`On Air Looks Into Making of Dramas By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Some 20 dramas are aired every week. There are daily dramas, morning dramas, weekend dramas… and Wednesday-Thursday dramas. In this ``kingdom'' of drama, ``On Air,'' portrays how Korean soaps are made. ``On Air'' is directed by Shin Woo-chul and written by Kim Eun-suk, the creators of hit dramas ``Lovers in Paris'' (2004), ``Lovers in Prague'' (2005) and ``Lovers'' (2006). They teamed up again to give an exclusive behind-the-scenes view of Korean dramas. ``This is a drama about the people who create these dramas. Nowadays, Korean dramas are not only aired in Korea but in other countries as well. I wanted to write a drama about the processes and behind-the-scenes stories with a dramatic and exaggerative touch,'' said Kim at a press conference last week at SBS. Kim Ha-neul plays an arrogant topnotch actress named O Seung-a. Recently starring in the movie ``Lovers of 6 Years,'' Kim said ``it was not easy to play an `actress' character, but I found Seung-a very attractive. For example, I myself cannot appeal to the broadcasting station bFeb 27, 2008
Alice Cooper, Sum 41 to Rock SeoulBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter American rocker Alice Cooper and popular Canadian punk rock band Sum 41 will hold concerts in Seoul for the first time. Cooper, the 60-year old pioneer of shock rock music, will perform at the Melon-AX March 29. One of the best-known rockers of all time, Cooper combines heavy metal music with outrageous theatrics on stage. Born as Vincent Furnier, Cooper started out with a band called Alice Cooper. They scored hit songs ``I'm Eighteen" and ``Love it to Death" in the early 1970s, and became known for their stage performances that featured guillotines and boa constrictors. In 1974, he began his solo career and legally changed his name to Alice Cooper. He released his first solo album ``Welcome to My Nightmare" in 1975. Throughout the years, Cooper has dabbled in various kinds of rock music, from garage rock to heavy metal to experimental rock. The last album he released was ``Dirty Diamonds" in 2005. He has released over 24 albums and toured around the world. Rolling Stone magazine's album guide referred to Cooper as the wFeb 26, 2008
Sweet Sorrow to Sing Sweet HarmonyBy Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Sweet Sorrow, a K-pop group, released their second album, which covers pop, ballads, jazz, bossa nova and even rock. The group consists of four male vocalists, In Ho-jin, Song Woo-jin, Kim Young-woo and Sung Jin-hwan. The name of the group, ``Sweet Sorrow,'' comes from Shakespeare's ``Romeo and Juliet.'' They came up with this name when they were going through hardships in 2002. ``Back then we were students and practiced in a basement. There is much sorrow in difficult times, but in the difficulties, we learn, grow up and it becomes sweet,'' said Kim, an English Language and Literature major who first thought of the name. ``Over six years, the name expanded in its meaning. Now, Sweet Sorrow is not merely a memoir of the hard times but tells that everything has diversity,'' said Kim. ``In conclusion, it's just like how we live our lives.'' The four met at the Glee Club, the male choir of Yonsei University. In, the oldest and the leader of the group, explained how they formed Sweet Sorrow. ``The Glee Club had two concerts every yeaFeb 26, 2008
Arirang TV to Launch English Radio News By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Arirang TV will launch a seven-language subtitle service and English radio news service in Korea. Chang Myung-ho, the President and CEO of Arirang TV, announced the new services at a press conference, Friday. The station delivers news, cultural programs, educational shows and documentaries worldwide via satellite 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Starting April 1, Arirang will air English radio news 50 minutes a day, 10 five-minute news bulletins, through YTN FM. ``We will provide Korean news in English to foreigners living in Korea and for tourists,'' said Chang. Currently, Arirang Radio serves only Jeju Island, and through terrestrial and satellite DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) platforms. Arirang TV invested in the YTN Radio service for a 4.5 percent share and signed a contract with them to provide English news programs. By this, they can secure about 10 million more listeners around Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon. They ultimately plan is to air Arirang FM nationwide. ``English radio service is a basFeb 24, 2008
TBS Launches DMB Seoul of AsiaBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Foreigners always complain about the lack of English-language information about concerts, shows, exhibits and other events happening around Seoul. The state-run Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) is hoping to address the information gap with its new English-language show ``Seoul of Asia,'' available on digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) bandwidth. ``Seoul of Asia,'' hosted by Dorothy Nam and Travis Beck, is a fun mix of news, information, traffic updates and music. The show's target audience is foreign residents and tourists in Seoul. TBS president Lee Joon-ho said ``Seoul of Asia'' is part of TBS' commitment to provide much-needed English-language programs for foreign residents and tourists in Seoul. ``There are 1 million foreign residents, and the number is increasing. We recognize the need to have a program that will give information to foreign residents, about living comfortably in Seoul,''' he told The Korea Times. ``Seoul of Asia'' is aired from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Monday to Friday. This is TBS' second English-langFeb 18, 2008
