Korean Drama

[bag.lover]

Title: 9 End 2 Outs
Broadcast Period: July 14, 2007~ (16 episodes)
Air Time: Saturday/Sunday at 9:40 p.m on MBC
Cast: Su Ae (Sea God, April Kiss, Love Letter), Lee Jung Jin (Love Story in Havard, April Kiss), Lee Tae Sung, Hwang Ji Sun





(source: chosun)

[bag.lover]

Title: Capital Scandal
Broadcast Period: June 6th, 2007~ (16 episodes)
Air Time: Wednesday/Thursday at 9:55 p.m on KBS2
Cast : Kang Ji Hwan (90 Days Falling in Love Days, Fireworks, Be Strong Geum Soon), Han Ji Min (Invincible Parachute Agent, Great Inheritance, Wolf, Resurrection), Ryu Jin (Really Really Like You, Ballad of Seo Dong, 3 Leaf Clover), Han Go Eun (Love and Ambition, Lawyers, Spring Day)




(source: chosun)

[bag.lover]

Actress Uhm Jung Hwa (Seducing Mr Perfect, For Horowitz, All For Love, Singles, Crazy Marriage), actor Lee Dong Gun (Smile Again, Stained Glass, Lovers in Paris, Sweet 18), actor Park Yong Woo (Beautiful Sunday, For Horowitz, My Scary Girl, World of Silence), and actress Han Chae Young (Fireworks, Only You, Delightful Girl Choon Hyang) co-star in movie "Do You Live with Your Lover Now?" (opening in August).





(source: chosun)

[bag.lover]

Press conference of movie "6 Years in Love" was held on July 3rd, 2007. The cast includes Kim Ha Neul, Yoon Kye Sang, and Shin Sung Rok (Thank You, Hyena, Shoot for the Star).

Kim Ha Neul (90 Days - Falling in Love Days, Stained Glass, Romance, Piano; Almost Love, Too Beautiful to Lie, My Tutor Friend) & Yoon Kye Sang (Crazy for You, My 19 Year Old Sister-in-Law)



Filming started on June 8th, "6 Years in Love" will be in theatres in November.



(credit as labelled)

[bag.lover]

(source: tour2korea 7-10-2007)
Korean Drama: The Devil (Mawang) / The Lucifer



After a year’s absence, he’s back! The lovable “younger brother” figure and a star that young girls are crazy about, Ju Ji-hun chose The Devil as his comeback drama. His decision to star in the drama already has many hearts beating. The drama is also receiving considerable interest because of the star Uhm Tae-woong, a charismatic actor with enchanting eyes and attractive lips, and new actress Shin Min-ah whose expressive facial features are perfect for the main character who has supernatural powers.

This drama is about the intertwined fate of two young men who try to solve a long-time grudge resulting from a tragic turn of events, and a woman who helps them through her psychic abilities, a topic that is rarely touched on in Korean dramas. ‘The Devil’ explores the meaning of happiness vs. unhappiness and what distinguishes good and bad. Obviously, the drama is neither light nor trendy. However, it is so well done that it has even created a new wave of pyein (devoted Korean-drama fans who continuously post blogs, create their own magazines, and organize various activities) who haven’t been seen for a while.

* Drama Information

Broadcast Network: KBS2TV
Broadcasting Dates: March 21~May 24, 2007
Writer: Kim Ji-woo
Producer: Park Chan-hong
Cast: Uhm Tae-woong, Ju Ji-hun, Shin Min-ah
Website:
http://contents.kbs.co.kr/program/pr...&isBroadcast=Y (english)
http://www.kbs.co.kr/drama/devil/report/dmz/index.htm (korean)

* Synopsis

Oh-su spends his teen-age years rebelling, not only against his father but against society in general. Then, while harassing a classmate, he accidentally stabs the elder brother of Tae-seong who had tried to stop the incident. This causes the unfortunate break up of Tae-seong’s family and Tae-seong vows to take revenge on Oh-su. Tae-seong abandons his former life to live under the name of Seung-ha.

