Lee Jung Hyun 이정현

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November 2, 2016

Lee Jung Hyun Shines the Event Hall with Her Beauty

Source: BNTNews

[by Woorim Ahn, photo by Baek Soo Yeon] ‘The 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards’ had a hand printing event at CGV Yeouido in Yeouido, Seoul on November 2.

At the event, Yoo Ah In, Lee Jung Hyun, Oh Dal Soo, Jeon Hye Jin, Choi Woo Shik and Lee Yoo Young that won awards last year attended to leave hand printing.

Meanwhile, ‘Blue Dragon Film Awards’ will be held on November 25 at Peace Hall of Kyunghee University in Seoul. (photo by bntnews DB)

Handprint event

Actor Yoo Ah-in and actress Lee Jung-hyun, who each won the 2015 Blue Dragon Awards for best actor and actress, pose for a photo during a handprint event in Seoul on Nov. 2, 2016. (Yonhap) (END)

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November 2, 2016

Hand printing ceremony for last year’s Blue Dragon Film Awards winners

Yoo Ah-in, Lee Jung-hyun, Oh Dal-su, Jeong Hye-jin, Choi Woo-shik and Lee Yoo-young, from left. (Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald)

With the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards slated for Nov. 25, last year’s winners gathered Wednesday at the CGV movie house in Yeouido, Seoul, for a hand printing ceremony.

The 2015 Blue Dragon Film Awards’ best male actor Yoo Ah-in from “The Throne,” best female actress Lee Jung-hyun from “Alice in Earnestland,” best supporting actor Oh Dal-su from “Ode to my Father,” best supporting actress Jeon Hye-jin from “The Throne,” best female newcomer Lee Yoo-young from “The Treacherous” and best male newcomer Choi Woo-shik from “Set Me Free” were present at the ceremony to impress their hands on malleable gold colored slates. 

While waiting for the slates to harden, the actors spoke about what the award means to them.

Yoo Ah-in said the award, to him, meant recognition. “It was a welcome pat on the shoulder for some 10 years I spent as an actor,” Yoo said. 

Yoo said he gave all his trophies to his agency chief to keep. 

(Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald)

Lee Jung-hyun, who started her entertainment career as an actress before turning to music and back to acting again, said the award gave her “courage and confidence that it was a good decision she made to return to acting.” 

Lee keeps her Blue Dragon Film Awards trophy on her bookshelf. 

Oh Dal-su, the soft-spoken veteran supporting actor, said, “To me the award signifies a new start. I don’t want the trophy to get in the way of my ‘hunger’ for acting.” 

Almost with an apologetic shyness, he said this is his natural self without the “glass mask” he wears for his film roles. Oh has all his trophies stashed away somewhere they cannot be seen, because he does not wish to grow complacent. 

Jeon Hye-jin, who is also married to actor Lee Sun-kyun, said, “The best supporting actress trophy bestowed me with responsibility and ambition.” 

She said both her trophy and her husband’s awards are equally treated with nonchalant disregard at their home. “We hide anything that will catch dust, because our house is a clutter.”

(Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald)

Choi Woo-shik, a rookie actor, likened his best newcomer award to “homework” that he has to solve. 

Asked by the emcee if he does his homework well, Choi let out a shy laughter and said he is not so good but tries. 

Choi keeps his trophy from the 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards on the windowsill of his verandah.

Rookie actress Lee Yoo-young shared a similar sentiment with Choi, “After the award, for a while I was under the impression that I had to perform as well or even better.” 

Lee said she has now digested all the feelings and is at ease. Instead of feeling burdened, she now feels a positive responsibility. 

Lee’s mother is planning to purchase a brand new cabinet to store Lee‘s award.

The Blue Dragon Film Awards date back to 1963. Its purpose is to nurture higher quality Korean movies and is deemed one of the most prestigious awards here due to its reputation of being fair. 

