Korean Drama

[bag.lover]

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(source: KOREA.net)
Tasting the mirage-like 'Korean wave'

March 23, 2008

In the last few years, Korean films, TV dramas and pop music have become immensely popular abroad, a phenomenon known as the Korean Wave. This is the first in a series of essays by a select group of foreign scholars and journalists looking at the spread of Korean pop culture in Southeast Asian countries and beyond. - Ed.

By Jennifer Pai

Korea was hard-hit by the Asia-wide financial crisis in the late 1990s, which sent its economy in a tailspin. Korea’s face-loving people were rather ashamed. Not too far away, fellow tiger-economy Taiwan heaved a sigh of relief that it was not embroiled in the financial turbulence. Some people in Taiwan probably were gleeful that their economic rival would be going down the drain. Little had they imagined that the Koreans would be demonstrating their perseverance in a fighting spirit, staging a rapid comeback by standing together at home and overseas while donating what resources they could - including personal jewelry - to rescue the nation’s economy. Korea’s national campaign to tide over the difficulty enabled the country to clear its debts to the International Monetary Fund ahead of schedule. What was even more exciting was yet to come. Emerging from the financial crisis, Korea went on to surprise its Asian neighbors by creating, in a graceful manner, what is now known as the "Korean Wave" of cultural exports that won the respect of its neighbors.



In Taiwan, the story of how the Korean Wave hit the island started with the import of Korea’s TV dramas. The professionally made and artistically packaged Korean soap operas whipped up Taiwanese interest in Korean history and culture. On the other hand, any exports, cultural products included, must win a permit from the importing country before they are allowed in. The importing country needs also to be quite open and inclusive - and mature, too - to accept cultural imports. Taiwan is exactly such a country. An island that is 36,000 square kilometers in size, Taiwan has been overlooked for much of the past 400 years. However, its geographic position as a trade and military point d’appui has attracted sea voyagers, international traders, military adventurers and all sorts of settlers who now make up the main population on the island.

For whatever reasons, those who settled in Taiwan were mostly adventurous pioneers with little interest in entrenching cultural roots. This explains why Taiwan does not have a deep-rooted culture of its own. It also explains why there is no social atmosphere to resist foreign culture in Taiwan - a tradition that forms its generous and accommodating character. An absolute majority of Taiwan’s inhabitants have their cultural roots in China, making the island a good stepping stone and testing ground for all foreign exporters trying to sell their products to China. Korean Wave products are no exception. Exchanges across the Taiwan Straits that began in the late 1980s, and China’s rise as an economic power since the 1990s, have attracted a huge amount of Taiwan’s financial and human resources, those in the entertainment industry included. Most of Taiwan’s artists and performers, who share the same cultural roots with the Chinese, are doing quite well in China, partly because they enjoy a pop culture advantage over local Chinese, who look upon Taiwanese entertainers as their "compatriots." When Taiwanese suddenly realized that their favorite singers and entertainers had not appeared in the local media for some time, they knew they had moved to new stages and new theaters in China.

Before Taiwanese audiences became entranced by Korean TV dramas, they were not aware that they might have heard some Korean songs, or even sung K-pop in karaoke lounges. A typical example is the singer Hsu Huai-yu, who came to prominence in 1988, had helped popularize scores of Korean songs in the early stage of her career. Of the 10 songs on her first album, four - including "Fly Up" (original: "Sang Sang Sok Eui Nur" by Noise) and "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful" (original: "Do Si Tal Chul" by Clon) - were Korean songs. Five of the 11 songs on her second album, titled "Rushing Forward," (origina song composed by Kim Chang-hwan) were Korean songs, including one bearing that same title, and "Weird Animal" (original: "Wae Bul Rur" by Diva), to whose tune even kindergarteners sing and dance. "Ducks," (original: "Na Nun Na" by Zoo Zoo Club) a song made popular by Su Hui-lun, had its origin in Korea, as did many other famous songs sung by well-known Taiwan pop singers such as Jeff Chang, Jolin Tsai, Show Luo, Shin Band and so on.

"When I was a ninth grader, I first saw from cable TV what was being broadcast on Korea’s Channel V: hit songs and music performed by H.O.T., Fin.k.l, Sechs Kies, Shinhwa and other bands. I was intoxicated by Korean performers’ cool and dizzying styles; I immediately fell in love with their looks, singing and dancing. I have been enamored with them ever since," said Miss Chuang, an office girl in her 20s, of her first encounter with Korean pop culture.

