[Movie 2012] Korea / As One 코리아

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March 30, 2012

Ha Ji Won and Bae Doo Na Transform Into Ping Pong Athletes for "Korea"

by: jbarky soompi.coma

The film “Korea” revealed a bit about Ha Ji Won and Bae Doo Na’s transformation into ping pong athletes.

“Korea” is about the 1991 World Ping Pong Championship and the first North-South Korean team. In the film Ha Ji Won portrays the 1991 World Ping Pong Championship gold medalist Hyun Jung Hwa while Bae Doo Na portrays the North Korean teammate Lee Boon Hee.

Both actresses have been training underneath Hyun Jung Hwa. Ha Ji Won said of the film, “It was difficult because I had to put in my emotions whenever the ping pong ball went back and forth. This was the most difficult project I had to do. I was able to do it because of the help from Hyun Jung Hwa.”

Hyun Jung Hwa gave her remarks on Ha Ji Won, “Ha Ji Won was a pro. Whenever she would be playing ping pong in order for filming, the judges commented that it looked like she was doing the real thing.”

In order to make the movie more realistic, Bae Doo Na practiced with her left hand because her character was left handed. She said, “It was more difficult because I had to practice with my left hand. A lot of times I felt like I was at the end of my stamina. However, I tried very hard and boosted my confidence and focused while filming.” Hyun Jung Hwa said of Bae Doo Na, “She really absorbed Lee Boon Hee’s role.”

“Korea” will be released in May.

[rubie]

April 6, 2012

Athletes’ story of friendship retold in 'As One'

By Cho Jae-eun [jainnie@joongang.co.kr]

Bae Doo-na, left, and Ha Ji-won play the North and South Korean table tennis players who went on to win a gold medal

during the World Table Tennis Championships held in Chiba, Japan, in 1991, in the film “As One.” Provided by CJ Entertainment

One might wonder why there has never been a movie about the dramatic 1991 World Table Tennis Championships, in which the first unified Korean national table tennis team won the gold medal.

Hyun Jung-hwa, the South Korean athlete who played on the team at the championships, certainly did.

South Korean table tennis player Hyun Jung-hwa, right, and North Korean player

Lee Boon-hee compete during the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan. [JoongAng Ilbo]

“When the director approached me about the idea for a film about the championships in 1991, I said to him, ‘Why didn’t you approach me sooner?,’” the Olympic gold medalist said at a press conference for the film “As One” on Wednesday.

The film is based on the true story of the United Korea team, made up of North and South Korean players, which competed in the women’s team tournament at the Chiba World Table Tennis Championships in 1991 and won. As such, the filming process relied heavily on Hyun, who was involved in everything from the screenwriting process to teaching table tennis to the actors.

Hyun said that she focused on trying to make the film as honest and true to reality as possible.

“Lee Boon-hee [the unified team’s North Korean player] is left-handed. People on set said to Bae Doo-na [who plays Lee in the film], ‘Oh, only a few people know she is left-handed, so just play with your right hand.’ But I firmly said no,” said Hyun.

Although Bae said that she had some experience playing table tennis in elementary school, she confessed that the rigorous preproduction training took a toll on her.

“After a few months of training with coach Hyun Jung-hwa, toe nails fell off!,” she said during the press conference, adding that trying to keep up with the athletic Ha Ji-won [who plays Hyun Jung-hwa in the film] was what motivated her to push herself further.

Ha, who was seated next to Bae, admitted her weakness for choosing physically challenging roles such as the one in “As One.”

“When we started training, I was still suffering from a knee injury that I got while filming ‘Sector 7’ [last year’s 3-D blockbuster],” said the actress.

“I like a challenge. However, the real challenge in this film was trying to recreate a true story in a convincing way. During the training, I tried to observe coach Hyun’s speech and body language very carefully.”

First-time director Moon Hyun-sung said he felt it was crucial that his own voice as a director didn’t outshine the drama of the real story.

“Instead of trying to put too much of my own voice as a director into the film, I thought it would be good if the audience felt the story unfold very naturally, as if they were watching a real-life melodrama,” said Moon.

The director said he also took extra precautions to ensure that the North Korean dialects in the film were as realistic as possible, with different actors getting coached on different dialects.

