Song Kang-Ho 송강호 [“Broker”, “Emergency Declaration”]

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June 15, 2019

 

'Parasite' surpasses 8 million in admissions

SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- The Cannes-winning "Parasite" surpassed 8 million in total admissions on Saturday, looking poised to join other films in the 10 million club.

 

According to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), "Parasite" reached over 8 million in admissions just past 3 p.m. Saturday, the 17th day since its much anticipated release. The family satire directed by Bong Joon-ho earned the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival and has stayed at the top of the local box office since its premiere on May 30.

 

"Parasite" is ahead of the pace set by a handful of earlier films that sold more than 10 million tickets, including Bong's own 2006 film "The Host."

 

"Roaring Currents," a 2014 film about Admiral Yu Sun-shin's heroics in the 16th century, remains the most-viewed film ever in South Korea with 17.6 million admissions.

 

June 14, 2019

 

Bong Joon-ho's Award-Winning Film Still Leads Box Office

 

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

Director Bong Joon-ho's latest film "Parasite" remains at the top of the box office.

 

The film, which won the top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival last month, has attracted over 7.5 million moviegoers in about two weeks since its release here on May 30, according to the Korean Film Council.

 

The award-winning film drew over 1 million moviegoers in just two days and continues to attract a herd of viewers -- 1 million almost every day since then.

 

Buoyed by a host of positive reviews from critics and viewers, the film is expected to continue to dominate the box office despite an onslaught of new releases.

 

"Parasite" revolves around two families whose lives become intertwined when the son from a poor family scams his way into a tutoring job with a wealthy family.

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Thanks to the fans' highlight on twitter (@bh_jinny), the wedding update & pics from Interview365. Held on June 8, the wedding of actress Shin Jae Yi (will update more when confirmed). Fellow actors Lee Byung Hun & Lee Min Jung, Jung Joon Ho and Ahn Sung Ki also attended the wedding ceremony.

 

Song Kang Ho & his son

 

 

Via twitter, courtesy original sharing..

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June 17, 2019

 

Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' wins Sydney Film Festival top prize

SEOUL, June 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" has grabbed the Sydney Film Prize, the main award of the 2019 Sydney Film Festival (SFF), according to the festival's homepage Monday.

 

The awarding of the AUD60,000 (US$41,288) cash prize, which took place during the festival's closing ceremony at the State Theatre in Sydney on Sunday (local time), follows the tragicomedy's winning of the prestigious Palme D'Or at Cannes in late May.

 

"'Parasite' has an outrageous disregard for genre conventions. ... It is tender and brutal, beautiful and harsh, funny and tragic, and a masterwork in its exploration of class," Jury president John Maynard said.

 

The family satire will be released in Australia on June 27.

 

Bong's action-adventure film "Okja" was screened as the closing film at the 2017 SFF.

 

Source: Sydney Film Festival

 

'Parasite' wins top film prize in Sydney

 

By Park Jin-hai The Korea Times

 

Cannes-winning Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" won the Sydney Film Prize, the top prize at this year's Sydney Film Festival. 

 

According to the film festival, the director received the trophy and prize money during the closing ceremony at the State Theatre in Sydney, Sunday. Earlier in late May, Bong's tragicomedy won Cannes Film Festival's most coveted Palme D'Or, making Korean film history. 

 

The Sydney Film Prize is awarded to the most "audacious, cutting-edge and courageous" film in the festival's official competition. John Maynard, jury president of the festival, was quoted as saying, "Parasite has an outrageous disregard for genre conventions ― it is tender and brutal; beautiful and harsh; funny and tragic and a masterwork in its exploration of class."

 

The director's 2017 film "Okja" was selected as the closing film at the same film festival in the past. Australian movie fans can Bong's latest film when it is released in the country on June 27. 

 

In the meantime, Bong's film, telling the story of two families, one rich and one poor, continues to show strong ticket sales at the local box office. Currently ranked second, the film has attracted over 8 million moviegoers since its May 30 release. 

 

'Parasite' was sold to film contributors of a record 192 foreign countries. The film was released in France, on June 5, and showed a record first-week box office performance for a Korean movie, attracting some 260,000 viewers in the country. 

 

It will be released in Switzerland on June 19, followed by Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore and others the same month. Also included countries are Romania and the Netherlands in November and Hungary in December. 

