[Newsmaker] ‘Squid Game’ Jung Ho-yeon makes '100 Next' list

“Squid Game” star Jung Ho-yeon has been listed in the phenoms category of Time magazine's "100 Next." Launched in 2019, Time 100 Next is the youthful version of its more prominent "Time 100" list and was created to spotlight 100 rising stars shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more. “I often joke around and call her a ‘warrior.’ There’s no doubt that she has the skill and courage to fight h

Sept. 30, 2022

Comedy film ‘Daemuga’ blends Korean shamanism, rap battles

After a beat drops, three participants in colorful clothing begin delivering a rhythmic speech about their lives while breaking out in dance. The crowd surrounding them erupts into cheers when they spit out punchlines. What looks like an ordinary hip-hop rap battle scene in the upcoming comedy film “Daemuga” is a reinterpretation of “gut,” a special performance by a Korean modern-day shaman to bring back spirits. “It (shamanism) is a surreal topic and I wanted to d

Sept. 28, 2022

Netflix hopes for turnaround with Korean original ‘20th Century Girl’

At the beginning of this year, global streaming giant Netflix, which had not produced films here since its arrival in 2016, announced a plan to release five original Korean-language movies. The list included the romance film "Moral Sense," action film "Carter," action blockbuster "Seoul Vibe," sci-fi film "Jung_E" and romance film "20th Century Girl." So far, the streaming platform has released three films that were on the list and an additio

Sept. 27, 2022

Song Joong-ki's gangster film 'Hwaran' starts shooting

Korean heartthrob Song Joong-ki’s new crime movie "Hwaran" -- meaning disaster or chaos -- started shooting on Sept. 13 at a site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, according to the film’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M. Directed by Kim Chang-hoon, the film revolves around Yun-kyu, who wants to escape from his everyday struggles. One day, Yun-kyu meets a crime organization’s underboss Chi-gun (Song) and becomes involved in risky situations. “I am glad to b

Sept. 26, 2022

Yum Jung-ah on learning new things for musical film ‘Life is Beautiful’

Actor Yum Jung-ah's new project has left her covered in bruises from practicing action sequences until they are perfect, but it is a badge she proudly wears. “For good projects, I have to learn new things. There is no other way of doing it,” Yum told a group of reporters on Wednesday. Such outlook on life is what has guided her throughout her career. Recalling the first time that she read the script of “Life is Beautiful,” Yum said she instantly got the feeling that

Sept. 25, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Project Wolf Hunting (Korea)　 Opened Sept. 21 Crime Directed by Kim Hong-sun A team of Korean police officers are on a mission to bring heinous criminals to South Korea from the Philippines via ship. Looking for an opportunity to escape are Jong-du (Seo In-guk), a cold-blooded killer, and Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon), who has an Interpol red notice on him. Meanwhile, a mysterious presence created in a secret lab onboard puts everyone's lives at risk. Confidential Assignment 2: International (Ko

Sept. 23, 2022

Queen of comedies Ra Mi-ran returns with ‘Honest Candidate 2’

Veteran actor Ra Mi-ran expressed her confidence in reprising the role of politician Joo Sang-sook in the sequel to comedy film “Honest Candidate,” during a press conference at Megabox Coex in Seoul Tuesday. “I had to play her (Joo Sang-sook) in the movie again. I thought no other actor would be able to play her better. I also felt responsible,” Ra said. Ra's performance in the first installment won her the best actress award at the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2021.

Sept. 22, 2022

Director Kim Hong-sun returns with spine-chilling 'Project Wolf Hunting’

Not too long after presenting his Netflix series “Money Heist: Korea -- Joint Economic Area,” director Kim Hong-sun is back with a bloody gore film, “Project Wolf Hunting.” “Project Wolf Hunting” opens with Korean police officers on a mission to bring heinous criminals to South Korea from the Philippines via a ship. Looking for an opportunity to escape are Jong-du (Seo In-guk), a cold-blooded killer, and Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon) who has an Interpol red notic

Sept. 20, 2022

Revisiting the acting career of Lee Jung-jae

“I’m not going home until I make it big.” Just as Lee Jung-jae said through the words of Lee Han, the character in his first-ever movie gig, “The Young Man” in 1994, the now internationally acclaimed actor returned home Sunday after becoming the first Asian ever to win for best actor in a drama series at the Primetime Emmy Award last week. A day after his win, it was confirmed that Lee’s big-screen debut will be rereleased in local theaters on Sept. 29, offe

Sept. 20, 2022

BIFF opening, closing ceremony tickets go on sale Friday

Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 27th Busan International Film Festival will go on sale online at 2 p.m., Friday. This year's BIFF, which takes place Oct. 5-14, will return to its pre-pandemic full scale with 243 films from 71 countries. This year’s opener will be Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh's "Scent of Wind," while Japanese director Ishikawa Kei's "A Man" will close the festival. Tickets for films screened during the festival will open onl

