Kim Yun Jin 김윤진

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April 9, 2010

Korean filmmakers awarded at Green Planet Movie Awards

One of Hollywood’s largest award ceremonies, the 2010 Green Planet Movie Awards presented 4 prizes to Mother by South Korean auteur BONG Joon-ho. The deftly executed crime-drama, which had its local release in 2009 and a limited US run last month, picked up awards for Best Foreign Language Film, Best International Director, Best International Film and Best International Drama.

The ceremony, held March 23rd in Los Angeles, honors works from both Hollywood and Asia through a viewers’ choice poll of critics and film lovers from around the world. The event hands out 100 awards in categories that span Asian, Hollywood, Humanitarian and Environmental films.

Along with Mother, actor and pop-sensation Rain (JUNG Ji-hoon) was named Best International Entertainer, Asian Cultural Ambassador of the Year, and one of 10 Outstanding Asians in Hollywood.

Actors CHOI Min-sik and LEE Byung-hun were both selected among the 10 Best International Actors of the Decade while top Korean screen actress KIM Hye-soo and KIM Yun-jin of US TV series Lost and Korean film Seven Days were named one of the 10 Best International Actresses of the Decade.

Credits: Nigel D’Sa (KOFIC)

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April 21, 2010

Kim Yun-jin to arrive in Korea today

Reporter.Park So-yoen Editor.Lucia Hong

Picture of Korean actress Kim Yun-jin [L'Oreal]

Actress Kim Yun-jin will be arriving in Korea today, attending an event later in the week which will mark her first public appearance since getting married last month. "Kim will be flying in today to attend a function on Sunday held by L'Oreal for which she currently is the spokesmodel," said an official at her agency Zion Entertainment, adding that she will also greet her fans for a short time during the event.

The actress had made headlines last month after announcing just a day before her wedding on March 29 that she would marry Park Jeong-hyuk, a movie producer and also the head of her agency. The two held a private wedding ceremony in Hawaii and had stayed on the island since with Kim shooting the last season of ABC hit series "Lost."

Her performance in the Emmy Award-winning show has made her the first South Korean actress to make a breakthrough into the U.S. entertainment industry. Kim, who grew up in New York, rose to fame in 1999 with her role as a North Korean spy in the first-ever Korean blockbuster "Swiri."

Reporter : Park So-yoen muse@ Editor : Lucia Hong luciahong@ <ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved> 10.asiae.co.kr

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April 26, 2010

Kim Yun-jin signs autograph at L'Oreal promotion

Photographer.Lee Ki-bum Editor.Jessica Kim

Actress Kim Yun-jin signs her autograph at an event promoting cosmetics brand L'Oreal at Lotte Department Store in Seoul, South Korea on April 25, 2010.

Actress Kim Yun-jin poses at an autograph session promoting cosmetics brand L'Oreal at Lotte Department Store in Seoul, South Korea on April 25, 2010.

Actress Kim Yun-jin arrives at an autograph session promoting cosmetics brand L'Oreal at Lotte Department Store in Seoul, South Korea on April 25, 2010.

Photographer : Lee Ki-bum metro83@ Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@ <ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved> 10.asiae.co.kr

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July 12, 2010

Kim Yun-jin to star in new suspense film with Park Hae-il

Reporter: Lynn Kim Editor: Jessica Kim

Korean actress Kim Yun-jin [Zion Entertainment]

Korean actress Kim Yun-jin is set to star alongside actor Park Hae-il in a new suspense film tentatively titled "The Confrontation," according to the film's distributor Lotte Entertainment.

Lotte Entertainment said in a press release that Kim and Park have been cast for lead roles in the film, playing a mother who has to save her daughter and a son who must protect his mother, respectively.

Kim will portray a character named Chae Yeon-hee, a woman who had been living a fulfilling, love-filled life until she discovers her inner demon and starts to struggle.