 

The release date for the North American market is set for Oct. 11, during the wild "Oscar Race" season, when many Oscar contenders will be screened. 

jinhai@koreatimes.co.kr 

 

Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' grabs Sydney Film Prize after winning Palme D'Or at Cannes

Source: Arirang news

 

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' has won the Sydney Film Festival's main award, the Sydney Film Prize.
 

Just weeks after becoming the first South Korean filmmaker to win the prestigious Palme D'Or at Cannes, Bong received the Sydney award on Sunday at the festival's closing ceremony.
 

The festival's Jury President said 'Parasite' "has an outrageous disregard for genre conventions," and is a "masterwork in its exploration of class."
 

Two years ago, Bong's previous film 'Okja' was selected as the closing film at the festival.
 

'Parasite' goes on nationwide release in Australia on June 27th.

 

Reporter : siyoungchoi@arirang.com

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June 18, 2019

 

Song Kang-ho Loses No Time Starring in New Movie After 'Parasite'
 

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

 

Publicity stills for Song Kang-ho's new movie released on Monday have piqued curiosity about what the actor can show this time since he has already been the focus of attention due to his role in the globally acclaimed film "Parasite."

 

Song plays the role of King Sejong, who was behind the invention of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, in the 15th century, in the upcoming period film "The King's Letters."

 

 

It will be interesting to see how he portrays the not-well-known human side of one of the greatest kings of Korean history and brings to life the story behind the invention of Hangeul.

 

"As an actor, it was an honor to play King Sejong. I've got to know more about him that history didn't tell us and feel how great and humane he was," Song said.  

 

Park Hae-il and Jeon Mi-sun co-star in the movie, which is set for release on July 24.

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June 18, 2019

 

THE KING’S LETTERS to Kick Off Korean High Summer Season

SONG Kang-ho and PARK Hae-il Reunite for 3rd Blockbuster

 

by Pierce Conran KOFIC

 

 

This year’s high summer season in Korea will be ushered in by The King’s Letters, a new period drama starring SONG Kang-ho and PARK Hae-il. From veteran producer and writer but first time director CHO Chul-hyun, the film will be released by Megabox Plus M on July 24.

 

This true life story follows the joint efforts made by King Sejong (SONG Kang-ho) and the Venerable monk Shin-mi (PARK Hae-il) to create the Hunminjungeum script (commonly known as Hangul) which became Korea’s popular writing system.

 

SONG is currently on screens in BONG Joon-ho’s Palme d’Or-winning PARASITE, which just crossed the eight million viewer mark at the box office. PARK was recently seen in ZHANG Lu’s Ode to the Goose (2018), which debuted as a gala screening at the Busan International Film Festival last year. SONG and PARK have appeared on screen together twice before for director BONG Joon-ho, in his acclaimed box office hits Memories Of Murder (2003) and The Host (2006). The film also features JEON Mi-sun (Hide and Seek, 2013), CHOI Duk-mun (The Drug King, 2018) and NAM Mun-cheol (Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage).

 

Director CHO is well known for his collaborations with Director LEE Joon-ik, having penned and/or produced many of his most well-known period dramas, including The Throne (2015), for which he wrote the script.

 

Though exact dates remain to be announced, the other major contenders during the peak summer season in 2019 will be CJ Entertainment’s disaster film EXIT, the supernatural action-drama The Divine Fury from Lotte Entertainment and Showbox’s period battle drama The Battle: Roar to Victory.

 

(HanCinema.net)

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Parasite Art by gree.jj

 

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June 20, 2019

 

Cannes-winning 'Parasite' invited to multiple international film festivals
 

SEOUL, June 20 (Yonhap) -- "Parasite," the winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, will hit several other international film festivals in 2019, the movie's management agency said Thursday.

 

CJ ENM said "Parasite" and director Bong Joon-ho have been invited to three more international film festivals -- the Munich International Film Festival, which begins this month in Germany, the Locarno Film Festival in August in Locarno, Switzerland, and the Lumiere Film Festival in October in Lyon, France.

 

The Munich film event is the second biggest film festival in Germany, after the Berlin International Film Festival. Bong won the Munich International Film Festival's award for novice director in 2001 with his first full-length film, "Barking Dogs Never Bite."

 

This photo provided by CJ ENM shows Bong Joon-ho with the top prize from the 2019 Sydney Film Festival. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

This year's event is slated for June 27-July 6 during which Bong's seven previous films, including "Barking Dogs Never Bite" and "Snowpiercer," will be screened in a special retrospective program dedicated to the South Korean director.

