Korean Drama

[bag.lover]

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SmaSTATION!!
Japanese people choose 10 best Hanryu dramas
http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ss/245/special/index2.html
Participants: 1600 Men/Women in their 30's.
Each participant chooses 3 favorite Korean dramas. First place gets 10 points, 2nd place gets 5 points, 3rd place gets 3 points.


RANK / DRAMA / POINTS / CAST
1. [Winter Sonata] - 6688
- Bae Yong Joon, Choi Ji Woo
http://english.tour2korea.com/02Cult...m=m2_6&konum=1
2. [Jewel in the Palace] - 5746
- Lee Young Ae, Ji Jin Hee
http://english.tour2korea.com/02Cult...m=m2_6&konum=1
3. [Stairway to Heaven] - 2932
- Kwon Sang Woo, Choi Ji Woo, Shin Hyun Joon
http://english.tour2korea.com/02Cult...m=m2_6&konum=1
4. [Beautiful Days] - 1611
- Lee Byung Hun, Ryu Shi Won, Choi Ji Woo
http://english.tour2korea.com/02Cult...m=m2_6&konum=1
5. [Hotelier] - 1464
- Kim Seung Woo, Bae Yong Joon, Song Yoon Ah, Song Hye Kyo
6. [Sad Love Story] - 1181
- Kwon Sang Woo, Kim Hee Sun, Yeon Jung Hoon
7. [All In] - 1099
- Lee Byung Hun, Song Hye Kyo
http://english.tour2korea.com/02Cult...m=m2_6&konum=1
8. [Summer Scent] - 1060
- Song Seung Hun, Son Yeh Jin
http://english.tour2korea.com/02Cult...m=m2_6&konum=1
9. [Autumn in My Heart] - 1017
- Song Seung Hun, Song Hye Kyo, Won Bin
http://english.tour2korea.com/02Cult...m=m2_6&konum=1
10. [Lovers in Paris] - 750
- Park Shin Yang, Kim Jung Eun, Lee Dong Gun
http://english.tour2korea.com/02Cult...m=m2_6&konum=1

[bag.lover]

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SmaSTATION!!
Japanese Women's "Favorite Hanryu Actors" Top 10
http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ss/249/special/index2.html
Participants: 1200 Women in their 30's.
Each participant chooses 3 favorite Korean actors. First place gets 10 points, 2nd place gets 5 points, 3rd place gets 3 points.


RANK / ARTIST / POINTS
1. Bae Yong Joon [3316]
2. Lee Byung Hun [3003]
3. Kwon Sang Woo [2911]
4. Jang Dong Gun [1567]
5. Won Bin [1535]
6. Park Yong Ha [1237]
7. Song Seung Hun [896]
8. Ryu Shi Won [838]
9. Ji Jin Hee [553]
10. Kang Dong Won [376]

[bag.lover]

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(source: CHOSUN 6-7-2006)
History Attests to Korean Stars' All-Natural Looks

The chiseled features -- can Korea’s gene pool really have produced the perfection that graces TV screens all over Asia without the help of the country’s otherwise so very busy army of plastic surgeons? The Chosun Ilbo listens to the rumor mill to discover just how natural the Korean Wave is.


Kim Tae-hee

Kim Tae-hee hit the big time when she was still in high school in Ulsan. She attended a nationally renowned school that brought together top students from local middle schools, yet even there the actress was able to stay on top of her class for the entire three years. And her looks have not changed since then: they made her the object of desire among the boys of all the surrounding schools. One rumor circulating about the actress at that time was that she studied for free at a private tutoring college. According to the rumor, her presence there was thought to attract so much business from male students that the institute waived the fee.


Ko So-young

Ko So-young has been a great beauty since her school days. So haughty, yet so pure -- no wonder the tongues are wagging. The rumor is that when she left home to head to school of a morning, a line of expensive cars lined up in front of her house driven by men who yearned for the privilege to chauffeur her to school.


Kim Hee-seon

Kim Hee-seon is a doll; and, would you believe, she has always looked like this.


Lee Young-ae

Lee Yong-ae spearheads the Korean Wave. Childhood pictures and photos of young Young-ae in hanbok from her school days can be found all over the Internet. Devoted Netizens can attest, therefore, that no surgeon’s knife was needed to improve her.


Jun Ji-hyun

Sexy Jun Ji-hyun also remains unaltered by science since her school days.


Kim Ah-jung

A picture of Kim Ah-jung at the age of 20 has recently been circulating online, from an interview where she confessed to her dream of becoming a model. There is the body, there is the face, already perfect.


Han Ga-in

Han Ga-in appeared on a TV quiz show when she was a high-school student, and she was also captured in TV footage of interviews with high-school students. Her looks needed no improvement. The story of how entertainment bigwigs spotted her in the news clip and immediately went to her school to offer her a part is already legendary.