She noted that it was around 1998, when she was struggling with the upcoming university entrance exams, that K-pop songs and dances, with their touching tunes and moving lyrics, gave her great comfort in the midst of great pressure to move ahead academically. She said it gave her great pleasure to realize that she was immensely surprised by the H.O.T. idols whose "damn cool" make-up and outfits were packaged as "the most evil juvenile group" - a most daring slogan. When she graduated from high school with high honors, she decided to continue her pursuit of her Korean knowledge by choosing Korean language and literature as her major at National Chengchi University, the only national university that offers such courses in Taiwan; there is one private university that also does so. Miss Chuang continuously won scholarships during her university years, a prime example of learning Korean in Taiwan.

Many of Taiwan’s Cable TV channels and radio stations featuring variety shows would air programs about Korean pop music and entertainment news. These include the Channel V, MTV, English-language ICRT (International Community Radio Taipei), pop music radio HitFM, and other broadcasters. They regularly broadcast hit songs from Korea and Japan, helping fans in Taiwan to keep abreast of their Korean and Japanese counterparts, thus contributing a great deal to promoting Korean pop songs, and fanning the vogue of Korean language study.

A widow in her 40s who cleans houses for a living and who has to raise two kids, Miss Hwang is a great fan of the Korean singer Rain (Jung Ji-hoon), the male star in "A Roomful of Romance" (original: "Full House"). How entranced is she by Rain? She is willing to fly to Korea on a buying spree for ALL of Rain products before the Korean versions of his CDs and MVs are exported to Taiwan - with her own hard-earned money. When Rain performs in Taiwan, just like a 20-something fan, she buys the highest-priced ticket for the "honor" of being "touched" by her great hero, in the very front row. She explains that K-pop and Korean soap operas are "a miracle" that has added spice to her life and made her feel much, much younger.

<continuing in next post...>

[bag.lover]

Originally Posted by bag.lover

(source: KOREA.net March 23, 2008) Tasting the mirage-like 'Korean wave'

Music knows no national boundaries. So K-pop naturally mixes into Taiwan’s pop music. How about Korean TV dramas? Cultural affinity dictates that Taiwan’s audience can easily catch the fine points in the similes of the shows - be they about traditional ethics, in love stories, about humor and comedy, husband-wife relationships, or those between kings and lords or among brothers and sisters. Some people may say that history is boring. But audiences’ responses to Korean histories vary a great deal. The Taiwanese love ancient Korean history dramas for different reasons: some look at the stories as actual historical happenings, while others look at them from a more rational standpoint. Some even get angry over how the shows extol Koreans as "the greatest people on earth." No matter what, the fans all in unison in being drawn into the touching plots and the excellent skills of the actors. Mrs. Shen is a successful career woman approaching 50. She did not start to enjoy Korean TV dramas until people around her strongly recommended them to her. When she met the parents of her son’s classmates, all she heard was about Korean TV dramas. Not wanting to be an odd woman out, she rented the whole series of "Dae Chang Geum" (original: "Daejanggeum (Jewel in the Palace)." She was almost immediately attracted by this court politics story full of human interest and ethical issues - as well as by the slit-eyed, scholarly looking male star who has the nickname of "women killer." She simply could not pass up this intriguing TV series.
A senior journalist, surnamed Chou, said, during a seminar on the history and theatrics surrounding Queen Min after a Korean TV drama series of that title (original: "Myung Seong Hwang Hu (The Lost Empire)," had been aired in Taiwan, that he would love to heap praise on the series. Chou, a history major who has served as chairman of a public radio station in Taiwan, said he could not resist the lure of the Korean TV series which so delicately and artistically tells a great Korean story. "As I have been too busy with my work, I have chosen to record each and every part of the series for a close look during my leisure time," he said.
While Taiwanese audiences were happily enjoying Korean TV dramas, Taiwanese actors had to take to the streets to bring attention to the threat to their livelihood. These actors were mostly those who could not speak local Taiwanese dialects. A majority of them were forced out of the job market because the ruling party that took power in 2000 promoted the mother tongue (Minnanese or Taiwanese) - a language spoken by the majority of people in Taiwan, and which is quite different from the Mandarin spoken by the so-called mainlanders.
Some of the Mandarin-speaking actors, sandwiched between government-promoted Taiwanese programs and the increased imports of Korean and Japanese TV dramas, had no other resort but to seek a new leash of life in China.
In 2002, some people in Taiwan called for a boycott of Korean TV dramas. The government was asked to ban prime-time programs of foreign content. Such calls, however, failed to dampen Taiwanese enthusiasm for Korean TV shows. It looks like Taiwan, as a market economy, will not shut its doors to foreign competition. Those who’ve been at ease for too long in Taiwan, enjoying a sort of protected cultural market, might actually be awakened to the harsh reality that real competition is coming from abroad.
Mr. Wang, who teaches Korean at the National Taiwan Normal University’s Language Training Center, said he himself is not so impressed by Korean dramas or pop culture, but added that he was quite encouraged by the Taiwanese people’s acceptance of the Korean Wave. In this phenomenon, he sees not only Korean TV dramas but also Korea’s pop culture as a medium through which Taiwanese get in touch with Korea’s overall culture - an exposure that helps them realize that Koreans have a different "taste" than theirs and that they can enjoy creative cultures from other places.
Taiwanese fans have found that Korean TV dramas are played out in quick tempo by highly professional actors. There are, to be fair, stereotypes of young and handsome "great lovers" with huge wealth, and beautiful and pitiable female characters who, tear-jerkingly, fall incurably ill. But it’s not their sin to be handsome and beautiful if they act out life in all its forms and fashions professionally, bringing out the joy and laughter and tears from the hearts of an admiring audience. As for the K-pop lovers, they know that Korean singers and dancers far outdo their Taiwanese counterparts.
The success of the Korean Wave in Taiwan can be attributed to the cultural similarities and geographic proximity between the two countries, Taiwan’s social milieu that welcomes foreign cultures, and the fine content and creative ideas of Korea’s TV dramas and pop culture. Any particular popular culture usually will be phased out, sooner or later. But the Korean Wave may continue to sweep Taiwan because, in its various genres and styles expressed against the background of traditional Oriental culture, Taiwanese sense a different taste from that of their seniors. As long as the Korean Wave enables people to "enjoy dreaming" and to "taste mirages," it will keep gaining ground, even as a second wave pushes it toward the beach.
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The author is a journalist at the Central News Agency in Taiwan. This was translated into English by Sheng-chao Chang, executive editor of CNA NewsWorld monthly.
Source: Korea Policy Review March 2008