This is the second time, since the hit film "Seven Days" in 2007, that the actress will be attempting to save her daughter on the big screen. "If my character in 'Seven Days' was a strong woman who seemed to be able to solve anything, Yeon-hee in 'Confrontation' is a helplessly vulnerable and sensitive character," the actress was quoted as saying. "That is why the extreme circumstances thrown to her broke my heart all the more."

Kim, who grew up in Staten Island, New York, rose to fame in 1999 after starring in Korea's first blockbuster film "Swiri" as a North Korean spy.

In 2004, she became the first South Korean actress to make a breakthrough into the US entertainment industry when she was cast as one of the main characters in the Emmy Award-winning drama "Lost."

"Confrontation," which started shooting last Friday, will open in theaters later this year.

Reporter: Lynn Kim lynn2878 @ Editor: Jessica Kim jesskim @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved> 10Asia

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September 13, 2010

Star Supporters join 'Good Downloader' Campaign

Source: news.nate.com 1 l 2 l 3 l 4

Thanks to

ylin

at EverythingLBH for the related VOD

The Good Downloader feature on CINE21 thanks to the fan-sharing at GBW cafe.daum 6288 with bigger, actual scans.

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September 15, 2010

Zhang Ziyi attends press conference in Korea for Special Olympics

Reporter: Lucia Hong Editor: Jessica Kim

L-R: Democratic Party member Lee Kwang-jae, Korea PR Ambassador Kim Yun-jin, Special Olympics athlete Kim Yuna, Grand National Party member Na Kyung-won and international PR ambassador Zhang Ziyi at the press conference for the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games held at the Grand Hilton Hotel. [Ogilvy]

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi attended a press conference in Korea for the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games, according to a press release from the event promoter's Ogilvy on Wednesday.

The actress, who has been appointed the international PR ambassador for the event, arrived in Korea on September 14 to take part in the press conference for the Special Olympics held at the Grand Hilton Hotel earlier today.

Zhang Ziyi and Korean actress Kim Yun-jin, the PR ambassador for Korea, were in attendance alongisde other notable figures including California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nadia Comanceci (former Olympic gymnast and vice chair of Special Olympics International) and Grand National Party member Na Kyung-won.

The Special Olympics, founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, offers opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities to compete in various Olympic-type sports.

The sporting event, held every two years alternating between summer and winter, brings together over 3.5 million athletes from 170 countries. The next Olympics will be held in Athens, Greece for ten days starting June 25, 2011 and two years later in Pyeongchang, Korea.

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Grand National Party member Na Kyung-won at the press conference for the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games held at the Grand Hilton Hotel. [Ogilvy]

Reporter: Lucia Hong luciahong@ Editor: Jessica Kim jesskim@ <ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved> 10Asia

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September 16, 2010

Kim Yun-jin (left) and Zhang Ziyi attend a press event in Seoul on Wednesday announcing the 2013 Special Olympics in Pyeongchang. The actresses have been appointed promotional ambassadors for the Olympics. /Newsis

Source: englishnews@chosun.com

[rubie]

Thanks to

ylin

at EverythingLBH

MBC Section TV - Good Downloader Interview

Thanks to cafe.daum.net/goodbadweird - Smile LBH for sharing

Clearer and better photos from

blog.daum

, highlighted at nate.com

our thanks to the original fan-sharing

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Thanks to the highlight at GBW cafe.daum 6320, captures from CINE21

[Guest mandalaywith]

15th Pusan International Film Festival Opening Ceremony & Redcarpet HD Vod

All vod uplod by mandalaywith

Kim Yun Jin is come.

Tudou.com link

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/Z7t3lf3t8p0/

youku link

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjEzMDM3MzY4.html

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Thanks to the fan-highlight & sharing at GBWcafe.daum 6354 & 6352

Good Downloader 2010 Star Supporters interview clip

Streaming

& HERE

I'm a Good Downloader captures uploaded by ylin

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October 25, 2010

Movie 'Harmony' Starring Kim Yoon Jin to Be Released in Japan Next January

Source: KBS Global

The melodrama movie "Harmony" (directed by Kang Dae Kyu and produced by JK Film), in which Kim Yoon Jin and Na Moon Hee appear as the leading actresses, will be released all around Japan next January.

