my timesThe Korea Times
yeonskwak

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Films

'Stunning' fantasy action film 'Spiritwalker' getting US remake

The poster for the film “Spiritwalker” / Courtesy of ABO EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Yoon Jae-keun's fantasy action film, “Spiritwalker,” will be remade into a Hollywood film by a renowned producer, the film's distributor said Thursday.Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who produced action blockbusters “G.I. Joe” and “Transformers,” will produce the remake of the Korean film. “This is one of the most innovative and extraordinary films that I've come across in recent years that is equipped with stunning action scenes. I'm very excited to produce the Hollywood remake of such a creative work,” he said of the original film.Starring Yoon Kye-sang, Lim Ji-yeon and Park Yong-woo, “Spiritwalker” is about a man who wakes up with no memory in a different body every 12 hours and has to make it back to his own body. The film won the Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema at this year's New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). Of the film, the festival's executive director said, “Spiritwalker is a surprisingl

Oct 28, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Stunning' fantasy action film 'Spiritwalker' getting US remake
Shows & Dramas

Lee Do-hyun plays math prodigy in upcoming drama 'Melancholia'

Actors Lee Do-hyun, left, and Lim Soo-jung in a scene from tvN's upcoming drama, “Melancholia” / Courtesy of tvNBy Kwak Yeon-sooMath and romance look like an odd combination, but tvN's upcoming drama, “Melancholia,” applies mathematical formulas to define relationships and love. Set in a private high school that is a hotbed of corruption, the series explores the controversial topic of romance between a teacher and a student. A free-spirited teacher, Yoon-soo (Lim Soo-jung), falls in love with math prodigy Seung-yoo (Lee Do-hyun).Lee plays the role of Seung-yoo, considered to be a math prodigy who was accepted to MIT at the age of 10. Dropping out of college at 12, he now follows the standard education system and disguises himself as a failed student at high school.The 26-year-old actor reflected on the difficulties of understanding his character. “I think Seung-yoo is a blunt and straightforward character. He's immature and lacks empathy, but is smart and considerate. To portray a math prodigy, I actually studied math with a private tutor. Since he appea

Oct 28, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Do-hyun plays math prodigy in upcoming drama 'Melancholia'
Sports

49th Bonghwang high school baseball tourney to start Friday

49th Bonghwang High School Baseball TournamentThe 49th Bonghwang High School Baseball Tournament will start at the Mokdong and Sinwol ballparks in Seoul, Friday, for a 17-day run that will continue until Nov. 14.The tournament, founded in 1971 by the Hankook Ilbo ― the sister newspaper of The Korea Times ― is the nation's largest baseball event held exclusively for high school players.Many top Korean baseball players have competed under the Bonghwang banner in its 49-year history. Notable ones include former LG Twins manager Kim Jae-bak, lowest Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) earned-run average record holder Sun Dong-yol, the first Korean MLB player Park Chan-ho and Lee Seung-yuop, who holds the KBO record for career home runs.This year, a total of 84 teams will compete in the tournament. Select major games, including the opening game between Raon High School and Kyunggi High School on Friday at 9:30 a.m., will be livestreamed through the website of the Korea Baseball Softball Association and YouTube. Quarterfinal, semifinal and final games will be broadcast via SPOTV. The tourname

Oct 27, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
49th Bonghwang high school baseball tourney to start Friday
Films

'Nothing Serious' is a quirky rom-com about finding love via a dating app

Jeon Jong-seo, left, and Son Suk-ku pose during an online press conference for the film, "Nothing Serious," Wednesday. Courtesy of CJ ENM By Kwak Yeon-soo“Nothing Serious,” a romantic comedy about relationships in the digital age, fuses elements of traditional rom-coms with modern-day technology.The story follows Ja-young (Jeon Jong-seo) and Woo-ri (Son Suk-ku) after the two Millennials meet through a dating app. Against the romantic backdrop of Seoul, the pair continues to explore their relationship as “friends with benefits” or two people who enjoy spending time with each other, but with no strings attached.Throughout the film, Ja-young and Woo-ri, who don't want to put a label on their relationship, conflict on defining their commitment to one another. Jeon, who is known for her roles in the films, “Burning” (2018), “The Call” (2020) and “Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon,” explained that the film touches upon both the humor and anxiety that come with dating.“It's an

Oct 27, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Nothing Serious' is a quirky rom-com about finding love via a dating app
Films

Thoughtful Korean documentary films arouse empathy this fall

A poster for the documentary film, “Burning Flower” / Courtesy of Triple PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooWhile interest in Korean films is somewhat on the wane due to the arrival of Hollywood blockbusters such as “No Time to Die,” “Venom 2” and “Dune,” as well as Marvel's upcoming “Eternals,” domestic documentaries are aiming to fill the void when they hit cinemas.Two domestic films, “Voice” and “Miracle,” opened more a month ago and are currently screening in theaters, giving audiences the chance to choose, but they aren't doing so well at the box office.Meanwhile, a handful of documentaries are getting substantial attention for showing how others live and stimulating our sense of empathy.Director Won Ho-yeon's “Burning Flower,” which won the Audience Award at this year's DMZ International Film Festival, centers on the life of illiterate rural resident, Lim Seon-nyeo, 68, who has never left her mountain village in Samcheok, Gangwon Province. After her husband dies, Seon-nyeo decides to learn to r