 

"Parasite" will compete with nine other films for the festival's top prize, CJ said.

 

Bong will accompany Song Kang-ho, one of the film's lead actors and a long-time collaborator of Bong, to the Locarno Film Festival to be held Switzerland in August.

 

There, Song will be given the festival's Excellence Award -- making him the first Asian actor to receive it -- in recognition of his original talent, according to CJ.

 

The Swiss festival will also feature a special event to screen Bong's much-celebrated 2003 film, "Memories of Murder."

 

On Sunday, "Parasite" was awarded the top prize at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival.

 

After recording a rare commercial hit as a global film festival-winning film at home, the movie has started to hit screens outside of South Korea.

 

It was released in Switzerland last Sunday and is this week set to screen in theaters in Hong Kong and Vietnam on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

 

Next week, it will be released in Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.

 

Going forward, it will come out in Russia and Thailand in July; the Philippines and Malaysia in August; Germany and Poland in September; the Czech Republic, Spain, Greece and North American countries in October; Romania and the Netherlands in November; and Hungary in December.

 

Many other countries including Italy, Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Israel, Turkey and Japan are currently in discussion with CJ over screening "Parasite."

 

In South Korea, the film had recorded an accumulated 8.64 million admissions as of Wednesday, following its release here on May 30.

 

The film, a crossover between a comedy and thriller, deals with the striking economic class division between two families in a dark but hilarious manner.

 

pbr@yna.co.kr

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June 21, 2019

 

 The Best Movie Stars Chosen by the Audience
Actors Song Kang Ho and Kim Hye Soo are first choice

 

Source: Naver news, thanks to mistymorning for the gist

In conjunction with the 100 Years of Korean Cinema (1919-2019) anniversary, Maeil Business Newspaper and CGV Research Center have conducted a survey taken by 1,200 moviegoers nationwide for the best man and woman of Korean movies. The survey featured a multiple-answer questionnaire listing the Daejong (Grand Bell) award winners to choose from.

 

Song Kang Ho, who won the support with 56.2% and Kim Hye Soo, who recorded 58.9% topped the list for male and female actors respectively. 

 

1st place: Song Kang Ho (56.2) and Kim Hye Soo (58.9)
2nd: Hwang Jung ‌Min (44.8) and Son Ye Jin (39.9)
3rd: Lee Byung Hun (39.2) and Jeon Do Yeon (31.5)
4th: Jo Seung Woo (30.3) and Moon So Ri (26.9)
5th: Choi Min Sik (25.4) and Jeon Ji Hyun (25.2)

 

 

Thanks to a fan-highlight at SYJ thread, article on previous online survey on actors who will likely bring successful result to Korean movies.

 

May 27, 2019

 

Who will be making a movie and making it a big hit?

 

Source: Digital Chosun

 

 

1. Song Kang Ho

2. Yoo Ah In

3. Ha Jung Woo

4. Son Ye Jin

5. Lee Byung Hun

6. Lee Jung Jae

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June 23, 2019

 

Korean films ready for summer blockbuster season

 

Song Kang-ho is seen in the upcoming film "The King's Letters." / Courtesy of Megabox

 

By Park Jin-hai The Korea Times

 

Upcoming Korean films are fully loaded with diverse genres and star casts, targeting audiences for the summer peak season.

 

From classic period dramas and disaster movies to films about the occult and thrillers, Korean films hiring veteran actors and rising stars will vie fiercely for viewers' attention in the most lucrative season of the year. Traditionally, cinema admissions tallied between July and August amount to 50 million, or approximately one quarter of the annual total. During the period between late July and late August, in particular, when most students and workers are on summer vacation, local movie theaters see 35 million tickets sold.

 

It is a boon for movie fans, fatigued with a lack of diversity in Korean films. 

 

Veteran actor Song Kang-ho, the star of award-winning film "Parasite," will return as King Sejong, or Sejong the Great, in the upcoming period film "The King's Letters." The film will feature the last eight years of the fourth king of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom. When only Chinese characters were used, knowledge was monopolized by people with power, so the king teams up with venerable monk Shin-mi, played by Park Hae-il, to invent Hangeul in 1443, which became Korea's popular writing system. 

 

In Cho Chul-hyun's directorial debut, actor Song is expected to unearth various other aspects of the king as a human being than what people know of as the inventor of Hangeul. It will hit local theaters on July 24.

