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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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Shows & Dramas

Shin Hyun-been, Koo Kyo-hwan to star in supernatural thriller 'Monstrous'

Clockwise from top left, actors Koo Kyo-hwan, Shin Hyun-been, Kim Ji-young, Nam Da-reum, Kwak Dong-yeon and Park Ho-san will appear in Tving's original series, “Monstrous.” Courtesy of TvingBy Kwak Yeon-sooActors Shin Hyun-been and Koo Kyo-hwan have joined the cast of the supernatural thriller series, “Monstrous” (working title), local online streaming service Tving said Monday.Directed by Jang Kun-jae, best known for his film, “A Midsummer's Fantasia” (2014), the “Monstrous” series tells the story of a small village that has been taken over by the power of a mysterious curse, and of an archaeologist who tries to uncover the truth behind this paranormal phenomenon.It depicts the story of people who are deceived by the curse of “it,” which should not have appeared in the world, and an archaeologist who pursues an unprecedented bizarre incident.In a village swept away by disaster, the chaos of people facing a strange horror and the process of chasing it will create a lot of tension.Yeon Sang-ho, who crafted the “K-zombie

Aug 10, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Shin Hyun-been, Koo Kyo-hwan to star in supernatural thriller 'Monstrous'
Entertainment

More Korean actors eye opportunities in Hollywood

Actor Park Seo-joon / Courtesy of Awesome ENTBy Kwak Yeon-sooAs Korean-language TV series and films are becoming accessible globally and widely embraced by international fans, more Korean actors are making it in Hollywood.Earlier this year, there was a rumor that Park Seo-joon, best known for his roles in TV dramas like, “She Was Pretty” and “Itaewon Class,” was in talks to join “The Marvels,” a sequel to the 2019 blockbuster hit, “Captain Marvel.” Recently, the 33-year-old actor's name has been listed as part of the cast on IMDb's official “The Marvels” page. The character and size of his role are being kept under wraps, but Marvel fans speculate that Park may be playing the Korean American teenage hero, Amadeus Cho, the son of Dr. Helen Cho (Claudia Kim), who debuted in, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”.Park's agency, Awesome ENT, hasn't confirmed whether he will star in Marvel's upcoming film or not. This situation is fairly typical, as Marvel Studios prefers to keep things confidential in the production stage. For t

Aug 9, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
More Korean actors eye opportunities in Hollywood
Sports

Has taekwondo lost its spectacular appeal?

Taekwondo athletes Lee Da-bin, left, and Serbia's Milica Mandic fight in the final of the women's over-67 kilogram taekwondo event at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, Japan, July 27. Yonhap By Kwak Yeon-sooWhile taekwondo is lauded for delivering medals to countries and teams that rarely reach the podium at the Olympics, it has been met with criticism for losing its high-kicking spectacular atmosphere, following the introduction of electronic scoring systems. For the first time since the Korean martial art was officially added to the Olympics in 2000, Korea failed to win a gold in taekwondo in Tokyo this year. Lee Da-bin won the silver in the women's over-67 kilogram event while In Kyo-don and Jang Jun picked up bronze medals in the men's over-80 kilogram event and 58-kilogram event, respectively. However, viewers expressed more disappointment with the athletes' less dynamic movements than with their losses. Many taekwondo fans complained about the loss of its trade

Aug 7, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Has taekwondo lost its spectacular appeal?
  • Jun Woong-tae makes Korean history in pentathlon
Sports

Korean baseball manager's remarks irk fans

Korea's Olympic baseball team manager Kim Kyung-moon looks on as his team was down 0-1 against Japan in the bottom of the third inning of a semi-final baseball game at Yokohama Stadium in Yokahama, Japan, Aug 4. YonhapEasy-going attitude of national baseball team coach disappoints die-hard Korea fansBy Kwak Yeon-sooKorea's baseball manager has irked fans for his comments on the team failing to defend the gold medal as well as regarding their upcoming performance in the bronze medal game against the Dominican Republic. After Korea lost to the U.S. by a score of 7-2 in the semifinals, Manager Kim Kyung-moon said he is not so upset that his team didn't win the gold. “We didn't come to Japan just to win a gold medal. We came here to focus on each game, and play it well so that our fans might embrace the results. It's not too bad that we didn't win the gold medal,” Kim told the press after the match. However, some fans were outraged by Kim's remarks. One baseball fan tweeted, “Of course, winning a medal isn't everything, but it seems inappropriate for a national team's c

Aug 6, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korean baseball manager's remarks irk fans
Sports

Olympic stars ready to invade TV

From left, fencers Gu Bon-gil, Kim Jung-hwan, Kim Jun-ho and Oh Sang-uk pose after winning the gold medal in the men's sabre team event, July 28. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooSome Olympic stars are set to appear in established variety shows for small-screen fun after accomplishing their Olympic dreams. A number of broadcasters have been looking to benefit from the Olympic fever by inviting Olympic stars to make guest appearances.Judokas An Chang-rim, the bronze medalist in the men's 73-kilogram class, and Cho Gu-ham, the silver medalist in men's 100-kilogram event, will appear on iHQ's “Tasty Guys,” which features extremely overweight celebrities visiting restaurants and devouring food. The episode featuring An and Cho is scheduled to air on Sept. 3. Fencers Kim Jung-hwan, Gu Bon-gil, Oh Sang-uk and Kim Jun-ho, who won gold in the men's sabre team event, will appear on a string of variety shows, including JTBC's “Knowing Bros,” SBS's “Master in the House” and KBS's “Boss in the Mirror.”“The episode featuring the men's sabre team will be

