With his breakout film “Oldboy” in 2003, director Park Chan-wook has led the surge of Korean directors spotlighted in the international cinemascape in the past two decades.For his next work, Park will be helming a BBC television drama series revolving around an international intrigue that involves multiple countries. The series will also air on US channel AMC. The six-episode drama is an adaption of John Le Carre’s “Little Drummer Girl,” a 1983 novel about an actress who, seeking to escape the d

The cumulative number of moviegoers in South Korea reached a record high of nearly 220 million last year on the back of success in large-scale Korean films, industry data showed Monday. The figure came to 219.8 million at the end of December, up by 2.84 million from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. The annual attendance tally had been stalled at around the 210 million mark for the past five years, with the number recording a slight downtrend in 2016 before it reb

1987(Korea)Opened Dec. 27Historical drama. Directed by Jang Joon-hwan The year is 1987. Former Army Gen. Chun Doo-hwan is in power, and a harrowing series of events follow the torture and death of student activist Park Chong-chul. In an attempt to cover up the crimes that led to the killing, corrupt officials list Park’s cause of death as an unlikely heart attack. Investigator Park Cheo-won (Kim Yoon-seok) staunchly fends off reporters, believing cruelty is justified for the sake of bettering th

Another year has come to a wrap in the Korean film industry. Genres continue to be limited to political thrillers and crime flicks, and the scarcity of female roles persists. Despite the relative lack of diversity, however, 2017 turned out to be a year that offered several pleasant, unexpected surprises for moviegoers. Quieter, more pensive films excelled this year, offering insight into humanity and the everyday. Okja (Netflix/NEW)OkjaAdventure, fantasy Directed by Bong Joon-ho Distributed by N

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds(Korea)Opened Dec. 20Fantasy, drama. Directed by Kim Yong-hwaKim Ja-hong (Cha Tae-hyun), who has died, finds himself being escorted to the next world by three officials from the afterworld. He is appointed a lawyer, and instructed that everyone must face the seven judges, who rule on a person’s lifelong deeds based on sins such as violence, betrayal, laziness and hurting family, and decide whether they proceed to heaven or hell. Ja-hong and the three officials

Ha Jung-woo has come to be known for his intensely natural performances, from the dejected taxi driver in “The Yellow Sea” to the exasperatingly optimistic slacker in “My Dear Enemy.” 　Though he had debuted years earlier on television, Ha began garnering attention with Na Hong-jin’s 2008 thriller “The Chaser,” which achieved box office success and was invited to screen at the Cannes Film Festival. In the film, Ha gives a forcible performance as a psychopathic serial killer. In past interviews, H

Bong Joon-ho’s latest film “Okja” has advanced to the 10-film shortlist in the visual effects category for the 2018 Oscars race.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday the 10 films that are to compete for the five nomination spots Best Visual Effects at the 90th Academy Awards.Shot with a budget of under $50 million, “Okja,” along with Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” stands out on the list dominated by tentpole Hollywood blockbusters like “Dunkirk” and “Star W

Korean actor Gang Dong-won is set to make his stateside debut with “Tsunami LA,” a disaster action film to be directed by Simon West.Gang’s agency YG Entertainment said Monday that the actor had been cast for the leading role in the new feature by West, who directed blockbuster action films “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” and “Con Air.”According to Variety magazine Sunday, “Tsunami LA” is set in Los Angeles, which is hit by a massive tidal wave. The movie is currently in pre-production in the UK. In a

Virtual reality film "Bloodless" by South Korean filmmaker Gina Kim won best VR film award at the Bogota International Film Festival, the movie's production company Crayon Film said Monday.Earlier this year, the film won the best virtual reality story award at the 74th Venice International Film Festival and the best VR film award at the 58th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The 12-minute-long film is based on a real-life murder case in 1992 where an American soldier killed a Korean bar

“Steel Rain,” a new North Korean-themed action blockbuster, took the No. 1 spot at the South Korean box office on its opening weekend, data showed on Monday.The movie, starring Jung Woo-sung and Kwak Do-won, sold 1.09 million tickets across the country from Saturday to Sunday, accounting for 54.9 percent of all tickets sold over the weekend, the Korean Film Council said. The film’s accumulated audience has reached 1.62 million since opening last Thursday.In “Steel Rain,” Jung plays a North Korea

Lee Young-ae has returned to the movie scene with the short film “The House Below.”　The film, directed by Lee Kyoung-mi (“The Truth Beneath,” 2016), is a project for the JTBC TV show “Suitable for General Viewing,” which follows independent filmmakers and entertainers collaborating on original films.　The role marks Lee’s first film performance since she starred in the 2005 crime thriller “Lady Vengeance,” directed by Park Chan-wook. 　 Lee Young-ae stars in “Suitable for General Viewing.” (JTBC)T

Actor who plays NK special agent in ‘Steel Rain’ not afraid of retaliation from North

Steel Rain(Korea)Opened Dec. 14Action, drama. Directed by Yang Woo-seokAn attack on the North Korean leader takes place at an event at the Kaesong industrial park, leaving him injured. North Korean special agent Uhm Chul-woo (Jung Woo-sung) is ordered to take him and flee to the South via an underground tunnel to take refuge until the revolt concludes. There, Uhm encounters Kwak Chul-woo (Kwak Do-won), Korea’s senior secretary of foreign affairs and national security. Amid increasingly convolute

‘1987’ takes viewers to fateful year when Korea saw democracy at its lowest and highest points

Korean afterlife comes alive in mesmerizing computer-graphic landscape