In addition, "Harmony" had already been premiered in the event entitled "Korea Cinema Week 2010" that had been held at the Shinjuku Mirano 1 in Tokyo on October 23 as part of the Tokyo International Film Festival. The event had been hosted by the Korean Culture Center at the Korean Embassy in Japan. The director, Kang Dae Kyu, and the female protagonist, Kim Yoon Jin, visited the event and gave a greeting speech on the stage.

"Harmony" presents the story of how prison inmates with different personal stories came to be in harmony with their families by performing in a chorus together, and it has been viewed by more than three million audience members in Korea.

[Guest mandalaywith]

2010 DaeJong Film Awards Part 1 HQ Online Link

Upload by mandalaywith

Todou Link

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/iyDQiN3rpV0/

2010 DaeJong Film Awards Part 2 HQ Online Link

Upload by mandalaywith

Todou Link

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/PCJqi_Uhhrw/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2010 DaeJong Film Awards Actress RedCarpet Video

Kim Yun Jin is come

Tudou link http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/us4sgrr3sFQ/

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November 12, 2010

Founder of largest English K-pop site 'Soompi'

Korean-American web developer creates first global online community devoted to K-pop, Asian entertainment

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

Main page of the ultimate K-pop site “Soompi”

If you’re looking for news about a SuperJunior concert, reviews for a 2NE1 album, recaps of Korean drama "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" or simply anything about Korean entertainment, chances are you’ll find it on Soompi.com.

Soompi.com is the oldest and currently the largest English-language online community devoted to Korean and Asian entertainment, with a million unique visitors every month.

Soompi has come a long way from its early days as a personal online shrine devoted to K-pop started by Korean-American Susan Kang in 1998.

"I had recently graduated from college with nothing much to do. As a recent fan of both K-pop and the Internet (AOL was all the rage), I noticed that there weren't any English-language sites devoted to Korean pop music or TV dramas, so I purchased a book called `Make Your Own Website with Microsoft Word '97’, and the rest, as they say, is history," Kang said, now a 35-year-old mother living in Irvine, Calif., in an email interview with The Korea Times.

Kang’s original site, Soompitown, was fairly simple. She would just upload photos of her favorite K-pop acts like H.O.T., S.E.S., Shinhwa and FinKL and English translations of Korean magazine articles, as well as post CD audio samples and her own album reviews. Basically, Kang ran the website out of "love" for K-pop.

(If you’re wondering about the meaning of Soompi, it simply refers to a nickname that a roommate’s family gave Kang in college.)

In the early 2000s, hallyu or the Korean wave began spreading around Asia and international fans discovered Soompi, the first website that actually provided English-language information about their favorite Korean stars.

Soon Soompi became more and more popular, requiring more servers and more technical expertise. A team of volunteers helped moderate the forums and post content on the website, but Kang, who also worked full-time as a web developer, was running the website on her own as a hobby and it was starting to feel burdensome.

For one, it was getting expensive to pay for the server fees out of her own pocket, although it was partially funded by member donations and small ad buys.

Then came the fateful day, Oct. 5, 2005, when the entire Soompi website crashed. Its entire database of 80,000 members and millions of forum posts was gone. "I seriously thought of just making that the end of Soompi, as I'd been running the site as a hobby for seven years at that point, and was paying for the servers completely out of my own pocket," she said.

"The turning point was when we re-opened an empty forum with 0 members and 0 posts, and within 5 days, we already had 40,000 members. That's when I knew that Soompi was bigger and more important than just one person's hobby."

Soon, it became apparent that a more serious, business-oriented approach to Soompi was needed.

In 2006, Joyce Lan Kim, a lawyer then working for technology firms in Silicon Valley, joined Soompi to handle the business side, albeit on a part-time basis.

"I joined the company, working on advertising and thinking of ways the company can break even. Susan never started this with business in mind. It was always just about fun. It was about bringing K-pop to the people. But how we make this sustainable is our job," Kim told The Korea Times at a coffee shop in downtown Seoul, last week.