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[bag.lover]

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(Source: The Electric Paper, Singapore )

This new dad is GLOWING WITH LOVE
Korean heart-throb has newborn son after surprise wedding to secret girlfriend

By Chang May Choon
March 26, 2008


Jang Hyuk showing off his moves in Dance Of The Dragon and with Fann Wong, who plays a former dance champion. Design: PRADIP Picture: GAVIN FOO

JANG Hyuk is basking in happiness and it shows.

In the six months since he first joked that 'I'm a dandy boy' in an interview with The New Paper, the Korean actor has married his long-time girlfriend whom he had kept secret from the media.

He also declared his love for her in a press statement.

Their son was born on 8 Feb.

Obviously, his new family must be the source of the unmistakable glow on his boyish face.

This reporter met Jang Hyuk again three weeks ago, when he was back in town for a brief trip to promote his upcoming movie with Fann Wong and Jason Scott Lee.

Entitled Dance Of The Dragon, it is slated to open here on 1 May.

Looking dapper in a brown-and-white ensemble with his hair grown out, Jang Hyuk gamely posed for photos first.

A tender smile often lit up his face, as if he was thinking of his family.

Jang Hyuk, 32, later declined to talk about fatherhood and his family, citing privacy. The fiercely low-profile actor said he would rather focus on his new movie.

But he would say this much: His secret to juggling both his jet-setting showbiz career and his family is in the 'control of the mind'.

He was commenting on the movie's theme 'dare to dream, dare to love', and how it is sometimes not possible to realise both because some people choose logic over innocence.

So how is it that he managed to grasp both ideals in real life?

'It's possible... I decide this is what I want and I go after it,' he said in Korean-accented English during an interview at Meritus Mandarin Hotel.

'When I work, I focus all on work. When I'm with family, I spend all my time with family.'

Jang Hyuk's wedding announcement last December wasn't really a surprise as he had expressed his longing to start a family during our interview last September.

What's uncanny, however, is how closely his love story mirrors that of Dance Of The Dragon.

Jang Hyuk plays a Korean dance student who arrives in Singapore to polish his skills with a former dance champion played by Fann.