Song Hye-gyo

Song Hye-gyo also started out in entertainment while at high school. “She was active in show business when she was in the first year of high school, and she appeared on a TV show in the third year, so she wasn’t able to attend class often,” a teacher recalls. “But with her cheerful character, she mixed well with her friends and was always in a bright mood.” Needless to say her looks are said to be entirely nature’s work.

- Copyrights ⓒ 2006 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo
All rights reserved –

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[bag.lover]

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(source: CHOSUN 1-27-2006)
Korean Stars: a Metabolism to Die For

Korean stars seem blessed with a metabolism that allows them to laugh at portions which would make others blanch. China's Sina.com website under the heading "Female Korean Stars Eat a Lot" claims Jeon Ji-hyun, Chung Da-bin and Kim Tae-hee are careless about how much they eat but have no problem maintaining their figure.


Jeon Ji-hyun

"In Jeon's film 'My Sassy Girl', she brought such a loveable character to the screen that fans just haven't been able to forget her," the site gushes. "In spite of her 48 kg weight, Jeon is a surprisingly big eater capable of putting away two brimful bowls of rice along with four dishes. Because of this, her friends have taken to calling her a glutton."


Kim Tae-hee, Chung Da-bin

Kim Tae-hee, who only weighs 45 kg, is famous for having a sweet tooth as well as consuming big portions, the site reveals. “When Kim was on a visit to Taiwan last August, she liked sweet things so much that she practically lived on cookies,” it says. “At the time, Kim said she wasn't too worried about her love for sweets because she always tried to get in shape by exercising.”

- Copyrights ⓒ 2006 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo
All rights reserved –

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[bag.lover]

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(source: CHOSUN 9-14-2006)
Are Korean Movie Stars Too Expensive?

The Korean film industry continues to grow at an alarming pace. After “Silmido” opened an era of 10-million ticket sellers in 2004, four more films quickly followed suit. “The Host” recently set a new record, taking the top spot from the “King and the Clown,” which itself brought more than 12.3 million Koreans to the theaters earlier this year. But the growth in the industry means the amount Chungmuro’s biggest names are charging for appearances on the big screen is also shooting through the roof. How does it compare to overall production costs?


Clockwise from left: Bae Yong-joon, Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jang Dong-gun, Jang Jin-young, Jeon Do-yeon, Jeon Ji-hyun and Lee Young-ae

The rates stars charge are a good way to gauge their popularity. Currently, Bae Yong-joon is Korea’s highest paid actor. In last year’s “April Snow,” the actor was estimated to have earned at least twice the W300 million(US$1=W959) he got for his work on “Untold Scandal” in 2003.

By using the buzz generated by Bae Yong-joon’s popularity, only in the early stages of production the film was exported to Japan for US$7 million and subsequently raked in W23 billion with its successful run. Choi Min-sik, Song Kang-ho and Seol Kyung-gu are known as the Three Musketeers of Chungmuro for their ability to bring box office success, and they command around W500 million per film. Then there are Lee Byung-hun and Cha Seung-won, who each get about W350 million per movie, and of course Jang Dong-gun, whose appearance in “Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War” helped take that film above the 10 million tickets mark.

Among the women, Lee Young-ae and Jeon Ji-hyun are at the top, each getting about W350 million-W400 million for their work, while Jeon Do-yeon and Jang Jin-young get W300 million -W350 million for their appearances.

- Copyrights ⓒ 2006 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo
All rights reserved –

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[bag.lover]

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(source: JoongAng Daily July 4, 2007)
Mining new ground on an age-old topic

‘To wives, husbands’ affairs are like a car accident ... They are by no means intended. They just happen.’


Kim Su-hyun, a star TV drama writer, has enjoyed a prolific and successful career.


The latest drama by Kim Su-hyun, 64, one of Korea’s top scriptwriters, seemed so realistic that women all across Korea began to suspect their husbands were cheating.

Her recent 24-episode work, “The Woman of My Man,” starring Kim Hee-ae, Bae Jong-ok and Kim Sang-jung, is about an extramarital love affair.

But in Kim’s signature style, the drama was not predictable. “I didn’t want this story to have a conventional ending,” she said.


In addition to her most recent hit, “The Woman of My Man,”


According to AGB Nielsen Media Research, the last episode of the drama, on June 19, ranked first in overall viewership that day, attracting 37.6 percent of the people watching TV.

When asked about how she keeps viewers hooked until the last minute, Kim said, “Unlike other scripts with the same theme, I don’t drag the stories on.”

Normally, she said, a drama starts off with a couple meeting, then falling in love. One or both then have an affair while becoming terrified of being caught.