 

A scene from the film "EXIT" / Courtesy of CJ Entertainment

 

The disaster comedy film "EXIT" will be released soon after. The film, starring Jo Jung-suk and Im Yoon-ah, tells the story of the young, unemployed Yong-nam, played by Jo, and his former college club junior Eui-joo, played by Im, and their reunion interrupted by a disaster. The two work together to escape the city attacked by a mysterious toxic gas. 

 

Expectations are high for the film's mix of action-filled spectacles and comic elements. "EXIT" will be released on July 31. 

 

Upcoming action film "The Divine Fury," starring heartthrob Park Seo-joon and veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki, will tell the tale of a martial arts champion and a priest who team up in order to fight a powerful evil force. Actor Park takes the role of a champion who gains divine powers. It will be action-packed along with occult elements. 

 

"In the scenes shooting people getting possessed by evil spirits, we incorporated analogue filming methods and digital methods to make entirely new scenes. It includes a lot of spectacles and movie fans will be able to enjoy both Japanese type horror and Western horror elements in the film," Jason Kim, screenwriter and director of the film, told local media recently. "The Divine Fury" will be released in late July. 

 

"Battle of Fengwudong," starring Yu Hae-jin and Ryu Jun-yeol, will invite moviegoers into the historic battle of June 1920, between Korean independence militias and Japanese forces in Manchuria. 

 

It has been recorded as one of the earliest domestic support operations of the Korean independence fighters, who made the battle a victory despite a notable handicap in weapons and number of fighters. 

 

The war action flick will hit local theaters in August. 

jinhai@koreatimes.co.kr 

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June 23, 2019

 

Cannes-winning 'Parasite' tops 9 million admissions in S. Korea

 

SEOUL, June 23 (Yonhap) -- "Parasite," the winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, has surpassed 9 million in ticket sales and is running toward the 10 million milestone, data showed Sunday.

 

The comedy-thriller film by Bong Joon-ho drew 9,000,284 moviegoers as of Sunday morning, 25 days after its official release on local screens, according to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

 

The film surpassed the 5 million threshold on its eighth day on the screen before hitting the 8 million mark on the 17th day.

 

Currently, "Parasite" is ranked fourth at the box office and is running toward the milestone of 10 million admissions, a rare commercial hit for Korean films recognized at prominent international film festivals.

 

The film has also set a new Korean cinematic record, having been sold to a record high number of 202 foreign countries.

 

This photo provided by Cheong Wa Dae shows President Moon Jae-in (C) and first lady Kim Jung-sook watching "Parasite" at a theater in central Seoul on June 23, 2019. (PHOTO NOR FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

Having won the top prize at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival a week earlier, "Parasite" has also been invited to three more international film festivals -- the Munich International Film Festival, which begins this month in Germany; the Locarno Film Festival in August in Locarno, Switzerland; and the Lumiere Film Festival in October in Lyon, France.

 

The film, a crossover between a comedy and thriller, deals with the striking economic class division between two families in a dark but hilarious manner.

 

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook took time out of their weekend to watch the film at a movie theater in central Seoul.

 

Flanked by top presidential secretaries including chief of staff Noh Young-min, the presidential couple enjoyed the film at the theater in Seoul's Yongsan district.

 

Moon earlier lauded "Parasite" for elevating the global reputation of Korean culture one step higher after the film won the top Cannes award and voiced his wish to watch the film.

 

pbr@yna.co.kr

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June 24, 2019

 

Cannes-winning 'Parasite' becomes most-watched Korean film in France

 

SEOUL, June 24 (Yonhap) -- "Parasite," winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, has set a new record in admissions in France among Korean films released there, the film's overseas distributor said Monday.

 

As of Saturday, the comedy-thriller by Bong Joon-ho had drawn 681,122 moviegoers since its French release on June 5, CJ ENM said.

 

The ticket sales are the highest for any Korean film released in the European country, surpassing the previous record of 678,049 set by Bong's 2013 feature "Snowpiercer," according to CJ ENM.

 

"Parasite" also secured the top place on the French box office chart last Monday, outstripping "Men in Black: International" and "X-Men: Dark Phoenix," it added.

In South Korea, "Parasite" is on its way to hit 10 million admissions after passing the 9 million mark on Sunday.

 

Meanwhile, the film has set a new Korean cinematic record by being sold to 202 foreign countries.

 

It has so far been released in South Korea, France, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Indonesia, and will hit screens in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand on Thursday and Taiwan on Friday.