Last year, Kang and Kim both decided to leave their full-time jobs and focus on Soompi.

The 33 year old Kim, who studied at Cornell and Harvard universities and received a law degree from Columbia University, had no second thoughts giving up a law career. She sees Soompi as a good business opportunity with K-pop’s potential to expand around the world.

Soompi is may not yet be profitable, but there is no doubt it is an Internet success with 500,000 registered members, and attracts over one million unique visitors every month ("That's like a small city," Kim quipped.) Revenues are currently generated from ads, premium membership and affiliate programs, but not enough for the company to break even.

There may be other K-pop websites that attract more hits, but Soompi has the most activity among community members, such as posting content and comments on the site. "Our success comes from covering such a wide variety of topics - not only the latest K-pop news, but Korean dramas and variety shows, original fan fiction, our own member-run shops, beauty & fashion, among so much more," Kang said.

Aside from sections on entertainment news, fan clubs and beauty & fashion, Soompi also has its own weekly music chart and annual contests, such as Soompi Idol, Soompi Dance Idol, Soompi Ulzzang, fan fiction writing and graphics contests.

All contests were originally started by Soompi members themselves. This year, Soompi Ulzzang Contest, a modeling competition for Soompi members, has become an official event and sponsored by Korean entertainment company Sidus HQ.

Member feedback is invaluable to keeping Soompi relevant. Whenever new features are launched, Soompi looks at the comments from members and makes the appropriate tweaks. Members can also vote for which Soompi fan clubs should be created next, as well as recommend new forums and sub-forums.

Soompi is working to make the site more user-friendly. "It's not a hobby anymore. We have to do it for real. Functionality is very important for us. We are definitely working on making it easier to use, and on getting great content," Kim said.

In terms of technical innovations, the Soompi Street Teams Twitter application is being launched. This will make it easier for fans to get their favorite K-pop idols on Twitter’s top trending topics.

"We wanted to make it easier for everybody to join together and tweet in support of their celebs. Twitter is not just for K-pop, because it's for everyone... Each time a K-pop celebrity ends up as a Twitter topic, people go, `who is this guy?’ Like when (SuperJunior member) Kim Hee-chul was trending on Twitter, everyone was talking about him... We can expose more people to the world of K-pop," Kim said.

An Asian website

Soompi is no longer just devoted to Korean pop music, but Asian pop and entertainment in general. It is also very much a global community, with most members from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia.

The majority or 81 percent of Soompi members are Asian, while 8 percent are white, 5 percent are multi-ethnic and the rest are African-American, Hispanic and other ethnicities. The most surprising fact was 60 to 80 percent of the non-Asian groups said they "know some Korean."

"It’s mostly non-Koreans, as opposed to 7 or 8 years ago when majority were Korean-Americans. Now Korean Americans are a minority on the site. We have ever growing number of people who are not even Asian. We have Caucasians, African-Americans, Middle East, Latin American, South East Asians," Kim said.

Soompi stands out because of its tight-knit community and its members. "Soompi is very community-focused, not just information or gossip-focused. It feels like home to many, and there are many members who have literally grown up on the site ― from Junior High to High School to College to getting married and having children," Kang said.

Noticeably, the Soompi forums are relatively free from the anti-fans and trolls who frequent K-pop websites to post vitriolic comments that rile up fans.

"I think our biggest defining feature is our members. Our members are the ones who do the subtitles, episode recaps and organize fan meetings," Kim said. "We have good members."

Future of Kpop & Soompi

Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that Soompi has helped give a boost to K-pop and Korean entertainment’s popularity among English speakers.

But while K-pop is undeniably big in Asia, there is yet to be a real K-pop breakthrough in the U.S., despite attempts by Rain, Wonder Girls and Se7en. "Honestly, I'm not sure if the U.S. is ready to accept Asians as idols, as Asians are still widely portrayed as awkward geeks or kung fu masters on TV and film, but I do believe it's just a matter of 'when', not 'if'. I hope it's sooner than later," Kang said.