“For [Han] Ye-ri’s character [Yoo Soon-bok, one of the North Korean players], she was coached to do a Hamgyeong dialect. For the rest of the North Korean characters, we followed a Pyongyang accent.”

One of the more touching moments in the film takes place towards the end, when Hyun gives Lee a ring as a token of friendship as Lee sits on the bus that is headed back to North Korea.

In reality, the table tennis legend said that she gave the ring, complete with an engraving of Hyun and Lee’s names inside, to Lee on the last day of their stay in Japan.

“I told her that I wanted her to remember me,” said Hyun. She added that after the 1991 tournament, she saw Lee one last time in 1993, as a competitor representing North Korea. “I still feel very emotional when I think of her.”

Stars Bae Doo-na and Ha Ji-won said that they felt it was refreshing to play strong women in the film, without a leading male by their side.

“It is so rare in films nowadays for actresses to be able to tell a story about women in films, with a cast full of other actresses,” said Bae.

“Even though the film touches upon themes of a divided Korea through a sports tournament, it is ultimately about the friendship and love between two women.”

“As One” is slated to open in local theaters early next month.

[rubie]

April 3, 2012

Hyun Jung Hwa Requested Ha Ji Won to Portray Her for 'Korea'

by: jbarky soompi.com

The table tennis coach and gold medalist, Hyun Jung Hwa (Who is being portrayed in the upcoming film “Korea”) revealed that she directly requested to be portrayed by Ha Ji Won. Hyun Jung Hwa joined the actresses Ha Ji Won and Bae Doo Na for a “Korea” press conference.

Hyun Jung Hwa stated, “In the past I was the athlete Hyun Jung Hwa, but now I greet you as the executive director of the South Korean Table Tennis Association. I was very happy to hear that a movie would be filmed about table tennis. When the production company called about making ‘Korea,’ I even said ‘why so late?’”

She continued, “I requested that Ha Ji Won play my role. It was difficult to make the actresses into table tennis players within 3 months. The actresses were very passionate and picked up table tennis very quickly.

She also spoke about giving her North Korean partner a ring as a present.

“Korea” is based on the true story about the first united North-South Korean table tennis team at the 1991 World Championships. “Hyun Jung Hwa” received the gold medal at the event.

April 4, 2012

'As One' Press Conference

Source: Nate.com

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April 6, 2012

Ha Ji Won: 'I Want to Share Feeling of Reunification'

Source: KBS Global

The movie "Korea" held a production presentation.

Actress Ha Ji Won revealed her feelings about playing the real life table tennis player Hyun Jeong Hwa of the unified table tennis team in the movie "Korea" at the production presentation held at Apgujeong CGV on April 4, saying, "I have not been interested in reunification or inter-Korea relations before, but I seem to have had a little change inside me while filming 'Korea.'

I want to share those feelings with friends." She continued, "When I read the script, I cried after finishing reading it. The power of the script was huge enough to make me feel like playing the current table tennis coach Hyun Jeong Hwa." She explained how she decided to appear in the movie.

"Korea" is the story of the World Table Tennis Championship in 1991 in which South and North Korea formed the first unified team since its division and won the championship. The unified team was created suddenly by the decision made during summit talks, and the team had gradually become one perfectly unified team for 46 days during the championship. Ha Ji Won plays the star table tennis player of South Korea named Hyun Jeong Hwa and appeared together with actress Bae Doo Na, who played the North Korean table tennis player Lee Boon Hee.

Ha Ji Won has shown her action acting in many dramas and movies before, but playing a table tennis player in the movie was actually a new challenge for her. She said, "I did not even know how to hold the paddle. I am fond of playing sports, but I am not good at playing any kinds of sports using balls." She mentioned that action scenes were relatively easy compared to playing table tennis. Ha Ji Won said, "Hyun Jeong Hwa was watching me right beside me while I was playing her, and I thought that people would criticize me if I could not play her perfectly. I had many difficulties after beginning the filming of the movie." She honestly revealed how she felt.