 

Moviegoers in many other countries, including Russia, Germany, Poland, Canada, the United States, Spain, Greece and Hungary, will be able to see the movie in the coming months.

 

"Parasite" also grabbed the top honor at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival on June 16. The film, which mixes elements of comedy and thriller, deals with the striking economic class division between two families in a dark but hilarious manner.

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June 25, 2019

 

New movie 'The King's Letters'

 

The stars of the new movie "The King's Letters" -- Park Hae-il, Jeon Mi-sun and Song Kang-ho (L to R) -- pose for a photo during a publicity event in Seoul on June 25, 2019. The movie will be released in South Korea on July 24. (Yonhap)

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Photos: HODU&U Entertainment

 

 

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June 25, 2019

 

HanCinema's News

Following Success of "Parasite" Expectations Are High for Song Kang-ho and "The King's Letters"

 

By William Schwartz HanCinema.net

 

While Song Kang-ho has already had a big hit this year in the form of "Parasite", his real major movie this year is "The King's Letters". Song Kang-ho will play the role of King Sejong, and depict the unseen agony and loneliness he went through for the sake of producing the Korean alphabet.

 

 

Song Kang-ho has described the opportunity to play King Sejong as being an honor. Song Kang-ho stated that there's quite a bit of pressure related to his taking on a role of such historical importance. Still, he felt it was important to take the opportunity now.

 

"The King's Letters" will also be Song Kang-ho's first reappearance with his "Memories of Murder" co-star Park Hae-il. While Song Kang-ho played the lead role in that film, Park Hae-il's part was minor by comparison. Still, for both of them to be on screen together again is a reminder of just how far their careers have progressed since then.

 

Song Kang-ho has joked how between the two of them, he's the only one that looks old now. Song Kang-ho has described seeing Park Hae-il and Jun Mi-sun, who also appeared in "Memories of Murder", as being something like a family reunion experience. Park Hae-il has echoed this sentiment in his own comments.

 

The casting element has raised the profiles and ambitions of "The King's Letters" as a project, as the movie appears to be trying to revive the synergy and transformative nature of the older film, albeit with a completely different genre. "The King's Letters" will open at the domestic South Korean box office on July 24th some sixteen years after "Memories of Murder" did.

 

Written by William Schwartz

 

___________

 

"The King's Letters" is directed by Jo Cheol-hyeon, and features Song Kang-ho, Park Hae-il, Jun Mi-sun, Choi Deok-moon, Nam Moon-chul, Jung Hae-kyun. Release date in Korea: 2019/07/24.

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June 26, 2019

 

Unveiling the secrets behind hangul’s origins:

‘The King’s Letters’ brings together some of Korea’s top stars
 

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

 

From left, director Cho Chul-hyun, and actors Chun Mi-sun, Park Hae-il and Song Kang-ho sit at the press conference held at Dongdaemun branch of Megabox in central Seoul, for their latest film “The King’s Letters,” set to be released in theaters on July 24. [NEWS1]

 

Before anyone has seen a minute of the upcoming “The King’s Letters,” all of the talk about the film has focused on the film’s three stars: Song Kang-ho, Park Hae-il and Chun Mi-sun. The trio of actors have been reunited for the first time since their work together in “Memories of Murder” (2003). Added with the fact that Song plays King Sejong the Great and the story of how hangul was created in the final eight years of the king’s life, local audiences are buzzing with excitement. 

 

“I finally escaped the underground basement to travel back some 600 years to play the role of one of the greatest kings in of all Korean history,” said Song, alongside Park, Chun and director Cho Chul-hyun at a press conference for the film held on Tuesday. “When I read over the script, I could truly sympathize with the king’s brimming desire and determination to make the country as culturally prosperous which ultimately led to the creation of Hangul. We have only known the result of his legacy, but have never actually felt the loneliness and pain the king had to go through during the process.” 

 

The film is Cho’s directorial debut, but he has been thinking about the movie for the last 15 years. He’s worked in the film industry for 30 years as a scriptwriter and a producer. Cho has always thought that the most profound achievements of the nation were the Tripitaka Koreana, the complete collection of Buddhist scriptures carved on over 80,000 woodblocks and stored for over 760 years, and the Hunminjeongeum, the initial name of hangul created by King Sejong in 1443. When Cho found a link that connects the two, he felt that he could spin a tale that was both enrapturing and historically meaningful. 