Even though he drops out of school, he uses his remarkable intelligence wisely, becoming a lawyer at an early age. Meanwhile, Oh-su forgets his rebellious days and joins the police force. Then, he discovers that his acquaintances have been killed, which prompts him to seek out psychic Hae-in to help him solve the crime.

* About the Characters

Kang Oh-su / Played by Uhm Tae-woong

Although Oh-su had been a particularly rebellious and troublesome child from a rich family, he becomes a police detective after graduating from high school. As a member of the police homicide team, his greatest passion in life is catching criminals. Always ready to help out, he has a good reputation among his colleagues. He is always confident about what he is doing and never backs down. However, his integrity often puts him in disadvantageous situations.

As a rule, he is naturally optimistic and outgoing, but when it comes to women he likes, he can behave differently from the way he really feels. He is also something of an oddball, who is addicted to comics and computer games.

Oh Seung-ha / Played by Ju Ji-hun

Seung-ha seems like a kind, good-natured lawyer who has dedicated himself to defending the poor and the marginalized. After graduating from middle school, he passed the college entrance examination, and at 25, placed 1st among all the candidates taking the national bar examination. He also goes by the nickname of “doctor” as he listens to people’s problems and concerns and offers healing advice.

Despite his warm and generous image, however, he actually is a cold-hearted person. When he was a child, both his father and elder brother had died in accidents. As a result, he is driven by a sense of revenge.

Seo Hae-in / Played by Shin Min-ah

Honest and bright, Hae-in is kind to everyone. She works as a librarian, who is forgetful and prone to mistakes. Artistic by nature, she loves plants so much that she sometimes talks to them. She is an expert at reading Tarot cards who reads her own fortune often, but rarely read the fortunes of others. For her, eating well is the most important thing in the world.

Since her father passed away three years ago, she has been living with her deaf mother. She is adept at reading people’s eyes and gestures rather than what they say and she communicates in sign language when she is angry. She also has psychic powers, which sometimes get her into trouble.

--> For more information on the filming locations of this drama, click here!
http://english.tour2korea.com/02Cult...2710&strPage=1

[bag.lover]

(source: chosun)

[bag.lover]

Title: Catching Up with Moms in Gangnam
Broadcast period: June 25, 2007~ (16 episodes)
Air time: Monday/Tuesday at 9:55pm on SBS
Writer: Kim Hyeon Hee
Producer: Hong Chang Wook
Cast: Ha Hee Ra, Yoo Joon Sang, Kim Sung Eun, Jung Sun Kyung, Im Seong Min






(source: chosun)

[bag.lover]

"The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince" (MBC) caught up to "Gangnam Mothers" (SBS)
According to AGB Nielson, the viewership rating of actress Yoon Eun Hye's drama "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince" (18.2%) exceeded actress Ha Hee Ra's "Gangnam Mothers" (15.0%) by 3% on the 9th. The 1st episode of KBS2's historical drama "Seoul's Sad Song" garnered 7.6%.

TNS Media Research's numbers for "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince" and "Gangnam Mothers" are 18.1% and 16.3%, respectively.

Primetime dramas airing every Monday and Tuesday at 9:55pm:
KBS2's "Seoul's Sad Song" (7/9~)

MBC's "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince" (7/2~)

SBS's "Gangnam Mothers" (6/25~)


(source: chosun)

[bag.lover]

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(source: The Korea Times 07-10-2007)
Drinking Scenes Rise in Dramas

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

A Korean soap opera shows an average of 1.3 drinking scenes per episode, according to recent research by the Government Youth Commission and the Korean Public Health Association.

Seven out of the 30 dramas researched had scenes where youths drank.

The commission monitored 30 soap operas aired by three main terrestrial broadcasters of KBS, MBC and SBS between July and November 2006. An episode of the soap operas had an average 1.3 scenes in which main characters drank.

