Park Chan-wook's “The Handmaiden” gets Cannes invite “The Handmaiden” / Courtesy of DAUM Movie Park Chan-wook / Korea Times By Bahk Eun-ji Popular Korean film director Park Chan-wook’s new thriller “The Handmaiden” has been invited to the competition section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.The Cannes organizing committee announced the lineup for the 69th festival at a news conference broadcast live Thursday on YouTube from the French city.“The Handmaiden” is the first Korean film to be shortlisted for the festival in four years, since director Im Sang-soo’s “The Taste of Money (2012)” and director Hong Sang-soo’s “In Another Country (2012).” “The Handmaiden” / Courtesy of DAUM Movie Park received the Grand Prix honor at Cannes for “Oldboy” in 2004.“The Handmaiden,” starring top actors Kim Min-hee and Ha Jung-woo, is a love story involving a mistress and her handmaiden in 1930, during Japan’s colonial rule. The film is based on Victorian-era lesbian crime novel &ldquApr 15, 2016
Jang Keun-suk watches drama with 1,100 fans Jang Keun-suk watched his new drama, “The Royal Gambler,” with 1,100 fans from Japan, China and Korea at the Walker Hill Hotel in eastern Seoul , April 5. / Courtesy of Tree J CompanyBy Bahk Eun-jiTop hallyu actor Jang Keun-suk watched his new drama, “The Royal Gambler,” with 1,100 fans from Japan, China and Korea, Tree J Company said Thursday.The fans gathered at the Walker Hill Hotel in eastern Seoul on April 5 to support the actor’s new Monday-Tuesday drama. Jang and the fans watched the fourth episode.The actor met and talked with fans after the show, the company said.Earlier that day, about 800 Japanese fans visited Mungyeong, where Jang was shooting the drama.Jang plays the main character, Baek Dae-gil, who competes with King Yeongjo in the period TV series set in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Apr 14, 2016
Privacy woes force Lee Hyo-ri to move from Jeju home Singer Lee Hyo-ri/Courtesy of TwitterBy Lee Jin-aSinger Lee Hyo-ri has moved out of her Jeju Island home because people are intruding on her privacy.Ilgan Sports Newspaper said Lee and her guitarist husband Lee Sang-sun had moved to a house in Jeju-do, leaving Sogil-ri.But Jeju real estate authorities told the daily that Lee had not put her old house up for sale.“We all know where she moved in, but we will not reveal the information because we want to protect her privacy,” they said.Lee posted a message on Twitter two years ago asking tourists to leave her alone.“Dear Jeju visitors, I am sorry but my house is not a tourist attraction,” she wrote. “My family is severely distressed by the doorbells and alarms ringing all day and night.” Apr 14, 2016
Taeyeon blasts anonymous bullying callers Taeyeon's Instagram Post about bullying phone calls / Courtesy of Taeyeon's InstagramBy Lee Jin-aK-pop star Taeyeon has hit back at bullying phone calls.The Girls’ Generation member on Thursday uploaded to Instagram a screen shot of a list of missed calls. The image shows Taeyeon was bombarded with bullying calls from extreme fans at home and abroad. “This is not good for either of us,” she commented.“I hope you can understand my language. This is not a pleasant message, so I will delete the post as soon as possible. Good Night.”Hours after she posted the photo, the post was deleted. Apr 14, 2016
Song Joong-ki flies flag for Jeju Air Song Joong-ki / Courtesy of Blossom EntertainmentBy Bahk Eun-ji Actor Song Joong-ki, who features in mega-hit drama “Descendants of the Sun,” will promote Jeju Air, the nation’s top budget carrier, for a year, the company said Thursday.“We selected Song as our new ‘face’ because he is very popular in Korea and many other Asian countries, including Japan and China,” a Jeju Air spokesman said. “We hope he will help raise our brand awareness among customers across Asia.”The company is well known for hiring top celebrities to promote it. Former “faces” include top actor Lee Min-ho and Kim Soo-hyun. Apr 14, 2016