Ha Ji Won had been trained by Hyun Jeong Hwa the entire time while filming the movie to create a perfect representation of Hyun. She said, "I could not realize that table tennis was a tough sport before. I practiced so much, and I even felt pain in my knees." The main reason why she felt difficulties while filming those scenes in which she had to play table tennis was because she injured her ankles when she filmed the movie "Sector 7." But she still wanted to play this tough character because she enjoys the challenge itself. She said, "I do not know exactly why I like trials. When I feel like doing something, I usually do it anyway without considering other factors. I felt pressure about playing this role in the movie, but I finally decided to do it because I wanted to have a new challenge."

Ha Ji Won is achieving another success after the drama "Secret Garden" with her appearance in the MBC drama "The King - Two Hearts" by playing a North Korean female military trainer. She held a paddle with the North Korean table tennis player in the movie and now she holds a rifle with a South Korean soldier in the drama. Ha revealed that she can now understand the difficulty of playing a North Korean who speaks with a typical North Korean dialect. She said, "I played a South Korean in the movie and now I am playing a North Korean. I realized the difficulties of playing a North Korean now. I have suddenly come to play both South and North Koreans in the movies and dramas."

Ha Ji Won debuted with her appearance in the teen drama "New Generation Report - Adults Don't Know" in 1996, and she has now became a senior actress on the film set. She said, "I was the oldest among the female actors and I had agonized over how I could take care of the junior actors. I realized the role of a senior actress could be very hard." Actress Bae Doo Na, who played the North Korean player Lee Boon Hee, used to play table tennis in elementary school. Bae said, "I usually use my right hand, but Lee Boon Hee played with her left hand, which gave me some difficulty. Playing table tennis requires a lot of energy, and my toenail fell off while practicing table tennis.”

“Korea” is the first work by director Moon Hyun Sung. Moon said, “I wanted to demonstrate the exact feelings that Hyun Jeong Hwa had in 1991 during the championship. I emphasized ‘humanism’ from the beginning to the end while filming this movie. There will be stories of table tennis and inter-Korean relations, but I hope that the audience will naturally find meaning while watching this interesting melodrama.”

“Korea” will be released on May 3. [Yonhap]

[rubie]

April 10, 2012

Sports flick 'As One' targets patriots

By Kwaak Je-yup jay@koreatimes.co.kr

Actresses Bae Doo-na, left, and Ha Ji-won in a scene from the new movie

“As One” / Courtesy of CJ Entertainment

It was the beginning of 1991, when the South and North Korean governments made an unprecedented attempt to warm relations by fusing their national sports teams together. After a couple of months, the unified Korean table tennis team broke the Chinese stranglehold on the highest podium of the world championships.

Coming to theaters in May is a film that tries to recreate the gold-medal-winning chemistry, titled “As One.”

Plugged simply as “Korea” in the national market, it is easy to see through the market-driven formula, following the well-trodden gilded path walked down by other sports-themed works of recent years.

It shamelessly panders to sentimental patriotism and sports aficionados’ nostalgia, like its older siblings before, such as “Forever the Moment (2008)” and “Take Off (2009),” which took on handball and ski jumping as their respective subjects.

The sweat- and tear-soaked trail to victory is a virtual guarantee for commercial success, especially with Chungmuro’s most wanted actress du jour Ha Ji-won and acclaimed risk-taker Bae Doo-na on the marquee.

But for the true-life Olympian, world champion and national heroine Hyun Jung-hwa (played by Ha), there is no room for calculations or cynicism. It is project dear to her heart. “When the head of the studio and director Kim Jee-woon approached me about a movie based on those days, I was very happy,” she said at a promotional press conference a week ago. “I actually asked them why they came so late, since this story is more genuine than the other recent sports films.”

Kim, originally slated to direct the feature, was later replaced by Moon Hyun-sung, who makes his debut with “As One.”

Reflecting her enthusiasm, Hyun, as well as other players active at the time, put in painstaking efforts to make every scene and detail as authentic as possible.

They participated in all aspects of production from the beginning to the end, said Moon. Hyun suggested the casting choice of Ha, and the retired athletes all availed themselves to on-set coaching sessions — for three months. Right-handed Bae had to learn how to play with her left to stay true to the playing style of her character, the North Korean table tennis star Li Bun-hui.

The conflict and the subsequent friendship budding between Hyun and Li form the principal arc of the film’s narrative.