 

“There are many rumors and theories behind hangul’s creation,” said Cho. “We focused on one of them to develop, which is that there was a hidden helper who played a critical role in assisting the king create the language.” While the director dug into his research for the film, he found that monk Shin-mi was mentioned 69 times in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), which he thought was no mere coincidence. More questions followed his search, such as why the Hangul creation project was kept a secret from rest of the king’s other loyal subjects. 

 

“I came to understand that the project [had to] be top secret if the king of a Confucian country and a Buddhist monk were collaborating to establish a national letter system.” 

 

Song Kang-ho plays King Sejong the Great, who created hangul. [MEGABOX PLUS M]

 

Although Shin-mi was mentioned dozens of times in the records, Cho found no positive remarks about the monk, which led him to believe that there was a reason why the Buddhist’s name still crept up so often when it was almost historically impossible for a monk to be recorded in the official records of Confucian country. 

 

The director also had personal reasons for wanting to bring his discovery to film. “My mother’s deepest regret was that she was illiterate,” the director said, seemingly at a loss for words as he fought back tears. 

 

In a preview clip shown at the press conference, beautiful backgrounds that balance nature and Unesco World Heritage sites, where some of the film was shot, are seen. Some scenes in the movie were filmed at Geunjeong Hall and the Main Throne Hall of Gyeongbok Palace, central Seoul, Haein Temple in Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang, which houses the Tripitaka Koreana, and Muryangsu Hall of Buseok Temple in North Gyeongsang. 

 

“I remember the scenes [we filmed] inside Haein Temple, because it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, even for an actor,” Park, who plays the Shin-mi monk in the film, said. “It definitely wasn’t an easy process to attain permission from the Cultural Heritage Administration to film at these precious sites. But the production crew managed to convince the organization by explaining the motive of our work.” 

 

The actor added that the heritage sites became almost like a secondary character in the story that distinguishes their film from other movies. 

 

Chun agreed that the beauty of the backgrounds is something worthwhile to see on screen. However, even before it was confirmed that the movie was going to be filmed at some of the country’s most well-known heritage sites, she was immediately taken with the character of Queen Soheon. 

 

“[In the script] she was the person who I wanted to become,” the actor said. “The queen is someone who constantly encourages the king and the monk to create hangul.” She also liked the fact that the queen’s contribution was emphasized in the story, which differentiates the character from other historical dramas in which female characters tend to remain passive, or are sub plots to spice up the story. 

 

“I don’t believe that spoilers actually ruin the film,” Cho said. “For this film, I want the audience to really do their research and know the history before they see it. And when they see the film, I want people to focus on the feel and atmosphere instead of the plot.” He believes that having knowledge about history will make the film more entertaining. 

 

“The King’s Letters” is slated to hit the theaters on July 24. 

 

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]

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June 26, 2019

 

HanCinema's News

"Parasite" Emerges as Early Contender for Oscars Next Year

 

By William Schwartz HanCinema.net

 

A recently published report by the American entertainment periodical Variety has singled out "Parasite" as a possible contender for next year's Academy Awards ceremony. While the mention is very brief, it has attracted strong attention, because "Parasite" is discussed alongisde domestic American films for a potential Best Picture nomination - it was not pigeonholed as being a strong contender only in the Best Foreign Film category.

 

The report is admittedly limited in outlook, as for now it has to limit itself to films that came out in the first half of the year. The column also specifically disclaims reasonable discussion of the Best Foreign Film category for future columns - which makes "Parasite"'s mention all the more surprising - although perhaps unavoidable, given that the near universally acclaimed film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival by an all accounts wide margin.

 

Director Bong Joon-ho has been reassured by the strong positive reaction to the film. "Parasite" has also benefited from a strong domestic response to the tune of over nine million viewers. A tentative October release is planned for "Parasite" in the North American market. The movie has already broken box office records in France - the delay is most likely to insure that "Parasite" will continue to dominate awards discussion late in the year when there will be more well known competition.

 

- William Schwartz

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June 26, 2019

 

BONG Joon-ho’s PARASITE Adds Karlovy Vary and Locarno to Festival Calendar
Korean Palme d’Or Winner to Be Screened at Prestigious Festivals

 

by Pierce Conran KOFIC

 

PARASITE, the award-winning box office smash that marks director BONG Joon-ho’s return to Korean filmmaking after a decade away, has added a pair of prestigious events to its festival lineup. The acclaimed film is set to screen this summer at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in the Czech Republic and the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, both among the oldest film festivals in the world, founded in 1946, the same year as the Cannes Film Festival.

