who plays by the rules in 'The Policeman's Lineage'

Actors Cho Jin-woong, left, and Choi Woo-shik attend the press conference for the film, “The Policeman's Lineage,” in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of AcemakerBy Kwak Yeon-sooCrime drama film “The Policeman's Lineage,” starring Cho Jin-woong and Choi Woo-shik, involves plenty of action scenes and shows the distrust among a group of police officers, according to the cast.The film revolves around officer Min-jae (Choi), a police officer with strict ethical beliefs, who is secretly tasked with investigating another cop, Kang-yoon (Cho), who is unrivaled in his number of arrests, but is illicitly receiving huge payoffs from an unknown source. “I've always believed that police officers must have a strong work ethic and faith in their mission. After meeting them in real life, however, I came to think that each cop may have a different set of beliefs about what is right and wrong,” director Lee Kyu-man said during an online press conference for the film, Thursday. Continuing, he explained that there is a gray area between good (cops) and evil (villains) shown

Nov 25, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Choi Woo-shik transforms into cop who plays by the rules in 'The Policeman's Lineage'
People & Events

Future of literary translation addressed during Korea Times award ceremony

Participants in the 52nd Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards pose during a ceremony at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul, Wednesday. From left are Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin; Park Tae-young, deputy minister for culture and art policy; judge Jung Ha-yun, a professor from Ewha Womans University; Poetry Grand Prize Winner Joanne Park; Fiction Grand Prize Winner Youngjae Joesphine Bae; judge Brother Anthony, professor emeritus at Sogang University; judge Min Eun-kyung, a professor at Seoul National University; and Lee Woo-yeul, senior executive vice president and chief human resource officer at KB Financial Group. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukStar author Lee Jung-myung reads an excerpt from his latest bestseller 'Broken Summer'By Kwak Yeon-sooA winner of the 52nd Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards took on the issue of humans vs. artificial intelligence (AI) in translation, Wednesday, sparking an intellectual debate about whether machines can replace humans in literary translation. Joanne Park, who won the Grand Prize in poetry for her tra

Nov 24, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Future of literary translation addressed during Korea Times award ceremony
  • Related images Pandemic can't stop literary passion
Shows & Dramas

Choi Woo-shik, Kim Da-mi give sneak peek of new romance drama 'Our Beloved Summer'

Choi Woo-shik in a scene from SBS's new drama, “Our Beloved Summer”/ Courtesy of Studio N, Super Moon PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooActors Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi are reuniting in SBS's new romance series “One Beloved Summer,” three years after starring together in “The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion.”The upcoming series centers on high school sweethearts who meet again after 10 years through a business relationship. A documentary they filmed as a couple suddenly goes viral online, and they are given a new chance. Choi plays the role of Choi Woong, a successful illustrator, while Kim portrays Gook Yeon-soo, a workaholic PR specialist.Returning to the small screen after four years since JTBC's “The Package,” Choi picked “a well-written script” as the reason for choosing the project. “Unlike movie scripts that reveal everything from beginning to end, drama scripts give actors only limited information about future episodes. I got to read the first few episodes, which left me curious to find out what happens next,” he

Nov 23, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Choi Woo-shik, Kim Da-mi give sneak peek of new romance drama 'Our Beloved Summer'
Films

'Kingmaker' lead actor Lee Sun-kyun says 'nothing has really changed' after 'Parasite'

Actors Seol Kyung-gu, left, and Lee Sun-kyun attend an online press conference for the film, “Kingmaker,” Monday. Courtesy of Megabox Plus MBy Kwak Yeon-sooTwo years after starring in the Oscar-winning film, “Parasite,” actor Lee Sun-kyun is returning to the big screen with “Kingmaker,” a political drama that appears to be timely, as the nation has four months to go before the presidential election in March. The actor tried to be humble, saying that he doesn't feel any different before or after receiving the international acclaim. “Nothing really has changed,” he said during a press conference for the film, Monday. “To be able to bring the positive energy from my last film and come play in this role was an exciting opportunity for me.”Directed by Byun Sung-hyun, whose 2017 film, “The Merciless,” was invited for a midnight screening at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, the upcoming film follows politician Kim Woon-beom (Seol Kyung-gu), who teams up with “kingmaker” Seo Chang-dae (Lee), to run for the pres

Nov 22, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Kingmaker' lead actor Lee Sun-kyun says 'nothing has really changed' after 'Parasite'
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