This year’s 37th awards ceremony will take place at the Grand Peace Palace at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Nov. 25.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)

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December 22, 2016

'Battleship Island’ wraps up month-long filming

(CJ Entertainment)

Upcoming period film “Battleship Island” ended six months of shooting Tuesday, according to news reports Thursday. 

The shooting, which involved some 200 staff, took place in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The filming lasted for about six months. The final take was taken in a mine in Chuncheon.

(CJ Entertainment)

Hwang Jung-min, Song Joong-ki and So Ji-sub play the protagonists in the film which is based on the Japanese occupation of Korea. 

The movie centers on a bandmaster, Lee Kang-ok, played by Hwang, who is duped into a job offer in Japan but was sent instead to a forced labor camp on Battleship Island, also known as Hashima Island. 

An independence fighter, Park Moo-young, played by Song, engages in a covert operation to rescue people from the island. The movie will be released next year.

By Son Ji-hyoung (json@heraldcorp.com)

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 January 2, 2017

BATTLESHIP ISLAND Ends 6-Month Shoot
Escape Drama Reunites RYOO Seung-wan and HWANG Jung-min

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

After a six-month shoot, RYOO Seung-wan’s Battleship Island, one of next year’s most anticipated films, wrapped production on December 20th on the Chuncheon set in Gangwon-do Province. The film stars HWANG Jung-min, SO Ji-sub, SONG Joong-ki, LEE Jung-hyun and KIM Su-an.

Set on the Japanese Island Hashima, known as ‘Battleship Island’ for its distinctive shape, RYOO’s latest movie takes place during the Japanese Occupation Era when thousands of Korean and Chinese civilians were forced to work in underground mines under terrible conditions. The film follows an escape attempt by 400 Korean workers, including a working man (HWANG Jung-min) trying to protect his daughter (KIM Su-an), a rowdy street brawler (SO Ji-sub) and an independence fighter (SONG Joong-ki).

Director RYOO experienced his greatest ever success in 2015 with the release of the action-thriller hit Veteran, which scored 13.41 million admissions, making it the third most successful Korean film of all time.

HWANG worked with RYOO on Veteran in 2015 and has featured in several recent hits, including Ode to My Father (2014), The Himalayas (2015), A Violent Prosecutor and THE WAILING. SO returns to cinemas for the first time since A Company Man (2012). Meanwhile SONG, also a major star on TV, was last seen on the silver screen in A Werewolf Boy (2012).

Now in post-production, the film, which is being produced by Filmmaker R & K and will be distributed by CJ Entertainment, will hit screens next year, with a summer bow looking likely.

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April 27, 2017

Lee Byung-hun and Jung Woo-sung? '0509 Rose Project' records 2 million in two days

Source: Nate via Hancinema.net

The voting encouragement campaign "0509 Rose Project" set 2 million views in just two days.

The "0509 Rose Project" was revealed for the first time on the 25th. The accumulated number of views was over 2 million.

"0509 Rose Project" is participated by Ko So-young, Ko Soo, Ko Ah-seong, Kwon Yul, Kim Sung-ryung, Kim Young-kwang, Noh Hee-kyeong, Ryu Jun-yeol, Park Geun-hyeong, Park Seo-joon, Park Jung-min, Bae Seong-woo, Bae Jong-ok, Baek Jin-hee, director Byeon Yeong-joo, BewhY, Seo Ji-hye, So I-hyeon, Yunho, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Seo-jin, Lee Soon-jae, Lee Young-jin, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Joon, director Lee Joon-ik, Leeteuk, director Lee Hae-yeong, Lee Hyun-woo, Jeong Yeon-joo, Jung Woo-sung, Cho Jin-woong, Ji Jin-hee, Jin Goo, Han Ye-ri, director Han Jae-rim, Han Ji-min, Han Ji-seon and others including the NGO foundation.

These stars had their pictures taken in a studio in Seoul wearing a T-shirt with the election mark on it and holding roses. They spoke about their views and beliefs about elections and what the qualities of a president should be. They also delivered the message to people to choose their leader according to their policies and potential and not by image.

