Lee Jung-Jae 이정재 [Movie “Hunt” | Upcoming: Star Wars series “The Acolyte” (Disney+)]

Helena · August 28, 2022

Daily Box Office - 2022-08-28 (Sun) <preliminary numbers>
 Rank | Title | Release Date | Admissions (Total) | Number of Screens | Revenue Share
1. 6/45 | 2022-08-24 | 141,538 (479,393) | 1,159 | 33.8%
 2. HUNT | 2022-08-10 | 133,465 (3,720,092) | 1,207 | 32.0%
 3. Hansan: Rising Dragon | 2022-07-27 | 58,271 (7,004,978) | 865 | 11.8%
 4. Top Gun: Maverick | 2022-06-22 | 22,493 (7,974,003) | 423 | 5.9% 

5. Bullet Train | 2022-08-24 | 16,380 (109,323) | 741 | 4.2%
 6. Nope | 2022-08-17 | 14,156 (355,678) | 493 | 3.8%

 7. Minions: The Rise of Gru | 2022-07-20 | 9,978 (2,245,437) | 357 | 2.3%

 8. DC League of Super-Pets | 2022-08-10 | 4,270 (237,284) | 207 | 0.9%
9. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Asakusa Arc | 2022-08-25 | 3,901 (14,286) | 124 | 1.0%
 10. OCTONAUTS Season 5 | 2022-08-11 | 2,531 (72,687) | 124 | 0.5%
Source: https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/stat/boxs/findDailyBoxOfficeList.do

Stage Greetings 8/28

Spoiler

Credit: MegaboxPlusM

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065571738788803
Movie 'Hunt' on top for three weeks in row in S.Korean Box Office, followed by '6/45'

YonhapNews / 2022-08-29 09:08:03
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)

▲This photo, provided by each companies, shows "Hunt" and "6/45." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, August 29 (Yonhap) -- The comedy film "6/45" just had its first weekend after its release, and it is chasing the back of the movie "Hunt," a spy action movie starring Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung.

 According to a Monday study conducted by the Korean Film Council integrated computer network for movie tickets, "Hunt" drew 369,000 viewers (33.0% of total sales) over the weekend (August 26 to 28) and topped the Korean box office for three weeks in a row. Until Sunday, the cumulative number of viewers was 3.72 million. 

 "6/45" had ten thousand fewer viewers than "Hunt," which had 355,000 viewers (31.6% of total sales) and ranked second on the chart. The film "6/45", starring Go Kyung-pyo and Lee Yi-kyung, is about a lottery with a winning prize of 5.7 billion won that is blown to North Korea by the wind. 

 "Hansan: Rising Dragon," which ranked third behind "6/45," had 157,000 audience over the past three days (12.2% of overall sales), surpassing 7 million cumulative audiences.

  The movie "Bullet Train", starring Brad Pitt, had 52,000 audience on the first weekend of its release (5.1% of overall sales) and ranked fifth. The movie could not get over "Top Gun: Maverick (Top Gun 2)", starring Tom Cruise. Top Gun ranked fourth in the chart despite it was the tenth week after the release, with 60,000 audience (5.9% overall sales).

  Movies released on August 25, Japanese animation "Demon Slayer: Asakusa" had 10,000 audience (1.0%) ranking eight, and "The World's Worst Man," directed by Joakim Trier, had 7,000 audience (0.7%) ranking tenth. (END)

—

[2022-08-26] JTBC Newsroom

Spoiler

2021.10.05 JTBC Newsroom

Helena · August 29, 2022

The 31st Buil Film Awards 제 31회 부일영화상 (2022) [Nominations]

[ Homepage | instagram | facebook ]
Date: 2022-10-06

-> For films released from August 11, 2021 to August 10, 2022 <-

http://www.busan.com/view/busan/view.php?code=2022082818253886877

 * Best Film 최우수작품상
'In Front of Your Face | 당신얼굴 앞에서' 

'Broker | 브로커' 

'Emergency Declaration | 비상선언' 

'Hansan: Rising Dragon | 한산: 용의 출현'

 ‘Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심'

 * Best Director 최우수감독상 

* Best New Actor 신인남자연기상 

* Best Screenplay 각본상
Kore-eda Hirokazu 고레에다 히로카즈 (‘Broker | 브로커')
Byun Sung-hyun 변성현, Kim Min-soo 김민수 ('Kingmaker | 킹메이커')
Lee Jung-jae 이정재, Cho Seung-hee 조승희 (‘HUNT | 헌트’)
Chung Seo-kyung 정서경, Park Chan-wook 박찬욱 ('Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심')
Jung Wook 정욱 (‘Good Person | 좋은 사람’)

 * Best Art Direction & Technical 미술/기술상 

Art Direction 미술 | Han Ah-reum 한아름 ('Kingmaker | 킹메이커')

 * Popular Actor 남자 인기스타상 

* Popular Actress 여자 인기스타상

-

MegaboxPlusM

Helena · August 31, 2022

https://zapzee.net/2022/08/31/lee-jung-jae-and-jung-woo-sungs-hunt-invited-to-tiff-the-sitges-and-fff/
Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung’s ‘Hunt’ Invited to TIFF, the Sitges, and FFF

By KRISHKIM

Credit: Megabox Plus M

Hunt was officially invited to the 36th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Sitges Film Festival, and Fantasy Filmfest (FFF).

Hunt follows NIS agents Park Pyung Ho (Lee Jung Jae) and Kim Jung Do (Jung Woo Sung), who doubt each other as the mole in the agency, as they face a huge incident called “Korea’s No. 1 Assassination Op.” This action flick has drawn global attention as the directorial debut film of Squid Game star Lee Jung Jae.

After the movie was invited to the Midnight Screening section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, Deadline called it “an action-filled, character-driven psychological espionage tale,” and The Wrap praised it as “sleek and serious, burnished and brutal.” Since then, Hunt was also invited to several major film festivals, including the 47th TIFF, Fantastic Fest 2022, the 55th Sitges Film Festival, and the 36th FFF. Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung have confirmed their attendance at the TIFF and the Sitges.

Hunt was invited to the Gala Presentation section of TIFF, one of the “Big Five” film festivals. It’ll have its North American premiere on September 15th. The next day, the Hunt team will host “In Conversation With…” During the event, Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung will talk about the first movie they starred in together, City of the Rising Sun, and their directorial debut with Hunt and A Man of Reason (Jung Woo Sung).

Then in October, they’ll be heading to Spain to attend the Sitges. Hunt was invited to the Orbita section of the festival. Lee Jung Jae will walk on the red carpet as Hunt director, whilst Jung Woo Sung as the helmer of A Man of Reason, which was also invited to the same section.

Source: Megabox Plus M

Helena · September 1, 2022

https://tiff.net/events/in-conversation-with-lee-jung-jae-jung-woo-sung
[TIFF] In Conversation With... Lee Jung-jae & Jung Woo-sung

Fri, Sep 16 | 3:00pm | IN-PERSON | TIFF Bell Lightbox

To say that Korean storytellers are having a moment would be a gross understatement. After more than two decades producing some of the most exciting and inventive films and television series of our time, Korean filmmakers, creators, and actors are finally receiving due recognition beyond their home country, with the recent awards-season successes of Parasite (TIFF ’19), Minari (TIFF ’20) and Squid Game. This year, the Festival proudly presents the latest films from two Korean superstars: Jung Woo-sung’s A Man of Reason, and Lee Jung-jae’s Hunt, which stars both Lee and Jung. Since their collaboration on City of the Rising Sun (1999), both have been key players in Korean cinema and TV and have been instrumental in its international success, with Lee starring in such mega-hits as The Thieves (2012), Assassination (2015), and Squid Game (2021), and Jung leading the casts of blockbuster films such as the Festival hit The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), Cold Eyes (2013), and Steel Rain (2017). The two friends join us for an in-depth conversation about their respective careers, the unparalleled success of Korean filmmakers at home and abroad, and the process of stepping behind the camera as directors. Don’t miss this chance to hear from these two megastars in a rare joint public appearance in North America.

CHRISTOPH STRAUB

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https://tiff.net/events/hunt
[GALA PRESENTATIONS] Hunt 헌트 | Lee Jung-jae

Korean action star Lee Jung-jae (The Housemaid, Deliver Us from Evil) makes his directorial debut with this 1980s-set thriller, in which he plays an intelligence chief who uncovers a plot to assassinate the president of South Korea while hunting for a mole within his own agency.