Among them, 13 episodes in seven dramas showed minors drinking.

KBS' "Husbands and Wives: Love or War" topped the ranking with 89 scenes of drinking, followed by 144 scenes in three MBC's dramas, "One Fine Day," "Hello, Fox," and "90 Days to Love," and 33 scenes in KBS' Drama City.

Compared to the commission's previous research on dramas during the first half of 2006, the number of drinking scenes per episode increased from 0.15 to 1.3, and that of episodes featuring youths drinking also rose from nine to 13.

According to the Broadcasting Act and Regulations, broadcasters should not depict scenes in which children and teenagers smoke or drink. If such scenes are essential to the context, they should take a cautious attitude.

"Soap operas broadcast on national media are very influential in people's lives. Thus, drinking scenes on television can encourage youth to drink. It was also reported that youth develop positive associations with drinking when their favorite stars drink in movies or dramas," Jeon Sang-hyuk, official of the commission said.

"The ratio of youths who drink is rapidly increasing, along with a growing number of accidents involving drunken students. Selling alcohol to minors is also banned. In this situation, it is wrong for broadcasters, especially public broadcasting companies KBS and MBC, to present scenes of youths drinking continuously," he said.

While civic groups urge broadcasters not to air scenes of youths drinking, a member of the Korean Broadcasting Commission's content review and evaluation department said most such scenes are shown as they are necessary in the whole context.

"For example, soap operas about teenagers sometimes need to show such scenes when describing students' delinquency. If those scenes have gone too far, they would have become a social issue. But so far, there haven't been such cases," he said.

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[bag.lover]

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(source: The Korea Times 07-10-2007)
'May 18' Remembers Heroes of Gwangju


A dramatic scene from the film traces the tragic 10-day conflict between the citizens of Gwangju and government-dispatched troops.
/ Courtesy of CJ Entertainment


By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

May 18, 1980 is forever engraved in modern Korean history as the beginning of a fateful series of events. Its tragedy is relived on screen as director Kim Ji-hoon pays homage to the victims of the Gwangju Democratization Movement in his latest offering, "May 18." The film traces the suppression of a popular uprising that became a bloody 10-day conflict between soldiers and ordinary citizens.

Before the film's release June 26, the director and cast members gathered last Thursday at a Seoul theater, to speak about the nation's first film to directly depict the Gwangju "massacre." As much as "May 18" is among the most highly anticipated works this summer, the press conference received much media spotlight.

On May 17, 1980, then President Chun Doo-hwan (1980-88) extended his centralized ruling by enforcing martial law. He disbanded the National Assembly and had many politicians arrested, including left-wing liberal Kim Dae-jung, a political bigwig from Jeolla province. Though sentenced to death, he would survive to become president, 1998-2003.

Students of Chonnam (Jeonnam) National University organized a protest in front of the campus gate. By May 21, about 300,000 people formed civil militias and looted police stations for weaponry. Maintaining control over the city, the "Citizen Army" carried out negotiations with the government.

On May 27, the Chun regime dispatched some 200,000 airborne and ground troops to stem the rebellion, defeating the militias in the downtown area under just 90 minutes. As of 2003, records tally 207 dead, 2,392 wounded and 987 miscellaneous victims, but exact figures remain undisclosed to this day.

The military repression was carried out under an ironic code name that can be roughly translated as "Lavish Holiday" (the Korean title of the film).

"As a director, it's challenging to reenact historical events with accuracy," Kim told reporters. "It's inadequate -- through interviews with survivors and family members of victims, I learned that (May 18) was much more horrific, violent and nightmarish than what the film shows.

"I toned it down; rather than portraying the incident itself, 27 years since its occurrence, I wanted to give life to those who lived through it," he said.



The story unfolds around four main characters inspired by real life victims of the tragedy. The lives of ordinary people are forever changed by May 18: Taxi driver Min-wu (Kim Sang-kyung) leads a peaceful life with younger brother Jin-wu (Lee Jun-ki), while nurturing his affection for the pretty Sin-ae (Lee Yo-won).