Looking back, Kang admitted being constantly amazed and inspired by the level of commitment and amount of time people will willingly volunteer to support their favorite idols. "Passion will drive people to do crazy and wonderful things," she said.

In the future, Soompi hopes to leverage its brand value as the oldest K-pop online resource, and to continue fanning the flames of K-pop and Asian pop fever around the world.

"In 10 years, I'll be 45 years old. I hope by then, the Soompi community will still be going strong, with the love for Korean and Asian pop being passed to a much wider audience. We'll still be providing the best place for people to express their fandom and meet others who share their passion," Kang said.

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December 14, 2010

Kim Yun-jin, Park Hae-il's battle of hearts

By Han Sang-hee sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr

From left, director Yun Jae-geun, actors Kim Yun-jin and Park Hae-il pose for the cameras during a press event

at a theater in northern Seoul, Monday. The duo will star in the new movie "Heartbeat" which will be in theaters

in January. / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

In the upcoming movie “The Beating Heart” (working title) top actors Kim Yun-jin and Park Hae-il fight for the lives of loved ones over one pounding heart.

At a press event for the film Monday, the two actors showed their enthusiasm and high expectations for the film, along with director Yun Jae-geun. This is Yun’s debut work.

The film revolves around two characters: a devoted mom Yeon-hee (played by Kim) and street bully Hui-do played by Park. Yeon-hee’s dying daughter is in desperate need of a heart transplant, and her eyes light up when she discovers that Hui-do’s mother is brain dead after a fall. She frantically persuades Hui-do to give up his mother for her child, offering a large sum of money.

Hui-do, on the other hand, is having a hard time accepting the fact that he might lose his mother but when he is approached by a desperate woman asking for his mother’s heart for her daughter, he decides he’s not ready to give her up that fast. He refuses the money and eventually discovers secrets regarding his mother’s sudden deadly fall and is determined to dig deeper into the case.

In the meantime, the desperate Yeon-hee starts plotting her way to get her hands on Hui-do’s mother, even if it means she will have to commit a crime.

“The movie’s initial title was ‘Battle,’ which shows that it is fundamentally about two people fighting each other to save their loved ones,” Yun said.

The preview depicts the desperation of the two characters, running for not only their loved ones’ lives but also their own. Kim returns to the big screen after the success of the movie “Harmony” (2010) where she also portrayed a mother. This is actually the third film where the 37-year-old actress depicts a desperate mother figure. In “Seven Days” (2007), she played a mother whose daughter gets kidnapped and the only way to get her back is to free a prisoner from jail, while in “Harmony” she appeared as a mother in prison who has to give her child up for adoption.

“The mother I portrayed this time was a very ordinary and realistic mother figure. She tries to solve problems in a very realistic way and that’s quite different from the characters in my previous films where they were in special situations. “I personally felt a bit frustrated because it felt she was a bit powerless, but then I think this side of the character will help viewers relate to her more and sympathize,” she said.

As for Park, the movie was an opportunity to learn more about learning from Kim, both professionally and also as a person. “Kim felt like a brother sometimes on the set. Because we met each other in such intense situations, it was a chance for me to learn more about acting,” he said.

Kim, who said she read the scenario for the film during the shooting of the final season of television series “Lost,” also showed respect to her fellow actor, saying that it was Park that made her decide to join the film.

“He may be younger than me, but I find him very serious when acting and I thought I could depend on him and also from him as well,” she said.

“We all tried to put ‘reality’ into the film. It’s about how far ordinary people can go to save their loved ones and we hope this will be a chance to look back at your family and loved ones,” Kim added.

In theaters Jan.6. Distributed by Lotte Entertainment.

Actress Kim Yun-jin smiles at the press event for her new film in Seoul on Monday.