Set during a period of peak tensions between North and South Korea in the 1980s, Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut is an electrifying espionage thriller. Co-starring Lee and Korean star Jung Woo-sung as government agents trying to smoke out a mole, Hunt plunges the viewer into a labyrinth of secrets where nothing is quite what it seems. The result is one of the most impressive action movies in years.

Following a failed assassination attempt on South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, KCIA Foreign Unit chief Park (Lee) and Domestic Unit head Kim (Jung, also at the Festival with his directorial debut, A Man of Reason) are charged with the task of identifying the conspirators. The men share a fraught history — some years ago, Kim subjected Park to an interrogation that left him with permanent nerve damage — and each suspects the other of being a double agent. While the rivals search for incriminating evidence against each other, their investigation leads them to a shadowy figure, codenamed Donglim, who appears to have infiltrated the agency. Uncovering Donglim’s true identity will keep the men tethered together and set them on a path involving shootouts, car chases, and much bloodshed.

Lee and Jo Seung-hee’s screenplay balances complex political stakes with carefully paced character development and deep intrigue. Crosscutting between the two protagonists in a propulsive relay, Lee and editor Kim Sang-bum bring the story to life in a manner that is relentlessly kinetic, whether through elaborate set pieces or an unnervingly brutal fist fight, keeping us on the edge of our seats — and keeping us wondering whom to trust — until the credits roll and we finally come up for air.

Content advisory: intense violence and torture

Director Lee Jung-jae
Lee Jung-jae was born in Seoul. He has been an accomplished actor and international film star for almost three decades. Hunt (22) is his directorial debut.

South Korea, 2022 | Korean | NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | 125 minutes
Director: Lee Jung-jae
Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung, Jeon Hye-jin, Heo Sung-tae
Cinematography: Lee Mo-gae
Editing: Kim Sang-bum
Executive Producers: Hong Jeongin, Kim Jin-sun
Producers: Han Jae-duk, Lee Jung-jae
Production Companies: Artist Studio, Sanai Pictures
Production Designer: Park Il-hyun
Screenplay: Lee Jung-jae, Jo Seung-hee
Sound: Jung Gun
Publicist: Magnolia Pictures
Original Score: Cho Young-wuk
International Sales Agent: Megabox Plus M

Helena · September 1, 2022

https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/at-the-movies-dc-league-of-super-pets-and-hunt
[SINGAPORE] At The Movies: DC League Of Super-Pets and Hunt offer solid entertainment

By Whang Yee Ling and Jan Lee | AUG 31, 2022, 3:30 PM SGT

Hunt (NC16)

Lee Jung-jae (left) and Jung Woo-sung face off in espionage film Hunt. PHOTO: ENCORE FILMS

126 minutes, opens on Thursday, 4 stars

The story: In this espionage film set in South Korea's turbulent 1980s that marks Squid Game actor Lee Jung-jae's directorial debut, two men are locked in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse with each other. Highly respected agent Park Pyung-ho (Lee) is the foreign unit chief of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency while former military man Kim Jung-do (Jung Woo-sung) is its domestic unit chief.

When a North Korean mole known as Donglim leaks crucial information that threatens the safety of the country, the two chiefs set about investigating each other and, in the process, inch closer to a plot to assassinate South Korea's president.

The North-South Korea divide and the period of authoritarian rule under South Korea's fifth president Chun Doo-hwan has been the background for plenty of K-dramas and K-movies.

Hunt shows it is not without good reason.

North Korean spies with dreams of reuniting the Koreas, by force or otherwise; students fighting for freedom and democracy; corrupt government officials; betrayals and deaths - that part of history is a dramatic gold mine.

Lee - who directed, co-wrote and stars in the movie - uses that era's pervasive climate of distrust and fear to full effect in this action-packed tale that is so filled with twists and turns, it would be laughable if it was not so bombastic and exciting.

The high-speed car chases, gritty fight sequences and interrogation-with-torture scenes are all part of Hunt's excitement quotient - they are real, loud and downright painful to watch at points. But what gives the movie that nervous edge is the performances of Lee and Jung.

As Park, Lee delivers the weariness of someone who has dedicated his entire career to a cause and is afraid to think for a moment if it has been worth it. Jung, on the other hand, imbues his character with clear, steely-eyed purpose that makes him quietly intimidating.

As characters who hide their intentions, the duo hold their bodies with such tension in all their scenes, you wonder if they are about to have a heart attack.

And Lee has certainly leveraged his long career in entertainment to gather some of his A-list friends in bit parts for his first directorial feature.

Watch out for Hwang Jung-min - Lee's co-star in Deliver Us From Evil (2020) - who chews up the scenery with gusto in an unforgettable cameo that lasts less than five minutes. And see if you can spot Kingdom's (2019 to present) Ju Ji-hoon pop up in the background too.

Hot take: Trust the South Koreans to do an espionage tale well.

-

https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/film-and-tv-picks-hunt-little-women-and-the-rings-of-power
Film and TV picks: Hunt, Little Women and The Rings Of Power

By Jan Lee

Hunt starring Lee Jung-jae. PHOTO: ENCORE FILMS

Hunt
126 minutes, now showing
4 stars

Squid Game (2021) actor Lee Jung-jae makes his directorial debut with this twisty and exciting espionage thriller set in the turbulent political climate of South Korea in the 1980s.

Lee, who not only directed but also co-wrote the screenplay, takes on the role of Park Pyung-ho, the foreign unit chief of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. Fellow A-lister Jung Woo-sung (Innocent Witness, 2019) plays Kim Jung-do, a former military man who is the agency's domestic unit chief. At the discovery of a North Korean mole hiding in their midst, the two men begin investigating each other, only to find themselves inching closer to a plot to assassinate the South Korean

Lee and Jung give intense and, at times, intimidating performances, but the film is also boosted by the cameo appearances of other renowned South Korean film actors like Hwang Jung-min (The Spy Gone North, 2018).

Helena · September 3, 2022

On 8/2/2022 at 8:33 PM, Helena said:

Production budget for “Hunt” was 23.3 billion won, while break-even point is 4.2 million cumulative viewers.

Daily Box Office - 2022-09-03 (Sat) <preliminary numbers>

2. HUNT | 2022-08-10 | 84,321 (4,038,110) | 1,233 | 23.0%

Source: https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/stat/boxs/findDailyBoxOfficeList.do

‘HUNT’ tops 4 million admissions.

Stage Greetings 9/3

Spoiler

Credit: MegaboxPlusM

Helena · September 4, 2022

2. HUNT | 2022-08-10 | 78,517 (4,116,624) | 1,223 | 22.7%

Source: https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/stat/boxs/findDailyBoxOfficeList.do

Stage Greetings 9/4

Spoiler

Credit: MegaboxPlusM

Helena · September 5, 2022

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/09/05/entertainment/television/Lee-Youmi/20220905105842738.html
Actor Lee You-mi, 'Squid Game' awarded at Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr] | September 5, 2022

Actor Lee You-mi won the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the 74th Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards [AP/YONHAP]

Actor Lee You-mi of megahit Netflix original “Squid Game” won the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the 74th Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night at the Microsoft Theater of Los Angeles, and the series itself won awards for special visual effects, production design and stunt performance.

The series was nominated for seven categories at the Primetime Emmys — outstanding guest actress, production design, cinematography, special visual effects, editing, main title theme and stunt performance — and won a total of four awards.

The outstanding guest category awards actors who deliver a distinguished performance in a guest starring role in a drama series. The actor beat other formidable contestants to take home the trophy, including Hope Davis, Sanaa Lathan, Harriet Walter of HBO series “Succession,” Marcia Gay Harden of Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show” and Martha Kelly of HBO’s “Euphoria.” This is the first time ever for a non-English language series to win multiple awards at the Emmys. Lee is also now the first Korean actor to win an Emmy.

For Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour Or More), the series beat out HBO’s “The Flight Attendant,” Netflix’s “Ozark” and Apple TV+’s “Severance” and “Succession.”

For Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode, the series was up against Showtime’s “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” Apple TV+’s “SEE,” TNT’s “Snowpiercer” and Netflix’s “Vikings: Valhalla.”

For Outstanding Stunt Performance, the series was up against HBO’s “Barry,” NBC’s “The Blacklist,” Disney+’s “Hawkeye” and “Moon Knight” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”

The Emmy Awards, hosted by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), is one of the four major American awards for performing arts and entertainment in television and streaming content, along with the Grammy for music, the Oscar for film and the Tony for theatre. The award show is divided into two parts, with the Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards to honor behind-the-scenes personnel, and the Primetime Emmy Awards for actors and directors.