“I cut out the ‘falling in love’ process and started right away with the actual extramarital relationship,” she said.

Writing about such matters is troublesome for most scriptwriters, because the path is so well-trodden. But at the same time, affairs remain a popular topic.

Kim spices up her stories with dangerous passion, skate-over-thin-ice tension and the use of unusual language.


Kim Su-hyun, wrote “What on Earth Is Love,”


“Whether married or single, most women are afraid their lovers might desert them one day,” Kim said. “The public gave this drama a lot of attention because it focused on an issue that most are interested in.”

The love affair between the a middle-aged man (played by actor Kim Sang-jung) and his wife’s best friend (Kim Hee-ae) seemed like it would last for eternity, with a passionate, burning love. After the wife (Bae) found out about the affair, she began to get closer to a younger classmate from school, hoping to extract revenge. (However, she didn’t want to hurt the classmate, who loves her, by having a full affair.)

The love affair involving the husband ended with the man expressing his sorrow and regret to his wife. To Kim, that didn’t necessarily mean the husband and wife would be reunited. Kim leaves it to the viewers to decide.

“If I chose between one of the two women and called it a victory, the script would have become didactic and banal,” Kim said. She added, “Each of the two [Hee-ae and Jong-ok], take up 50 percent of my heart equally.”

The woman who snatched her best friend’s husband would normally be seen as a wicked woman and a wrongdoer. Instead, Kim portrays her as a soul having deep emotional pain.


“Flame,”


When she ends the affair, she tells the man she’s not disappointed with him, but doesn’t feel secure around him.

Kim, who is married, said she believes extramarital love affairs are ephemeral and transient.

“To wives, husbands having extra-marital affairs are like a car accident,” Kim said. “Though it is nothing like fate or destiny, they are by no means intended. They just happen.”

Kim mentioned that society has become more liberal on this matter and that it is a natural part of life.

Kim said “The Woman of My Man” is a drama that shows a facet of today’s everyday lives, reflecting a society in which extra-marital affairs have become commonplace.

“I didn’t denounce or overstate on this theme,” Kim said. She added, “I’m just a scriptwriter and wrote what was really out there.”

By Yang Sung-hee, Park Jeong-ho JoongAng Ilbo

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[bag.lover]

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(source: JoongAng Daily July 4, 2007)
[TV review]A remembrance of Korea’s television past


“Old TV,” features today’s celebrities acting out past TV shows. [SBS-TV]


The mellow smell of rice cooking in the pot and my mother singing along to the Carpenters “Yesterday Once More” in the kitchen is a favorite memory of my childhood. Another essential element to complete the evening scene would be a TV set and me fighting with my sister for the best spot to watch our favorite animated cartoon, “The Little Princess Sarah.” We would fight like cats and dogs, but the skirmish would magically stop at the sound of the show’s theme song. We would then sing along, hand in hand. My mother would have to stop her own singing to warn us not to sit too close to the TV and to ask if we were done with our math homework.

I still remember the lyrics and tune of the “Princess Sarah” theme to this day. One of my souvenirs from childhood is a videotape of an episode of that Japanese cartoon, based on an American novel and dubbed into Korean. Now that I am older, I find myself missing the “good old days,” and television is the object of my reverie in this column. Besides, I am old enough ― at least theoretically ― to have a daughter of my own with her eyes glued to the TV screen for a dose of princess tales, although I would be singing the Spice Girls or Britney Spears in the kitchen instead of the Carpenters.

When I play that old videotape from time to time, I still get this sweet, yet painful warmth in my heart for things that will never return. Some of the TV commercials recorded along with the animation on the tape still make me laugh. Especially one about a popsicle featuring three young women dancing on a huge paper picture of that treat.

I used to detest that commercial when I was looking forward to the revenge of Princess Sarah against Miss Minchin, but now it makes me laugh. That’s the thing about memory. It has the power to embellish bygone times. Apparently I am not the only one who gets nostaligic at the thought of television’s past, as the birth of a “new” form of local retro television demonstrates. “Yetnal TV,” which translates into English as “Old TV” premiered last month.

Airing on SBS-TV at 5:30 p.m. Sundays, Old TV brings viewers back to the time when television was still something new in Korea, and everything from news programs to entertainment shows and commercials had to be aired live, due to the lack of recording and editing technology. Now, television in all its hundreds of varieties is on the air around the clock, from the public airwaves to narrowly focused cable channels, but it was a different story decades ago.

The producers of Old TV feature a group of today’s celebrities sharing all the roles on all the segments, trying to shoot the scenes without a mistake ― just like in the old days. They act out news, dramas and commercials drawn from the 1960s. It is all supposed to be done in one take, but when there is a mistake, the lights go out and people in black outfits come out to punish the performers by beating them in slapstick fashion with rolled up paper.