At the press conference, the two lead actresses admitted to feeling a kind of oomph when they first read the scenario.

“It was like a punch to the heart,” said Ha.

Local filmgoers can see that power in action in about a month. Pundits predict a monster hit.

“As One (Korea)” opens in theaters nationwide in May. Visit www.asone2012.co.kr for more information. Distributed by CJ Entertainment.

[Gtangerine]

Officially added this to my must watch list this year. Gaah, I've repeated the trailer for the nth time now but it still gave me goosebumps! HJW appeals to me as if she's a pro table tennis player here and I love it! She and Bae Doo Na seem to made an excellent job here. Can't wait! As one fighting! 

[apqaria]

[interview] Bae Doo Na Opens Up About Her Lee Bun Hui Character in ′Korea′

2012-04-26 l CJ E&M enewsWorld Choi, EunHwa | Translation Credit : Ju Ahn Lee

In 1998, a new model appeared in the model industry like a comet from the sky. She possessed a tall height of 171cm with long, straight arms and legs, and, above all, a dreamy image. She found a place for herself besides us for over 14 years thanks to her profound, mysterious expression and unique individuality. These days, only a very few still look at her as a model.

Model-turned-actress Bae Doo Na quickly rose to fame with the movie The Host, which received the love of more than 10 million moviegoers.

Bae Doo Na’s career spans over 14 years and 31 movie and drama productions, yet she seems to portray a new and fresh character role in each production. She has appeared as a school teacher, ghost, doll and an archer in the past, and it appears she does not confine herself to any one role.

For her latest film Korea, Bae Doo Na played the role of North Korean table tennis hero Lee Bun Hui.

Korea, which is based on a true story, tells the historical story of how the North and South Korean female table tennis teams came together in 1991 to form a unified team for the first time in history and ended up winning against the formidable China team to become the 41st International Table Tennis Competition champions.

South Korea’s Hyun Jung Hwa was portrayed by Ha Ji Won while Bae Doo Na played the role of North Korea’s Lee Bun Hui.

Starting with their short hairstyle and makeup-less face, the actors were able to thoroughly transform themselves for their Korea roles. In fact, Bae Doo Na couldn’t even freely laugh or cry during the production. It was because she was no longer Bae Doo Na. Instead, she was Lee Bun Hui.

As a result, she felt completely alone. She had to turn around and hide her tears and control her overwhelming emotions in front of the camera. No one could console Bae Doo Na or tell her that they understood what she was going through.

Bae Doo Na had to become stronger for her role. Moreover, she started filming with only director Hyun Jung Hwa’s simple description of Lee Bun Hui as a ‘proud athlete’. In the end, she had to create her very own Lee Bun Hui from the stories of her North Korean dialect teacher.

It appears Bae Doo Na portrayal of Lee Bun Hui was a smashing success.

At a recent Korea press conference held in Chiba, Japan, a Jochongnyeon official revealed her close relationship to Lee Bun Hui and said, "Bae Doo Na resembled the famous North Korean table tennis player. We were extremely delighted to hear that Bae Doo Na properly represented Lee Bun Hui and that one more person got to know about the identity of Lee Bun Hui."

On April 23, enews met with Bae Doo Na at a cafe in Samcheongdong. During the interview, Bae Doo Na revealed her own personal perspective, as well as that of the actor Bae Doo Na and Lee Bun Hui. Her eyes glowed with interest whenever she started talking about acting, and she even got emotional when discussing stories related to Lee Bun Hui.

Why did director Moon Hyun Sung cast Bae Doo Na as Lee Bun Hui?

“I turned down the role at first. Although the director said that it had to be me, I replied that someone else could play the role just as well. As those who saw the movie will know, [Lee Bun Hui] was a charming character and I told the director that anyone could portray her. In the end, the director succeeded in persuading me [to take the role].”

In situations where you could not study or feel Lee Bun Hui’s character, how did you go about fleshing out the character?

“I didn’t have to add many things. I just followed what was on the script. Director Hyun described Lee Bun Hui with a single word – ‘proud’. As such I tried to portray a proud person who didn’t reveal her emotions easily, an exceedingly confident athlete who believed that she was the best. I also looked at Lee Bun Hui’s profile picture on Naver, which happened to be the only available information on her. Her white skin and gentle image was charming.