The rest of the seven nominations will take place at the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 12 to announce winners of the outstanding drama series, outstanding directing, drama writing, lead actor, supporting actor and actress — for which, director Hwang Dong-hyuk, actors Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Oh Young-soo and Hoyeon are nominated.

"Squid Game" follows Gi-hun and 455 other players who take on a series of deadly children’s games. They battle to be the sole survivor and win prize money worth millions.

The series is Netflix’s most-watched series, surpassing 1 billion views in just 28 days after its release last September.

—

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220905004700315
'Squid Game' wins four prizes at creative arts Emmys

By Kim Boram (brk@yna.co.kr) | September 05, 2022

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- The global sensation "Squid Game" has won four prizes at this year's Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, becoming the first Korean-made TV show to grab a trophy at the most prestigious TV event in the United States.

At the award ceremony recognizing the best in artistic and technical achievement in American prime time television programming Sunday (U.S. time), the Korean-language Netflix original series was awarded outstanding guest actress in a drama series, best production design, best stunt and best special visual effects. It is the first time ever that a Korean TV program has been nominated and awarded at the Emmys.

In this AP photo, Lee You-Mi poses in the press room with the award for outstanding guest actress in a drama series for "Squid Game" at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 4, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Yonhap)

In the category for the best guest actress in a drama series, Lee You-mi was named the winner over Marcia Gay Harden from "The Morning Show," Martha Kelly from "Euphoria," and Hope Davis, Sanaa Lathan and Harriet Walter from "Succession." She became the first Korean actor to win an Emmy. "I'm so happy, and I can't believe this. I can't wait to brag about this to my friends," Lee said after receiving the award. "I'll display the Emmy at home where everybody can see it well." She played Ji-yeong in "Squid Game," who sacrifices herself to save her partner Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon) in the sixth episode titled "Gganbu." Her death after the marble game is considered one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the nine-part series.

In the best production design for a narrative contemporary program (one hour or more), production designer Chae Kyoung-sun of "Squid Game" won for the sixth episode, featuring a small village in the memory of the mysterious organizer of the deadly competition. Chae has been critically acclaimed for the colorful infinite staircase and arena set designs and the complex network of tunnels between the arena, the dorm and the administrative office throughout the nine-part series.

Its seventh episode, "VIPs," took the prize for best special visual effects in a single episode, while its stunt team led by Lim Tae-hoon was awarded outstanding stunt performance.

Meanwhile, "Squid Game" failed to win in the best editing, best main title theme music and cinematography categories.

In the upcoming Primetime Emmy Awards next Monday, the nine-part series has been nominated in seven categories, including best drama series and best actor for its lead Lee Jung-jae.

Released in September last year, "Squid Game," written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, revolves around a group of desperate people forced to compete in a deadly competition for a chance to win a huge cash prize.

It was Netflix's biggest hit original series ever, with a total of 1.65 billion hours of viewing in the first four weeks. (END)

Sleepy Owl · September 6, 2022

Event: Best Comedy Kdramas

Vote for your favorite Comedy Dramas :piggydance:

Your Event Organizers,

@partyon @Sleepy Owl @agenth @confusedheart

Helena · September 6, 2022

Lee Jung-jae on Collecting Art
The actor and director, celebrated for his roles in Squid Game and HUNT, visits Frieze Seoul and shares his experience of collecting and living with art, including pieces by Jenny Holzer and Jina Park

IN FRIEZE SEOUL, INTERVIEWS, VIDEOS | 05 SEP 22

Video -> https://www.frieze.com/video/lee-jung-jae-collecting-art

——

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/09/06/national/socialAffairs/Korea-Expo-Busan/20220906181811607.html
Acclaimed actor, K-pop superstars and hopeful residents all get behind Busan

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr] | September 6, 2022

A poster of actor Lee Jung-jae, one of the promotional ambassadors for Busan's bidding activities for the World Expo 2030, on the side of a bus in Busan. The city government put up such posters on 450 buses in the city. [BUSAN METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

BUSAN — The face of actor Lee Jung-jae, best-known for his role in the hit Netflix series “Squid Game,” is everywhere in Korea's port city of Busan.

From Busan Station to its city hall, major tourist attractions, bus stations, and even on the seats of taxis, posters of the actor flashing a wide smile while clasping his hands together are hard to miss. Lee is not advertising his newest film or running for mayor of the city — he's lending a hand to promote Busan's bid to host the World Expo in 2023.

Spoiler

Along with Lee, K-pop boy band BTS was also named as an honorary ambassador for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid. The group is set to hold a concert on Oct. 15 in Busan to support the city’s candidacy, with around 100,000 people expected to attend the free event.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, second from left, front row, poses for a photo with K-pop boy band BTS, back row, during a ceremony to appoint the septet as promotional ambassadors for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo at Hybe in Seoul on July 19. [YONHAP]

"While the government and leading businesses will be campaigning for the World Expo from the top, we plan to increase international support from the bottom up using K-culture as a medium," Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on July 5.

Residents of Busan are also rolling out intensive promotion campaigns of their own. A committee comprised of over 200 local civic groups has erected some 300 banners throughout the downtown area in the hopes that the six-month-long world fair will take place in their home city.

“With the pride of being a citizen of Busan and of Korea, I voluntarily decided to participate in the promotional activities for the bid,” says Lee Jeong-min, the owner of the popular Busan-based nakgopsae (small octopus, tripe, and shrimp) franchises Gaemizib, who heads the citizens bid committee. “The global prestige of our city will increase if the event is held here.”

Korea applied to host the 2030 World Expo by submitting a letter to the organizer Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in June last year. In terms of major international events, Korea has hosted the Summer Olympics in 1988, jointly-hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and most recently held the Winter Olympics in 2018.

With the global popularity of K-culture and the support of some of the country's biggest stars, as well as the city's citizens, Busan was set to submit a detailed candidature dossier to the BIE on Sept. 7. The winning city will be chosen at the end of 2023.

A rendering of North Port in Busan, which is the planned venue for the Busan World Expo 2030 [BUSAN METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

The Olympics of economy, science and technology

Held every five years, World Expos not only bring enormous economic effects for the host countries but also showcases the best of civilization and innovations. The first world fair in London in 1851 exhibited steam engines, and the Paris fair in 1889 was where the famous Eiffel Tower landmark was first unveiled.

Today the event has been separated into World Expos, which Busan is bidding for, that are held for six months under a universal theme, and Specialized Expos that are held on a smaller scale with a shorter duration of three months under a specific theme.

If Busan beats Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Italy's Rome to host the 2030 expo, Korea will be the seventh country in the world to serve as stage for the world’s three “mega events” — the Olympics, the World Cup and the World Expo.

The government has proposed a plan to hold the World Expo in pavilions featuring more than 200 countries to be installed on a 3.44 million square-meter (37 million square feet) area located near Busan North Port from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2030.

If World Expo 2030 is held in Busan, it could attract as many as 50.5 million visitors over the six months, with revenue estimated at 61 trillion won ($44 billion) and 500,000 new jobs created, according to the city government.

The proposed theme for Busan Expo 2030 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A stage to discuss a sustainable future

Expos held in the early days were venues to show off new technologies and inventions, but in recent years, they have become a forum to find solutions to the challenges facing humanity and to present new visions.

The recent deadly floods in Korea and Europe’s record drought have put a new focus on climate change. Humanity is now facing unprecedented global challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the digital divide and the climate crisis, meaning the implementation of sustainable development is now a necessity.

To achieve this goal, Busan aims to host the World Expo 2030 with the main theme of “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future”.

Three sub-themes have been selected to address three global challenges — climate change; the downsides of the digital transformation; and inequality among and within nations.

According to Busan City, BIE Secretary-General Dimitri Kerkentzes highly praised the selected theme focusing on climate change, as no World Expos had been hosted under such topic.

“It is difficult to undertake the climate crisis as a topic at the expos, which are mainly hosted by developed countries, as there are challenges to obtain sympathy from underdeveloped or developing countries,” Cho You-jang, director general of the 2030 Busan World Expo Promotion Headquarters, told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“But Korea, which has grown from a recipient of economic assistance to a donor country, can understand the various solutions proposed by advanced countries as well as the climate changes experienced by underdeveloped countries,” Cho said.

A rendering of Oceanix Busan, the world's first floating city [OCEANIX]

The world's first floating city

Busan is already pushing sustainable city management systems, including the creation of the world's first floating city prototype in North Port in collaboration with UN-Habitat and floating city developer firm Oceanix.