Aug 6, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Olympic stars ready to invade TV
Sports

Korea's volleyball fans donate seedlings for Turkey's post-fire recovery

Koreans share posts that certify that they have donated seedlings for Turkey's post-fire restoration. Screenshot from TwitterBy Kwak Yeon-sooFollowing the quarterfinal win against Turkey, Korea's volleyball fans have been engaging in a social media hashtag campaign with the hashtag #PrayForTurkey, and donating seedlings to help Turkey recover from devastating forest fires.The Korean women's volleyball team advanced to the semifinals after grabbing a dramatic 17-25, 25-17, 28-26, 18-25, 15-13 victory against Turkey on Wednesday. However, volleyball fans sympathized with Turkish volleyball players as they were seen in tears after the match.The terms “Turkish athletes” and “Turkey wildfire” trended on Twitter, with many people assuming that the players were crying because they wanted to win so badly to give strength to their country as large wildfires have erupted across Turkey.Turkey is battling its worst wildfires in at least a decade. Eight people have died in the blazes since last week. Many villagers have lost property and livestock, while locals and tourist

Aug 5, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korea's volleyball fans donate seedlings for Turkey's post-fire recovery
Sports

Koreans come up short in traditional Olympic strongholds

Wrestler Ryu Han-su, top, wrestles with Egypt's Mohamed Ibrahim El-Sayed in the round of 16 in the men's 67-kilogram Greco-Roman wrestling match at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, Japan, Tuesday. YonhapWrestlers, lifters leave Tokyo without podium finishBy Kwak Yeon-sooWrestling and weightlifting, which had been considered Korea's “core” sports with strong medal hopes, finished at the Tokyo Olympics leaving Korean competitors empty-handed. For the first time in 45 years, wrestling, which had been a reliable Olympic event for Korean athletes who have won a total of 36 medals so far (11 gold, 11 silver and 14 bronze), finished this time with no Koreans making it to the podium. Ever since the Montreal Olympics in 1976, Korea had won at least one medal in every Summer Games.Only two wrestlers represented Korea at the Tokyo Olympics as the national team was hit hard by COVID-19. In March, Korea sent 50 wrestlers, coaches and trainers to a competition in Kazakhstan to earn Olympic quotas, and about half that number traveled to Bulgaria in May for another competition. But 37 of

Aug 5, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Koreans come up short in traditional Olympic strongholds
Sports

Badminton body files complaint over Chinese player's swearing

Chinese badminton player Chen Qingchen, left, hits a shot next to teammate Jia Yifan in their women's doubles badminton semi-final match against Korea's Kong Hee-yong and Kim So-yeong, at the Tokyo Olympics at Musashino Forest Plaza in Tokyo, July 31. AP-YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooKorea's badminton body has filed a complaint with the World Badminton Federation (WBF) over Chinese player Chen Qingchen's profuse swearing during a women's doubles match against Korea. The Badminton Korea Association has decided to bring the case to the WBF instead of the International Organizing Committee, as the latter does not have rules against swearing during games. However, the WBF's code of conduct states that athletes should not use words “commonly known and understood in any language to be profane or indecent and uttered clearly and loudly enough to be heard by the umpire or spectators.”Throughout the women's doubles match against Korea's Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong on July 27, Chen was heard shouting “cao,” a Mandarin expletive. She repeated the word relentlessly after she a

Aug 4, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Badminton body files complaint over Chinese player's swearing
Sports

Netizens offer to help Korean-American adoptee gymnast find birth family

Gymnast Yul Moldauer of the U.S. performs on the floor exercise during the artistic gymnastics men's apparatus final at Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo, Sunday. APBy Kwak Yeon-sooSome netizens here have volunteered to help Olympic gymnast Yul Moldauer, born in Seoul and adopted by American parents, search for his birth family. The 25-year-old U.S. gymnast has made waves in Korea for his Korean heritage. While airing the artistic gymnastics men's apparatus final, local broadcaster KBS introduced Moldauer's Korean name, Kyung-tae, and the sportscaster explained, “He has a longing for Korea and is searching for his older sister, who may still be living in Korea.” Moldauer finished sixth in the finals.The subject of Moldauer soon lit up Korean social media. Much of the attention has focused on searching for his birth parents and sister.“Yul Moldauer was adopted to America. His Korean name is Kyung-tae. He is searching for his birth parents and his sister, who may be living in Korea. I hope he finds his birth family after the Games,” a Korean netizen tweeted. At

Aug 4, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Netizens offer to help Korean-American adoptee gymnast find birth family
Sports

Golfer Park In-bee looking to defend Olympic gold

Park In-bee participates in a practice round of the women's golf tournament at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kawagoe, Japan, Tuesday. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooGolfer Park In-bee, the gold medalist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and LPGA Hall of Famer, is looking to retain her title at the Tokyo Olympics. Unlike the men's event, where none of the Rio medalists qualified, the entire 2016 women's podium ― Park, New Zealand's Lydia Ko and China's Feng Shanshan ― are aiming for another shot at glory in Japan. A total of 60 golfers, which includes all the current top 10 in the world rankings, will be competing in a stroke-play, four-round, no-cut event starting Wednesday on the East Course of the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, northwest of Tokyo.Team Korea consists of world No. 3 Park and No. 4 Kim Sei-young, who are second-time Olympic participants, as well as world No. 2 Ko Jin-young and No. 6 Kim Hyo-joo, who are making their Olympic debut. Apart from the quartet, the field will show off high-profile golfers, including world No.1 Nelly Korda from the United States, who won he

Aug 3, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Golfer Park In-bee looking to defend Olympic gold
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