The producers say they are teaching the celebrities and viewers how difficult it was to make a TV show in the past. Yet it does not seem all that meaningful ― or fun ― to watch the performers repeat scenes over and over again to get them right.

Instead, why not choose favorite shows from the past and rebroadcast them? Watching today’s celebrities murmuring lines from past TV shows is mundane and pointless. Yet I still find myself tuning in to Old TV, perhaps because it also features special guests from the old shows. With people like legendary TV weather forecaster Kim Dong-wan and actress Kim Mi-hwa, who was a hit as a obstreperous wife on a comedy, the guests are the most powerful element of the show.

These older celebrities remain in our collective memory, and there is a part of us that still lives in the past.

By Chun Su jin

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[bag.lover]

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(source: JoongAng Daily July 4, 2007)
[Talk of the town]Los Angeles cancellation is No. 5 on pop singer Rain’s United States tour


Rain


At a fan event in Los Angeles last week, Rain said that he was “sorry” and “upset” about a last minute cancellation for a performance in the city’s downtown Staples Center.

“I tried my best, but there were problems with setting up the stage even on the day of the show,” Rain said.

“I will definitely be on the stage again as soon as possible,” he said.

The performance was cancelled after equipment brought from South Korea for the performance was deemed unsafe according to Los Angeles fire codes.

Thousands of fans, including ones who flew in from Japan and Taiwan, had to wait outside the stadium for several hours without any explanation. The postponement is the fifth on Rain’s U.S tour. Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, was initially expected to hold his concert in Los Angeles on June 30.

By Yang Yeon-hee

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[bag.lover]

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(source: JoongAng Daily July 05, 2007)
Actress wins fame through humility


Park Jin-hee


Park Jin-hee, co-star of the hit television show “War of Money,” which airs on SBS Wednesday and Thursday nights, said she is tired but not stressed out.

“Why should I feel stressed when the show is doing so well?” she asked.

The show revolves around a man who has huge debts and ends up enslaved to money. It has been enjoying an audience rating of 35 percent. The last show airs tonight. Park plays the role of a bank employee who later becomes the main character’s love interest.

Park said recently she has been learning how to arrange flowers once a week on her day off. “The job of an actor is to bring out emotions,” Park said. “And for that reason I felt like I was drying out emotionally.”

Park said she started to attend the flower arranging class three weeks ago and it has helped rebuild her emotions. Even if she wasn’t stressed out she could have become jealous, as she had to compete with acclaimed actor Park Sin-yang. In the beginning, Park Sin-yang’s outstanding performance was praised by many critics and even with the show about to end his acting is considered the main factor for its high ratings.

Park Jin-hee is unconcerned. “The show is doing well because of Park Sin-yang’s performances,” she said. “The important thing is that the show is doing well. I am happy to play a supporting role in a hit, that’s better than being the star of a flop.”

Ms. Park said the frequency of her character’s appearance is not her main concern.

“More important is the role my character has,” Park said. “While every character in the show seems to be possessed and manipulated by money, my character is the only one with a conscience, so people like her.”

Park isn’t as flamboyant as many celebrities. She is more like the girl next door. She first appeared in a KBS show called “Start.” The actress won much wider fame when she appeared in a horror flick, but major stardom eluded her.

Her name came into the public spotlight because of the amazing acting skills she displayed in a television show last year.

The show was about two women, one in her 20s and the other in her 40s, who accidentally switch souls.

“I believe I’m growing bit by bit,” she said. “I thought I was doing my best in every show I was in, but now I see things I wasn’t able to when I was a 20-year-old actress.”

Although she is a public figure, Park says she never has any desire to be a flashy celebrity. Rather, she considers herself down-to-earth. She hardly has any celebrity friends, she never buys expensive name-brand clothes or accessories and she lives off an allowance, with every other penny she earns going to her parents.

“I have never been at the top, not really,” Park said. “And maybe that’s why I have never been sensitive to trends or addicted to popularity.”

She says although celebrities should be aware of their public image, she doesn’t care about being famous.

“During breaks in filming I could go to a nearby shopping mall without having to hide myself behind hats and sunglasses,” she said.

Park is considering retirement in five years.

“I want to retire but I feel afraid when I think of a life without acting,” Park said. To subdue her fear Park said she is attending Yonsei University’s graduate school of social welfare. “I want to work in a nursery for orphans after I retire,” she added.

The actress said she has recently heard a lot of advice about what roles she should choose next, now that her talent has finally won wider recognition.

“The good thing about being recognized is that you have a wider selection of scenarios to choose from,” she said.

Park has recently worked on several feature films and says she has never been busier.