“Busan is the best place to discuss climate change which is the biggest problem humanity is facing now,” said Cho. “As a maritime city, Busan directly faces problems such as rising sea levels due to climate change.”

The floating city, which is planned to be built in the sea off North Port’s pier, will be able to accommodate up to 10,000 people. The artificial island not only produces its own energy but recycles resources, and therefore does not emit carbon.

“Climate change and rising sea levels are threatening to erode whole islands [in the Pacific], and it has become necessary to record national identity and culture,” Cho said.

In line with this concern, should Busan win the bid for the expo, it plans to host an online exhibition featuring its 'digital twin' in the metaverse.

“Korea is capable of implementing a digital twin of a real-world city, supported by our technologies like the metaverse,” said Cho. “Any pavilion can be created in cyberspace for education, and visitors can also plan their actions against the climate change crisis there. We are trying to show a new paradigm of an expo.”

Korea as a gateway to the world

Located on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, Busan is a testament to Korea’s "great transformation."

During the Korean War, Busan served as the provisional capital and a refuge for millions of people fleeing from all over the country.

Many put down their roots in the area, leading to economic growth that turned Busan Port into one of the largest trading hubs in the world.

Busan's North Port, now an idle port that is the proposed venue for the World Expo, is undergoing a comprehensive makeover to lead the regional development and regeneration of the city, in line with the values of the BIE. Under the redevelopment plan, an opera house and a marina are being constructed.

Accessing Busan is also easy. Flights from the greater Seoul area to Busan's Gimhae Airport take just an hour and there are plans for the construction of a new airport to be built on Busan’s Gadeok Island, not only for passengers but also as a hub for cargo. The new airport is to help further bolster Busan's position as a global logistics center as it will create synergy with the city's ports.

There are daily high-speed SRT trains from Suseo Station and KTX trains from Seoul Station that take about three hours to reach the city. Busan is also reviewing plans to introduce an Urban Loop, or a high-speed mobility solution that will be able to transport passengers within the city at an average speed of over 1,280 kilometers per hour, connecting the main sites in Busan including North Port, Gijang County and Gadeok New Airport.

In the era of a unified Korean Peninsula, Busan will be a starting and ending point for the Silk Road connecting the Eurasian Continent as well as an outpost for the logistics of the East Sea.

Its global prominence is increasing as well.

Busan already has experience hosting international conferences and events, including the Asian Games in 2002 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in 2005.

Around 80,000 rooms are available for tourists, including the five-star Park Hyatt Busan, Lotte Hotel Busan and Ananti Hilton Busan.

A hopeful government, public

The bid for the Busan Expo kicked off with high hopes from the residents of Busan.

Rep. Suh Byung-soo first mentioned hosting the expo during the 2014 local elections, and in 2015, the city carried out a One Million Signatures campaign in order for the government to take on Busan's bid as a national project. The goal was reached in just six months and the bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan was finalized as a project in May 2019.

The level of awareness about the campaign is also high. According to a survey released by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in June, 88.3 percent of the 3,945 respondents answered that they had either ‘heard of’ or were ‘well aware’ of Busan's attempt to host the World Expo.

A banner set up by the Citizens Bid Committee for 2030 Busan World Expo [JEONG SANG-HOON]

A bid committee comprised of civic groups has been created, and using their own budget, they are planning to create a broadcasting station to strengthen solidarity for the event, while planning to set up more banners near conglomerates and even near the Paris BIE headquarters with help from a Korean society in France.

The committee expects that the status of Busan will change if such a big international event is held in the southeastern city, and not in the metropolitan area.

“The World Expo can help Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang to achieve balanced national development,” said Jeong Sang-hoon, the operations director of the citizen bid committee and the president of the Korea Marine Design Association.

“We believe the event will also attract young people who left the city to come back for newly created jobs, and that can be the growth engine for the future of Busan," Jeong said.

Helena · September 6, 2022

[ Marie Claire Korea ] #COVERSTORY #BusanInternationalFilmFestival and Marie Claire's joint edition of Busan International Film Festival's official magazine #MarieClaireBIFF. Introducing the long-awaited cover hero, actor #LeeJungJae.

#HUNT, his directorial debut film, maintained the top spot at summer box office in theaters and is receiving enthusiastic support from the public and critics. He has been invited to Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, Sitges International Film Festival in Spain, Fantastic Fest in US and Fantasy Film Fest in Germany, and his directing skills are being recognized.

Actor Lee Jung-jae, who celebrates the 30th anniversary of his debut, is having a brighter time than any other time in his life. As an actor and director, serious yet profound pictorial cuts will be released soon, so please look forward to it.

Spoiler

——

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/09/06/entertainment/movies/Busan-Expo-film-Busan/20220906163829515.html
Busan takes spotlight as Korea's filmmaking hub

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr] | September 6, 2022

Busan, which is currently the talk of the town as K-pop sensation BTS is scheduled to hold a free one-day live concert in the city for some 100,000 fans on Oct. 15 to support Busan’s bid to host the World Expo in 2030, has another annual international event that it has to wrap up before ARMY worldwide gather at the southeastern port city: The 27th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), to be held this year from Oct. 5 to 14.

Even in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 25th edition in 2020 was carried on in a scaled-down hybrid format of online and offline events. Last year, the opening ceremony held on Oct. 6 was the first in-person international event in Korea with over 1,000 participants — complete with the usual flourish of red carpet events at the Busan Cinema Center, brightening the city with fluorescent lights.

It has long been known that the city is an international hub for cinema as global cineastes flock to Busan every October to enjoy one of the biggest international film festivals in Asia.

The festival also signifies a sort of starting point for numerous actors and filmmakers at the beginning stage of their careers, as the festival provides a chance for rookie cineastes to introduce and promote their films to the international audience.

The city, however, has now become a mecca for filming as well. Just this year, three Korean-language films that were invited to the Cannes International Film Festival — “Decision to Leave” by Park Chan-wook, “Broker” by Hirokazu Kore-eda and “Hunt” by Lee Jung-jae — had scenes shot in Busan.

At the festival, “Decision to Leave” took home the Best Director award for Park, and “Broker” claimed Best Actor for actor Song Kang-ho.

“Busan is a good city in which to make films,” Park had said at an online press interview back in June. “I think I had portrayed the film’s narrative better because I shot in Busan. Personally, I love working in the city.”

As much as Park's "Decision to Leave" is about the love and romance between a man and a woman, the filmmaker had put emphasis on the scenery and the locations to represent their emotions: Moviegoers with a keen eye would be able to spot familiar places in Busan, as the first 90 minutes of the film were set mostly in the city. Park shot at 23 places in Busan including Busan Cinema Studios, Mount Geumjeong and National Korea Maritime & Ocean University.

In director Park Chan-wook's “Decision to Leave," the first 90 minutes of the narrative is set in Busan. [CJ ENM]

Park's comments about the city sum up its charms: “In Busan, there are mountains, hills and the sea. The city is perfectly suitable for creating films. I really like working in Busan — there are [plenty of] delicious meals to enjoy, too.”

For “Broker,” Kore-eda has repeatedly mentioned in local press events and interviews that the envisioning of the narrative for the film began in Busan as he met Song at BIFF a few years back. The film was shot in 13 locations throughout the city last year including Yeonsan-dong, Jeonpo-dong and Dadaepo beach. Busan marks the beginning of the journey for the three main protagonists, a road movie which has the trio travel from the southern port city to Seoul.

“Hunt,” which was the directorial debut of “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae, was shot in 17 places including Busan Cinema Studios, Busanjin Station and Busan University of Foreign Studies. The scenes of Busan in “Hunt” surprised the audience for not appearing as the city itself but as the streets of Tokyo in the 1980s as the North and South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) agents fire shots at each other for the completion of their respective missions.

In director Lee Jung-jae's “Hunt,” the setting of the streets of Tokyo of the 1980s were actually shot in Busan. The actor is also an honorary ambassador for the World Expo 2030 Busan. [MEGABOX PLUS M]

The shoot-out scenes were shot in Jungang-dong and Chorayng-dong, neighborhoods that still have a lot of buildings intact that were built between 1970s and '80s, which fit perfectly with the periodical background of the film.

According to Busan Film Council, a total of 57 films and video productions were shot in the city in the first half of 2022 — and statistics show that the number has steadily been on the rise. Last year during the same period, the number was 51, and in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, the number was 42.