Political interest in the country has increased due to former president Park Geun-hye and her wrong doings but still, election participation is low. Thanks to these celebrities, hopefully the nation will take part in choosing their leader.

By sharing the video, T-shirts with the stars' signatures are being given out.

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June 15, 2017

New movie 'The Battleship Island'

Actress Lee Jung-hyun attends a press event for her new movie "The Battleship Island" in Seoul on June 15, 2017. The action film is based on the history of Japan's Hashima Island, where Koreans were forced to work during Japanese colonial rule of Korea, and tells the story of the forced laborers daring a live-or-die escape. (Yonhap) (END)

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Photos: cjenmmovie

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Photos: mermaidleejh

 

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July 3, 2017

[V Report Plus] Actors to hold special session for ‘The Battleship Island’

More details about the upcoming historical film “The Battleship Island” will be presented in Naver Movie Talk session, it was hinted via Naver’s V app Monday. 

The main actors -- Song Joong-ki, So Ji-sub, Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-hyun -- will host a Naver Movie Talk session at 9 p.m. on July 7, where they will explain some behind-the-scenes stories. A special clip will also be released. 

(Naver's V app)

“The Battleship Island,” which is set to hit local theaters July 26, tells the story of Korean forced laborers taken captive on Japan’s Hashima Island during the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V allows fans to interact with their favorite K-pop stars through live broadcasts. The app is available for Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://www.vlive.tv.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com) 

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.naver.vapp
Apple App Store https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1019447011?mt=8

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Photo: cjenmmovie

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July 8, 2017

[Guest Film Review] "Split" - New York Asian Film Festival

Source: HanCinema.net

I have to admit, sometimes I forget the appeal a good mainstream movie can have and the entertainment it can offer. "Split" does exactly that, through a Korean version of "Rain Man".

Cheol-jong used to be the best professional bowler in the country, but a tragic car accident destroyed his leg, his career, and even his family. Now, he plays in underground bowling matches that are organized by Hee-jin, an owner of a bowling alley who is in deep debt. The betting in this games is quite heavy, with some outsiders "patrons" participating, and Hee-jin hopes to repay her debt through the abilities of a limping Cheol-jong. However, his partner in the matches is not as good, and the two of them end up losing a lot of money, in a series of events that ends in violence. Their fate, though, changes when Cheol-jong meets Yeong-hoon, an autistic youngster with an incredible ability in bowling, but uncountable quirks. As the three of them start gaining money again, an old foe, Toad appears again threatening everything they have gained, while the tragic past of Yeong-hoon is revealed.

Choi Gook-hee, in his debut, pens and directs a film that moves in the widely known paths of mainstream cinema. In that fashion, the presence of a sport entails the competition that is always an attraction as a concept, and there is comedy, drama, some violence, revelations, and even a small dosage of romance. All of the above elements are expected, but Choi manages to retain a balance among them, particularly through the relationship of the two male protagonists, which carries the film for its whole duration.

The only fault I found in the story is the ending, which seems to go a bit overboard with a fight that does not fit the general aesthetics, and a happy, but rather melodramatic ending.

Furthermore, bowling is presented in quite impressive fashion, with the concept benefitting the most by Baek Yoon-seok's cinematography, which gives the bowling alleys a colorful and very pleasant feeling, and Kim Sun-min's editing. Particularly the latter manages to retain a sense of agony through the majority of the matches, with some fast but very accurate cuts.

Yoo Ji-tae plays the attractive bad boy with gusto, while the revealing of his true circumstances makes him even more likeable, despite the somewhat arrogant character he plays. Lee Jung-hyun as Hee-jin gives the necessary female element, while her character is the main representative of the comic element. Jeong Seong-hwa is a great villain as Toad, although his character is extreme in conception, as an ex-bowling player who turned loan shark/gangster. However, as in the case of "Rain Man", the one who steals the show is Lee David, who plays a great Yeong-hoon, managing to portray an autistic character with accuracy and sensitivity. Furthermore, the film benefits much by the chemistry of the three "good guys", with their collaboration being one of the highlights of the movie.