He falls in love with her but has to suppress his feelings as she already has a martial arts expert boyfriend (Jason).

In real life, Jang Hyuk reportedly met his wife at a pilates class in 2002.

No prizes for guessing: She was the instructor and he, the student.

When he spoke of how tough a teacher-student love relationship is in the movie, I could almost imagine him reflecting on his own experience.

'For my character, a teacher-student love is impossible. They have deep feelings inside, but on the outside, they can only look at each other... so many obstacles...'

Off-screen, Jang Hyuk and his 'teacher' not only managed to keep their romance secret for five years, but they also overcame two years of separation when he bowed out of showbiz in 2004 and enlisted for mandatory national service.

Unlike in Singapore, Korean men stay in camp throughout their entire national service instead of going home on weekends.

Jang Hyuk said that was their biggest sacrifice for love, and they had to rely on writing letters to keep their relationship alive.

'That time was very hard. She waited for me for two years.

'Inside (our hearts there was) loving emotion, but we couldn't see each other for (a) long time.'

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[bag.lover]

Originally Posted by bag.lover

Box Office [Friday 2008.03.21 ~ Sunday 2008.03.23] 1. Fate (South Korea) 3-day Adm / Total Adm : 277,102 / 345,589 Gross / Total Gross (won) : 1,883,420,000 / 2,291,447,500 Screen : 334

KOFIC posted the corrected set of data for last weekend's box office.

Box Office [Friday 2008.03.21 ~ Sunday 2008.03.23]

1. Fate (South Korea)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 356,776 / 470,834
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 2,414,067,500 / 3,116,592,000
Screen : 397
Opening Date : 2008/03/20
Director : Kim Hae-gon
Main Cast : Song Seung-heon, Kwon Sang-woo, Kim In-kwon, Park Han-byeol, Ji Seong

2. 10,000 BC (U.S.)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 238,661 / 926,944
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 1,562,614,500 / 6,067,709,000
Screen : 397
Opening Date : 2008/03/13
Director : Roland Emmerich
Main Cast : Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Marco Khanlian, Cliff Curtis, Nathanael Baring, Timothy Barlow

3. The Chaser (South Korea)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 225,027 / 4,467,674
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 1,529,391,000 / 29,932,895,500
Screen : 362
Opening Date : 2008/02/14
Director : Na Hong-jin
Main Cast : Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jeong-woo, Seo Yeong-hee

4. Step Up 2 The Streets (U.S.)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 221,942 / 725,641
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 1,462,337,000 / 4,753,176,000
Screen : 303
Opening Date : 2008/03/13
Director : Jon Chu
Main Cast : Briana Evigan, Adam G. Sevani, Mari Koda, Cassie , Telisha Shaw

5. The Other Boleyn Girl (U.K.)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 134,471 / 171,948
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 915,836,000 / 1,139,790,000
Screen : 157
Opening Date : 2008/03/20
Director : Justin Chadwick
Main Cast : Natalie Portman, Eric Bana, Scarlett Johansson, Tiffany Freisberg, Eddie Redmayne

6. Vantage Point (U.S.)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 45,839 / 991,925
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 301,992,000 / 6,501,680,500
Screen : 189
Opening Date : 2008/02/28
Director : Pete Travis
Main Cast : Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Edgar Ramirez, Zoe Saldana

7. BA:BO (South Korea)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 45,324 / 954,371
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 289,593,500 / 6,175,987,000
Screen : 193
Opening Date : 2008/02/28
Director : Kim Jeong-kwon
Main Cast : Cha Tae-hyeon, Ha Ji-won, Park Hee-soon, Park Ha-seon

8. The Water Horse : Legend Of The Deep (U.S., U.K.)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 40,869 / 46,699
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 245,581,500 / 273,140,000
Screen : 60
Opening Date : 2008/03/20
Director : Jay Russell
Main Cast : Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, Alex Etel, David Morrissey, Geraldine Brophy

9. Amazing Grace (U.S., U.K.)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 37,756 / 52,335
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 252,517,500 / 336,739,500
Screen : 70
Opening Date : 2008/03/20
Director : Michael Apted
Main Cast : Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Gambon, Romola Garai

10. Brave Story (Japan)
3-day Adm / Total Adm : 17,002 / 18,231
Gross / Total Gross (won) : 101,157,000 / 108,727,500
Screen : 56
Opening Date : 2008/03/20
Director : Kôichi Chigira
Main Cast : Takako Matsu, Eiji Wentz