At Busan Cinema Studios, which is considered to be a central hub for film production, a total of 187 films have been shot in the studio over the last 21 years since its establishment, including five films which surpassed the local box office milestone of 10 million ticket sales — “TaeGukGi: Brotherhood of War” (2004) by Kang Je-kyu, “Haeundae” (2009) and “Ode to My Father” (2014) by Yoon Je-kyun, “Train to Busan” (2016) by Yeon Sang-ho and “A Taxi Driver” (2017) by Jang Hoon.

“Not only films, but original series for streaming services are also booking reservations to film in the studios,” Kim Yoon-jae, the head of the studios, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “The high-tech cameras and technologies offered in the studio are rising in demand by content companies, parallel to the increasing demands for a variety of genres and content formats both in films and also expanding over to streaming platforms.”

The studio’s motion capture technologies were used in Korea’s first-ever space opera Netflix film “Space Sweepers” (2021), and its 3-D scanners, which can quickly and precisely model the vast location sets which can be hard to attain in photos and videos, was used in “Decision to Leave.”

According to film insiders, the city’s reputation as the cinematic hub of Korea wasn’t built in a day. Busan Film Commission, which was established as the first-ever organization in Korea to support film production, has played a crucial role in strengthening the content industry — expanding production-related infrastructure such as the Busan Cinema Studios and establishing an efficient system to support and connect filmmakers to provide them with adequate locations for filming.

The city is also home to Busan Asian Film School and Korea Academy of Film Arts, the latter having fostered now-film auteurs such as Im Sang-soo, Bong Joon-ho, Choi Dong-hoon and some other 700 talents and playing a crucial role in activating the start of the new era of the global craze for Korean content.

Helena · September 7, 2022

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220907006000315
'Squid Game' cast to attend Emmys

By sshim@yna.co.kr / 2022-09-07 13:51:51

A composite photo of actors Lee Jung-jae, O Yeong-su, Jung Ho-yeon and Park Hae-soo (from top L to bottom R) of Netflix's global TV sensation "Squid Game," provided by their management agencies (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- The main cast members of the global TV sensation "Squid Game" will individually depart for the United States this week to attend this year's Emmy Awards, their star agencies said Wednesday.

South Korean actors Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo and O Yeong-su will leave Seoul on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively, while actress Jung Ho-yeon will fly directly to the U.S. from a foreign country where she is now staying for work, according to the agencies.

The nine-part Netflix series has been nominated in six categories -- best drama series, best director, best screenplay, best actor for its lead Lee, best supporting actor for O and Park, and best supporting actress for Jung -- in the 74th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Monday (U.S. time).

For the 77-year-old actor, who played the sick elderly contestant Oh Il-nam in the hit series, this will mark his first attendance in an overseas awards ceremony in his 58-year-long acting career. In January, he won best TV supporting actor at this year's Golden Globe Awards for his role in "Squid Game" but did not attend the ceremony held in Los Angeles.

He was nominated for best supporting actor together with Park Hae-soo in this year's Emmys.

"I feel it meaningful that we have won nominations for the prestigious global awards," he said. "I hope my junior (Park) will get an award since I won last time, but I also think it will not be bad if I win again," he said, smiling.

Released in September last year, "Squid Game," written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, revolves around a group of desperate people forced to compete in a deadly competition for a chance to win a huge cash prize.

It was Netflix's biggest hit original series ever, with a total of 1.65 billion hours of viewing in the first four weeks.

On Sunday (U.S. time), "Squid Game" won four prizes -- outstanding guest actress in a drama series for Lee You-mi, best production design, best stunt and best special visual effects -- during the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, recognizing the best in artistic and technical achievement in American prime-time television programming.

Lee played Ji-yeong, a young woman who joins the mysterious contest after being released from prison for killing her abusive step-father. (END)

——

[ from_jjlee ]

Spoiler

Helena · September 8, 2022

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065572209039188
Los Angeles appoints September 17 as 'Squid Game Day'

YonhapNews / 2022-09-08 09:16:34
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Joonha Yoo)

▲This photo, provided by Netflix shows, a poster of 'Squid Game.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲This captured photo, shows, the resolution of 'Squid Game Day.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL September 8 (Yonhap) -- City of Los Angeles announced a “Squid Game Day” to commemorate the impact and influence of South Korean Netflix Series “Squid Game” on American pop culture.

 American Korean congressman of Los Angeles John Lee announced on September 7 (US time) that the city council of Los Angeles passed the resolution appointing September 17 as “Squid Game Day.” 

 The resolution proposed by John Lee regarding “Squid Game Day” includes detailed description of how the Netflix series “Squid Game” successfully spread the South Korean tradition and culture, and strengthened AAPI’s stance through American film and entertainment industry.

 “I think it is a first time United States have selected a specific drama to create a day commemorating the impact and influence on American pop culture.” announced John Lee throughout the phone call made between congressman Lee and Yonhap News Agency. 

 September 17 which was appointed as “Squid Game Day” is a day Netflix series “Squid Game” premiered worldwide.

 According to the resolution “Squid Game” is the first non American drama to have been awarded with a Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated at Emmys, “Squid Game” has wrote a history. 

 Continuing on, “’Squid Game’ has successfully managed to break the barrier created by the subtitles which stood between American viewers and foreign dramas.” adding “The drama has won another victor in a competition to build up the representation for the Asian Pacific community.” 

 To celebrate the enactment of “Squid Game Day” Los Angeles city government will be hosting a declaration ceremony on September 9 in front of the city hall.

 According to the congressman John Lee, mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, director of “Squid Game” Hwang Dong-hyuk, S.Korean actor Lee Jung-jae and the representative of the production company Siren Pictures inc will participate at the ceremony. (END)

Helena · September 8, 2022

https://www.goldderby.com/article/2022/emmys-2022-1st-20-ceremony-presenters-announced/
Emmys 2022: 1st 20 ceremony presenters announced include Kelly Clarkson, Selena Gomez, Lee Jung-jae, Kerry Washington

By Chris Beachum | September 7, 2022

The first 20 celebrity presenters for the 2022 Emmys were announced on Wednesday by the Television Academy. They are:

Will Arnett (Murderville)
 Angela Bassett (9-1-1; American Horror Story)
 Vanessa Bayer (I Love That for You)
 Kelly Clarkson (The Kelly Clarkson Show)
 Ariana DeBose (Schmigadoon!; Westworld)
 Taye Diggs (All American; The Best Man: The Final Chapters)
 Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
 Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)
 Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
 Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game)
 Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game)
 Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live!)
 Diego Luna (Andor; Narcos: Mexico)
 Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Organized Crime)
 Seth Meyers (Late Night With Seth Meyers)
 Amy Poehler (Lucy and Desi)
 Molly Shannon (I Love That for You)
 Jean Smart (Hacks)
 Kerry Washington
 Natalie Zea (La Brea; Justified)

NBC and Peacock air the live 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony hosted by Kenan Thompson on Monday, September 12, at 8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m PT from downtown Los Angeles. It is tradition many years for the Emmy producers to invite the guest star winners from the previous weekend to present. There is no word yet on whether Colman Domingo (“Euphoria”), Nathan Lane (“Only Murders in the Building”), Lee You-mi (“Squid Game”) or Laurie Metcalf (“Hacks”) will be joining the show.

——

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065602926902267
S.Korean actor Lee Jung-jae and actress Jung Ho-yeon to present awards at Emmys

YonhapNews / 2022-09-08 17:48:41
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Joonha Yoo)

▲This photo, provided by Saram Entertainment, shows Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL September 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae and actress Jung Ho-yeon from Netflix series “Squid Game” will be participating at the Emmys as presenters.

 According to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, AAAS on September 8 which is in charge of hosting Emmys on September 12 (US Time) sent out a statement including both Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon as a initial list of presenters.

 The awards both actors will present have not been disclosed. However both Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon are currently nominated for “Best Leading Actor” and “Best Supporting Actress.” 

 Actor Lee Jung-jae departed to United States on Thursday in order to participate at the award ceremony, and actress Jeong Ho-yeon will join in after she wraps up her schedule aboard.

 “Squid Game” is the first foreign drama to be nominated through six of the categories starting with “Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series,” “Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series,” “Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series,” “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a drama series,” “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a drama series” and more.

