Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung to reunite in political drama film 'Spring of Seoul' From left, actors Hwang Jung-min, Jun Woo-sung and Park Hae-joon / Courtesy of SEM Company, Artist Company and PLEO ent.By Kwak Yeon-sooActors Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung will reunite with director Kim Sung-soo for the political thriller film, “Spring of Seoul” (working title), six years after the three collaborated on the 2016 film, “Asura: The City of Madness.”Based on a real-life story, “Spring of Seoul” follows an event that occurred during a short period of political freedom set at the end of the 1970s.Kim is known for his darkly cynical crime thrillers, such as “Beat” (1997), “City of The Rising Sun” (1999) and “The Flu” (2013). His next film will be produced by Hive Media Corp., the production company behind “Inside Men” (2015), “The Man Standing Next” (2019) and “Deliver Us From Evil” (2020).“Spring of Seoul” refers to the period that began on Oct. 26, 1979, when former President Park Chung-hee was assassinated by his close aide, and lasted until May 17Dec 25, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korean film distributors report poor results in 2021 amid pandemic A scene from "Escape from Mogadishu" / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentSouth Korean film distribution companies went through hard times this year as the local cinema industry has been still suffering from a sharp drop in attendance amid the COVID-19 pandemic.A combined 18 films, including "A Year-End Medley" slated for Wednesday next week, has been distributed in 2021 by six major film distributors, including CJ ENM and Lotte Cultureworks.The yearly number is nearly unchanged from some 20 homegrown movies shown in theaters last year but fell sharply from about 35 film in 2019.Lotte Cultureworks, an entertainment unit of retail giant Lotte Group, presented three films in 2021 and received the best attendance results thanks to the box office hit "Escape from Mogadishu.""Mogadishu," about a life-and-death escape by South and North Korean diplomats during the Somali civil war in the 1990s, is the most-watched film in 2021 with a total audience of 3.61 million.The coming-of-age film "Miracle" attracted 690,000 people and the drama film "I" was seen by 37,000 moviegoers.Disaster-comedy filmDec 24, 2021
Film releases postponed as COVID-19 cases reach record high Poster for films “Kingmaker,” left, and “Emergency Declaration” / Courtesy of Megabox Plus M and ShowBoxBy Lee Gyu-leeA number of film distributors are postponing the openings of their films, after the government reinstated bolstered social-distancing rules to curb a surge in coronavirus infections. The country saw the number of infections reach a record 7,850 cases, Wednesday.The premiers of local films “Kingmaker,” starring Lee Sun-kyun and Seol Kyung-gu, and “Emergency Declaration,” starring Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun, have been pushed back after being scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.Megabox Plus M, the distributor of the political drama “Kingmaker,” announced Friday that it has changed the film's release, originally scheduled for Dec. 29, to January. It also canceled the lead actors' promotional events and interviews. “We had planned the release based on the eased social distancing rules, but as the government implemented stricter regulations, it was inevitable to postpone this,” it said in a Dec 18, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
'Spider-Man' surpasses 1 million admissions at fastest pace of 2021 A scene from the film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” / Courtesy of Sony PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-soo“Spider-Man: No Way Home” has surpassed a cumulative 1 million admissions on the second day of its release, the fastest pace among films released this year, data showed Friday.The film, released on Wednesday, attracted about 635,000 viewers. Admissions on Thursday brought the combined total to 1.02 million viewers, according to data from the Korean Film Council. However, the government's toughened measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is likely to have a negative impact on the box office. Starting Saturday, movie theaters can operate until 10 p.m.Film-related organizations, including Producers Guild of Korea, Directors Guild of Korea, The Association of Korean Buyers & Distributors of Foreign Films in Korea, Screenwriters Guild of Korea and Korea Theater Association, released a joint statement on Thursday, asking the government to make an exception considering the difficult situation of the film industry.“The operating limits for theaters hinder new films Dec 17, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Director on exploring origins of Kingsman, father-son relationship in 'The King's Man' Actor Ralph Fiennes, top left, and director Matthew Vaughn speak during an online press conference for the film, “The King's Man.” Courtesy of Walt Disney Company KoreaBy Kwak Yeon-sooDirector Matthew Vaughn said he felt destined to explore the beginnings of the secret Kingsman agency in “The King's Man,” a prequel in his spy comedy franchise. “Eggsy was told by Harry that Kingsman was founded in 1919, so I had no choice,” he told reporters. “When I started reading more and more about World War I, I thought there were a lot of lessons that the public could learn from looking back at its history ― whether it's about choosing your leaders wisely or the fact that little things can turn into big problems very quickly.”In the new film, Ralph Fiennes portrays the Duke of Oxford, the founder of the secret Kingsman intelligence agency that defends Greta Britain and the world from existential threats. He also struggles to keep his son, Conrad (Harris Dickinson) safe in the midst of tragedy.Of the father and son relationship portrayed in the filmDec 17, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW 'Drive My Car' director on meeting Bong Joon-ho, receiving int'l accolades Japanese director Hamaguchi Ryusuke / Courtesy of Triple Pictures, ZOA FilmsBy Kwak Yeon-sooJapanese director Hamaguchi Ryusuke has had a fantastic year, with “Drive My Car,” his adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story, winning the Best Screenplay Award at this year's Cannes International Film Festival, and his three-part film anthology “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” nabbing the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at this year's Berlin Film Festival.However, the 42-year-old filmmaker recalls that his special dialogue session with Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho at this year's Busan Film Festival was the most memorable moment of 2021.