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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

Veteran actress Go Doo-shim to play 'haenyeo' in upcoming film

A scene from “Everglow” / Courtesy of Myung FilmsBy Kwak Yeon-sooVeteran actress Go Doo-shim, nicknamed “the nation's mother” because of her role in the drama series, “Fields of Home,” (1980-2002) is returning to the big screen after two years to play the role of a “haenyeo,” one of the UNESCO-recognized female divers of Jeju Island.In the upcoming film, “Everglow,” Go will be playing the hot-tempered haenyeo, Jin-ok, who makes a living by harvesting sea life from the ocean. One day, a documentary filmmaker, Kyung-hoon (Ji Hyun-woo), visits her and asks to document her life. Jin-ok, who stubbornly refuses to appear in a documentary, begins to open her mind to him.On taking the lead role, Go said it felt like fate, because it's a film about haenyeo, who are a key cultural icon of her home of Jeju Island. “I enjoyed a bright moment in my life while shooting this film,” she said. Director So Joon-moon said that he was motivated to make a film about haenyeo after meeting some of the brave diving women on Jeju Island.

May 27, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Veteran actress Go Doo-shim to play 'haenyeo' in upcoming film
Films

Movie theaters call on gov't to allow eating snacks in cinemas

A snack bar in Lotte Cinema / Courtesy of the Korean Theater AssociationBy Kwak Yeon-sooWith the summer movie season fast approaching, multiplex operators are calling on the government to allow audiences to eat popcorn in cinemas. Since the pandemic hit last year, eating snacks and other food items has been banned to ensure that audiences keep face masks on at all times.The Korean Theater Association, consisting of the three major multiplex operators, CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox, asked the government to lift a ban on eating snacks and other food items in cinemas, saying, “The restrictions in place present an insurmountable financial challenge for our members.”For Korea's top multiplex chain, CGV, concession sales account for approximately 15 percent of its total gross revenue. The sales of popcorn and other snacks reached 321.3 billion won ($287.5 million) in 2019, but they fell to 88 billion won last year, due to the decline in movie attendance and the ban on cinema snacks in theaters. “Banning snacks in theaters can give people the perception that theaters are a

May 27, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Movie theaters call on gov't to allow eating snacks in cinemas
Films

Occult thriller 'The 8th Night' to debut on Netflix in July

Actor Kim Yoo-jung in a scene from “The 8th Night” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kwak Yeon-soo“The 8th Night,” a bizarre horror thriller packed with mystery and suspense, will premiere on Netflix on July 2. The streaming giant confirmed the film's release date on Wednesday, adding that it will be available in 190 countries from that date. Directed by rookie director Kim Tae-hyung, the film follows Park Jin-su (Lee Sung-min), a retired exorcist who wants to live in peace. However, the demon he put away finds its way back, and Park must make a fateful decision to prevent it from unleashing hell on Earth. Actor Park Hae-joon, who rose to fame after appearing in tvN's drama series, “My Mister,” (2018) and JTBC's hit series, “The World of the Married,” stars as a local police officer named Kim Ho-tae, who traces the demon and adds layers of suspense to the story.Actress Kim Yoo-jung, who has mostly been seen in romance series such as KBS2's “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds” and SBS's “Backstreet Rookie,” will appear as the myster

May 27, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Occult thriller 'The 8th Night' to debut on Netflix in July
Films

Horror classic 'Whispering Corridors' reboot coming to theaters after 12 years

A scene from “Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming” / Courtesy of Bucheon International Fantastic Film FestivalBy Kwak Yeon-sooAfter more than a decade, the classic horror film franchise, “Whispering Corridor,” is returning this summer with its sixth installment.“Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming,” which is set to hit local theaters in June, centers on Eun-hee (Kim Seo-hyung), who has no memory of her high school years due to a traumatic event, returning to her alma mater as vice principal.One day, a student named Ha-young (Kim Hyeon-soo) hears a strange humming sound from the school's bathroom and grows to believe there is a ghost inside. While trying to uncover the mystery behind the humming sound, Eun-hee suffers from visual and auditory hallucination as her memory slowly returns to haunt her.“Whispering Corridors” began as a high school horror film that premiered in 1998 and has since expanded into a franchise. The film has also been recognized for its message that sounds the alarm on Korea's repressive school culture, bullying and

May 26, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Horror classic 'Whispering Corridors' reboot coming to theaters after 12 years
Films

INTERVIEW Lee Soo-hyuk on playing comical villain in 'Pipeline'

Actor Lee Soo-hyuk / Courtesy of YG Entertainment By Kwak Yeon-sooModel-turned-actor Lee Soo-hyuk said his latest role in heist movie “Pipeline” challenged him in a new way and made him portray a more realistic and relatable character on screen.“Early in my acting career, I was known as this guy who has a unique ethereal face and deep, resonant voice. So, roles were limited and I mostly played fantastical characters. In Pipeline, I was lucky enough to portray a villain who is unintentionally funny,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times via Google Meet, Monday. Directed by Yoo Ha, “Pipeline” revolves around skillful oil thief Pindol (Seo In-gook), who siphons off crude oil for sale on the black market. One day, Gun-woo (played by Lee Soo-hyuk), the heir of an oil refinery, offers him 1 billion won ($886,000) to carry out a large oil heist. Pindol forms a team comprised of welding expert Jeobsae (Eum Moon-suk), civil engineer Na (Yoo Seung-mok) and excavat