"Split" is a very easy film to watch, that will entertain its audience, and allow them to enjoy a story without having to overthink it. 

"Split" is screening at New York Asian Film Festival (Festival entry), that will be on June 30 to July 16

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

"Split" is directed by Choi Gook-hee and features Yoo Ji-tae, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee David and Jeong Seong-hwa.

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Clip: cine_21

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July 14, 2017

Cast of ‘Battleship Island’ exudes charisma at magazine photoshoot

(Instagram account of @harpersbazaarkorea)

Cast members of upcoming historical flick “Battleship Island” recently had a photo shoot for a local fashion magazine Harpers Bazaar Korea. 

In a teaser video released by the magazine via its social media, the four actors -- So Ji-sub, Song Joong-ki, Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-hyun -- gazed seriously into the camera. 

(Instagram account of @harpersbazaarkorea)

The film, set in Japan’s Hashima Island where a forced labor camp was located during the Japanese colonial era, tells the story of 400 Korean workers who risked their lives in an attempt to escape from the island. 

It is scheduled to hit local theaters on July 26.

By Kim So-yeon (syk19372@heraldcorp.com)

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Source: CINE21

Cover NO.1114    2017-07-18 ~ 2017-07-25

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July 26, 2017

'The Battleship Island' headed towards big opening at box office

SEOUL, July 26 (Yonhap) -- "The Battleship Island," a new South Korean World War II blockbuster film, is set to make an opening day splash on Wednesday, with nearly 600,000 tickets having been reserved on the release date.

According to the computerized tally from the Korean Film Council, the number of ticket reservations for the film stood at 594,370 as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, accounting for 70.1 percent of all movie reservations for the day.

The film, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan and starring Hwang Jung-min, Song Joong-ki and So Ji-sub, is expected to overtake "Dunkirk," the current No. 1 film at the box office.

"The Mummy," a Hollywood film starring Tom Cruise, holds the record for the biggest opening day performance in South Korea, drawing in 872,965 moviegoers on its premiere day. "Roaring Currents," the biggest-grossing film in the country to-date, was watched by 682,701 viewers on release day.

"The Battleship Island" is one of the more expensive South Korean films to-date. Against a budget of 25 billion won (US$22.3 million), the movie has to sell more than 7 million tickets to break even.

The movie has attracted huge attention since it was first announced for its inspiration from the atrocities and ordeals faced by hundreds of forced Korean coal miners and sex slaves at Japan's Hashima Island, nicknamed "Battleship Island" after its resemblance to a warship, during World War II.

odissy@yna.co.kr

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August 1, 2017

‘Battleship Island’ dominates at Korean box office

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

Despite concerns that it dominated at too many screens, the controversial period epic “The Battleship Island” smashed Korea’s weekend box office. [CJ E&M]

As expected, the controversial “The Battleship Island” stormed Korea’s box office on its debut weekend. The newly-released “Despicable Me 3” was not even close in the competition. 

From Friday to Sunday, the fictionally recreated period epic “The Battleship Island” sold 2.51 million admissions at 2,019 screens, adding on to a total of 4.07 million tickets sold as of Monday, since it hit theaters less than a week ago. It accounted for 62.8 percent of the entire weekend ticket sales, raking in 20.84 billion won ($18.6 million). 

The period epic, starring Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub and Song Joong-ki, has been at the center of attention for dominating more than 80 percent of screens. The CJ E&M-distributed movie opened at the highest number of screens in the country on Wednesday with 2,027 out of the entire 2,575 screens nationwide, once again raising the issue of conglomerate’s monopoly of the local film market.

The movie, directed by “Veteran” (2015) director Ryoo Seung-wan, depicts the lives of Koreans who were subject to forced labor in Hashima Island, otherwise known as Battleship Island for its warship-like appearance, during the period of Japanese colonial rule (1910-45). 