“It was the most exciting moment of the year. I could feel that Bong had watched my films with deep interest and affection. He led our conversation as if he was directing me. Sometimes he pushed me, even provoked me, to answer some of his tough questions. Overall, I received encouragement and energy from him,” he said through a translator in a video interview with The Korea Times, Thursday.Hamaguchi credited the success of &ldqDec 17, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
2021 top news in cinema Actress Youn Yuh-Jung accepts the Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role during the live ABC Telecast of the 93rd Oscars in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25. Reuters-YonhapYoun Yuh-jung brings Oscar home, protracted pandemic casting shadow on cinemaBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe COVID-19 pandemic is poised to enter its third year, showing few signs of easing with the presence of Omicron variant. Although, movie houses, which were hit hard since the outbreak of the pandemic, have cautiously reopened. But there is a bumpy road ahead for the film industry as streaming services have made the most of the pandemic to increase their subscribers and have eventually begun to emerge as an alternative to theaters. And while optimism for theaters is still dominating, some are voicing worries about their future. Despite the difficult times, some Korean actors made headlines in Hollywood, bringing renewed interest to the Korean entertainment industry. Here are this year's biggest moments in Korean film.1. Youn Yuh-jung wins Oscar for 'Minari'Youn Yuh-jung had her most memorable year as she became the Dec 16, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Parasite' star Park So-dam recovering from thyroid cancer Actress Park So-dam / Korea Times fileBy Kwak Yeon-sooActress Park So-dam, who rose to fame after playing the crafty daughter of the working-class family in the 2019 Oscar-winning film, “Parasite,” is recovering from surgery after she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. According to her agency, Artist Company, Park was diagnosed during a regular health checkup. Due to the illness, the 30-year-old actress won't be able to promote her next film, “Special Cargo,” which is slated for theatrical release on Jan. 12. The press conference for the film was scheduled to take place on Dec. 9, but the event was canceled suddenly, with organizers citing COVID-19 concerns. Directed by Park Dae-min, “Special Cargo” is a crime action film that revolves around Eun-ha (Park), a driver for a criminal enterprise. She feels conscience-stricken about her duty when she is tasked with delivering a young boy, Seo-won (Jung Hyeon-jun). Eun-ha tries to save him from falling prey to traffickers while being chased by a corrupt cop associated with an organized crime grDec 14, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
Rom-com 'Nothing Serious' tops weekend box offices The film about online dating, “Nothing Serious,” topped local box offices over the weekend. Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Lee Gyu-leeThe romantic comedy, “Nothing Serious,” has topped local weekend box offices, two weeks after it hit the theaters. The film, which premiered Nov. 24, garnered about 75,600 in ticket sales over the weekend, from Friday to Sunday, surpassing the fantasy thriller, “Spiritwalker,” which has dominated cinemas for 16 consecutive days.“Nothing Serious” collected a total of over 529,000 ticket sales, grossing about 5.4 billion won ($4.6 million). The film, featuring the star of the award-winning film, "Burning" (2018), Jeon Jong-seo, and the lead in the Netflix series “D.P.,” Son Suk-ku, is the directorial debut of newcomer Jeong Ga-young.The rom-com film revolves around two Millennials' casual relationship without romance in the digital age. After a messy breakup with her ex-boyfriend, Ja-young (Jeon) vows to stay away from any serious relationships. But when she signs up on a dating app for a no-strings-attacDec 13, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee
Go Doo-shim, Moon So-ri named winners of 22nd Women in Film Korea Festival From left, actors Moon So-ri, Go Doo-shim and Bang Min-ah / Courtesy of C-Jes Entertainment, Myung Film, Yooborn CompanyBy Kwak Yeon-sooGo Doo-shim, Moon So-ri and Bang Min-ah have been named winners of the 22nd Women in Film Korea Festival, which spotlights women both in front of and behind the camera and advocates gender equality in the film industry. Veteran actor Go won the Woman in Film of the Year Award for her performance in “Everglow,” in which she played a haenyeo (UNESCO-recognized female diver of Jeju Island) who falls in love with a young documentary director. The Best Actress Award went to Moon, who has swept main screen awards including the Blue Dragon Award and the Korean Association of Film Critics' Award. She appeared in drama film “Three Sisters” as the second-eldest daughter Mi-yeon, who had been the victim of domestic violence as a child and an extramarital affair of her husband as a grownup.Bang, better known as Minah of K-pop group Girl's Day, won the Best New Actress Award for portraying a teenager with deep-seated trauma in thriller teeDec 9, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo
