Korean Drama

[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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Originally Posted by bag.lover

Night sponsored by UNICEF -- Andre Kim Fashion Fantasia May 26, 2008 Cheongwon, Korea

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[bag.lover]

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(source: OhmyNews 2008-05-26 02:36 KST)
The Korean Gangland Is 'a Dirty Carnival'
Yoo Ha's searing crime melodrama deserves kudos

By reporter Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)

Byung-Doo, lanky and adorable, (played by TV drama star Jo In-Sung from "Something Happened in Bali") is a 29-year-old career criminal working for the middle-rank enforcer Sang-Chul (Yoon Je-Mun, a Molotov-cocktail-loving vagrant in "The Host"). Burdened with a terminally ill mother and taking care of younger siblings, Byung-Doo is feeling financial pressure as a substitute patriarch. When the big boss President Hwang (Chun Ho-Jin, "The Big Swindle," "The Crying Fist") is cornered by a corrupt prosecutor, Byung-Doo volunteers for a whack job and wins the man's trust. However, his real trouble begins when friend Min-Ho (Namkoong Min), an aspiring movie director, asks him to be a "consultant" for the latter's debut film, a gangster epic not unlike "Dirty Carnival."


ⓒ2008 CJ Entertainment/Genius Entertainment

Poet Yoo Ha's follow-up to the successful "Once Upon a Time in High School" is another intelligent, fast-moving and ultimately poignant melodrama that actually reminds one of the classic gangster pictures from Hollywood's yesteryears. Despite its self-reflexive modernistic devices, such as having a filmmaker as a character, "Dirty Carnival" shares the kind of straightforwardness and moral concerns that would not be out of place in films like James Cagney's "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938).

Yoo, who grew up in a rough neighborhood, refuses to romanticize the thugs. They are the scum of society, parasitic worms nourished by Korea's vast underground economy and controlled by a clean-cut businessman like President Hwang, who quips, "real gangsters don't use knives, they use calculators," and never once raises his hand or voice against his underlings. (It is wonderful to see Chun returning to the type of classy villain role first shown in the underrated "Double Agent.")

The unfussy, straightforward approach is extended to the film's ugly and painful "action" scenes. They can only be aptly described as eruptions of violence, as each baseball bat swing lands with a bone-cracking crunch and each sashimi knife stab is felt by a viewer with an involuntary cringe. You are impressed as hell at Yoo's directorial prowess, but only afterwards: while you are watching these scenes, you want them to be over.


ⓒ2008 CJ Entertainment/Genius Entertainment

The movie-within-a-movie subplot could have been a mess but is handled surprisingly well. Min-Ho, an obvious stand-in for Yoo Ha himself, pays a steep price for not realizing his complicity in perpetuating the vicious cycle of violence and hypocrisy in real life through his "art." There's no tasteful "ambiguity" to sneakily rehabilitate an artist's privileged position here. At times this section appears to be a barely veiled commentary on the symbiotic relationship going on in real time between Korean filmmakers and career criminals, especially the rather ugly aftermath of the financial success of "Friends."

Jo In-Sung, who occasionally looks like an overgrown junior-high kid, with his crew-cut plate and doe eyes, was a risky casting choice for the title role but he pulls it off. While not a brilliant actor yet, Jo is believably awkward and conflicted in key emotional scenes, especially working opposite terrific supporting players like Yoon and Chun. Ironically, it is his romance with the childhood sweetheart Hyun-Joo (Lee Bo-Young), a terrain that Jo and Yoo Ha should be familiar with, that feels lifeless and cliched.

While "Dirty Carnival" does not break new ground for the gangster-film genre, and its narrative is ultimately fairly conventional, it is nonetheless a superior example of a talented director with something worthwhile to say saying it with economy and confidence, within the perimeter of an established genre.

DVD Presentation:

Genius Entertainment. NTSC. Dual layer. Region 1. Video: Anamorphic widescreen, 2.35:1. Audio: Korean Dolby Digital 5.0. Subtitles: English. Supplement: Making-of featurette, deleted scenes. Retail price: $24.95. Released: May 20, 2008.


ⓒ2008 Genius Entertainment

Genius Entertainment, a big DVD distribution company, has recently jumped into direct releasing of Asian titles. I am not sure whether this is a long-term policy or a temporary measure resulting from copyright/distribution deal disputes, but in any case, "A Dirty Carnival" receives a rather indifferently designed if qualitatively superior presentation in Region 1 DVD from Genius.

Transfer is generally satisfactory: every so often the picture gets excessively grainy and black levels get wobbly, but this might have been the problem with original film elements. The film's harrowing scenes of violence, which often employs direct overhead shots, are very effectively conveyed. The audio is equally good with unusually crisp Korean dialogues sometimes taking a back seat to the saccharine score by Jo Young-Wuk. English subtitles are above average, avoiding excessive crudeness and displaying excellent fidelity to Korean colloquialisms.

Supplementary materials include one short-form documentary on designing action sequences that is surprisingly detailed and features input from all major staff and cast members except Chun Ho-Jin. Deleted scenes mostly center on character development of Byung-Doo and Min-Ho. The supplements come with very good English subtitles.

Overall, the presentation is on a par with Tartan USA's best efforts. The only noticeable defect is a rather ugly and (literally) colorless cover design. One interesting tidbit is that all retail advertisements for the DVD show a cover with Jo In-Sung carrying a huge gun (as shown here), which is completely inappropriate given the content of the movie, whereas the copy I have received shows him holding a jackknife. I am not sure what is going on here, but if this change was due to a response to someone pointing out the incongruity of a Korean gangster casually brandishing a pistol, then Genius deserves praise.

☆☆☆★★

© 2008 Ohmynews
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/ar...45&rel_no=1

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[MAGs]

I notice designer Andre Kim always has theatrical fashion shows. And the pieces are always so grand and elegant!

[bag.lover]

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WEEKLY TV RATING [2008.05.19 ~ 2008.05.25]


*** TNS Media Research ***

RANK / TITLE / NETWORK / NATIONWIDE / SEOUL

1. Yi San <이산> / Lee San, Wind Of The Palace (E) (MBC) - 31.2%, 34.1%
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
2. First Wives Club <조강지처클럽> / The First Wives Club (E) (SBS) - 29.1%, 30.0%
<Saturday/Sunday 9:45pm>
3. Angry Mom <엄마가뿔났다> / Mom's Dead Upset (E) (KBS2) - 24.8%, 25.1%
<Saturday/Sunday 7:55pm>
4. You Are My Destiny <너는 내 운명> / You Are My Destiny (E) (KBS1) - 21.8%, 20.9% (#5)
<Monday-Friday 8:25pm>
5. I Am Happy <행복합니다> / I Am Happy (E) (SBS) - 21.0%, 21.9% (#4)
<Saturday/Sunday 8:45pm>
6. Happy Sunday 해피선데이 (KBS2) - 18.3%, 18.6%
<Sunday>
7. Happy Together 해피투게더 (KBS2) - 16.4%, 16.9%
<Thursday>
8. Iljimae <일지매> (SBS) - 16.2%, 16.6%
<Wednesday/Thursday 9:55pm>
9. KBS News 9 (KBS1) - 15.6%, 14.6% (#15)
10. King Sejong <대왕세종> / The Great King Sejong (E) (KBS2) - 15.4%, 15.6% (#9)
<Saturday/Sunday 9:30pm>
12. Golden Fishery 황금어장 (MBC) - 15.2%, 15.3% (#10)
<Wednesday>
14. Beautiful Days <아름다운시절> / Beautiful Days (E) (KBS1) - 14.4%, 13.6% (#18)
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
15. Unmatched Beauty Park Jung Geum <천하일색박정금> / Park Jung-geum, Heavenly Beauty (E) (MBC) - 14.3%, 14.4% (#16)
<Saturday/Sunday 7:55pm>
16. Infinite Challenge 무한도전 (MBC) - 14.3%, 15.2% (#12)
<Saturday>
17. Gag Concert 개그콘서트 (KBS2) - 13.8%, 14.6% (#14)
<Sunday>
19. Aquarius <물병자리> (SBS) - 13.3%, 13.1%
<Monday-Saturday morning serial drama>


*** AGB Nielsen Media Research ***

RANK / TITLE / NETWORK / NATIONWIDE / SEOUL

1. Yi San <이산> / Lee San, Wind Of The Palace (E) (MBC) - 31.6%, 34.9%
<Monday/Tuesday 9:55pm>
2. First Wives Club <조강지처클럽> / The First Wives Club (E) (SBS) - 30.5%, 32.9%
<Saturday/Sunday 9:45pm>
3. Angry Mom <엄마가뿔났다> / Mom's Dead Upset (E) (KBS2) - 25.1%, 26.0%
<Saturday/Sunday 7:55pm>
4. You Are My Destiny <너는 내 운명> / You Are My Destiny (E) (KBS1) - 22.9%, 22.1% (#5)
<Monday-Friday 8:25pm>
5. I Am Happy <행복합니다> / I Am Happy (E) (SBS) - 22.3%, 23.3% (#4)
<Saturday/Sunday 8:45pm>
6. Happy Sunday 해피선데이 (KBS2) - 17.1%, 18.0%
<Sunday>
7. KBS News 9 (KBS1) - 17.0%, 17.2% (#9)
8. Iljimae <일지매> (SBS) - 16.6%, 17.7% (#7)
<Wednesday/Thursday 9:55pm>
9. Happy Together 해피투게더 (KBS2) - 16.3%, 17.7% (#7)
<Thursday>
10. Beautiful Days <아름다운시절> / Beautiful Days (E) (KBS1) - 15.6%, 14.9% (#14)
<Monday-Friday 7:50am>
10. Unmatched Beauty Park Jung Geum <천하일색박정금> / Park Jung-geum, Heavenly Beauty (E) (MBC) - 15.6%, 15.6% (#12)
<Saturday/Sunday 7:55pm>
12. Aquarius <물병자리> (SBS) - 15.5%, 16.2% (#11)
<Monday-Saturday morning serial drama>
13. Infinite Challenge 무한도전 (MBC) - 14.9%, 16.3% (#10)
<Saturday>
14. King Sejong <대왕세종> / The Great King Sejong (E) (KBS2) - 14.2%, 14.1% (#16)
<Saturday/Sunday 9:30pm>
17. Golden Fishery 황금어장 (MBC) - 13.4%, 15.6% (#12)
<Wednesday>


MBC drama 'Yi San' [image=Hankyung]


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[bag.lover]

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(Source: Chosun 2008-05-27 09:43 KST)
Korean Wave Turns to Kids for New Export Growth


'Pororo the Little Penguin'

Korean animation is sweeping the world, promoting the culture to a global audience. "Pororo the Little Penguin," which began airing on Education Broadcasting System in 2003, has been exported to 81 nations so far, including France where it has won viewing ratings of a whopping 57 percent on the country's largest terrestrial channel TF1. "Iron Kid" recently began airing across the U.S., topping the ratings list of terrestrial channels. "King of Card Mix Master" has been exported to 25 nations, and "Janggeum's Dream" to 27. Korean animation earned US$66.8 million from exports in 2006, compared to the $24.5 million earned overseas by Korean cinema. These cartoons for kids are emerging as a new edge of the Korean Wave.

The popularity of Korean animation fuels spin-off effects, boosting exports of merchandise based on the characters. Some 340 kinds of Pororo products have been created, generating W200-300 billion (US$1=W1,049) in sales and W10 billion in character royalties.

Korean-made online games for children are also growing in popularity around the world. The well-known "Maple Story" boasts some 76 million subscribers in 58 countries including Japan, China and the U.S., and has spawned hundreds of character products and comic book series. The Korean online children's game industry earned $672 million in exports in 2006, triple the size of the import market and up 19 percent from $565 million in 2005.

Children's books are another area at the forefront of the new Korean Wave. In 2006 alone, some 1,000 publishing rights deals were struck at five major international book fairs including the Taipei International Book Exhibition.

"The Korean Wave, which began in around 2000 with exports of Korean dramas and music to Asian nations, has now expanded to the children's cultural product market," said Kim Jin-kyu, an industries promotion director at the Korea Culture and Content Agency. "Because children who appreciate Korean pop culture are likely to continue consuming it as they grow up, it's important to foster business focused on children's products."

(englishnews@chosun.com )

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[bag.lover]

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(source: KBS Global 2008-05-27)
Park Yong-ha to Launch Fan Meeting Tour in Japan in July



Thirty thousand tickets to Hallyu star Park Yong-ha's fan meeting tour in Japan have been sold out.

According to Y&S Communication, Park will make a special guest appearance at the '2008 Premium Concert' at the Super Arena in Saitama Prefecture in Japan on June 7, and begin his fan meeting tour of eight Japanese cities in July.

Park will begin his tour in Sendai on July 5 and go on to Fukuoka on July 8, Sapporo on July 11, Niigata on July 13, Osaka on July 16, Hiroshima on July 18, Nagoya on July 20 and Tokyo on July 23 and July 24. During his tour, the actor and singer will meet with the members of his official Japanese fan club, Summerface Japan.

Y&S Communication recently announced that the tickets had sold out three weeks after ticket sales were launched. For fans who could not obtain tickets, the company extended Park's schedule in Tokyo by one more day, but those extra tickets also quickly sold out.

Park's popularity has soared in recent months due to the success of his recent drama series 'On Air' on SBS. He plans to release his sixth single album in Japan in July.

Park's management agency said although the actor had planned to focus his activities in Japan in the second half of the year, he may have to travel back and forth between Korea and Japan as he has now been offered numerous media appearances in Korea thanks to the success of 'On Air.'

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