 Through the creative Arts Emmys Awards which was held on September 4 (US time), South Korean actress Lee Yoo-mi received “Outstanding Guest Actress” award, and the drama “Squid Game” received “Stunt Performance Award” and “Production Design Award.” (END)

Helena · September 8, 2022

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065605389947656
Lee Jung-jae's debut movie 'The Young Man' to re-run after 28 years

YonhapNews / 2022-09-08 18:29:50
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)

▲This photo, provided by STUDIOBONANZA, shows the poster of the movie "The Young Man" (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, September 8 (Yonhap) -- Actor and director Lee Jung-jae's debut movie "The Young Man" (1994) will be released again in the digital remastered version, the film distributor STUDIOBONANZA announced on Thursday.

The movie "The Young Man," directed by Bae Chang-ho, depicts the story of a youth's dream and love, striving to be a model. It stars Lee Jung-jae, Shin Eun-kung, Lee Eung-kyung, Kim Bo-yeon, and Jeon Mi-seon.

Lee Jung-jae, who was 22 years old at the time, won the rising star award at the Grand Bell Awards, the Baeksang Arts Awards, the Blue Dragon Awards, and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.

The film distributing company said, " The piece has never been released as an additional service for 28 years since its release in 1994, and now is the opportunity to see Lee Jung-jae when he was a rising star."

The company released the poster of the digital remastered version of the movie. They used the black and white photo taken by Koo Bohnchang at the time of release. (END)

Helena · September 8, 2022

https://deadline.com/2022/09/squid-games-lee-jung-jae-star-wars-the-acolyte-leslye-headland-lucasfilm-1235109419/
‘Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae Lands Male Lead In ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’ From Leslye Headland And Lucasfilm

By Justin Kroll (Senior Film Reporter) | September 8, 2022 8:45am

Lee Jung-Jae
Han Myung-Gu/WireImage

EXCLUSIVE: The eve of his potential historic night at the Emmys, Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae looks to have found his first major studio role following that breakout in a property more popular than the Netflix global phenomenon.

Sources tell Deadline that Lee has landed the male lead in the new Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte from Lucasfilm. Amandla Steinberg is set for the other lead role, with Deadline also recently breaking the news that Jodie Turner-Smith also is joining cast. Leslye Headland tapped as the series director, writer, exec producer and showrunner. Headland has been very hands-on with Lucasfilm execs including President Kathleen Kennedy in putting together a diverse, A-list ensemble, and with Steinberg, Turner-Smith and now Lee, it looks to be headed in that direction.

Details about Lee’s character are being kept under wraps. Lucasfilm could not be reached for comment on the casting.

The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging Dark Side powers in the final days of the High Republic era, Disney+ said in announcing the project in December 2020. In the real universe of Star Wars, “acolyte” can refer to individuals with Force abilities who learn from a more experienced Sith Lord.

Landing Lee for The Acolyte is quite the victory for Lucasfilm and Headland, given that every studio and streamer was looking to get into business with the Squid Game breakout star. It’s been a year since the Netflix series premiered, smashing streaming records, scoring 14 Emmy noms and turning Lee and his castmates into household names. He and Jung Ho-yeon will be presenters at the Emmys next week.

Not only has the series turned Lee into an global star, he has been rewarded for it on several fronts, winning every major award since its premiere and has an opportunity to make history Monday at the Primetime Emmy Awards in the lead actor category.

After signing with CAA in February, Lee first wanted to put the finishing touches on his directorial debut Hunt, which he also stars in, before its Cannes Film Festival premiere. That film recently was acquired by Magnolia Pictures.

Besides CAA, he is also repped by Artist Company.

—

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/lee-jung-jae-star-wars-the-acolyte-disney-plus-1235364622/
‘Squid Game’ Star Lee Jung-Jae Joins Disney+ ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’

By Jennifer Maas | Sep 8, 2022 9:31am PT

Getty

“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-Jae has been cast as the male lead in Disney+’s “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte,” Variety has confirmed.

“Russian Doll” co-creator Leslye Headland is showrunning the series, with Amandla Stenberg (“The Hate U Give”) set to star in the leading woman role.

Going farther back in time than any live-action “Star Wars” title before it, “The Acolyte” is set a century before the events of “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.” The series promises to depict the galaxy at the peak of the era of the High Republic, when the Jedi were at their strongest and the Sith were believed to have been eradicated from the galaxy.

Lee’s addition to “The Acolyte” series marks his first major role post-“Squid Game,” the hit Netflix drama that introduced him to global audiences. Next Monday, Lee and the “Squid Game” team will be attending the Emmys as nominees under the first non-English language series to ever be up for top drama.

Headland is drawing at least in part from Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The High Republic” publishing effort for her inspiration on “The Acolyte.” Announced in February 2020 and launched throughout 2021, the “High Republic” series spans comic books, audio dramas, web series and novels. They’ve served as a kind of R&D department for where Lucasfilm could next take “Star Wars” storytelling.

“We’re taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don’t know much about,” Headland told Vanity Fair in May. “My question when watching ‘The Phantom Menace’ was always like, ‘Well, how did things get to this point?’ How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?”

Deadline first reported Lee’s casting.

Helena · September 9, 2022

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/style/squid-game-lee-jung-jae-jung-ho-yeon-emmys-style-1235212947/
‘Squid Game’ Stars Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon on Their Emmy Style Strategies

A Seoul photo shoot reunites the global actors as they talk about their modeling days, being Gucci and Louis Vuitton ambassadors (respectively) and their risk-taking red carpet looks: "I’m a person who doesn’t like boring things."

BY CHRIS GARDNER | SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon were photographed Aug. 19 at the Andaz Seoul Gangnam Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. He is wearing Gucci’s jacket and pants with check motif, sky blue Boxy shirt and black Cady tie; she is in Louis Vuitton’s D-Ring V-neck sweater, Ruffle Trim twill crop top, pleated miniskirt and Connelly flat loafers, with socks by Comme Si. PHOTOGRAPHED BY SIMPSON KIM; LEE STYLING BY GIANNA HWANG, HAIR BY KIM TAE-HYUN, MAKE-UP BY KIM HA-NA. HOYEON STYLING BY AERI YUN, HAIR BY LEE HYE-YOUNG, MAKE-UP BY LEE JUN-SUNG.

It’s an August morning in the Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea, where a pair of A-list, Emmy-nominated Squid Game stars have convened at a five-star hotel. After wrapping a photo shoot, Jung Ho-yeon is on Zoom, flashing a wide smile and raising both hands to form a heart shape to describe the experience, one she says was made even sweeter because it offered the chance to reunite with pal Lee Jung-jae.

They’ve not had much face time lately, as Lee has been busy promoting his directorial debut, Hunt, while she’s been filming Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV+ series Disclaimer opposite Cate Blanchett. They will get another chance to hang together Sept. 12, when the Squid Game crew descends upon Los Angeles to attend the Emmy Awards, for which the Netflix series is nominated for 14 trophies including best drama series and individual nods for Lee and Jung.

Win or lose, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean series already delivered something not built for a shelf: record-setting viewership for Netflix as the most watched series in the streamer’s history, with 1.7 billion hours viewed. Starring in the world’s most popular TV show furthered Lee’s global fame — the Seoul-born 49-year-old was already a massive star in his homeland with more than three dozen credits — while cementing a new career path for 28-year-old model-turned-actress Jung with her first major credit.

And Jung’s hand gesture can easily be applied to her work. Her character, Kang Sae-byeok (Player 067), was the heart of the blockbuster series, while Lee’s Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) was the soul, as well as the last man standing at season one’s end. Creator Hwang has told THR that season two will focus on the journey of Gi-hun after he became a “totally new person” by the finale.

Their time onscreen as competitors in the deadly game has ended, but their careers as in-demand fashion stars live on — and are thriving: Jung serves looks as an ambassador for Louis Vuitton, while Lee has an enviable pact with Gucci. They signed with the fashion houses last fall, not long after the show took off. Ahead of the Emmy Awards, the actors chatted with THR (with the help of translator Hyewon Park) about all things style and their shared roots in the modeling business.

You both started your careers as models; how did that influence your style and fashion sense?

LEE JUNG-JAE I wasn’t really a fashion model. I modeled for commercials mostly, and when you’re doing commercials, you have to make the product stand out and the model shouldn’t overshadow the product. So I didn’t have to dress fashionably back then. I have to say that I really didn’t do modeling because I wanted to.

JUNG HO-YEON When I was modeling, I had a lot of opportunities to try outfits with different concepts, so one thing that I’ve learned is to not be afraid of exploring different styles and choosing to experiment, even off camera.

How did your style evolve when you started acting?