Universal Pictures and Illumination’s third chapter of the “Despicable Me” series landed in a distant second place with 850,000 admissions sold, taking up 20 percent of weekend ticket sales. The movie, starring supervillain-turned-crime fighter Gru and his suppository-shaped yellow henchmen, sold 852,000 tickets since it was released nationwide on Wednesday. The newest installment of the franchise adds an interesting new character, Gru’s long-lost twin brother named Dru. 

“Interstellar” (2014) director Christopher Nolan’s World War II movie “Dunkirk” dropped two spots down to rank third in its second weekend. Having sold 366,000 tickets from Friday to Sunday, the war movie, starring Fionn Whitehead and Tom Hardy, has so far sold a total of 2.18 million admissions. 

The superhero film “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” starring English actor Tom Holland, made it into the fourth spot on its fourth weekend, having sold 7.13 million tickets. Japanese animation “Crayon Shinchan 2017 Theatrical Film: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri” rounded out the top five in its second weekend with accumulated ticket sales of 237,000 admissions. 

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]

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August 9, 2017

[Interview] Lee Jung-hyun, "Son Ye-jin introduced me to an actress group"

Source: Heraldcorp via HanCinema.net

Lee Jung-hyun is close to Son Ye-jin and Sung Yu-ri.

Pictures of Son Ye-jin, Gong Hyo-jin, Song Yoon-ah, Oh Yoon-ah, Eom Ji-won, Lee Min-jung and Lee Jung-hyun are always a big deal. Son Ye-jin, Gong Hyo-jin, Song Yoon-ah, Oh Yoon-ah, Eom Ji-won and Lee Min-jeong even attended Lee Jung-hyun's "The Battleship Island" VIP premiere.

Herald POP interviewed Lee Jung-hyun recently and she said Son Ye-jin introduced her to this group of actresses.

She said, "I was close to Son Ye-jin and thanks to her I became close to everyone else. We meet up every once in a while, go to the norebang and go on trips".

"I am also close with Sung Yu-ri. We see each other a lot. As soon as I finished filming "The Battleship Island" she asked me when the premiere was and she came like she promised".

Sung Yu-ri got married to pro golfer Ahn Seong-hyeon in May this year after being with him for 4 years. We said Lee Jung-hyun might not see her as much because Sung Yu-ri got married but she said, "Her husband is always abroad for work so it isn't a problem".

Not only that, Lee Jung-hyun is the original 'multi-tainer' as she's an actress but she is also a record holding musician. She said, "Making movies hasn't given me time to make music but I still love it".

"I don't have immediate plans, but I haven't quit being a singer. I also do concerts and if I have the chance, I'd like to come out with new music".

Meanwhile, Lee Jung-hyun played Oh Mal-nyeon in the 6 million spectators movie "The Battleship Island".

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August 26, 2017

Lee Jung-hyun doesn’t shy away from a challenge :

The singer and actor is open to all projects, no matter the budget

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

[ILGAN SPORTS]

Actor Lee Jung-hyun, who is also widely known to those in their 30s and 40s as a singer, is never afraid to take on a challenge. 

The film “The Battleship Island,” in which Lee plays a so-called comfort woman - a woman dragged into sexual slavery by the military during Japanese Colonial rule from 1910 to 1945 - was another challenge for her. 

As much as the opportunity to work on a movie with a production budget of over 20 billion won ($17.7 million) was meaningful for her, movies with lower budgets, like the 60-million-won “Alice in Earnestland,” still bring her excitement. In that movie, she plays a hardworking wife who tries to make enough money to buy a home for her family, but ends up murdering those who get in her way and make her life difficult. 

The actor, in an interview with Ilgan Sports, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, sat down to talk about how her career is shaping up and what her plans are for the future. 

Q. How do you choose what movie to do?

A. The first thing I look at is the script. And then I check who is directing the project. While reading the script, I don’t think about anything but whether I would enjoy being involved. I find it interesting when characters have a unique personality. I always think, “When would I ever get to play such a role?”