Source: KOFIC

'Fate' [image=maxmovie]

[bag.lover]

DAILY TV RATING [MONDAY 2008.03.24]


*** TNS Media Research ***

RANK / TITLE / NETWORK / NATIONWIDE / SEOUL

1. I Hate You But It's Fine <미우나고우나> / Likable Or Not (E) (KBS1) - 40.4%, 39.5%
<Monday-Friday 8:25pm>
2. Yi San <이산> / Lee San, Wind Of The Palace (E) (MBC) - 28.7%, 31.7%
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
4. Ah Hyeon Dong's Madam <아현동마님> / Opposites Attract (E) (MBC) - 22.2%, 23.2% (#3)
<Monday-Friday 7:45pm>
5. Even So Love <그래도좋아> / Heart Of Destiny (E) (MBC) - 22.0%, 22.3%
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
7. King And I <왕과나> / King And I (E) (SBS) - 13.9%, 13.0% (#9)
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
8. Scary Girl <그여자가무서워> / A Vindictive Woman (E) (SBS) - 12.8%, 13.2% (#7)
<Monday-Friday 7:20pm>
10. Good Woman Baek Il Hong <착한여자백일홍> / The Innocent Woman (E) (KBS2) - 11.8%, 11.2% (#11)
<Monday-Saturday 9:00am>
11. Aquarius <물병자리> (SBS) - 11.1%, 10.6% (#13)
<Monday-Saturday morning serial drama>
17. Beautiful Days <아름다운시절> / Beautiful Days (E) (KBS1) - 10.1%, 9.2%
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
Single Papa In Love <싱글파파는열애중> / Single Dad In Love (E) (KBS2) - 4.5% (Below_Top_20), % (Below_Top_20)
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>


*** AGB Nielsen Media Research ***

RANK / TITLE / NETWORK / NATIONWIDE / SEOUL

1. I Hate You But It's Fine <미우나고우나> / Likable Or Not (E) (KBS1) - 40.2%, 39.8%
<Monday-Friday 8:25pm>
2. Yi San <이산> / Lee San, Wind Of The Palace (E) (MBC) - 29.4%, 33.5%
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
4. Even So Love <그래도좋아> / Heart Of Destiny (E) (MBC) - 23.0%, 23.4%
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
5. Ah Hyeon Dong's Madam <아현동마님> / Opposites Attract (E) (MBC) - 19.3%, 19.7%
<Monday-Friday 7:45pm>
6. King And I <왕과나> / King And I (E) (SBS) - 13.0%, 12.2% (#10)
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
7. Scary Girl <그여자가무서워> / A Vindictive Woman (E) (SBS) - 12.9%, 13.6% (#6)
<Monday-Friday 7:20pm>
8. Good Woman Baek Il Hong <착한여자백일홍> / The Innocent Woman (E) (KBS2) - 12.2%, 13.4% (#7)
<Monday-Saturday 9:00am>
10. Beautiful Days <아름다운시절> / Beautiful Days (E) (KBS1) - 12.0%, 11.5% (#11)
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
11. Aquarius <물병자리> (SBS) - 11.3%, 11.3% (#14)
<Monday-Saturday morning serial drama>
Single Papa In Love <싱글파파는열애중> / Single Dad In Love (E) (KBS2) - % (Below_Top_20), % (Below_Top_20)
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>

[bag.lover]

DAILY TV RATING [TUESDAY 2008.03.25]


*** TNS Media Research ***

RANK / TITLE / NETWORK / NATIONWIDE / SEOUL

1. I Hate You But It's Fine <미우나고우나> / Likable Or Not (E) (KBS1) - 40.9%, 40.4%
<Monday-Friday 8:25pm>
2. Yi San <이산> / Lee San, Wind Of The Palace (E) (MBC) - 27.3%, 30.2%
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
3. Ah Hyeon Dong's Madam <아현동마님> / Opposites Attract (E) (MBC) - 22.6%, 24.0%
<Monday-Friday 7:45pm>
4. Even So Love <그래도좋아> / Heart Of Destiny (E) (MBC) - 22.3%, 22.5%
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
6. King And I <왕과나> / King And I (E) (SBS) - 16.1%, 15.7%
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
7. Scary Girl <그여자가무서워> / A Vindictive Woman (E) (SBS) - 14.9%, 15.3%
<Monday-Friday 7:20pm>
10. Good Woman Baek Il Hong <착한여자백일홍> / The Innocent Woman (E) (KBS2) - 12.2%, 12.1% (#12)
<Monday-Saturday 9:00am>
15. Aquarius <물병자리> (SBS) - 11.2%, 10.2% (#17)
<Monday-Saturday morning serial drama>
16. Beautiful Days <아름다운시절> / Beautiful Days (E) (KBS1) - 10.5%, 9.5% (#20)
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
Single Papa In Love <싱글파파는열애중> / Single Dad In Love (E) (KBS2) - % (Below_Top_20), % (Below_Top_20)
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>


*** AGB Nielsen Media Research ***

RANK / TITLE / NETWORK / NATIONWIDE / SEOUL

1. I Hate You But It's Fine <미우나고우나> / Likable Or Not (E) (KBS1) - 41.6%, 41.5%
<Monday-Friday 8:25pm>
2. Yi San <이산> / Lee San, Wind Of The Palace (E) (MBC) - 27.9%, 31.4%
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
4. Even So Love <그래도좋아> / Heart Of Destiny (E) (MBC) - 22.5%, 23.7% (#3)
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
5. Ah Hyeon Dong's Madam <아현동마님> / Opposites Attract (E) (MBC) - 20.6%, 22.1%
<Monday-Friday 7:45pm>
6. King And I <왕과나> / King And I (E) (SBS) - 14.7%, 14.1%
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
7. Scary Girl <그여자가무서워> / A Vindictive Woman (E) (SBS) - 13.0%, 14.0%
<Monday-Friday 7:20pm>
9. Beautiful Days <아름다운시절> / Beautiful Days (E) (KBS1) - 12.0%, 11.5% (#12)
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
11. Good Woman Baek Il Hong <착한여자백일홍> / The Innocent Woman (E) (KBS2) - 11.8%, 11.9%
<Monday-Saturday 9:00am>
14. Aquarius <물병자리> (SBS) - 11.2%, 11.5% (#12)
<Monday-Saturday morning serial drama>
Single Papa In Love <싱글파파는열애중> / Single Dad In Love (E) (KBS2) - % (Below_Top_20), % (Below_Top_20)
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>

[bag.lover]

Originally Posted by bag.lover

Actress Moon Geun-young

[images=sina]

[bag.lover]

Kim Tae-hee






[images=sina]

[bag.lover]

Sung Yu-ri




[images=sina]

[bag.lover]

Originally Posted by bag.lover

* HIGHEST PAID TV STARS * RANK / STAR / FEE PER EPISODE (Won) 1. Bae Yong-joon [Legend] - 200 million (this fee already includes overseas earnings rights) 2. Kwon Sang-woo [Bad Love] - 100 million (this fee already includes stock) 3. Song Seung-heon [East Of Eden] - 70 million (this fee doesn't include stock, still in negotiation) 4. Park Shin-yang [War Of Money] - 50 million 4. Son Ye-jin [Alone In Love] - 50 million (2 years ago) 6. Lee Jeong-jae [Air City] - 45 million 7. Choi Ji-woo [Air City] - 40 million 8. Ko Hyeon-jeong [H.I.T.] - 35 million Currency Convertor 1 United States Dollar (USD) = 947 Korean Won (KRW)

Eric (Shinhwa member) gets 30 million Won per episode for his upcoming saguek "Strongest Chil Woo".
http://news.hankooki.com/lpage/sports/2008...07145897630.htm

[bag.lover]

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(source: KBS Global 2008-03-26)
Actor Lee Byung-hun to Launch Film Tour in Japan



Top Hallyu star Lee Byung-hun is set to launch a large-scale film-screening tour in Japan.

The actor, who successfully pulled off seven large-scale fan meetings in four major Japanese cities last year--Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya--will launch a two-month film-screening tour in 13 cities across Japan, including Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Hokkaido. The tour will begin on April 18 in Tokyo.

The tour, which will include a total of 47 film-screening events, will also feature backstage scenes from last year's Arena Tour as well as the latest and yet unreleased videos for Lee's fans. The actor is currently busy shooting a Hollywood film 'I Come with the Rain' with director Anh Hung Tran as well as 'GI Joe,' a film based on a popular animated series.

Meanwhile, Lee plans to return to the local big screen this summer by starring in 'Good, Bad, Weird' with fellow star actors Song Gang-ho and Jung Woo-sung.