She has just finished a movie that examines the divisions between North and South Korea. It will be released next month. Additionally, she has a role in a mystery film that takes place in a Korean palace. This is expected to be on screens in October.

“Sure I have had more failures than success,” Park said. “But every time I hear such criticisms I want to say, ‘Is that the last time I will act?’ I have a lot more to show people and my view on life is that one should be true to the present.”

Park confessed that she would like to play intense and devastating roles. She also wants to play a nasty villain, one whom the audience will struggle to understand.

By Kang Hye-ran JoongAng Ilbo

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[bag.lover]

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(source: The Dong-A llbo June 21, 2007)
http://english.donga.com/srv/service...=2007062121708
His First Leading Role



Hwang Jeong-min, famous movie star, said, “I look like a person from the countryside. I can’t change it because was born this way. I am the last person to be perfect. I am not good at doing household chores. I am not a good father. I feel uneasy when I go to a district office for documents. But I think it is better to live as an imperfect but approachable person than to live as a snobbish celebrity.”

What is it like to wait for the release of your movie after shooting it?

“I always want to think, ‘I did my best. I am not anxious,’ but I actually do the opposite. But I end up feeling edgy, worrying about the response of moviegoers. And since ‘psychopath’ is my first horror movie, I am even more anxious,” Hwang replied.

All of a sudden, I remember what you said when you received a movie award: “I feel like I am a freeloader.” Do you feel the same this time?

Yes, I feel the same as always. If any staff members do not pull their weight, a movie can’t be produced. I am very happy whenever I have a part in any given movie because I realize the reason for my existence. An actor is an actor only when he or she is on the stage or before the camera.”

A few years back, he happened to read “Kuroi Ie,” on which “Black House” is based, by Yusuke Kishi. Last year, he was offered to star in the movie as protagonist Jun Joon-oh, an employee working for an insurer. He said, “It was like destiny.”

Hwang said, “This is the first time that I am the only protagonist in the movie. If I had not liked being the only central character, I would have refused to do the movie. But I really want the audience to accept Jun Joon-oh as an ordinary person. While I was working on the movie, I met an insurance industry insider who said that there was a wife who received insurance money by putting toxic chemicals in her husband’s eyes. Isn’t it surprising that these kinds of things happen?”

Are you saying that the message of the movies is “Let’s understand psychopaths?”

“I was wondering why ‘Kuroi Ie’ was written and why ‘Black House’ was produced in 2007? Let’s take a look at Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-hee. He was a member of the community he lived in. Anyone can fall victim to shooters like him. So we should prevent people from becoming psychopaths like Cho.”

Do you have a cruel side?

“Of course, I do. I get angry when I am told to order the same kind of the food the rest of our group prefers. And if servers in restaurants are not kind and friendly, I can only calm myself down by expressing my anger to them. Some people I get angry with are bigger than me, but what can they do to me worse than killing?”

He has had a series of hits, such as "You`re My Sunshine’; ‘All for love’; and ‘Bloody Tie,’ but he is worried about the success of ‘Black House,’ given the fact that for seven weeks in a row, Hollywood movies, including ‘Spiderman 3,’ have been beating home-grown ones. He said, “Korean movies are on a losing streak not because they are domestic movies but because they are not fun. If we work hard, we can fight back.”

“I am turning 40 soon. When I was in high school I thought I can be one of the top performers. Now, I think I have to move it to 50. What I learned so far is that in acting there is no such thing as a shortcut. Only when I do my best and am honest do I can strike a chord with the audience.”

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[bag.lover]

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(source: The Dong-A llbo June 28, 2007)
D-e-b-a-t-e-s Over “Gangnam Moms”



New SBS soap opera called “Catching Up with Moms in Gangnam” (most affluent districts of Seoul in the south of the Han River) premiered on June 25 (written by Kim Hyeon-hee, produced by Hong Chang-wook, Monday and Tuesday at 9:55 p.m.). Afterward, d-e-b-a-t-e-s over the education frenzy of Gangnam moms erupted again.

The TV drama received a viewership rating of 14.1 percent on June 25, and 16.2 percent on June 26 (according to TNS Media Korea), the highest among all TV programs on at the same hour.

The new drama’s main plot starts as Min-ju (played by Ha Hee-ra), a resident of the Gangbuk area (north of the Han river), decides to move to Gangnam after his son, the smartest student in his school, received one of the poorest marks in an English contest against students in Gangnam. After, the drama showed that Min-ju’s friend Sumi (played by Lim Seong-min), a Gangnam resident, bluntly emphasize the educational gap between the two regions, that moms in Gangnam area shared information such as ‘30 new entrance in Ivy League universities this year,’ and that students in Gangnam area wear and carry designer luxury goods. Other major characters include Mi-gyeong (Jeong Seon-gyeong), who wants to move to Gangnam, and Sumi, an arrogant Gangnam resident who loves luxury items.

