This week, small Korean indie films are trying to get a head start at the box office before blockbuster-scale films like “The Himalayas” and “The Tiger” hit the screens. Three films -- a documentary, psychopath thriller and youth drama -- will each try to attract niche audience members when they open simultaneously on Dec. 10.  The Korea Herald offers a brief guide for those looking for something a little different on the silver screen.The Anxious Day OutDocumentary. Directed by Kim Cheol-min　“T

Film Dec. 6, 2015

As a member of the sensationally popular band g.o.d, whose success peaked in the early 2000s, Yoon Kye-sang seems anything but ordinary. Yet somehow, ordinary is what many say he does best in his acting, which started after leaving the idol group in 2004.“It’s because of my ordinary looks, and my ordinary body,” Yoon said at a group interview at a Seoul cafe on Tuesday. Yoon is good-looking, but in the scruffy boy-next-door way that lends him authenticity when he plays unglamorous but likeable r

Film Dec. 3, 2015

“In Her Place,” the sophomore feature-length presentation by Korean-Canadian director Albert Shin, has been making its way through the international film festival circuit after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. Along the way, it has picked up awards at the Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema, the Taipei Film Festival and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. Ironically, the one place that Shin, 31, had not been to show the movie was where it was filmed: Korea.He finally got

Film Dec. 3, 2015

Psy‘s seventh studio-length album “Chiljip Psy-da” (known simply in English as Psy 7th Album) comes three years and five months after his sixth album, “Psy 6-gap,” which included the global sensation “Gangnam Style.”“It’s been too long,” he began at a press conference at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul on Monday.“Maybe it was pressure, maybe it was stress,” he said about the wait. “I kept thinking, ‘This won’t do as well as “Gangnam (Style)”’ ... or if I changed it, ‘Overseas fans wouldn’t understand

Performance Nov. 30, 2015

Headed to the movies this weekend? The Korea Herald offers a guide to what's playing in theaters.The Sound of a Flower (Korea)Opened Nov. 25Historical drama. Directed by Lee Jong-pil　In ancient Korea, women were not allowed to perform pansori – Korea’s traditional musical theater. But that doesn’t stop Jin Chae-seon (Bae Suzy) from chasing her dreams. With training and guidance from pansori veteran Shin Jae-hyo (Ryu Seung-ryong), Chae-seon beats the odds and becomes the first woman to publicly p

Film Nov. 28, 2015

The protection of young children will be at the forefront of the International Film Classification Forum 2015 on Thursday.Korea is the only nation in Asia hosting an international conference to discuss classification and rating for video content, according to Lee Kyong-sook, chairwoman of the forum’s host Korea Media Rating Board.  (Korea Media Rating Board)The countries participating in this year’s forum all have different types of organizations for doling out the ratings, including government

Film Nov. 25, 2015

Former KBS Business CEO Ko Dae-young took office as the new chief executive of KBS, South Korea’s public broadcast network, on Tuesday.Ko, 60, succeeded Cho Dae-hyun as the broadcaster’s 22nd president. He will serve three years until November 2018. In his inaugural speech, the new chief emphasized the need for KBS to change, calling the current situation “a crisis.” “If KBS is in crisis, that means there is a crisis in the noble goal of public broadcasting, which is to present fair and balanced

People Nov. 24, 2015

Bae Suzy rose to fame simply as Suzy, debuting as a member of top girl group Miss A in 2010. In 2012, she reclaimed her last name when she caught her big break as an actress in the film “Architecture 101,” where she played the classic girl-who-got-away and earned the nickname “Korea’s first love.”In her latest film, “The Sound of a Flower,” she plays a very different character from that early role. She becomes Jin Chae-seon, the first woman in Korean history who performed pansori -- a traditiona

Film Nov. 24, 2015

Singer and actress Suzy said that before she joined JYP Entertainment, she used to perform on the streets as part of a dance crew.According to the Miss A member, she did it to show her parents how much she really loved to perform. Suzy (JYP Entertainment)“I had to convince my parents (to let me be a singer),” she said in an interview at a cafe in Seoul Monday. “They thought that more than singing and dancing, I was attracted to the glamour.”Suzy said that she walked by a dance crew performing on

Performance Nov. 23, 2015

“You Call It Passion” proclaims to be a “2015 relatable comedy.” And for the first half of the movie, it is.Do Ra-hui, played by Park Bo-young who starred in blockbuster hits such as “A Werewolf Boy” and “Scandal Makers,” is a young woman fresh out of college who has just landed her first job as a junior entertainment reporter. She has high hopes and dreams about being able to support herself, wearing a power suit to work every day and casually introducing herself with her own business card. The

Film Nov. 22, 2015

The 52nd Daejong Film Awards on Friday were not quite a star-studded affair as the nominees for top prizes, including Best Actor and Actress, skipped the annual ceremony. Although many nominees who did not attend gave reasons such as scheduling conflicts, others openly boycotted the awards, criticizing the organizing committee for poor management and lack of independence from the government. Daejong Film Awards ceremony at KBS Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul (Yonhap)The Daejong Film Awards organi

Film Nov. 22, 2015

“Inside Men” is a scathing, absorbing work about the dirty tricks that manipulate public opinion and power in Korean society.That might seem like nothing new. This year, the Korean box office has seen its fair share of movies discussing the corruption and collusion rampant in Korean society. But “Inside Men” is different because there is no good guy to root for. There is no justice-seeking lawyer as in “The Unfair” or righteous cop like in “Veteran.” Politician, prosecutor, columnist and mobster

Film Nov. 19, 2015

CJ CGV, Korea‘s largest cinema chain, is targeting 10,000 screens and 700 million moviegoers worldwide by the year 2020, its chief executive said Wednesday.  Speaking to press at the chain’s Cheongdam branch in southern Seoul on Wednesday, CEO Seo Jung said that his company will be focusing on overseas expansion through active mergers and acquisitions, rather than the saturated domestic market. In Korea, the cinema unit of local conglomerate CJ has 128 theaters and 971 screens, controlling nearl

Film Nov. 19, 2015

It‘s difficult to think of YG Entertainment’s latest boy band iKON as just another rookie group.After topping the charts with their warm-up single “My Type” released Sept. 15, they enjoyed another hit with hip-hop track “Rhythm Ta” on their debut half-album released Oct. 1. Now they’ve hit No. 1 again with the single “Apology,” released Monday. Even before coming out with their first full album, the group already had a debut concert at the Gymnastics Arena in Olympic Park, a venue usually reserv

Performance Nov. 17, 2015

YG’s new boy group iKON spoke about what labelmate Big Bang means to them.As the newest boy group from YG Entertainment, iKON faces the big task of continuing in Big Bang’s footsteps while differentiating themselves at the same time. iKON (YG Entertainment)“They’ve given us a lot of help since ‘WIN,’ and they’re our idols to a certain extent,” said leader B.I in a group interview at a Seoul cafe on Monday. “WIN” refers to the survival TV program “WIN: Who is Next,” where the team’s members went

Performance Nov. 16, 2015