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[bag.lover]

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(source: Korea Herald 2008.03.27)
[THE HIGH TIDE OF THE KOREAN WAVE(28)] Film industry looking through nearsighted lens

Ahn Sung-ki seems perennially calm and collected. A gentle smile on his face, he does not raise his voice even when he talks about the turbulent developments pummeling the Korean cinema in recent months. But his concerns are genuine because, in his view, the local film industry is in deep trouble and the future outlook remains gloomier than ever.

Ahn's perspective about the current state of Korean movies and filmmakers is hard to be discounted. The list of films in which he played a key role in the 1990s alone include "Two Cops" (1993), "The Taebaek Mountains" (1994), "Festival" (1996), "The Soul Guardians" (1998) and "Nowhere to Hide" (1999).

In the 2000s, he starred in many award-winning films such as "Chihwaseon" (2002), "Silmido" (2003), "Radio Star" (2006) and "May 18" (2007). Even now at local theaters, his latest feature film titled "My New Partner" is being screened.


▲Ahn Sung-ki [The Korea Herald]

After all, with more than 150 movies under his belt, Ahn is one of a few Korean actors who represent the entire Korean film industry, which was once a mighty growth engine of the Korean Wave, or "Hallyu."

"People talk about the decline of the Korean Wave, but my opinion is that it has overheated too quickly and it's finally returning to a normal level," Ahn said in an interview with The Korea Herald.

"Up until now, none of us had any idea about how to handle the Korean culture boom, nor did we expect the fever to cool down so fast."

Ahn said some Korean filmmakers rushed to cash in on the Korean Wave boom, a shortsighted move that resulted in greater losses. Lately, the number of new Korean movies is plunging, while exports to key markets such as Japan remain sluggish.

Investors who once dreamed of hitting it big on the film arena are now looking at their empty pockets helplessly due to the sudden slump that caught most filmmakers, production houses and distributors off guard.

So what's wrong?

"Trust is the most important element in doing any business, including movies, and that trust should be nurtured in the long term," Ahn said, referring to the eroded trust in Korean films that failed to live up to expectations in overseas markets.

Ahn also pointed to the lack of consideration for foreign markets. A growing number of foreign audiences outside of Korea are drawn to Korean films, but local filmmakers and actors do not pay much attention to the foreign markets.

"We should take initiatives in taking care of the quality of our movies for the sake of our foreign audiences. This is a crucial issue, but we have been so far negligent about this issue," he said.

For Ahn, nothing is more futile than a short-lived success, and anyone who has a doubt about his conviction should take a look at his 51-year-long career as a professional actor.

Ahn started as a child actor -- an immensely successful one. He was so popular that he played roles in as many as 70 films by the time he turned 14 in 1965. Realizing his limitation as a child actor, he announced his retirement in that year.

Thirteen years later, in 1978, Ahn made a comeback by taking up a role in director Kim Ki-young's "The Soldier and Girls." Unfortunately, the country was under a military dictatorship, and the movie did not make it to theaters at all, and nobody noticed Ahn's misfired attempt to return to the cinema field.

His comeback turned out to be utterly disastrous, but what's more shocking to Ahn was the absence of familiar faces.

"When I made a comeback, I realized that all the famous and powerful filmmakers were sidelined to the marginal area in just 10 years. I felt sort of empty about the cycle in which nobody can stay strong for eternity in the movie industry," Ahn said.

Ahn, since then, has been pursuing his peculiar strategy, which revolves around an optimal balance between popularity and failure. He is rarely in the brightest spotlight in a movie project; he is never completely sidelined as a has-been. And this move has been remarkably prescient because he has weathered a stormy 51 years as an actor and, more importantly, he is widely regarded as a leading Korean actor who symbolizes the Korean cinema.

Ahn said Korean filmmakers and actors should be more prepared for the cycles.

"Just as the stock market fluctuates, the film market also goes through a cycle. Now, local movies are stuck with the slump, but I expect a recovery to come in the future," he said.

As for the deep skepticism and sense of crisis facing Korean movie directors and actors, Ahn said the current downturn came as a great shock because the most recent upturn was so dramatic.

"Starting from the late 1990s to 2006, the Korean film industry enjoyed the biggest boom ever," Ahn said. "Now that we have gone though the painful trials and errors, I hope we can take long-term measures."

One of the much-needed long-term measures is steering more attention to the Asia-wide projects. In 2006, Ahn himself joined a multinational project involving Korea, Japan and China.