The controversy centers on the lifestyles of Gangnam moms featured in this drama. About 500 articles have been posted on the official website of the drama written by moms in both areas. Park Myeong-suk, a housewife married for 10 years and residing in Gangnam said in her posting, “Many residents in the Daechi-dong apartment complex moved to this area for their children’s education and they mostly rent. Though there are many rich people in the neighborhood, most of them are just members of the general public burdened with living costs and educational fees.

Hong Chun-gi said in another posting, “The drama shows children wearing designer clothes and adoring the Tower Palace (a luxury apartment complex). But in reality, not all Gangnam moms buy their kids luxuries and many are bargain hunters. The drama should not overgeneralize people in this neighborhood.”

Kim Hyeon-suk added in another posting, “Characters in the drama easily talk about a ‘billion won,’ but not many have that much money in this region. Our only guilt is that we sold our house and land just to come here for the sake of our children’s education.”

On the other hand, Ahn Mun-ju, a mom seemingly residing in non-Gangnam area, said, “The only people who search for cheap clothes in Gangnam stores are those who are from non-Seoul areas. If you look at people at a bookstore in Gangnam for an hour, you would see eight out of ten buy expensive items. Some merchants say you have to sell expensive clothes in Gangnam because otherwise your business is in trouble.”

Mun Seon-hee said, “I once worked part-time at a kindergarten in Gangnam. I saw kids who went on overseas trips to Europe, China, and Latin America every summer vacation. So I felt I was a stranger there.” Lim Chung-sun, a Gangbuk mom, said, “It’s discomforting to watch the drama. It seems to me that people in Gangnam area do not consider nor understand people living side by side with them.”

SBS Drama Chief Producer Gu Bon-geun explained the subject matter of the drama, saying, “We wanted to expose controversial issues straightforwardly and discuss them

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[bag.lover]

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(source: The Dong-A llbo July 05, 2007)
Actor Lee Jun-ki; No Longer Just a Pretty Boy



I met actor Lee Jun-ki (25 years old) near Incheon Harbor, which was filled with large containers and cranes and the scent of the salty air from the sea on July 3 . He was shooting an MBC TV soap opera, “The Time of Dogs and Wolves," or “Gae-wa Neukdae-ui Shigan” in Korean (airing at 9:55 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays), which will hit the airwaves on July 18. He seemed very tired of the extremely hot and humid weather and lit a cigarette when he spoke.

“It is less hot and humid here than when I was shooting in Thailand. It is physically hard but I am more concerned about how I can become absorbed into my character.”

In the TV drama, main character Lee Su-hyeon (played by Lee Jun-ki) becomes a secret agent to take revenge for his mother’s death on the Thai criminal organization “Chungbang.” He disguises himself as Kay, a gangster, and infiltrates into the organized crime ring. Lee said about Soo-hyun, “He is wild but very gentle in love. His personality is very similar to me as he is very insistent and unyielding.”

Lee added, “Su-hyeon can be sometimes sad, happy, vengeful, and loving. This is the most emotional and moodiest character I have ever played, so it is hard for me to become Su-hyeon.”

This new drama has many action scenes such as participating in a Muay Thai competition or fighting with gangsters. He looks completely opposite from Gong-gil, the pretty clown that he played in the movie the King and the Clown. He said, “I am very careful not to be too stylish nor put on much make-up.” He cut his hair, which covered his entire neck before, as well.

Lee said, “I had hard time last year because it seemed that I was trapped in a pretty boy image. People like that image. But it is up to me to break that image.”

Last year he tried to break the mold when he played Seung-seok, a fighter in the movie “Flying Daddy,” but the movie felt short of the expectations in terms of box office goals. Many movie fans were critical of his performance, calling it “awkward.”

Lee says he is not obsessed with statistics and that he wants to be known as real actor and a “cool wolf.” He gained stardom with his looks so quickly, which led to people misunderstanding him as fastidious.

He said, “I am down to earth, unlike my looks. I am uncomfortable with being called as a star. I don’t like special treatment. I need to learn more until become a true actor respected by all.”

While having a meal at a harbor cafeteria with staff members, he joked, “The cook here must be a vegetarian. This meal contains no meat at all.”

The title, “the Time of Dogs and Wolves” comes from French expression: “L’heure entre chien et loup,” which means the time of sunset between afternoon and night when it is hard to distinguish dogs from wolves. I asked Lee when is such a time for him.

“It is when I feel rivalry toward an excellent actor whom I have a close relationship with and respect for. As recently as when Jeon Do-yeon received the Best Actress Award at Cannes, I thought I wanted to do better than her someday. I hope that the time of dogs and wolves comes to me many times so that I can become a fierce actor.”