Kim and Park Hae-il

Source: englishnews@chosun.com

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December 31, 2010

Kim Yun-jin to Strike Bell on New Year's Eve

Source: englishnews@chosun.com

Actress Kim Yun-jin will take part in the New Year's Eve bell ringing ceremony at Bosingak Bell Pavilion in Jongno, Seoul at midnight on Friday.

Kim was the first Korean star to make a career in Hollywood, and became a worldwide celebrity with the success of the popular TV series "Lost."

As the star of the first Korean film slated to be released in the new year, she was chosen along with 10 other prominent figures to take part in the ceremony.

"I'm grateful that I can be a part of this meaningful event along with other notable people," Kim said.

The movie "The Beating Heart," which also stars Park Hae-il, is a dramatic thriller about a man and a woman who take desperate steps to try to keep their loved-ones alive. It is scheduled to open on Jan. 5.

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January 2, 2011

Soompi.com shows Hallyu where to go

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

Soompi.com is the world’s biggest English-language online community dedicated to Korean pop culture. It boasts some 1.4 million visitors daily. More importantly, 90 percent of its members are non-Koreans.

The website is widely regarded as a promising social network venture that has secured a solid user base on the strength of Korean cultural content. Softbank of Japan has already invested in Soompi.com and other investors are lining up amid the outlook that the website will emerge as a key gateway to Asian pop culture for English-speaking audiences.

Soompi.com CEO Joyce Kim, who lives in San Francisco, said in an interview that Hallyu is still in the early stages of growth internationally and the website would help foster its development online as “the central online activity hub for all fans of Hallyu and Asian pop.”

Joyce Kim

As for Hallyu, Kim noted that the near absence of a legitimate distribution of Korean pop content is a serious problem that is often neglected by Koreans.

The following are excerpts from the e-mail interview with Kim.

Korea Herald: How did Soompi.com start, and how did you get involved in the site?

Joyce Kim: Soompi was started by my co-founder Susan Kang in 1998 as her own personal website dedicated to her interest in Korean dramas and music. During the initial first few years, Susan would scan Korean entertainment magazine articles, translate them into English and post them on the site. Slowly, a community began to grow around the site and Susan soon had people volunteering to help with the site. As the first Hallyu wave began to grow, the site also began to grow. Soon, there were hundreds of thousands of visitors each month.

I met Susan because she is the older sister of my best friend from law school. We initially started to work together on Soompi in 2006 when the site growth was really taking off which meant server expenses were also taking off. I was helping Susan set up the advertising system on the site and eventually we decided to officially create a company and work on Soompi together. At first, we both kept our full-time jobs (Susan as a coder and me as a lawyer) and worked on Soompi during our nights and weekends. But by the end of 2008, the site was so active that it was obvious that the site needed more support. We made the decision to leave our jobs in 2009 and work on Soompi full-time.

KH: If you define Soompi.com, what is it?

Kim: Soompi is an online fan community for Hallyu. Soompi’s greatest strength lies in our members. Ninety-nine percent of the content on Soompi is user-generated content so our members are the ones who find the information to share and discuss. They spend a great deal of time online answering each other’s questions. No amount of money or marketing can create the organic community that sites like Soompi have.

KH: Who are Soompi members?

Kim: Soompi members are mostly young Americans of many different backgrounds (Asian, Caucasian, black and Latino) followed by people in their teens and 20s in South East Asia (Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, etc). They are typically very fashionable and up on the latest trends since they follow entertainment so closely. When they come to Soompi, they are often looking for the latest news about Hallyu and to meet other passionate fans. Hallyu fans love to work together to do events and share their love for their idols.

KH: What aspect of Hallyu appeals to Soompi members?

Kim: Soompi members love the celebrities ― their personalities, their visuals, their songs ― all of it. In fact, many of our members (90 percent of whom are not Korean) have started to learn Korean to better understand the music and dramas. Hallyu has definitely started to grow beyond its typical Asian boundaries. I think we will see Hallyu spread to the U.S., Latin America and Europe in 2011. However, for Hallyu to be truly successful abroad, Korean entertainment companies need to better understand international fans better ― this is important for creating new fans and reaching out to new markets.

