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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

'Forget Me Not': A Korean-born adoptee's ode to her birth mother

A picture of Sun Hee Engelstoft, then called Shin Sun Hee, before her adoption / Courtesy of Connect PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooSun Hee Engelstoft, who was born in Busan in 1982, was 4 months old when she was flown to Denmark to meet her white adoptive parents.Her biological mother had given her up for adoption, and through no choice of her own, she became part of the large adoption exodus: more than 210,000 babies have been sent overseas for adoption since the end of the Korean War in 1953.Engelstoft recalls that although she was the only Korean in her village, she has had a good life living in the midst of nature. She also lived for three years in a refugee camp in Botswana in the 1980s where her parents were volunteer workers. “I have a strong bond with my adoptive family. I loved school, but I was always an outsider. When I would walk down the street, my schoolmates would touch my hair because it was dark and different from theirs. Overall it was a beautiful, but isolated time,” she said during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. Having attended several schools fo

May 19, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Forget Me Not': A Korean-born adoptee's ode to her birth mother
Shows & Dramas

Kim Jung-hyun settles dispute with former management agency

Actor Kim Jung-hyun poses during a press conference for tvN's “Mr. Queen” in this Dec. 9 file photo / Korea Times file By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Kim Jung-hyun has settled a bitter contract dispute with his former agency O& Entertainment, days after the two parties exchanged warnings over potential legal action.In a joint statement issued Friday evening, Kim and O& Entertainment stated that they had reached a mutually agreeable settlement to terminate their contract as of May 11.“Kim's representative (his elder brother) and O& Entertainment officials met in person to clear up the misunderstanding and terminate the exclusive contract without any conditions,” they said in a statement. Prior to reaching the agreement, Kim had argued that his contract should be considered terminated as of May 11 whereas O& Entertainment claimed that it must be extended by an additional 11 months to cover the time he dropped out of MBC's drama “Time” in 2018, citing health reasons. Kim accus

May 17, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Kim Jung-hyun settles dispute with former management agency
Books

Culture ministry appoints poet Kwak Hyo-hwan as new LTI Korea president

By Kwak Yeon-sooKwak Hyo-hwan, the newly-appointed president of LTI Korea / Courtesy of Moonji Publishing CompanyKwak Hyo-hwan, a poet and executive director of the Daesan Foundation, was appointed as the new president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), Friday.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that the 54-year-old poet will lead for the next three years the government-affiliated organization that promotes Korean literature overseas.Kwak earned a bachelor's degree from Konkuk University and a doctorate in Korean literature at Korea University.He started his literary career in 1996, publishing “The Cat in the Mural 3” in the Segye Ilbo, followed by a handful of poetry collections including, “The Indio Woman” (2006), “The House Not Found on a Map” (2010), “The Frame of Sorrow” (2014) and “You Are” (2018).He previously served as executive director of the Daesan Foundation, where he organized various events aiming to promote cultural exchanges between Korean writers and distinguished

May 14, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Culture ministry appoints poet Kwak Hyo-hwan as new LTI Korea president
Entertainment

Lee Joon-ik, Yoo Jae-suk honored at 57th Baeksang Arts Awards

Lee Joon-ik, director of period film “Book of Fish,” gives an acceptance speech after winning the grand prize at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. Yonhap By Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Lee Joon-ik of the period film “Book of Fish” and comedian Yoo Jae-suk were the big winners at this year's Baeksang Arts Awards.At the ceremony that took place on Thursday evening at KINTEX exhibition hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Lee became a three-time grand prize winner after taking home the same award in 2006 for “King and the Clown” and in 2016 for “The Throne” and “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet.”“A period film costs so much to make. The cast and crew made sacrifices in order to bring this film to the big screen. The film wasn't a big success although it received good reviews from critics and movie fans. Thank you for the award,” Lee said during his acceptance speech.The acclaimed director also paid tribute to the late veteran film producer Lee Choon-yun, who passed away on May 11.

May 14, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Joon-ik, Yoo Jae-suk honored at 57th Baeksang Arts Awards
Films

INTERVIEW For Gong Seung-yeon, 'Aloners' marks a new beginning

Actor Gong Seung-yeon / Courtesy of VARO Entertainment By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Gong Seung-yeon said that she did not expect to get such a strong reaction and win an acting award for playing an expressionless character in “Aloners,” a drama film that subtly captures the life of a loner who deliberately avoids social interaction.“I did not expect to win the Best Actor award at the Jeonju International Film Festival, nor did I expect to be met with such a favorable reaction from movie fans,” she said during an interview with The Korea Times via Zoom, Thursday.“It's a relief, because I was worried that I might have done something bad. We filmed the movie in 2019, but I hadn't heard the plan about the release date until recently.” Directed by Hong Sung-eun, “Aloners” revolves around Jina (Gong), a customer service employee at a credit card company call center, who dislikes and rejects interacting with family, neighbors and coworkers. Instead, she prefers to work alone, eat

May 13, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
[INTERVIEW] For Gong Seung-yeon, 'Aloners' marks a new beginning
Music