But when hell breaks loose, Min-wu and others arm themselves to defend their loved ones.

For actress Lee Yo-won, "May 18" was emotionally and physically demanding, as she constantly shed tears and had her hair yanked. "It was absolutely terrifying as if it were a real situation, rather than filming action sequences," she said. ``It was also my first time being around guns."

Lee Yo-won and Lee Jun-ki both cited the scene in which the lovers Sin-ae and Min-wu bid farewell at the tunnel, the young woman asking her lover, "You will pick me up again tomorrow, won't you?"

Lee Jun-ki explained that the dialogue "expresses the spirit that reigned amid the oppression and violence of the times." The star of the hit film "King and the Clown" (2005) added, "It's tragic how people who used to see each other everyday were forced to separate."

Director Kim said that the tunnel scene had also been his favorite part of the movie, until his daughter was born during the course of the filming.

"May 18" also features the heart-wrenching bond between father and daughter, and Kim said the separation of the two characters was particularly touching for him.

"In previous interviews with the media, because the subject matter is so heavy, I stressed how the film is very heartwarming and even comical," said veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki ("Radio Star," 2006), who plays the role of Sin-ae's loving father and a former soldier that leads the armed citizens.

"But it was devastating and heartbreaking to watch (the film) today," he said.

Yet the makers of the film all stressed how "May 18" is sprinkled with humor. Particularly notable is the director's hilarious appearance in the film.

"To be frank, we were running short on the budget, so our staff members and even bus drivers and actors' managers had to play small parts, and Ahn Sung-ki directed the scene," the filmmaker explained with a chuckle.

"That's not true!" Kim Sang-kyung jokingly protested, "He coveted the role, and also was the one to make the most mistakes."

During Chun's presidency, the incident was masked as a rebellion by Communist sympathizers. But after civil rule was reinstated, the incident received recognition as an effort to restore democracy against military rule. The government made formal apologies and erected a national cemetery for victims.

The film was screened in special premieres in Seoul, Busan and the fateful city of Gwangju Sunday. According to Yonhap News, some 3,000 Gwangju citizens -- including family members of victims -- saw the film, and most were unable to suppress tears and gave a long applause.

"It's a film that makes us look back to Gwangju," said Yun Seok-dong, 80, whose son Sang-won lost his life as a citizen soldier. Twenty-seven years since its occurrence, "May 18" revives on the screen the haunting events of Gwangju and celebrates the human spirit.

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[bag.lover]

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(source: The Korea Times 07-10-2007)
Kim Dong-wan: Out of Shinhwa’s Shadow


Kim Dong-wan is going solo with his first album "Kimdongwan Is."


By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

It may be hard to imagine, but even a long-time boy band member like Kim Dong-wan can get nervous when embarking on a solo career.

Even having sold hundreds of thousands of albums as a member of Shinhwa, Kim admitted he is a little apprehensive at the reaction to his first album "Kimdongwan Is."

"I'm kind of nervous to have a performance by myself, to stand on stage by myself and to do a whole song," he told The Korea Times at a cafe in Apgujeong, Wednesday.

Wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and jeans, Kim looked relaxed and showed no sign of fatigue, even though he was in the middle of rehearsals.

Kim said it was Shinhwa's successful Asian tour last year, which brought them to Singapore, China, Thailand and Japan, that prompted him to decide to pursue a solo music career.

"I realized that Shinhwa was loved in Asia. I felt like I had something special I wanted to share with fans… Now I think this is the right time for me to debut as a singer," he said.

If the pressure of going solo was not enough, Kim also has to compete with fellow Shinhwa members Lee Min-woo, also known as M and Shin Hye-sung who are both releasing solo albums this summer.

"I consider them as my rivals,'' Kim said, with a smile. "I want to win over the fans… But I still consider them as my friends, of course. We're friendly rivals."