Sept. 19, 2022

[Eye interview] Understanding Korea through its classical musicians

On May 29, violinist Yang In-mo, the first ever Korean to win the Paganini International Violin Competition in 2015, won the top prize at the jean Sibelius International Violin Competition. A few days later, cellist Choi Ha-young won the first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition held in Belgium. And two weeks after that, pianist Lim Yun-chan won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, becoming the youngest winner at age 18. Lim quickly became a household name -- even those who have

Sept. 15, 2022

‘Life is Beautiful,’ a long-awaited Korean jukebox musical film

  It is no secret that Korean moviegoers have a soft spot for musical films. From “Mamma Mia” (2008) to “Les Miserables” (2012) and “La La Land,” (2016), many Hollywood musical films have found great success in Korea. Yet, memorable Korean musical films that appeal to local audiences have been conspicuously absent. This is why there has been a lot of hype in Korean online communities around Korea’s first jukebox musical film “Life is Bea

Sept. 14, 2022

Lee Jung-jae's girlfriend is a rich heiress

Actor Lee Jung-Jae’s win of the Emmy award for his role in Netflix-original series “Squid Game” on Monday created a buzz worldwide but there was someone else who shared the limelight with him -- his longtime girlfriend Lim Se-ryung. Sporting a white Dior dress, she hit the red carpet hand-in-hand with the actor in Los Angeles. Lim, 45, is by no means just a celebrity’s girlfriend. She is the vice chairman of Daesang Group, one of the largest food conglomerates in South Ko

Sept. 14, 2022

Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung to attend BIFF next month

Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung Chiu-wai will attend the 27th Busan International Film Festival to receive the Asian Filmmaker Of The Year. The award will be presented to the actor during the opening ceremony on Oct. 5 at the Busan Cinema Center. "Since his 'City of Sadness' won the Golden Lion Award at the 1989 Venice International Film Festival, he has been one of the greatest actors of our time for over 30 years,” BIFF director Huh Moon-young said of Leung during an online press

Sept. 12, 2022

What to watch before seeing ‘Confidential Assignment 2’

If you have plans to see the Korean film “Confidential Assignment 2: International" directed by Lee Seok-hoon during the Chuseok holiday, here's what to watch before you head to the cinema. Original movie Although there won't be any problems without having watched the first movie, the audience can have fun comparing the two as there are many original movie references in the new film “Confidential Assignment 2: International." Helmed by Kim Sung-hoon, the original

Sept. 10, 2022

Rookie directors all nerves about ‘Kim Min-young’ release

Although two rookie directors of “Kim Min-young of the Report Card,” Lee Jae-eun and Lim Ji-sun, have won many awards at film festivals, including the grand prize in the Korean competition category at the 22nd Jeonju International Film Festival, they are very nervous about the film being released. “One thing we worry about is that at film festivals moviegoers who love independent films watched our movie. So we think that the feedback was a bit nicer. We worry that we will fa

Sept. 7, 2022

[Herald Interview] Daniel Henney relates to Korean American character in 'Confidential Assignment 2’

  Actor Daniel Henney said he was excited to play FBI agent Jack in "Confidential Assignment 2: International," directed by Lee Suk-hoon, because he saw similarities between himself and the Korean American character. “Here, he is able to speak a little Korean, he's been brought up in the States and I can relate to that,” Henney said during an interview with a group of local reporters on Tuesday. In “Confidential Assignment 2: International,” FBI agent Ja

Sept. 6, 2022

Disappointed by Brad Pitt's 'Bullet Train'? Hop on Korean train films for an unforgettable ride

  Even with a big Hollywood star, Brad Pitt's “Bullet Train” failed to appeal to Korean moviegoers, which is contrary to North American box office results. As of Sunday, the film’s accumulated number of audiences here since its release Aug. 24 stood at 136,147. Even the Korean low-budget comedy film “6/45” directed by Park Kyu-tae that came out the same day performed better. Park’s film saw more than 1.1 million tickets sold as of Sunday. Reviews of &

Sept. 5, 2022

Hyun Bin says he discussed 'Confidential Assignment 2’ with his wife Son Ye-jin before shooting

  Since “Confidential Assignment 2: International" is Korean top star Hyun Bin’s first film that he is presenting to the public since he exchanged nuptials with Son Ye-jin, lots of questions about their newlywed life were posed during a group interview with local reporters on Thursday via Zoom. While trying to keep most of their personal life private -- he feels being married and becoming a father do not seem to have much impact on his career yet -- Hyun Bin said he did a

Sept. 2, 2022

Hit film directors say copyright law must change for K-movies' global success

Members of the Directors Guild of Korea on Wednesday gathered at the National Assembly Members' Office Building to talk about why the current Copyright Act should be revised for fair remuneration of filmmakers’ work and Korean movies' further global success. The event was jointly hosted by the DGK and Yoo Jung-ju, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea. At the beginning of the meeting, director Park Chan-wook, who is currently in Los Angeles, joined via videoconference to show his su

Aug. 31, 2022