LEE When I first started acting in the early 1990s, actors [in South Korea] had to prepare their own clothes for TV shows and films. From ’93 to about the year 2000, I did my own styling, and when I picked out my clothes, I tried to choose garments that best fit the character. I wanted to go for color schemes that would highlight the emotions of my character in a particular scene. That was the time when I put the most thought into fashion.

JUNG I don’t think the evolution had anything to do with switching to acting because in my early years as a model, I used to be really out there. I would put on really fierce makeup and outfits. But as I went through my career, I got really exhausted and gave up on dressing fashionably. I used to wear only sweats and casual clothes. Around five years ago, I found a balance where I’m fashionable but not too much, with just the right amount of hipness.

Lee and Jung were photographed Aug. 19 at the Andaz Hotel in Seoul, Korea PHOTOGRAPHED BY SIMPSON KIM; LEE STYLING BY GIANNA HWANG, HAIR BY KIM TAE-HYUN, MAKE-UP BY KIM HA-NA. JUNG STYLING BY AERI YUN, HAIR BY LEE HYE-YOUNG, MAKE-UP BY LEE JUN-SUNG

How would you describe your red carpet style today?

LEE I’m a person that doesn’t like boring things. There are many different styles of red carpets, and it all depends on the ambiance of the event. If it’s a really formal event, I would go with fewer accessories. If it’s not that formal, I try to go for an uplifting kind of wardrobe.

JUNG For the red carpet, I listen to my team about their opinions and I would describe it as a very natural yet detailed style.

How would you describe your style when you’re not working?

JUNG I literally wear the same thing every day — either jeans or Adidas track pants — and then I just change the T-shirt. I also have a deal as an ambassador for Adidas, so it’s very easy.

LEE I mostly go for colorful clothes. And people already are aware that I’m a fashion icon, that I dress well, so I can’t really go anywhere without paying attention to my style.

Can you talk about working with your stylists, Gianna Hwang (Lee’s stylist) and Aeri Yun (Jung’s)?

JUNG We decide together, and sometimes it can be confusing because we have so many ideas, but it’s good because we always listen to each other. We share photos, like Audrey Hepburn. Or, back in the day, we used to draw and sketch ideas and share those and talk about what we like.

LEE We’ve been working together for six years now. She’s a very meticulous person; she prepares very thoroughly so that I can have multiple style options to choose from.

“I talk a lot with my stylist to pick out the look of the day,” says Lee, seen here in an Adidas x Gucci Caspian GG-on-jacquard formal jacket with embroidery detail and an Adidas x Gucci light oxford shirt, of the importance of red carpet dressing. PHOTOGRAPHED BY SIMPSON KIM; LEE STYLING BY GIANNA HWANG, HAIR BY KIM TAE-HYUN, MAKE-UP BY KIM HA-NA

You both have deals with major luxury houses. Why did you decide to partner with a brand?

LEE When Gucci changed designers [naming Alessandro Michele creative director in 2015], I thought that Gucci was taking a very bold direction in terms of color and design. It came across as very new and innovative and sophisticated. I had a very good impression of the brand already, but then I started reaching for Gucci a lot. It was at that point that they reached out to me for a partnership, and I was very happy.

JUNG First of all, I knew [Louis Vuitton creative director] Nicolas Ghesquière very well from when I was a model, and I really admired his designs because I thought it was a great combination of both modernness and antiqueness, in a way. I also admire the fact that he gets a lot of inspirations from art and pays so much attention to the structure of his outfits. I really wanted to work with Louis Vuitton because of his signature design philosophy. And just because, I mean, it’s Louis Vuitton!

Any favorite pieces that you’ve worn for the brand?

LEE It’s very hard for me to choose one, but when I first became the Gucci ambassador, we had a photo shoot for the official announcement. They sent me three looks, and one of them was a black suit with fur. At first I thought it looked too fierce and it might not go well with me. But when I tried it on, it looked great and I had a lot of fun [wearing it].

JUNG I can’t choose just one, but I really like my SAG Awards dress. And I just so appreciated that [Louis Vuitton] made for me a daenggi hair ribbon, a traditional Korean hair accessory. I suggested to my stylist that we could do it, and she asked them to make the accessory and they did. That was quite an experience, to represent tradition in that way as a Louis Vuitton ambassador.

Spoiler

“I’ve noticed the reactions of fans. If I wear something and it gets posted online, people will know exactly what the brand is, sometimes within five minutes,” says Jung, wearing a wool blazer and pants and a Vintage Flower Masculine shirt, all by Louis Vuitton. PHOTOGRAPHED BY SIMPSON KIM; STYLING BY AERI YUN, HAIR BY LEE HYE-YOUNG, MAKE-UP BY LEE JUN-SUNG

Have you ever noticed the impact something you’ve worn has had among fans or the public?

LEE I’ve been doing a lot of promotion [for Hunt], and I went on a TV show wearing a pink jacket and an ivory-colored blouse. I unbuttoned the top three buttons and wore a really bold pearl necklace. People were really interested in that and it was covered heavily by the media. I think that may be one of the most influential items I’ve worn.

I know many people list you as a style icon, but who is yours?

LEE Timothée Chalamet. He dresses in a very interesting, intriguing way.

JUNG There are so many! I really like Jennifer Aniston’s ’90s style. She’s amazing. I also like Winona Ryder and Cate Blanchett. I am always googling photos of ’90s style because I think the actresses looked so iconic in that era.

What clothing items do you have your eye on for fall?

JUNG A knitted vest, corduroy pants, loafers and neckties.

What’s your essential travel item or two?

LEE I always bring my laptop and tablet PC, because I have to write and watch films.

JUNG Buckwheat tea and Cup O’ Noodles.

Is there anything else you are into, like cars or timepieces?

JUNG A Contax T3 film camera.

LEE I like vintage items, so I have a few vintage watches and cars.

If you have a visitor to Seoul, what are some places you would take them?

JUNG Comfort Seoul, a cafe and bar with a view of the city; Namsan, a park where I like to go walking; and Nemojip Korean BBQ, a super-good Korean barbecue restaurant.

Everyone will be paying attention to what you wear at the Emmys. Have you selected your outfit already?

JUNG We don’t have it yet, but I will say that it’s going to be chic. And detailed.

LEE Since the Emmys is such a major, major awards ceremony, Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s creative director, asked me the style I wanted and he gave me a few options. I picked one out and he’s going to make a custom look for me that I will wear.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

Spoiler

DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES (2); MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY IMAGES; JAMIE MCCARTHY/GETTY IMAGES; AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC; FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES; COURTESY OF SBS

This story first appeared in the Sept. 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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[ squidgame ] Emmy® nominees Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon are anything but boring. Peek behind the curtain at their awards show prep in this week’s @THR Lifestyle Story
Photographer: Simpson Kim
Location: Andaz Hotel

Spoiler

Helena · September 9, 2022

On 8/2/2022 at 8:33 PM, Helena said:

Production budget for “Hunt” was 23.3 billion won, while break-even point is 4.2 million cumulative viewers.

‘HUNT’ surpassed 4.2 million admissions.

On 9/7/2022 at 6:34 PM, Helena said:

To celebrate the enactment of “Squid Game Day” Los Angeles city government will be hosting a declaration ceremony on September 9 in front of the city hall.

 According to the congressman John Lee, mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, director of “Squid Game” Hwang Dong-hyuk, S.Korean actor Lee Jung-jae and the representative of the production company Siren Pictures inc will participate at the ceremony.

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2022/09/13/2022091300606.html
Los Angeles to Celebrate 'Squid Game Day'

Arirang News | September 13, 2022 08:29

From left, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, CEO of Siren Pictures Kim Ji-yeon, director Hwang Dong-hyuk, actor Lee Jung-jae, and John Lee, a member of the Los Angeles City Council pose with a commendation recognizing Sept. 17 as Squid Game Day in Los Angeles on Monday, in this picture provided by Los Angeles City Council.

Los Angeles has declared Sept. 17 "Squid Game Day" to recognize the influence of Netflix's hit Korean series "Squid Game" on increasing representation of Asian communities in American society. A solemn declaration was held in front of City Hall last week.

Sept. 17 is the date when the series was first released worldwide last year.

A commendation read, "Squid Game marks another victory in the fight to grow the representation of the AAPI [Asian American and Pacific Islander] community in film and entertainment, exposing audiences to Korean culture and traditions while paving the way for other AAPI communities to also have their stories told."

"Squid Game" Director Hwang Dong-hyuk expressed gratitude over the decision. He said it was truly important to him because he studied film, lived and experienced a lot in the city, all of which have hugely inspired his work.
Star Lee Jung-jae said he hopes Asian culture will be understood better through content like the Netflix hit series and that things will improve in the future.