Even rivals help each other out, as Shinhwa members appeared on various songs in Kim's album. Lee composed a song called "My Love," which also features a rap by Eric Mun. Shin sings a duet with Kim on "Person Who Stays," while Andy Lee raps on "I Like Summer."

Overall, Kim opted for a more Asian, if not, J-pop-influenced R&B sound for his album. "Shinhwa's music is more of boy band music. It was more American R&B and candy pop. But my album is more of J-pop, and very Asian. I even remade a Japanese song by Glay and Exile in the album," he said.

His first single "Handkerchief" is about a guy who consoles his girlfriend and wipes away her tears.

In preparation for his debut as a solo artist, Kim obviously dropped a lot of weight. "I went on a diet, since it's not good for a ballad singer to have a muscular image. Someone singing ballads should have a lean, 'hungry-looking' image," he noted.

Kim has been in the music industry for over nine years now. When he was a high school student, he formed a group with his friend MC Mong. But he was soon asked to join Shinhwa in 1998, becoming one of the group's vocalists.

Despite Shinhwa's success, one of Kim's dreams was to become an actor. So he started pursuing an acting career, appearing in TV dramas like "A Farewell to Sorrow," "The Person I Love" and the film "Spin Kick."

Being a singer-actor, Kim couldn't help but notice that Korean singers are not considered as popular or as influential as actors.

"The influence of actors is a lot stronger than the that of singers in Korea. But in Japan, it's the other way around. Japanese idols and singers are a lot more popular than actors. It's not just that they have more fans, but the Japanese idols can also sing, act and do other activities. I have the ability to be an actor and singer," he said.

In the past, Kim had said he would prefer a career in acting, but now things have changed. Now, he loves singing more than acting.

"When you watch a drama, you forget all about it after. But when you listen to music, it sticks with you forever. You can't forget it," he said.

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[bag.lover]

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(source: JoongAng Daily JUly 11, 2007)
[TV Review]A neighborhood that’s rich in madness


“Keeping Up With Gangnam Mothers,” offers an intriguing view of Korean society. [SBS]


If you live in southern Seoul without 1 billion won ($1 million) in the bank, drive a foreign-made luxury sedan without 2 billion won or send your child to study abroad without 3 billion won, you are insane. At least that’s the view expressed by a popular new TV drama, “Keeping Up with the ‘Gangnam’ Mothers” on SBS-TV.

I have a bitter sense of satisfaction that I do not meet any of the three conditions, especially as I agree with the Cheshire cat in “Alice in the Wonderland” who grinned and said, “We are all mad here. I’m mad, you’re mad.”

One doesn’t need a knowledge of English literature to understand the show’s premise, just a little local data. For example, the word “Gangnam” in the title means “southern Seoul,” yet it implies a critical social divide between north and south of the Han River. Apparently it’s not just the Korean Peninsula that is divided into North and South.

Southern Seoul is associated with everything upscale. Children there are rumored to have money to burn and use Gucci erasers which cost 140,000 won. Well, I have not felt any terrifying inconvenience during my several decades of living in northern Seoul. Instead I have been appalled by things like the absurdly overpriced (and amazingly insipid) soft shell crab pasta at a so-called hotshot Italian restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. Of course, it’s not wise to generalize from a bowl of pasta or a Gucci eraser. Yet, that is precisely what “Gangnam Mothers” does and viewers seem to love it.

Southern Seoul is described in the show as a place with all the best middle schools, fathers with money, mothers with information about the best educational opportunities and where children enjoy a higher chance of going to prestigious universities.

Meanwhile, northern Seoul is described as a place with an inferior living and educational environment for the terminally un-chic.

Min-ju, the show’s lead character, dreams of moving to southern Seoul, when she learns that her ingenious son is falling behind the well-heeled children in southern Seoul. To Min-ju, a widowed single mother, her son means everything and she is ready to do anything for him, including running up debts to get a lease for an apartment near a prestigious middle school, lying to her best friend and trying to bribe her son’s homeroom teacher.