BoA's brother fighting terminal cancer

Music video director Kwon Soon-wook, left, and his sister BoA, right / Korea Times file By Kwak Yeon-sooMusic video director Kwon Soon-wook, better known as the brother of K-pop soloist BoA for their family ties, made a shocking disclosure about his health: he is battling terminal cancer. Kwon shared on his Instagram that he was recently diagnosed with stage four peritoneal cancer. He underwent surgery in December as he was suffering from peritonitis. However, the stent inside his body perforated his intestine.“Doctors said I have about two to three months to live. I can't believe this happened to me. I feel like it's a dream, but every morning I wake up to this harsh reality,” he said.Kwon revealed that he had lost so much weight, because he was unable to eat due to an intestinal obstruction, that he now weighs only 36 kilograms. “The loss of bodily functions is discouraging, but I'm trying not to lose hope until the last moment,” he said. The 40-year-old director

May 11, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
BoA's brother fighting terminal cancer
Music

LOONA tapped as culture ministry's honorary ambassador

K-pop girl band LOONA / Courtesy of Blockberry Creative12-member K-pop girl band to promote Korean culture overseas By Kwak Yeon-sooFollowing its predecessors Stray Kids and ATEEZ, K-pop girl group LOONA will represent Korean culture overseas this year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday.The culture ministry said it has named the 12-member group, comprised of Heejin, Hyunjin, Haseul, Yeojin, ViVi, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Chuu, Go Won and Olivia Hye, as the country's honorary ambassador to promote Korean culture abroad.For its first act as envoy, LOONA will appear in public video clips, including a piece on “Talk Talk Korea,” an international Korea-related content competition hosted by the ministry's affiliate the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS). The videos will be released on the government body's YouTube channel, May 20 and 25, respectively. “Newly appointing LOONA as promotional ambassador comes at the right timing as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of KOCIS,” Culture Minister Hwang Hee said

May 10, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
LOONA tapped as culture ministry's honorary ambassador
Films

DMZ documentary festival to screen short films to commemorate Gwangju Uprising

A scene from the short documentary, "Murmuring Debris and Leaves Silently Fall"/ Courtesy of the DMZ Docs Organizing CommitteeBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) will screen five short films online to commemorate the 41st anniversary of the May 18 pro-democracy Gwangju Uprising.The festival's organizing committee said, Monday, that it will present five short documentaries directed by Asian filmmakers who were born after 1980 on its YouTube channel from May 14 to 28. They will all feature how the younger generations look back on the event. The five selected works are: “Yarn of Light,” directed by Park Yeong-I; “Truly Beautiful,” directed by Jeong Kyung-hee; “Hand, Remember, Mosaic,” directed by Park Eun-sun; “Murmuring Debris and Leaves Silently Fall,” directed by Bo Wang; and “She'story,” directed by Hwang Jun-ha. Of them, “Murmuring Debris and Leaves Silently Fall” explores the abandoned site of the former Armed Forces' Hospital in Gwangju through rubble, dust, wild grasses

May 10, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
DMZ documentary festival to screen short films to commemorate Gwangju Uprising
Films

Disney's 'Cruella' to hit theaters in Korea first

Emma Stone in a scene from “Cruella” / Courtesy of Walt Disney KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooDisney's latest live-action film, “Cruella,” will hit theaters in Korea first, with a May 26 release date, Walt Disney Korea said, Friday. This comes two days before the film's U.S. release date.Set in the 1970s, the movie centers on Cruella de Vil's life prior to her penchant for mass murdering puppies in London and turning them into fur coats, as was depicted in the 1961 film, “101 Dalmatians.”Emma Stone will portray the burgeoning designer Cruella, known at the time as Estella, who balances her day job with her ambition of becoming a successful fashion designer.The cast includes Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, and Mark Strong.“The Devil Wears Prada” screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna wrote the early drafts of the script for “Cruella,” which was later finalized by “Favorite Queen” screenwriter Tony McNamara. “I, Tonya” filmmaker Craig Gillespie helmed the film.Meanwhile, many other Hollywood

May 9, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Disney's 'Cruella' to hit theaters in Korea first
Entertainment

K-pop musicians make foray into film music

Singer-songwriter Lee Jin-ah / Courtesy of AntennaBy Kwak Yeon-sooWith “Parasite” and “Minari” earning best original score nominations for the Academy Awards, a number of K-pop artists are foraying into film scoring and helping directors devise musical strategies for their films, buoyed by the Oscars recognitions. Singer-songwriter Lee Jin-ah debuted as a music director, composing the background score for the film, “Children Are Happy,” which hit local theaters on May 5.The film revolves around a nine-year-old named Dai, whose mother is hospitalized and father never seems to be around. Dai is lonely, but he soon makes new friends at a school he recently transferred to. Knowing that he'll soon have to say goodbye to his ill mother, Dai decides to visit the hospital all on his own. “I'm a real fan of Lee Jin-ah. Fortunately, she was interested in doing the soundtrack when I asked her to work on the movie,” director Lee Ji-won said at a recent press conference for the film. “It was very satisfying to work with her, because I could fe

May 9, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
K-pop musicians make foray into film music
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