In "A Battle of Wits (Mukgong)," a Hong Kong historical action flick based on a Japanese historical novel, Ahn worked with other Asian actors such as Andy Lau, Fan Bingbing and Nicky Wu, under the auspice of director Zhang Zhiliang.

"Korea is better positioned for this type of a joint film project featuring Asian culture and languages. After all, Northeast Asian countries like Korea, China and Japan share similar cultures as well as Chinese characters.

"Although my role in the movie project was relatively minor, I believe that we can do much more in the future, drawing on trust we have built through the project," Ahn said.

The problem with the local market is also related to the idea of trust. At the height of the Korean Wave boom, too much money was funneled to the local market, and, as a result, even sloppy projects ended up grabbing sizable funds.

When the bubble burst, investors went into the once bitten, twice shy mode - becoming deeply suspicious about Korean film projects.

The lost of trust is taking its toll on the number of films produced. Local filmmakers estimate that about 70 films should be produced annually to bolster the industry's average turnout, but if the current slump continues, about 40-50 movies are expected to be made this year.

Ahn said what's important is to keep the movie industry on a normal track, and to that end, the government should take aggressive measures to deal with the illegal piracy of films on the internet so that filmmakers can diversify their source of profits.

By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldm.com)

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[bag.lover]

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(source: KBS Global 2008-03-26 )
'Roundtable Plus' Welcomes New Host E Hyo-lee



The second season of 'Roundtable Plus,' a popular entertainment show on KBS 2TV, will air beginning April 8.

'Roundtable Plus' will welcome E Hyo-lee as a new host to join Tak Jae-hoon and Shin Jung-hwan, the two hosts from the last season. Announcers Choi Song-hyun, Lee Whee-jae and Yoon Se-yoon will leave the show.

A new segment will be added to the show as well. The current 'Star Comments' and 'The Birth of Games' will be replaced with a brand new corner.

Producer Yoon Hyun-joon said the staff is currently reviewing about four different segments that may be added to the new season. He said the first half of the program is expected to comprise chitchat by the hosts and the guests, and the second half will comprise fun and meaningful segments.

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[bag.lover]

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(source: KBS Global 2008-03-27)
Cast of 'One Night and Two Days' Enters 'Korea Sings' Contest



The cast of 'One Night and Two Days,' a popular segment of 'Happy Sunday' on KBS 2TV, participated in 'Korea Sings,' a singing contest and one of the longest-running TV shows in Korea. The cast includes TV personality Kang Ho-dong and singer and rapper Eun Ji-won.

The cast members of 'One Night and Two Days' were on location in Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province, when they heard the news that 'Korea Sings' was coming to town. The following day, Park Sang-cheol, one of the cast members, performed 'No Matter What' during the shooting of 'Korea Sings' and received the Audience Choice Award.

Producers of 'One Night and Two Days' said Kang, the host of the segment found a promotional placard of 'Korea Sings' and urged the entire cast to take part in the talent contest. They added that the cast prepared for the contest all night long, including Kang, who claimed it will be his first time singing in public in 15 years.

Meanwhile, the producers of 'Korea Sings' said the township of Geochang went wild over the unexpected appearance of the star cast and applauded enthusiastically to their performance.

The Geochang episode of 'One Night and Two Days' will be aired on March 30 while the surprise episode of 'Korea Sings' will be aired sometime in May.

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[bag.lover]

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(source: Chosun Mar.27,2008 09:04 KST)
Lee Honey Named Miss Grand Slam


Miss Korea 2006 Lee Honey

Lee Honey, Miss Korea 2006 and Miss Universe third runner-up 2007, has been named the most outstanding beauty queen of 2007. Online beauty pageant magazine GlobalBeauties of Sao Paulo, Brazil said Monday that it chose Lee as Miss Grand Slam 2007.

Lee was selected through an evaluation of 100 top contestants who participated in the world's five leading beauty pageants -- Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International, Miss Earth, and Miss Tourism Queen International.

Ada De la Cruz, Miss Dominican Republic and a top-16 finalist in Miss World 2007, took second place, followed by Miss Venezuela and Miss Universe second runner-up 2007 Ly Jonaitis, whom the magazine named the "sexist woman alive."

Of the 15 judges from all over the world, four ranked the 25-year-old Lee first and another four second. The judges came from Spain, Venezuela, Slovakia, Vietnam, Puerto Rico, Poland, Belgium, the U.S., Czech Republic, Brazil, Chile, Panama, Thailand, Finland, and Turkey.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

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