Does that mean that you don’t regret any movies you have made, or whether or not they have been a hit?

If I want to make money, I can continue filming dramas in China, and only do many commercial films here and there, but I’m not intrigued. It cost 60 million won to film “Alice in Earnestland” and the budget for “The Battleship Island” was over 20 billion won. But the happiness I felt during each project was about the same. I even used my own money while filming “Alice.” The piece was good and the director and other staff members were passionate. As long as a script is good and there is passion, I can do a movie for 5 million won. There is no reason for me to not do it. 

Are you ever shy on set?

Why would I be shy? I am not that kind of person. I try to memorize the names of each person on staff. Especially while I was filming this movie, all the members felt like family and I was dying to go back to the set. This movie was the first one to keep me on the set even after I was done with my part. I just wanted to be surrounded by the atmosphere. It wasn’t just me who felt this way - it was everybody. 

Do you enjoy taking on challenges?

I don’t think I am “taking on a challenge.” Regardless of the role or the amount of time, I take work as long as I can enjoy doing it. For now, I think that I want to work for a long time and in a steady manner. 

Do you have plans to come back as a singer?

I’m not retired from it, but since I have been filming many different movies back-to-back, I am not doing any prep work to release an album. But I’m not saying I don’t sing anymore. If there’s a chance, I want to meet fans on stage. 

BY CHO YEON-GYEONG [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]

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August 26, 2017

August Movie Actor Brand Reputation Rankings Revealed

Source: Soompi by DY_Kim 

Spoiler

On August 27, the Korean Business Research Institute announced the August brand reputation rankings for movie actors.

The results are based on the analysis of interaction, media coverage, communication, and community indexes for 165,104,765 pieces of big data on 50 actors from July 25 to August 26. This is a 16.53% rise from the 139,284,258 pieces of big data for the July ranking.

Park Seo Joon took first with a total brand reputation score of 9,716,059. Song Kang Ho placed second with a score of 8,815,009, and Jang Dong Gun followed closely behind with a score of 8,174,818. All three actors star in popular movies that are currently in Korean theaters, with Park Seo Joon in “Midnight Runners,” Song Kang Ho in “Taxi Driver,” and Jang Dong Gun in “V.I.P.”

Check out the top 25 of the ranking below:

1. Park Seo Joon
2. Song Kang Ho
3. Jang Dong Gun
4. Song Joong Ki
5. Kang Ha Neul
6. Gong Yoo
7. Ryu Jun Yeol
8. Kim Myung Min
9. Han Ji Min
10. Lee Jong Suk
11. Lee Jung Hyun
12. Kim Nam Gil
13. Yoo Hae Jin
14. Park Hee Soon
15. Lee Byung Hun
16. Hwang Jung Min
17. So Ji Sub
18. Jun Ji Hyun
19. Kim Soo Hyun
20. Lee Jung Jae
21. Kim Yun Seok
22. Go Soo
23. Han Hyo Joo
24. Yeo Jin Goo
25. Im Siwan

Spoiler

Source (1) (2)

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October 16, 2017

 

'Battleship Island' Wins Award at Spain's Sitges Film Fest
 

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

 

"The Battleship Island," a historical action film by director Ryoo Seung-wan, won the Òrbita award at Spain's Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, which ended on Sunday.

 

Sitges, an international festival specializing in fantasy and horror films, marked its 50th anniversary this year.

 

 

The Òrbita award is given by a jury comprising the audiences of selected feature-length films of all nationalities previously unreleased in Spain. 

The film competed against Takeshi Kitano's "Outrage Coda" and Taylor Sheridan's "Winder River."

 

"Battleship Island" depicts the plight of Korean slave laborers on Hashima Island in World War II.

 

This is Ryoo's third award at the Sitges -- he won the Focus Asia award in 2015 with "Veteran" and the Casa Asia award in 2011 for "The Unjust."