 

The 54th KVIFF is taking place from June 28 to July 6 while the 72nd edition of Locarno will take place from August 7 to 17. The film’s star SONG Kang-ho will also be in attendance at the latter as he will become the first ever Asian actor to receive the Excellence Award.

 

BONG’s latest made history last month by becoming the first Korean film in competition to take home the Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. The film went on to win the top prize from the Sydney International Film Festival this month and has turned into a box office behemoth at home, welcoming well over nine million spectators to date.

 

SONG Kang-ho and LEE Sun-kyun play the heads of two families at the opposite ends of the social spectrum that become entangled in unusual ways. CHOI Woo-shik, PARK So-dam and JANG Hye-jin form the rest of SONG’s family, while JO Yeo-jeong plays LEE’s wife.

 

Beyond festival dates, the film has also begun to screen around the world, after being pre-sold to a record 192 countries. Among those is France, where it has become the most well-attended Korean theatrical release ever in the market, which close to 700,000 admissions after 18 days on release. Meanwhile, distributor Neon is expected to release the film in North America on October 11.

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June 29, 2019

June Movie Star Brand Reputation Rankings Announced

Source: Soompi by E. Cha

 

 

The Korean Business Research Institute has revealed this month’s brand reputation rankings for film actors!

 

The rankings were determined through an analysis of the consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community awareness indexes of 50 popular movie stars, using big data collected from May 27 to June 28.

 

The cast of director Bong Joon Ho’s new film “Parasite,” which recently made history as the first Korean movie ever to win the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, dominated this month’s rankings. Six of the top 10 spots on the list went to the stars of “Parasite,” with Song Kang Ho and Choi Woo Shik topping the rankings at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. Lee Sun Gyun came in at No. 4 for June, followed by Park So Dam at No. 5, Jo Yeo Jeong at No. 6, and Lee Jung Eun at No. 8.

 

Song Kang Ho earned a total brand reputation index of 9,400,269 for the month, while his co-star Choi Woo Shik scored a total index of 6,990,409. High-ranking phrases in Song Kang Ho’s keyword analysis included “Parasite,” “Bong Joon Ho,” and “film festival,” while his highest-ranking related terms included “certain,” “trust,” and “transformation.”

 

Actress Im Soo Jung, who is currently starring in the new tvN drama “Search: WWW,” took third place for the month with a brand reputation index of 6,625,530.

 

Check out this month’s top 30 below!

 

1. Song Kang Ho
2. Choi Woo Shik
3. Im Soo Jung
4. Lee Sun Gyun
5. Park So Dam
6. Jo Yeo Jeong
7. Han Ji Min
8. Lee Jung Eun
9. Park Bo Young
10. Park Seo Joon
11. Lee Jung Jae
12. Gong Yoo
13. Jeon Hye Jin
14. Jang Dong Gun
15. Kim Ok Bin
16. Kim Da Mi
17. Lee El
18. Jo Jung Suk
19. Ma Dong Seok
20. Lee Sung Min
21. Lee Jin Wook
22. So Ji Sub
23. Kim Dong Wook
24. Lee Seo Jin
25. Ryu Jun Yeol
26. Kim Rae Won
27. Yoo Jae Myung
28. Yeo Jin Goo
29. Go Joon
30. Yoo Ah In

 

Source (1)

Top Photo Credit: Xportsnews

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Just 4 days ago, she was at 'The King's Letters' press conference with SKH and PHI. 

 

June 30, 2019

 

Actress' death saddens friends, fans

 

Actress Jeon Mi-seon answers questions from reporters during a news conference to preview the forthcoming movie "The King's Letters" at Megabox cinema in Jung-gu, Tuesday./ Yonhap

 

By Jung Hae-myoung The Korea Times

 

Actress Jeon Mi-seon's sudden death came as a shock even to those close to her, because she appeared to have no reason to cut her life short. 

 

Her death was reported days after she, along with other actors, met reporters in Seoul to promote the forthcoming movie, "The King's Letters."

 

The film is scheduled to hit local theaters in July. After having a short break, Jeon was to join the KBS TV series "Joseon Rom-com: Nokdujeon." 

 

Jeon, 50, had been busy, traveling the country with the touring play "Two Nights and Three Days with My Mother." She was found dead at a hotel in the southwestern city of Jeonju. She was scheduled to perform in the play there Sunday. 