KH: What can Korean websites and firms interested in Hallyu learn from Soompi?

Kim: I would say two differences between Soompi and Korean sites are 1) we really take into consideration the community’s desires when we build new products ― meaning oftentimes we look at community feedback first when thinking about new features and 2) we push out features before they are 100 percent perfect ― sometimes it means it has bugs, but it also means we can get our full community reaction quickly and fix or change things as needed.

For entertainment firms working in the Hallyu industry, it is important to make the music and drama content easily available for international fans. People in Korea do not realize how hard it is for international fans to buy the music and dramas legally ― there are not good options available. If entertainment firms made their content for easily available for international purchase, then more international fans would buy the content. But at the moment, we cannot even easily register on Korean websites.

KH: To create new and successful services based on social network service, what should and shouldn’t Korean venture startups do?

Kim: I see many Korean startups that are testing or half-heartedly targeting the global market. The decision whether to go global should be made early as it significantly impacts the kind of team that needs to be built and the product. If you are building an SNS service targeting the international market, then you should create your team abroad.

KH: What was the purpose of your latest visit to Seoul, and what did you feel when you were in Seoul?

Kim: I visit Seoul at least once a year to meet with Korean entertainment companies and Korean Internet startups. On the entertainment front, there is strong interest in online and social media strategy from the entertainment companies. This is one of the big growth opportunities for Hallyu. But I think Korean entertainment companies will need to hire people with international Internet experience to really open that opportunity.

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January 3, 2011

2010 Good Download campaign exceeded 360,000 pledge

Source: news.nate.com

Thanks to the following activities in the actual legal download service through the 2010 Good Downloader Campaign, the site has recorded significant growth.

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January 25, 2011

Director Yoon thriving in dream job

Debut film ‘Heartbeat’ draws more than 1 million

By Claire Lee (clairelee@heraldm.com) koreaherald.com

Film director Yoon Jae-geun has done a lot in the last 10 years.

He studied art, made TV commercials for ramen and department stores, traveled across Europe, learned how to make films overseas, wrote movie scripts, and never gave up on becoming what he is today. “I watched ‘Star Wars’ when I was in fifth grade,” the 44-year-old director told The Korea Herald. “Ever since, I’ve always wanted to make something like that.”

He has finally done it ― and successfully at that. Both written and directed by Yoon, his debut film “Heartbeat” had attracted more than 1 million viewers by Monday. Just over two weeks after its release on Jan. 5, it was the first film this year to draw that many viewers.

Starring Kim Yoon-jin and Park Hae-il, “Heartbeat” tells the story of two people from different social classes fighting over one pounding heart ― to save what matters to them the most.

Director Yoon Jae-geun says his debut film, “Heartbeat,” is not simply a tearjerker. (Lee Sang-sub/ The Korea Herald)

The film’s major conflict begins as Yeon-hee (Kim Yoon-jin), a well-off single mother whose daughter is suffering from a fatal heart disease, finds a brain-dead female patient at the hospital.

As the only way to save her daughter’s life is with a heart transplant, she offers Hui-do (Park Hae-il), the woman’s unemployed gangster son, a large sum of money to give up his mother’s life for her child. As her daughter’s condition worsens, Yeon-hee becomes increasingly irrational, losing her moral judgment and sensitivity to others’ needs.

Such an extreme setting, Yoon said, reflects his bitter experiences of the last 10 years. He portrays the “selfish desires” he saw clashing against one another in his movie characters. “I’ve heard so many people saying, ‘you won’t be able to succeed by being nice,’ and that one has to win against someone in order to be happy,” Yoon said. “I wanted to see if that was true or not.”

Yoon, who majored in industrial design at Hanyang University, worked as a TV commercial director for about five years after graduating. “I really hated the job and there was nothing rewarding about it,” said Yoon. “I quit after working for about five years because I thought I wouldn’t be able to make the films that I wanted to make if I stayed in that field.”

