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Hong Sang-soo’s Film to Compete in Berlinale

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter ``Night and Day,'' the latest work of movie director Hong Sang-soo, has been selected to screen at the 58th Berlinale International Film Festival of Berlin, Germany, Feb. 7-17. The complete list for the Competition program of the 58th Berlinale was announced Friday. Hong's ``Night and Day'' is the story about a painter who has fled to Paris. Kim Young-ho plays the runaway artist while Park Eun-hye plays an art student studying in France. Hwang Soo-jung plays the wife of Kim and Lee Sun-kyun, a student from North Korea. The director debuted in 1996 with the movie ``The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well.'' Another Hong movie, ``Woman on the Beach,'' starring actress Ko Hyun-joung, was nominated for the Panorama section last year. He also made it to the Cannes Film Festival with ``Woman Is the Future of Man'' (2004) and ``Tale of Cinema'' (2005). ``Night and Day'' will compete for the Golden and the Silver Bear Awards along with movies such as: ``Elegy'' by Isabel Coixet (USA); ``I've Loved You So Long'' by Philippe Claudel (France/Germa

Jan 21, 2008

Red Cross to Expand S-N Exchanges

Government Downsizing Won’t Affect Works to Reunite Separate Families By Kang Shin-who Staff Reporter The chief of South Korea's Red Cross said that the humanitarian organization's primary mission of ``reuniting separate families of the divided Korean Peninsula'' will remain intact despite the overhaul of government organizations. Lee Se-Ung, 68, new president of the Republic of Korea National Red Cross (KRC), said his organization plans to accelerate family reunions of the two Koreas with a reunion center, scheduled to be completed in the first half of the year at Mt. Geumgang, North Korea. So far, about 130,000 people have registered as being members of separated families following the division of the two Koreas. Of them, some 34,000 have already passed on, largely because of old age. This is why the president put priority on the family reunion program. ``The government policy on North Korea may change from time to time and it could influence humanitarian efforts toward North Korea. But I think, under any circumstances, it will not diminish the desire for reu

Jan 20, 2008

SG Wanna Be to Debut in Japan

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Korean R&B trio SG Wanna Be will release an album in Japan, March. Pony Canyon won the contract with the R&B group, after competing with around 10 record companies, Japanese newspaper Sankei Sports reported, Saturday. SG Wanna Be consists of three males, Chae Dong-ha, Kim Yong-jun and Kim Jin-ho. The SG stands for ``Simon and Garfunkel,'' the American folk rock duo. The trio debuted in 2004 with the album named ``Wanna Be+.'' The same year, the group won the Best Newcomer award for their debut album at the Golden Disc Award. Their song and music video, featuring top actors such as Sul kyoung-gu and Kim Yun-jin, drew people's attention. They released albums, ``While You Live'' in 2005, ``The 3rd Masterpiece'' in 2006 and ``The Sentimental Chord'' in 2007 and four other special albums. SG Wanna Be is known for having high album sales despite the overall fall of the Korean music market. ``While You Live'' sold some 430,000 copies while ``The 3rd Masterpiece'' reached more than 300,000 copies. Selling almost 200,000 copies, ``Th

Jan 20, 2008

Medical Professor Becomes New Yonsei President

By Kim Rahn Staff Reporter New president of Yonsei University pledged that the school will not adopt an admissions in exchange for donations provision, at least during his presidency. Medical professor Kim Han-joong confirmed the policy after being appointed as the president of Yonsei University Friday. The school's foundation selected Kim out of three candidates at the board of directors' meeting. He will lead the university for four years starting February. ``Although universities may have discretion in selecting students, donation-based admission will not be allowed,'' Kim said. His remark comes as his predecessor Jung Chang-young resigned in an allegation that his wife took money from a parent in exchange for admitting the parent's daughter to the school. He also said the school may drop the essay test in its admission if actual scores of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) are disclosed instead of the current system in which the score is given only in form of levels. Graduating from Yonsei's medical school in 1974, Kim obtained doctorates in public heal

Jan 18, 2008

New Korea University President Plans Campus in Los Angeles

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Korea University selected Prof. Lee Ki-su of the school's College of Law, as president of the university for a four-year term. Lee, 63, will take office on Feb. 1. Lee was chosen from among three candidates to head the school at a meeting of the Korea University Foundation's board of directors Thursday. He was chosen for his pledges to construct a campus in Los Angeles and transform the local campuses into special ones. One is in Seoul and the other in Seochang, South Chungcheong Province. He also pledged to raise 500 billion won. He gained popularity with his experience as chairman of the Korean Law Professors Association, the Korean Association of Arbitration Studies and the Korean Association of German Studies. Lee was once accused of translating a book and publishing it under his name. He was suspended from teaching and couldn't run for presidency in previous university presidential elections, but was found not guilty at the Supreme Court in December 2006. ``It feels like I have passed a long tunnel. I will do my best to develo