The satirical Korean drama, in which a group of desperate people must compete in deadly children's games for a huge cash award, may seem an unlikely candidate to further harmony between the races, but the reason seems to be its global appeal.

[ joongangdaily ] From left, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, CEO of Siren Pictures Kim Ji-yeon, director of "Squid Game" (2021) Hwang Dong-hyuk, actor Lee Jung-jae, and John Lee, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, pose for photos on Monday with the certificate that deems Sept. 17 "'Squid Game' Day" in front of LA City Hall. Sept. 17 is the day that "Squid Game" premiered last year. During the event, Garcetti praised "Squid Game" as a series that greatly contributed to the expansion of cultural diversity and described its success as "a victory in the fight to grow representation of the AAPI [Asian American and Pacific Islander] community in film and entertainment, exposing audiences to Korean culture and traditions while paving the way for other AAPI communities to also have their stories told." [LA CITY COUNCIL]

Spoiler

[ Yonhap + squidgame ] Lead actor Lee Jung-jae and creator-writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk join @MayorOfLA and Council Member John Lee at @LACity Hall to celebrate the passing of the Squid Game Day Resolution.

Helena · September 12, 2022

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065581939195211
Four Korean actors of 'Squid Game' to compete for Emmy awards tomorrow

YonhapNews / 2022-09-12 12:12:03
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)

▲This photo, provided by each agency, shows Lee Jung-jae, O Yeong-su, Park Hae-soo, and Jung HoYeon. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲This photo, provided by CJ Entertainment, shows Lee Jung-jae. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- Four actors of Netflix series "Squid Game" will compete for Emmy awards.   Lee Jung-jae, O Yeong-su, Park Hae-soo, and Jung HoYeon were nominated for 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, which will take place on Sept 12 (KST 13). 

 According to American digital magazine Hollywood reporter, Lee Jung-jae and O Yeong-su are strong candidates for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards respectively. Park Hae-soo and Jung HoYeon are also looking forward to win the award among competitive nominees. 

 No Korean actors have been nominated for best actor and best supporting actor awards. Korean-Canadian Sandra Oh was nominated 13 times, but failed to take the award home every time.

 "Squid Game" Lee Yoo-Mi has won the Emmy award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series at Creative arts Emmys on Sept. 4 (Local Time), starting off the ceremony with a good start. This accolade is given to non-leading roles who displayed a moving performance.

 ◇ Lee Jung Jae predicted to win

 Lee Jung-jae was nominated for Best Actor with the role Sung Ki-hoon, the main character who participated in a survival game after being chased by loan sharks. He will compete with Jeremy Strong and Brain Cox of "Succession, Adam Scott from "Severance," Jason Bateman from "Ozark," and Bob Odenkirk of "Better Call Saul." 

 Lee Jung-jae, who had been playing fancy roles in domestic films, completely changed his previous image by playing the role of a dull middle-aged man in "Squid Game."

  Wearing a thick green sweatshirt and crouching on the playground floor and licking Dalgona like, he was praised for conveying Ki-hoon's desperate character to viewers. 

 Lee Jung-jae, who previously won the Screen Actors Guild Award, Spirit Award, and Best Actor award at Critics' Choice Award, is a strong candidate this time as well. As the main character of the "Squid Game," which competes in six categories at the Emmy Awards, he will also hand out awards at the ceremony. 

 Hollywood Reporer, who predicted the winning of Lee Yoo-mi for Guest Award, chose Lee Jung-jae as the number one nominee for the Best Actor Award. 

Spoiler

 ◇ Verteran actor O Yeong-su nominated for Best Supporting actor

 Senior actor O Yeong-su, who has won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor at Emmys.

  He will compete with Park Hae-soo, who also appeared in "Squid Game," Kiera Culkin (Succession), Nicholas Brown (Succession), Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Matthew McFadian (Succession), John Turturro (Severance: Break) , and Christopher Walken (Severance: Disconnection). 

 The actor appeared as the participant number 1, oil man suffering from a brain tumor, enjoyed the game but screamed "Stop" when people tried to kill each other, and shocked everyone with the unexpected plot twist at the end.

 Oh Yeong-su who is like a bright child in one work but shows a variety of performances as an old man with years of age in others is the head of Daehak-ro, guarding the stage for over half a century. 

 He started his acting career in 1963 when he joined the theater company Square with a friend and sinc ehten has appeared in more than 200 plays. 

 Leaving the popularity of "Squid Game" behind, he returned to the Daehak-ro stage and played Freud inthe play "Last Session." He will romatically work with actress Park Jung-Ja in the play "Love Letter', which will open on Oct. 6. 

 The Hollywood Reporter selected O Yeong-su as the actor most likely to win the Best Supporting Actor award. 

 ◇ 'Netflix Son' Park Hae-soo nominated for Best Supporting Actor along with O Yeong-su 

 Park Hae-soo, nicknamed "Netflix official" after appearing in Netflix series "Squid Game," "Money Heist," and "Narco-Saints," was nominated for Best Supporting Actor along with O Yeong-su. 

 In "Squid Game," Park Hae-soo plays Jo Sang-woo, an elite who participates in the game to pay for a large amount of debt after failing to invest. 

 Jo Sang-woo cleverly leads the game and moves according to his own interests, and Park Hae-soo was priased for expressing the complex psychology of worrying with a humanity while also trying to win the game. 

 Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who directed "Squid Game" said in a recent interview with foreign media, "The most proud achievement among the 14 Emmy nominations is Park Hae-soo's nomination for Best Supporting Actor," adding, "I was so happy they recognized his great acting." 

 ◇ Becoming world star with debut movie, Jung HoYeon nominated as Best Actress award. 

 Jung HoYeon, a former model, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress with her debut film. 

 Her competitors are Julia Garner (Ozark), Patricia Arquette (Severance: Break), Christina Ritchie (Yellow Jacket), Leah Seahorn (Better Call Saul), J. Smith Cameron (Succession), and Sarah Snook (Succession), and Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria). 

 Jeong HoYeon played Kang Sae-byeok, a defector who was deceived by a broker while trying to bring her mother from N.Korea. 

 Kang Sae-byeok seems to be wary of everyone in the beginning but gradually finds trust in people. It was evaluated that Jung Hoyeon's mysterious mask and unique tone of voice matched her character well. 

 She also won the Best Actress Award at the Actors Guild Awards (SAG) held in February and the Best Actress Award in the Action Series at the Critics' Choice Super Awards in March. 

 It is predicted that the chances of winning are small at Emmy Awards as Leah Sihon and others are competitive nominees. But she will be presenting awards with Lee Jung-Jae. 

 Jung Hoyeon signed an exclusive contract with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a large American entertainment agency, and expectations for her future activities are high. (END)

Helena · September 12, 2022

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220912000120
Lee Jung-jae to star in new ‘Star Wars’ series

By Lee Si-jin (sj_lee@heraldcorp.com) | Sept 12, 2022

Lee Jung-jae (Artist Company)

Top actor Lee Jung-jae is to join the new Disney+’s “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte,” helmed by Emmy-nominated creator Leslye Headland.

Lee will take a male lead in “The Acolyte,” according to the US online entertainment trade publication Deadline, but the detailed information about his character and role are yet to be revealed.

“There are many speculations about Lee’s role in ‘The Acolyte.’ We do not have any official statement to make at the moment. We hope to share the information, if things are decided in the near future,” Lee’s agency Artist Company official told The Korea Herald on Monday.

"The Acolyte" is a mystery-thriller, which revolves around the stories in a period of the High Republic era.

Co-starring with Jodie Turner-Smith and Amandla Stenberg, Lee is set to make an appearance in the major American series and become the first “Squid Game” star to work with the American studio.

The 49-year-old actor mesmerized global viewers with his role as a debt-ridden divorcee Seong Gi-hun in “Squid Game,” winning major awards in the lead actor category, including Screen Actors Guild Awards, Indie Spirit Awards and Critics Choice Awards.

After signing with the US-based talent agency Creative Artists Agency in February, Lee tried to be more active in the global market, including the US.

Lee, who has been nominated at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards for outstanding lead actor, awaits the main 2022 Emmys ceremony to be held on Tuesday at 9 a.m. in Los Angeles.

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Lee Jung-Jae 이정재 [Movie “Hunt” | Upcoming: Star Wars series “The Acolyte” (Disney+)]

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