The TV drama’s online bulletin board has received a flood of messages that condemn the producers for what the protesters say are extreme descriptions. However, a change of strategy seems to be the last thing that the producers seem to have in mind. To them, the fact that viewers are reacting to the drama is a sure sign that viewers are intrigued and will keep watching. And one plaudit this show deserves is that it has stayed away from the hackneyed Cinderella formula which is currently so common.

In the meantime, I have no plan (yet) to move to southern Seoul while I’m still enjoying my life in the north.

But I have to confess that this drama has successfully annihilated my confidence about raising children in northern Seoul. It seems to be an enormous burden in this country to raise children and support them through prestigious universities.

Would it be too irresponsible for me to say that I will let my children live their lives as they wish? According to this drama, it would be. I mean, I can’t imagine ending a day waiting until 1 a.m. for my children to finish class at a private institute, which was exactly what the southern Seoul mothers were doing in the show last week. Isn’t it an obsession to force all your hope on your children like that? Well, according to the “reality check” offered by this TV drama, I would be a crazy mother who had abandoned responsibility for my children if I didn’t.

The Cheshire Cat seems to be right. We are all mad in this wonderland world.

By Chun Su jin

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[bag.lover]

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(source: JoongAng Daily JUly 11, 2007)
Director has a mission to remember


Director Kim Ji-hoon working on “Remember U 518.” [JoongAng Ilbo]


In January, Cine 21, a film magazine, surveyed readers to find out which event in modern Korean history they wanted to see depicted in a movie. Among the 542 people who answered, 41.5 percent picked the Gwangju Democratic Movement of May 1980.

At the end of this month director Kim Ji-hoon will satisfy their wishes with his new film titled “Remember U 518.” The Korean title of the movie refers to the code name for the military strategy that the regime initiated at 3 p.m. on May 18 to block civilian protest against the military regime.

“Remember U 518” is director Kim’s second film. His first was “Harbor Mokpo” (2004). The new film will star Ahn Sung-ki, Kim Sang-kyung, and Lee Yo-won.

The JoongAng Ilbo spoke to the director.

“I came across the Gwangju incident when I entered Hanyang University,” Kim said. “Until then, I had thought that the movement was just a rioters’ rebellion. I was embarrassed by my ignorance and indifference.”

Kim added that when he found out what really happened, he promised himself that he would make a movie and reveal the truth.


Scenes from “Remember U 518,” a film about the 1980 democracy movement in Gwangju.


The Gwangju movement has always been a subject of controversy as it involves the violent suppression of the people during General Chun Doo Hwan’s regime. After the assassination of Park Chung Hee, Chun seized power and declared martial law to suppress the pro-democracy movement.

When martial law was imposed, students in Gwangju protested in front of Chonnam National University. Soon after, they moved to the downtown area, where other citizens joined the protest. According to an official investigation conducted by the civilian government, 207 were killed and 987 injured in the violence that followed. This number is subject to dispute and many think the toll was much higher.

“With such a sensitive story, I didn’t want to harass the Gwangju citizens or the bereaved families,” Kim said.”

The movie focuses on Min-woo, a taxi driver who lost his parents when he was young and lives with his younger brother Jin-woo. One day he sees citizens violently attacked and suppressed by the military and many are killed or injured. Friends, families and lovers are lost and the struggle to survive begins. Some critics say that since Kim is a young director and didn’t experience the incident first hand there is a limit to how he can capture the true emotions of the incident.

“All I wanted was to reflect the pain and sorrow that people faced during that period,” Kim said in response. “I added a bit of cinematic imagination to the characters in order to reveal their genuine sentiments.” He wanted the film to be more than a documentary.

“It’s not fiction though,” said Kim, “I reorganized and recombined the characters based on the known facts.”

Kim’s recreation of the story includes the characters’ use of standard language. Despite the fact that people from Gwangju have a pronounced accent, all the characters, except In-bong (Park Cheol-min) and Yong-dae (Park Won-sang) speak standard Korean.