Park Hae-jin 'Actor of the Year' in China Park Hae-jin / Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiPark Hae-jin was named “Actor of the Year” at the LeTV Entertainment Awards in China Wednesday for his role in popular Chinese drama “Far Away Love.”Park plays a successful businessman who owns an upscale restaurant and falls in love with a destitute woman.“This award is meaningful for me because I am recognized as an actor by Chinese fans,” he said.The “Cheese in the Trap” star won the Asia Star award in 2012 for his role in the Hunan TV drama “Qian Duo Duo Gets Married.” Apr 14, 2016
Korean-American entertainer suffers brain bleed Johnny Yune / Courtesy of TwitterBy Kim Da-heeFamous Korean-American comedian Johnny Yune, whose Korean name is Yune Jong-seung, is receiving treatment for a brain hemorrhage, the state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Wednesday. His health is not bad enough for surgery, it said. Yune, 80, has served as a standing auditor of the KTO since 2014.“He collapsed last week due to a brain hemorrhage,” a KTO official said. “He has since been treated at the Asan Medical Center. He is not in a critical condition. He shows a strong will to return to work as soon as possible.” Yune went to the United States in 1959 and earned fame on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”He returned to Korea and performed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.In 1989, he hosted the “Johnny Yune Show,” the first American-style talk show in Korea, gaining popularity in the country. He obtained Korean citizenship in 2013. Apr 14, 2016
G-Dragon, Taeyang's 'Good Boy' hits 100 million YouTube views The video of "Good Boy" by G-Dragon and Taeyang of the South Korean boy band BigBang, surpassed the 100-million mark in YouTube views Thursday.This made BigBang the first Korean male act to have three 100 million YouTube hits under its belt, along with "Fantastic Baby" and "Bang Bang Bang."Released in November 2014, the video of "Good Boy" broke 10 million views in a month and 50 million in April last year.Directed by American music video director Colin Tilley, a gifted 28-year-old who was nominated to the 2016 Grammy Awards, the video has received much attention in the United States for its luxurious visual art and unique camera work.The video of the band's other hit song "Loser" is also expected to break the 100-million threshold soon as it recorded 91 million views as of Thursday morning.BigBang is one of the most recognized K-pop bands around the globe.The boy group won candidacy on the annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world selected by U.S. magazine TIME. The K-pop band ranked No. 2 on the online poll that is set to close on Thursday (Korea time).Since MarchApr 14, 2016
Emoticons of 'Descendants of the Sun' characters released KBS TV released a set of emoticons featuring the three main soldier characters of its sensational drama series "Descendants of the Sun" on Thursday, a publicist said.Emoticons of Yoo Si-jin, Seo Dae-young and Yun Myeong-ju are for use in KakaoTalk, a mobile and PC messenger program that is used by around 37 million people in the country with a population of 50 million, according to Bliss Media, a Seoul-based PR agency for the drama.The emoticons have photos of actor Song Joong-ki, Jin Gu and Kim Ji-won as the three main military characters along with short comical captions with some of the drama's hit lines.The 16-episode series depicts the romance between Army captain Yoo (Song), who serves in the U.N. peacekeeping forces, and a doctor named Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo), in a fictional war-torn country called Uruk. (Yonhap)Apr 14, 2016
Actress Han Ga-in becomes mother Han Ga-in, right, and Youn Jung-hoon / Korea Times fileBy Park Si-sooActress Han Ga-in gave birth to a daughter at a hospital in Seoul Wednesday morning, her agency said. It is her first child after a 10-year marriage to actor Youn Jung-hoon. Han and her daughter are healthy, the agency said.“The couple and their family members are very happy with it because this was the moment they have waited for for 10 years,” the agency said.The star couple tied the knot in April 2005 after featuring in KBS TV drama “Yellow Handkerchief” in 2003. Apr 13, 2016