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[bag.lover]

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(source: The Dong-A llbo April 12, 2007)
Actress Kim Hee-ae



“A woman’s heart can be stolen and mine is no exception. I think love is not somebody’s exclusive property,” Kim Hee-ae said.

Kim starring in the SBS drama “My Man’s Woman” as Lee Hwa-young, a woman who doesn’t feel guilty even after stealing a friend’s husband, is no longer the person she used to be. Kim has always played the character of a married woman who loses her husband to another woman in dramas such as “My Precious Family” and “Snowflake.” However, her character in the new drama is quite the opposite. “My eyes are beginning to resemble those of Hwa-young which are filled with love and jealousy,” Kim said on Wednesday during an interview.

“The life of Kim Ji-soo in the drama and that of mine are very similar. Sometimes I have to be pretentious to be a good wife or an exemplary mother. I get vicarious satisfaction while playing Hwa-young which allows me to break the mold,” Kim added.

Kim Hee-ae has been creating a sensation by showing new dimensions of herself in the drama including new hairstyles and sexy dresses. When she was first asked to appear in the drama, she had to give it much thought because the character was completely different from her. However, she couldn’t afford to miss it as it was an excellent opportunity to play a completely different role. It is her first villain role since the 1993 MBC drama “Stormy Season.”

“I even find my appearance in dramas boring at times. I bet viewers also find this true. As I was no longer young, I told myself that this might be my last chance to play such a role,” Kim added.

In order to transform herself into a more sexy and attractive character, Kim even went overseas to look for sexy clothes in person. “These days, I have become so demanding when trimming my hair that I feel sorry for the hairdressers,” Kim said. “Producer Jeong Eung-young and writer Kim Soo-hyun told me that my acting as a bad woman was ‘disappointing’ during the first script rehearsal. The incident helped me remove the existing image of Kim Hee-ae even more meticulously,” Kim added.

“There is a line in the drama, ‘Love that deserves death by stoning.’ I feel the same when I watch the drama from a viewer’s perspective. However, I can understand Hwa-young when I am on the set. The feeling of a woman wanting to keep someone that she loves makes me become oblivious to social responsibilities for ‘illicit love’,” Kim said.

Kim says that she watches the drama alone at home because she gets embarrassed and nervous when watching it with her family. “My children do not like my changed hairstyle and character,” Kim said with a smile.

Although she has been recognized as a top actress in Korea, she says that she is not yet satisfied. “When I was filming a scene of the third episode where I secretly meet Hong Joon-pyo in a hotel, I almost cried because I was so upset about my inability to candidly express my feelings,” Kim said.

In the drama, Hwa-young asks Ji-soo if she is happy and Ji-soo replies, “I feel comfortable.” Kim Hee-ae was asked if she was happy or comfortable.

“Comfortable. I feel comfortable rather than happy when all my family members idly watch a movie together in the living room after my children finish their homework and my husband returns home from work,” Kim replied.

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[bag.lover]

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(source: The Dong-A llbo April 05, 2007)
“I want to try out for more extreme roles”



The word ‘refreshing’ best describes the first impression given by TV drama star, Han Hyo-joo. At a time when plastic surgery is all the rage among Korean actresses, it was truly delightful to meet the 20-year-old actress on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. Her comforting smile was in stark contrast to the artificial smiles on the well-carved faces of some Korean actresses, whose appearances have been artfully crafted by a surgeon’s knife.

She currently plays the heroine (Ji-soo) of the KBS TV1’s daily series ‘Like Land and Sky’. Viewers are reminded of what true love is by watching two families of vastly different backgrounds on the set – one with its share of problems but strong loving bonds, and the other, affluent but lacking trust among family members. The series hit a 30-percent viewer rating on Monday, according to TNS Media Korea, a rating agency.

“I was more popular among the younger viewers before this drama was aired. Now, things have changed. When old people, like my grandmother, see me in public places like a park, they recognize me. I am also glad that my drama is a source of entertainment for my grandmother who lives by herself.”

Last year, Han entered the limelight when Yoon Seok-ho, producer of the Asian-wide hit drama ‘Winter Sonata’, selected her to play the heroine in ‘Spring Waltz’. Despite much fanfare, the drama failed to attract many viewers.

“After ‘Spring Waltz’ was over, I was afraid of acting again. I knew nothing about acting when I was shooting the drama. It was the first time I had acted in a series and my acting wasn’t good enough, falling far short of my expectations. I kept on blaming myself, and in the end, I was too discouraged to start again.”

Han later decided to review her strengths and weaknesses in order to be more prepared when she took to the screen once again. Rejecting all other offers from directors and producers, she chose the starring role in the film ‘Ad-Lib Night’ – a low-budget independent move directed by Lee Yoon-ki.