Oct 26, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Thoughtful Korean documentary films arouse empathy this fall
Entertainment

Veteran film producer Lee Tae-won, who led renaissance of Korean cinema, dies at 83

A memorial altar for the late film producer Lee Tae-won is set up at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Seoul, Sunday. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooLee Tae-won, a veteran film producer who was the driving force behind the creation of what some called the renaissance of Korean cinema in the 1990s and early 2000s, died at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Seoul, Sunday. He was 83.He had been suffering from health problems and was hospitalized in July last year after suffering a stroke.Director Im Kwon-taek, Lee's longtime collaborator and friend, as well as cinematographer Jung Il-sung, director Im Sang-soo and actors Choi Min-sik and Shin Hyun-joon visited the memorial altar to pay tribute to the deceased.Lee was one of the few independent filmmakers who dominated Korea's movie industry from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.“I've been in frequent contact with Lee, but he hasn't replied to my calls or texts since over a year and a half ago,” Jung told Yonhap News Agency.“Studios are now run by conglomerates that need every film to be a blockbuster. Lee was on

Oct 26, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Veteran film producer Lee Tae-won, who led renaissance of Korean cinema, dies at 83
Films

Jeon Jong-seo, Son Suk-ku star in rom-com 'Nothing Serious'

By Kwak Yeon-sooPoster for the film, “Nothing Serious” / Courtesy of CJ ENMAfter playing indelible characters, ranging from a vulnerable yet outwardly confident girl in “Burning” to a psychopath in “The Call,” Jeon Jong-seo is set to portray the girl-next-door in the new romantic comedy film, “Nothing Serious.”Jeon, who was most recently seen in the Hollywood movie, “Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon,” plays Ja-young, who is dumped by her boyfriend after dating for a month. Broken-hearted, Ja-young joins a dating app to ease her loneliness. Son, who is known for his roles in the dramas “Sense 8” (2016-17), “Be Melodramatic” (2019) and “D.P.” (2021), plays Woo-ri, a sex columnist who dreams of writing his own novel. He still hasn't recovered from a breakup and is bad at dating, but also decides to join the dating app.Under an agreement not to share personal information, such as their real name, reason for joining the dating app and feelings for each other, they meet and find they have a lot to t

Oct 24, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Jeon Jong-seo, Son Suk-ku star in rom-com 'Nothing Serious'
Films

'We were like one big family,' Ma Dong-seok says of 'Eternals' cast

Actors Ma Dong-seok, right, and Angelina Jolie pose during an online press conference for the film, “Eternals.” Courtesy of Walt Disney Company KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooMa Dong-seok, also known by his English name Don Lee, said the “Eternals” cast were like one big family. He plays Gilgamesh, who he described as “the most powerful and strongest character” in “Eternals.” Ma's various roles, ranging from a brutal gangster to a homicide detective to an arm wrestler, have paved the way for him to become the first Korean actor to play a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.The 50-year-old actor revealed that he didn't go through any audition process for “Eternals.”“After Train to Busan became increasingly popular abroad, I received numerous offers from Hollywood. I got a call from the casting director of Eternals, who offered me the role of Gilgamesh. It turned out that director Chloe Zhao and producer Nate Moore had already seen many of my films and analyzed my character,” he told Korean reporters at a recent onlin

Oct 24, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'We were like one big family,' Ma Dong-seok says of 'Eternals' cast
Films

'Shadow Flowers' portrays unwitting North Korean defector's longing to return home

North Korean defector Kim Ryun-hee in a scene from the documentary film, "Shadow Flowers" / Courtesy of Atnine FilmBy Kwak Yeon-sooKim Ryun-hee, also spelled, “Ryen-hi,” says she was in China to spend time with relatives and get treatment for her liver ailment when she met a Chinese broker. He promised that she could make money quickly in South Korea and then return to China to pay her medical bills. Even before arriving in South Korea in 2011, she already felt that she had made a terrible mistake. The broker had taken her passport, and then, once she arrived in South Korea, the South Korean National Intelligence Service told her that she had to sign a document agreeing to “defect,” and become a South Korean citizen. “Back then, I didn't know the significance of signing that document. It was a stupid mistake,” she recalled. Since arriving in South Korea, Kim has made several attempts to return to her home in North Korea: she tried to smuggle herself out on a boat, she started spying on other defectors in the hope of being expelled and she applied f

Oct 19, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Shadow Flowers' portrays unwitting North Korean defector's longing to return home
Films

'Venom 2' tops local box office, exceeds 1 million in ticket sales

A scene from the film, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” / Courtesy of Sony PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” the long-awaited follow-up to 2018's “Venom,” has accumulated over 1 million ticket sales in five days, local box office statistics showed Monday. The super-villain film sold over 778,000 tickets over the weekend (Friday-Sunday), bringing its combined total to 1.09 million, according to data from the Korean Film Council.It is the first time in five months that a film has sold more than 1 million tickets in its first week at the box office, following “F9” in May and “Black Widow” in July.The film had a strong opening on Wednesday, scoring the highest opening record for a film since “Black Widow.” It sold over 203,000 tickets, grossing 1.96 billion won ($1.65 million), on that one day.Directed by Andy Serkis, the film tells the story of journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) who is still figuring out life with the alien, Venom symbiote existing inside him. He has to deal with a new enemy, convi

Oct 18, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Venom 2' tops local box office, exceeds 1 million in ticket sales
previous page
8384858687
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.