So Yoon took off to Europe and traveled for more than a year. Then he moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he studied film at Vancouver Film School. He returned to Seoul a year later. Yoon first broke into the film industry as an assistant screenwriter for 2001 film “The Present,” a tragic romance starring actress Lee Young-ae.

Since then, he has written scripts for various films, including “Springtime” (2004) and “Hello Schoolgirl” (2008). Though he did not particularly enjoy any of his previous jobs, Yoon said all his past experiences help in film-making. “I learned what it is like to be in the filming scene while making TV commercials. As a screenwriter I learned to be more receptive to other people’s opinions.”

And art school graduate Yoon put a lot of effort into the characters costumes in “Heartbeat.” “I thought ‘Heartbeat’ was more of a character-based film rather than a visual one,” Yoon said. “So I tried not to make the piece too aesthetically stimulating. As a result, the only element in the film where I could use my artistic ability was the character’s clothes.”

In the movie, Kim Yoon-jin wears subtle toned expensive-looking outfits, while Park Hae-il appears in colorful sporty clothes. “The color contrast was to symbolize their class differences,” he said.

Yoon said he does not what his film to be simply considered as a tearjerker with a happy ending. “I want the movie to trigger debates and talks,” he said. “There are a lot of cultural and social problems (between classes) that I’ve embedded in this movie. I feel like these elements are not being recognized as the basic plot of the movie is too dramatic.”

He has put many thoughts into his characters, especially in ways to symbolize the social classes they belong to. “I made Yeon-hee into a Christian woman who owns and manages an English language kindergarten,” he said. “It was a conscious decision. I think there are a few key words that explain a certain class of people: English education, church, Gangnam, etc.”

Being a newly-debuted director, Yoon confessed he is not used to receiving reviews. “When I’m making a movie, I just do whatever I want,” he said. “But once it’s out there after being released, the third party gets involved and sometimes gets critical of my work. That’s the hardest part. I do get sensitive and I get hurt.”

Yoon said he would like to make his next film a visually oriented piece. “I’ve studied art and it is in my DNA,” he said. “I want my next piece to be extremely cinematic and visually pleasing, rather than character-driven like ‘Heartbeat.’”

So what is it like being what he’s always wanted to be?

“Sometimes it’s even better than I’d thought it would be, while it can be also disappointing at times,” he said.

“But of course I like it. I’ve always, always liked films.”

[rubie]

July 23, 2011

Korea's 15 leading actresses in a photo collection...shocking!

Source: Nate // hancinema.net

Fashion magazine "Vogue" shot a special collection with 15 of Korea's leading actresses in celebration of its 15th year anniversary.

This collection holds the different concepts of actresses Jang Mi-hee, Lee Mi-sook, Kim Hee-ae, Yeom Jeong-ah, Kim Yeo-jin, Song Yoon-ah, Ye Ji-won, Kim Yoon-jin, Moon So-ri, Eom Ji-won, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Hyo-jin, Hwang Jeong-eum, Han Hyo-joo and Sin Se-kyeong ranging from ages 20 to 50.

Jang Mi-hee took pictures in long hair, recollecting the times from her past and Lee Mi-sook showed disheveled sexiness unlike her usual classic self.

Kim Hee-ae transformed into a warrior like Jeanne d'Arc, Yeom Jeong-ah like herself in any other photo shoot and, Kim Yeo-jin, a puritan Goddess and Song Yoon-ah, who was always feminine and calm showed stong softness.

Ye Ji-won colored her hair blonde like Marilyn Monroe and looked like a dancer and Kim Yoon-jin a warrior. Moon So-ri pulled off the Chaplin look like a South American man and Eom Ji-won managed a 40s "New Look". Kang Hye-jeong did the Bohemian concept.

Kim Hyo-jin changed into a quite library girl and Hwang Jeong-eum changed into a devilish but cute bad girl. Pure and innocent Han Hyo-joo showed a side herself more dramatic. Lastly, Sin Se-kyeong acted the fresh little girl like a caged Lolita.

This edition of "Vogue" will be in the August issue and it can also be seen on the Korean website.