May 25, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
[INTERVIEW] Lee Soo-hyuk on playing comical villain in 'Pipeline'
Films

'F9' tops local box office, exceeds 1 million in ticket sales

Vin Diesel, right, and Tyrese Gibson, left, in a scene from “F9” / Courtesy of Universal PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-soo“F9,” the latest installment in the “Fast and Furious” series, has accumulated over 1 million ticket sales in five days, local box office statistics showed Monday.The action blockbuster sold 628,000 tickets over the weekend, bringing its combined total to 1.13 million, according to data from the Korean Film Council. It is the first time in 10 months that a film has sold more than 1 million tickets in its first week in the box office. Since the pandemic started early last year, only two homegrown films ― “Deliver Us From Evil” and “Peninsula” ― have achieved that feat.The film had a strong opening on Wednesday, which was the Buddha's Birthday holiday in Korea, scoring the highest opening record for a film since the start of the pandemic. It sold over 400,000 tickets, grossing 3.85 billion won ($3.4 million), on that day.Directed by Justin Lin, “F9” follows retired street racer Dominic Toretto (Vin Diese

May 24, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'F9' tops local box office, exceeds 1 million in ticket sales
Films

Animated horror film 'Climbing' to compete in Annecy Film Fest

A scene from "Climbing" / Courtesy of KAFA By Kwak Yeon-sooKorea's animated horror film, “Climbing,” has been invited to the Contrechamp competition at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival.The AIAFF in France is considered as one of the big four international animated film festivals along with the Ottawa International Animated Film Festival in Canada, the Hiroshima International Animation Festival in Japan and the Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films in Croatia.Directed by Kim Hye-mi, “Climbing” centers around a professional climber named Choi Se-hyeon who finds out she is pregnant just before the Climbing World Championship. Unwilling to give up on her dream due to the baby, Se-hyeon is under extreme stress. One day, Se-hyeon connects with her alter ego through an old phone and experiences strange things.Last year, director Ahn Jae-huun's “The Shaman Sorceress,” which depicts the breakdown of a traditional family following a clash between sha

May 23, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Animated horror film 'Climbing' to compete in Annecy Film Fest
Films

'Lucky Chan-sil' director wins top prize at 8th Wildflower Film Awards

Director Kim Cho-hee / Courtesy of Woo Sang Hee StudioBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Kim Cho-hee, who helmed the critically-acclaimed film, “Lucky Chan-sil,” has won the grand prize at the 8th Wildflower Film Awards.In her acceptance speech, Kim thanked Academy Award-winning actress, Youn Yuh-jung, who worked on the 200 million won ($177,000) budget film without pay to support the first-time filmmaker. “This award implies that a good movie title led to a happy ending. It is a testament to the hard work of the team involved. I'd like to dedicate this award to the incredible film crew who have worked hard behind the scenes,” she said during the awards ceremony that took place at Literature House Seoul, Friday.Kang Mal-geum, who plays the lead role of Chan-sil in the film, took home the Best New Actor Award. “As the film title suggests, I became a lucky person like Chan-sil. I'd like to thank director Kim and the production team who have struggled together to complete the film,” she said.Kang has received numerous accolades for her performance in “Luc

May 23, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Lucky Chan-sil' director wins top prize at 8th Wildflower Film Awards
Music

American singer's journey from K-pop star wannabe to 'Miss Trot 2' contestant

Maria Elizabeth Leise / Courtesy of Good Day EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooFor Maria Elizabeth Leise, appearing on TV Chosun's trot music competition show, “Miss Trot 2,” was a life-changing event.The 20-year-old from Connecticut surprised many with her fluent Korean, expert command of the Korean musical genre, known for its cyclic rhythm and vocal inflections, as well as the emotional intensity of her singing. Backed by a growing fan base, Leise finished 12th out of 112 contestants who took part in “Miss Trot 2,” which started airing on Dec. 17 and ended on March 4.“I went a lot further than I thought” Leise said during an interview with The Korea Times. She added that the show gave her a chance to be “doing what I want to do and make a living as a singer.” Leise said, “I'm officially reaching my goal in Korea and making my parents proud.”Trot is a genre of music that came to prominence in Korea during the 1960s and 70s. It is known for its unique vocal technique called “kkeok-kki” or breaking voice. Trot crooner

May 20, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
American singer's journey from K-pop star wannabe to 'Miss Trot 2' contestant
Films

Thriller 'Hard Hit' combines suspense with flashes of terror

Actor Jo Woo-jin in a scene from “Hard Hit” Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Hard Hit” is a fast-paced and twist-heavy thriller that combines supercharged suspense with flashes of terror, director Kim Chang-ju said of his debut feature film.Kim, an acclaimed film editor whose works include thrillers “The Terror, Live” (2013) and “A Hard Day” (2014), explained that he wants audiences to feel as if they are riding on a terrifying roller coaster with the characters in the film. “It's not just the dramatic twists and turns that get the audience hooked on this film, but also the psychological horror or the feeling that death is just around the corner,” he said during a press conference for the film, Thursday.As suggested by the Korean title, which literally means “Withheld Number,” the story unfolds as the main protagonist receives a call from an unknown number. One day, banking center manager Sung-kyu (Jo Woo-jin) receives a call from a stranger who tells him that a bomb has been planted under his car. The person t

May 20, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Thriller 'Hard Hit' combines suspense with flashes of terror
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