“The movie was about ‘Bo-gyeong’, a twenty-something-year-old who tried to rediscover herself. I realized that she and I had a lot in common, so I started to reflect on my life through her perspective and that is what created the magic. I became less conscious of the camera because I was acting as myself.”

Her performance in ‘Like Land and Sky’ also highlights her natural way of acting. “The boundary between Ji-soo and I becomes more blurred as the series continues. Before the drama, I was always hesitant, not able to decide at the right moment. However, acting as the confident and determined Ji-soo has helped me to overcome my indecisiveness.”

In the drama, Ji-soo falls in love with her long time friend Moo-yeong, the male lead, played by actor Park Hae-jin. “I believe friendship can develop into love. But it would take a while to actually love someone who has been your friend for a very long time. I don’t have a boyfriend at the moment, but if I think of my life from Ji-soo’s perspective, I too would probably torture myself with endless thoughts,” said Han about Ji-soo’s complicated feelings before finally confessing her love for Moo-yeong.

Han is seeking to debut in Japan with the ‘Spring Waltz’, airing in Japan at the beginning of April. The ambitious actress, full of potential, told Dong-A, “I want to try out for more extreme roles. I hope viewers see me as an actress who is true to the role she is playing, not as just another actress with good acting skills.”

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[bag.lover]

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(source: The Dong-A llbo March 15, 2007)
First Script In Three Yrs: “Like When I first Started…”



“Think of meeting an eight-year old aids patient. How would you feel? I tried to portray a doctor who considers the patient rather than the disease.”

It seemed that Jang would always suit the role of a defiant teenager perfectly, but looking at him now, there were visible traces of past times.

Actor Jang Hyuk, 32, will play the main character, Min Gi-seo, on the MBC drama ‘Thank You,’ (Scenario: Lee Kyung-hee, Director: Lee Jae-dong, Wed, Thu, 21:55) which will air on March 21. There was obvious tension on Jang Hyuk’s face when he met with reporters after the drama briefing, which was held on March 14 at Hilton Hotel in Namdaemun-gu, Seoul.

“With this being my first formal meeting in three years, I found that although I was smiling and appeared calm, my legs were shaking uncontrollably. (laughs) After being discharged from military service, when I was on my way to practice the script for the first time, I was so excited. I checked later, and it turned out that my blood pressure had actually risen. I really feel like I’m back in 1996, making my debut.”

After all of the ups and downs he has experienced, Jang is resolved to do whatever it takes. In 2004, Jang, along with Song Seung-heon and Han Jae-seok, was accused of avoiding military service, and, after receiving a second physical check-up, he entered the service in November of that year; serving in Hwacheon county, Gangwon province. This is his first piece after being discharged from military service in November of last year.

“A couple of days ago, as I was returning from filming at the Uijeongbu set, and I saw soldiers receiving winter training. I suddenly realized that the place I am in right now is particularly valuable. I too took part in winter training… after serving in the military I learned to value everyday life. Although I did wrong in the past, a thought occurred to me. It is said that when former U.S. President Ronald Reagan was a presidential candidate and was asked, ‘Aren’t you too old?’ by his opponent. He answered, ‘I am not too old, but rather I have more experience and the correct attitude to put it to use.’ I think the attitude that one has, and how one starts over again, is most important. “

In this drama, Jang plays the role of Min Gi-seo, a doctor who is extremely talented, but arrogant and conceited. After Gi-seo’s girlfriend dies, he leaves his life behind and goes to a remote island where he meets Young-shin (Gong Hyo-jin), an unmarried mother of an eight-year aids victim. As they get to know each other, their relationship gradually warms up.

“I want to delicately express a man who is transformed by love. I am getting older too. ‘Thank You’ is not a medical drama, but a heart-warming story for adults. I tried to create a heart-warming feeling for viewers. Many people think that doctors have to be cold and composed. When I was preparing to act as Gi-seo, I put a lot of thought into whether it is more important to put the person first or if it is right to coolly observe the disease first. It was a process in which I, myself, discovered the true meaning of heart-warming .”

This drama is receiving more attention because it was written by scenario writer Lee Kyung-hee, who wrote the scenarios for dramas such as ‘Sangdoo, Let’s Go To School’ (KBS, 2003) ‘I’m Sorry, I Love You’ (KBS, 2004), and ‘This Killing Love’ (KBS•2005).

“The movie ‘Christmas In August’ leaves you full of suggestions. In truth, there is no Christmas ‘In August’. Christmas is in December. I think the movie was heart-warming because it dealt with the issues of hope and miracles. This drama deals with the disease aids, but within that, there will also be a story of hope.”

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