Was it lonely trying to recreate Lee Bun Hui’s character on your own?

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t lonely. Since I didn’t have Lee Bun Hui’s assistance, I had to rely heavily on my North Korean dialect teacher. Throughout the production, I was absorbed in all things Lee Bun Hui."

"Although outwardly I was expressionless, there was a rumbling within my heart. Losing to Hyun Jung Hwa in the semifinals, and losing in the final after becoming a unified team because of my bad condition were heartbreaking experiences. Of course although these scenarios were in the script, it was still difficult to control my emotions.”

Is Bae Doo Na a person who cries a lot normally?

“Bae Doo Na cries a lot but Lee Bun Hui doesn’t. Although there were situations when I got emotional, I couldn’t cry during the shooting. It was quite difficult to hold in my tears on the set. In particular, it was tough controlling my emotions when we lost in the final after what our team had to go through to get there."

"Although it was in the script, it was hard to compliment Soon Bok or tell Jin Yoon Young that everything was alright. It was fun living together but the smell of sweat drove me crazy.”

Was Korea a challenging experience for Bae Doo Na?

“I have learned many things. Korea was a challenge and also a turning point for me. I feel like I have become a stronger [actor]. Up until now, I was constantly showered with love. laugh Of course, I have continued to receive the director and the staff’s love on the set but something was different this time. I feel like I matured after overcoming the many challenges in Korea.”

Do you normally talk about movies with your family?

“Yes, I do. Since my older brother works in the movie industry and my mother is a stage actor, you can’t imagine how much interest they have in movies. Sometimes I get a bit uncomfortable and ask them to stop talking about it. laugh.”

What did your movie director brother (Bae Doo Han) and stage actress mother (Kim Hwa Young) say to you after watching the movie?

“My mother told me that her friends really enjoyed the movie. Instead of rating the movie or my acting, my mother’s friends cried a lot while watching the movie. I’m pretty sure folks from my mother’s generation experienced a different emotion than [the younger generation]. My older brother is the straightforward type and as soon as I came home from the movie press conference, I told him ‘Stop right there, if you were going to point out [my mistakes].’laugh.”

Bae Doo Na’s The Host and Ha Ji Won’s Haeundae - A competition between two actresses who each had a movie that attracted well over 10 million moviegoers.

There was no competition between us. [Ha Ji Won] took a 5 minute break after a four hour filming session while I needed a 15 min break. laugh It was difficult for me because I lacked the stamina, but [Ha Ji Won], whose endurance is well known throughout the movie industry, showed her tip-top physical condition."

"It was also difficult for me because I got aches all over my body but I kept on trucking. The rivalry never crossed my mind since I joined the cast later than everyone else and had to learn how to play table tennis left-handed. As such, I merely wanted to learn as quickly as possible.”

How would you describe Han Ye Ri, who plays the role of your teammate Yoo Soon Bok, in the movie?

“She is an extraordinary [actress]. I especially looked after her. Although her character role was a cute one, I liked her ‘weighty’ presence. I have high expectations for her and I think she will become a good, successful actress in the future. Besides Ye Ri, I also took care of Jong Seok and the other North Korean team members.”

Photo credit: Kim Byung Kwan

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May 15, 2012

Late-night pub fare celebrates 'Korea'

By Carla Sunwoo koreajoongangdaily.com

Ha Ji-won and Bae Doo-na

To mark their film “Korea” exceeding one million views, actresses Bae Doo-na and Ha Ji-won will don aprons as waitresses to treat lucky fans to a night of feasting at a pub in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul.

The event is set to take place tonight, and participants were selected from applicants who registered through the movie’s official Web site and Me2Day site.

According to Korean Film Council, the film, which opened on May 3, was viewed by some 1.2 million viewers in just 10 days since its release.

Other cast members and director Moon Hyun-sung will also attend the event.

The proceeds from the night’s sale of food and beverages will benefit charities that help marginalized youth and defectors from North Korea.

The film is based on a true story about a friendship that emerged between table tennis players from the North and the South back in 1991 when the two Koreas joined forces to compete as one nation at the World Table Tennis Championships, subsequently winning a gold medal in the process.