Jan 18, 2008

Actress Kim Hye-soo Denies Rumors

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Actress Kim Hye-soo, 38, denied rumors concerning her relationships. SidusHQ, Kim's agency, officially rejected rumors of Kim having relationships with a yakuza boss or trot singer Na Hoon-a on Thursday. Kim is a popular actress who starred in the movies ``A Good Day to Have an Affair'' and ``11th Mother'' last year. She won the Best Actress award at Blue Dragon Awards for her role in ``Tazza: The High Rollers'' in 2006. Na, 61, is a renowned trot singer who began his singing career in 1960s. He starred in movies in the 1980s and released many hit songs. But he disappeared after canceling a concert March 2007. Rumor has it that Kim is the mistress of a yakuza boss in Korea and entered into an illicit relationship with Na, which resulted in the yakuzas harming Na. The rumor spread like a wildfire through the Internet. Kim believed the rumor has damaged her reputation and decided to deny the misunderstandings. According to the press release, Kim met Na only once when she was hosting a talk show named ``Kim Hye-soo Plus You.

Jan 18, 2008

TVXQ Tops Japanese Music Charts Again

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Pop group TVXQ has once again topped the Oricon Charts, the best-known music chart in Japan. The five-member boy band's 16th single album ``Purple Line'' made number one the same day it was released Wednesday. ``Purple Line'' is yet another piece by Korea's hit songwriter Yoo Young-jin, who wrote the group's best-loved songs like ``Rising Sun'' and ``O.'' This is another proud overseas feat for the K-pop industry. It will also serve as a window to Seoul, as the music video of ``Purple Line,'' shot in parts of Seoul and Kyeonggi Province, features nightscapes of the city. Beginning with their second single ``Somebody to Love'' in July, 2005, TVXQ's singles and albums have consistently made the top rankings of the Oricon Charts. The explosively popular new single marks the band's 17th consecutive recording to enter the top 10 ratings. ``Purple Line'' will be released in Korea on the 23rd. hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr

Jan 17, 2008

Rain Donates to Taean Cleanup

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Korean top singer and actor Rain participated in volunteer work and donated 300 million won towards the Taean oil spill cleanup. Rain visited Taean, South Chungcheong Province, to help clean up after one of the worst oil spill disasters with staff from his agency on Wednesday. Despite the freezing weather, Rain worked hard to remove oil from the beach. After volunteering at the scene, he donated 300 million won for the clean-up efforts in Taean on Thursday. The singer-actor recently came back to Korea from Los Angeles where he had been shooting his first Hollywood movie ``Speed Racer,'' the latest work of the Wachowski brothers. The volunteer work was his first public appearance this year. J Tune Entertainment, Rain's management agency, said that Rain originally wanted to keep his volunteer work a secret. However, the number of volunteers coming to Taean is on the decrease and the provincial government asked him to publicize his work to encourage more people to help Taean. According to the South Chungcheong provincial government, appr

Jan 17, 2008

Song Kang-ho Named Best Actor at Palm Springs

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Actor Song Kang-ho, who turns 41 on Jan. 17, received a memorable birthday present: His role in Lee Chang-dong's ``Secret Sunshine'' landed him the International Critics' Prize for Best Actor at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in California, the festival organizers announced Sunday. Held for the 19th time, Jan. 1-14, Palm Springs is different from other festivals in that the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) judges the official entries for the Best Foreign Language Film in the upcoming Academy Awards. It is a central event for showcasing foreign language films in the United States, and is considered to be one of the best marketing tools for the Academy Awards. This year, the jury had to watch over 50 works from around the world and among them was the story about a traumatized widow. ``Secret Sunshine'' was on the world cinema map last year as its lead actress Jeon Do-yeon won a string of prizes including Best Actress at Cannes. ``One hopes, though, that similar consideration will be accorded her co-star, Son

Jan 16, 2008

Actors Go to Nepal for Volunteer Work

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Report Actors Choi Su-jong, 46, and Shin Ee, 30, are volunteering to work in Nepal from Jan. 14 to 19. The two actors will visit ``Sangla Children's Home,'' which is sponsored by the international relief agency, Good Neighbors office in Kathmandu, Nepal. The two will help the children bathe, play soccer, do face-painting as well as plant a tree of hope. They will also visit another home, ``Badikhel Children's Home.'' Choi, who is the goodwill ambassador for Good Neighbors, said ``I know there are the needy in Korea too, but I decided to take part in this volunteer service because I want to give strength to the children suffering from absolute poverty.'' He added that he will volunteer more in the future so that volunteering becomes the norm, not a small part of his life. Renowned actor from KBS hit drama ``The Great Daejoyoung,'' Choi has served as a goodwill ambassador of the organization since 1999 and participated in other community services as well in Bangladesh in 1999 and North Korea in 2005. Shin said, ``I am delighted to t

Jan 15, 2008
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