“I felt that the characters’ use of the Gwangju accent would ruin the story’s true feeling and might make it seem comic. In Park Cheol-min’s case, he is from Gwangju and Park Won-sang is very proficient with accents since he used to work in the theater.”


Scenes from “Remember U 518,” a film about the 1980 democracy movement in Gwangju.


He also said that he met many people from Gwangju while shooting. “The Gwangju people say they hope the movie will attract a big audience, so that people realize the incident was not just a tragedy for Gwangju but for the whole of modern-day Korea.”

Twenty-seven years have passed since the uprising. The military regime that suppressed Gwangju has been punished and the rights of the people have been restored. “If I focused to much on this aspect, it would be a rather serious and dull drama,” said Kim.

“Rather than focusing on the incident, I wanted the movie to based on character, so that people today realize the emotional pain that people experienced,” Kim said.

Talking about emotions, Kim said shooting the film often made him sad. “My first baby was born during the shoot,” he said. “At the same time I met families of victims and realized how much they had lost through the premature death of their loved ones.”

“I was very moved by Kim Sang-kyung’s acting,” he said. “I just couldn’t stop crying. I even forgot to say ‘cut’ I was too full of grief and sorrow.”

By Lee Hoo-nam JoongAng Ilbo

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[bag.lover]

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(source: JoongAng Daily JUly 11, 2007)
[Talk of the town]Actress was over limit at police checkpoint


Kim Se-ah


Actress Kim Se-ah was indicted without detention last week on a charge of DUI. She had been drinking in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul and drove herself away from the bar in a company car.

Kim was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint and failed a breathalyser test. Her driver’s license was suspended for 100 days.

Her blood alcohol level was 0.5 percent. She told police she drank two glasses of wine at a bar in Sinsa-dong with friends. Kim Se-ah, an ex-gymnast, has worked in soap operas and movies since 1996. She once claimed to have been born in 1976 but it was later revealed that her birth year is 1973.

On the day Kim was arrested, the police suspended 1,221 driver’s licenses in Korea of people with blood alcohol levels between 0.05 to 0.1 percent and revoked 789 licenses for DUI where the blood alcohol levels were above 0.1 per cent.

Kim closed the visitor’s section of her personal Web site after the incident, after more than 20,000 people left negative comments on her homepage. She appeared in the soap operas “Seoul 1945,” “Pretty Woman,” “Yuriwah” and the movie “Show Show Show.” She previously studied jazz dance in New York for one year and performed at the Hoam Art Hall with the New York Jazz dance team.

By Nam Seung-ji

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[bag.lover]

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(source: JoongAng Daily July 11, 2007)
[Talk of the town]Beauty queen steps up and wins new career


Lee Ha-nui


Lee Ha-nui, who recently took fourth place at the 2007 Miss Universe, is set to co-host “Real Time TV Entertainment,” on the national TV network, SBS, a 12-year-old show focusing on show business.

“I was very impressed by Lee’s attitude at the 2007 Miss Universe competition,” said producer Park Sang-wook. “That’s why I chose her as a co-host even though there were many other veterans competing for the job. She has great communication skills. She is also very good at English. I have no doubt that she will be a success.”

The 24-year-old won the Miss Korea title in 2006 in the national beauty pageant and fourth prize at the 2007 Miss Universe contest, which took place in Mexico City in May.

Recently she received a good response after co-hosting the special TV program, “Yes! I Love Pyeongchang,” for SBS Television on July 4. Pyeongchang did win the Olympics, but Lee succeeded in finding a new path for her career.

Lee’s agency said this doesn’t mean her career will be in entertainment. “She wants to represent traditional Korean beauty and culture to the world. And this is the first step toward fulfilling her goal,” said an official with Lee’s agency.

Lee is to host the program from July 18, along with Seo Gyeong-seok.

By Yang Yeon-hee

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