Arirang TV Explores New Government Policies By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Arirang TV will air ``Korea's Great Second Take Off'' series to preview the policies of the incoming government of President-elect Lee Myung-bak this week at 10:30 p.m., from Monday to Friday. Five experts in their respective fields will discuss, analyze and give forecasts for the next government and Joanne Lee, chairman of the Star Communications, will host the program. Park Se-il, chairman of the Hansun Foundation for Freedom and Prosperity, will appear on Monday. His focus is on how Korea can be a developed country. Park says a more than $30,000 per capita GDP, is the benchmark of being an economically advanced country. He gives examples of Brazil and Argentina, which did not successfully expand as developed countries due to vote-catching politics and excessive demands from a variety of interest groups. ``If a certain person or group pursues too much interest, the country cannot take off as a developed country,'' Park said. He also asks Koreans to have communal freedom, which means respecting community values and other cultureFeb 17, 2008
Singer-Turned-Directors Fearless EndeavorBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter The nickname ``Little Kim Ki-duk'' after one of Korea's most celebrated filmmakers tails director Juhn Jai-hong ― especially now that his feature debut piece ``Beautiful,'' based on an original story by Kim, won him a ticket to Berlin. But the nickname doesn't seem to bother the 30-year-old, who fearlessly jumped into the movie industry only three years ago. ``I like being called `Kim Ki-duk Two,''' he told The Korea Times last week before leaving for the 58th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), which runs through Sunday. ``Beautiful,'' which was also produced by Kim, is being shown in the out of competition section, Panorama. ``Kim Ki-duk is my idol. He changed my life,'' he said. ``I saw Kim's film `3-Iron,' and was completely enraptured.'' Born in Seoul, Juhn started receiving vocal lessons in the third grade. He moved to the United States at the age of 15 and after graduating from an art school in New York, continued studying the art of singing in Vienna. But upon graduation, he would attend an American business school thereFeb 12, 2008
Dramas Adapt New Way of Production By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Most Korean dramas start airing after the shooting of first a few episodes. Thus the general practice has been that production gets busier and busier, with the dramas eventually rushing to the end with obviously lower quality than before. A blockbuster hit from last year, ``Taewangsasingi'' (The Four Guardian Gods of the King) was not an exception. Despite 43 billion won ($46 million) budget and three years of preparation, the drama did not have enough time to shoot and edit 24 episodes. One time, an episode had been edited just after the designated airing time, and MBC, the broadcasting station, had to extend their live news to fill up time cut from the production. The ``one-page script'' exists in Korean soap-opera making. The whole script for one episode is not produced at the same time. The actors stand ready for shooting a scene without knowing what they are going to film and just one page of the script is sent from the writer. Then they act according to that one page without knowing what's going on before and after the scene. TFeb 10, 2008
Local Epic TV Dramas Going Global By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter As more Korean soap operas are sold abroad, hallyu, or the Korean wave, is now spreading beyond Asia to European countries as well. In particular, Korean epic dramas are gaining popularity around the world. MBC's ``Jewel in the Palace'' (Daejanggeum) started airing on TRT-TV, a government-run broadcasting station in Turkey, Jan 14. As the first Korean drama to be aired in Turkey, ``Jewel'' will also be broadcast in Hungary in mid February. Other Eastern European countries, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia, have also signed contracts with MBC to screen ``Jewel'' later this year. ``Jewel'' is one of the most prominent dramas leading the hallyu wave. The drama stars Lee Young-ae as Jang-geum, a woman who became the first female royal doctor to King Jungjong during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). First aired in Korea in 2003, the drama was soon sold to Japan, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong in 2004. It recorded an audience rating of 19 percent on NHK, a major Japanese network station. Last year, ``Jewel'' was aired in NigeriFeb 5, 2008
Actress Sohn PraisedBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter European directors are praising Korean actress Sohn Tae-young as one of the world's most beautiful actresses. Sohn recently filmed a music video for new singer Revi in the United Kingdom, Yonhap News said Tuesday. Directors Nikita Diakur and Jonas Lund worked on the video, along with art director Thorbjorn Ankerstjerne and photographer Patricia Niven. Niven has worked as a photographer for the ad campaign of top lingerie line Agent Provocateur. The foreign directors praised Sohn for having beautiful Asian eyes and lips and ``rich, beautiful and sophisticated facial expressions.'' Sohn was the first Asian actress they have worked with. Sohn recently appeared with Kim Kang-woo in the critically acclaimed film ``The Railroad,'' directed by Park Heung-sik. The film won a special award given by the International Federation of Film Critics, during the 25th Torino Film Festival in Italy. ``The Railroad'' is about two lost souls (played by Kim and Sohn), who find themselves stranded at the last railroad stop before the DMZ on a snoJan 29, 2008