 

Her agency Boaz Entertainment said the actress had been taking medication for depression. 

 

"Ms. Jeon had been receiving medical treatment for depression," Boaz Entertainment said Saturday. "Please pray for her, and we hope for the sake of the bereaved, people refrain from spreading unconfirmed rumors or speculative reports about her death." 

 

Police said they found no evidence of intruders in her hotel room. She checked into the hotel at 1 a.m. after hanging out with fellow actors and staff. The last phone call she made was a brief phone conversation with her father at 1:50 a.m.

 

According to police, their phone conversation was brief, less than five minutes, and she is believed to have died around 2 a.m. No suicide note was found. 

 

Those who are familiar with the actress said one of Jeon's family members passed away recently and her mother was also sick. 

 

Jeon, 50, was a veteran actress with 30 years in show business. She debuted in 1989 in the hit KBS drama "Toji, The Land" which is based on a historical novel with the same title.

 

She appeared in many popular TV series as a supporting actress. "Years of Upheaval" and "Fields of Home" were two of the more popular dramas she acted in. 

 

Jeon was also active on the big screen and appeared in several hit films, including "Let's Look at the Sky Sometimes" and "Christmas in August."

 

Despite her prolific career, she once said in a media interview that she felt she was unfit for show business and left it for a while in the 1990s to explore a career in fashion and design, a stint she said was unsuccessful. 

 

Director Kim Dae-seung's "Bungee Jumping of Their Own" was a turning point in her life and she realized she should return to acting. 

 

After she was cast in "Memories of Murder," and "Miss Mermaid," Jeon later remarked that she "was meant to be an actress" 

 

Jeon was cast in many dramas, including "Hwanjini," "Bread, Love, and Dreams," and "Reply 1988." Among the shows, Jeon played the mother of Kim Tak-ku, the main actor of "Break, Love and Dreams" which had ratings of 49.3 percent. 

 

Jeon won multiple acting awards, including Best Actress at the Korea Gold Awards, and the Excellence Award for the film "Hide and Seek" in 2013. 

 

She was found dead in the bathroom of her hotel room in Jeonju, at 11:43 a.m. Saturday. Her manager found her lying on the floor and called 119, but she had already passed away. 

 

A three day memorial is taking place at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, and the funeral ceremony will take place on July 2 at 5:30 a.m. 

 

hmjung@koreatimes.co.kr 

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June 30, 2019

 

"Rest in Peace", Song Kang-ho, Yum Jung-ah and Others Say Goodbye to Jeon Mi-sun

 

 

Celebrities Mourn The Loss Of Jeon Mi Sun

Source: Soompi by Y. Shin

 

On June 30, many celebrities came to pay their respects to deceased actress Jeon Mi Sun at a funeral home located in Asan Medical Center.

 

The previous day, it was reported that the actress was found dead in a hotel room in Jeonju, North Jeolla province. Her agency released a statement and said, “We ask for your condolences, and we ask the media to refrain from reporting on unconfirmed rumors and speculations out of respect for her family, who are in shock and grief-stricken.”

 

The bereaved family greeted visitors at around 11 a.m. Jeon Mi Sun’s son, mother, and brother, as well as film director and husband Park Sang Hoon, mourned near the actress’s mortuary.

 

Other visitors included Song Kang Ho, who comforted Jeon Mi Sun’s family until the late afternoon, and director Bong Joon Ho. In an interview with Yonhap News, the director stated, “It doesn’t feel real.”

 

Others celebrities to offer their condolences included Yum Jung Ah, Yoon Se Ah, Na Young Hee, Yoon Yoo Sun, Yoon Shi Yoon, Kim Dong Wook, Park So Dam, Jang Hyun Sung, Jung Yu Mi, and many more.

 

Bouquets of flowers were also placed in front of the mortuary by members of the Korean Film Commission, those from the film “The King’s Letters,” staff from her agency, and various actors.

 

Before the mortuary was set up, actors such as Kim Kwon, Yoo Seo Jin, Kwon Hae Sung, Han Ji Il, and Yoon Se Ah expressed their grief through their social media accounts. Yoon Se Ah wrote, “Rest well, you beautiful person.”

 

Sources from the drama “Nokdujeon” (literal title) also stated, “She was about to start filming [the drama], so we’re all filled with deep sadness.”

 

The funeral processions will take place on July 2.

 

Source (1)