#kim kyu yong

[koreanss501-kpop]

Alert alert 💚💚💚

SS501 comeback?

New album?

Our boys are back...💚💚

[teashh]

One of the things I love about kdramas is that it really subverts what masculinity is supposed to be. You see the loser who's down bad for the female lead (Lovely runner, queen of tears, Love Next Door, Strong Girl Do Bong Soon, the Judge from Hell), you see the soft masculinity in hometown cha cha cha, summer strike and Doctor Slump and extraordinary attorney woo, the protective kind of masculinity in any of Ji Chang Wook's and Ahn Bo Hyun's works, the reassured and confident masculinity of Seo Kang Joon in Undercover High school and Lee Jun Hyuk in Love scout, the playful masculinity in Twinkling Watermelon and Crash Course in Romance, the stoic but gentle masculinity in Doctor Romantic and Hierarchy, and the "I care about you and only you" kind of masculinity in Vincenzo to name a few.

This is progress from the old kdramas and I get that it's fictional and in real life, some of these actors are assholes. But in the era where Toxic masculinity is rampant, I think we can turn towards kdrama to have some inkling of what kind of man we should strive to be and what kind of man we should want. This should not something we see only in fiction. We should raise our sons (I'm 21) to be like this so that one day it's not just a concept for fictional love stories.

[save-the-data]

The Uncanny Counter | S01E01

Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

Episodes | Viki | YouTube | iQIYI | WeTV | Tencent | Netflix | Catalogue

[k-star-holic]

Kim Yong-man "'Berkeley School of Music' kid quits school and opens Sam's Club in Itaewon" ('Lerk')

[junkobato]

Upcoming Kdrama May 2024 💚

1/5: Frankly Speaking with Go Kyung Pyo, Kang Han Na. 12 episodes; rom-com.

4/5: the Atypical Family with Chun Woo Hee, Jang Ki Yong. 12 episodes, fantasy, romance, action.

11/5: the Midnight Romance with Jung Ryeo Won, Wi Ha Joon, So Joo Yun. 16 episodes; romance.

13/5: Crash with Lee Min Ki, Kwak Sun Young, Heo Sung Tae. 12 episodes; thriller, mystery, comedy.

13/5: Dare to Love Me with Kim Myung Soo, Lee Yoo Young. 16 episodes; rom-com.

15/5: Uncle Samsik with Song Kang Ho, Byun Yo Han, Lee Kyu Hyung. 16 episodes; business drama.

17/5: the 8 Show with Ryu Joon Yul, Chun Woo Hee, Park Jong Min. 8 episodes; thriller, psychological.

22/5: Not Very Strong, but Attractive Homicide Squad with Park Se Wan, Kim Dong Wook. 12 episodes; mystery, comedy.

24/5: Bitter Sweet Hell with Kim Hee Sun, Lee Hye Young, Kim Nam Hee. 12 episodes; thriller, mystery, comedy.

24/5: Connection with Ji Sung, Jeon Mi Do, Kwon Yul. 16 episodes; thriller, mystery.

Many new dramas! And so little time...

[shortyinblue]

OnlyOneOf Basic Introduction!

OnlyOneOf is a 6 member (formerly 7) South Korean boy group that debuted on May 28th, 2019 under the company 8D Entertainment. The fandom name is LyOn. You'll notice the O's are always capitalized in song and album titles. The main concept that OnlyOneOf embraces as a group is infinite expansion. When the group debuted, they described their beginnings as a dot. With each new release, they declare their ambition to continue to leap in every way, expanding into more dimensions, turning into lines, then planes. This structural universe serves as a metaphor for endless exploration and evolution the group pursues, both as artists and people. It also serves as a clear reminder of their multi-faceted humanness, including "negative" traits and ideas that are stereotypically absent in most idol concepts and groups.

The members officially opened their own instagrams on August 31st, 2024.

•

•Jung Wook Jin (정욱진) / Nine (나인) 🦊

•Born in Busan, South Korea on December 13th, 1999, he is the youngest member.

•Height: 177cm (5’10)

•Vocalist, Dancer, Producer, Songwriter, Actor, Maknae.

•Unit Partner: Mill.

•Nine was announced as the new Leader in December 2023, he stepped down as the leader in 2025. Nine was in the BL Drama 'Bump Up Business' in 2023, though I'd only recommend it if you're already a fan of OnlyOneOf.

•

•Shin Kyu Bin (신규빈) / KB (규빈) 🐦

•Born in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea on April 23rd, 1992, he is the oldest member.

•Height: 180cm (5’11)

•Lead Rapper, Vocalist, Dancer, Producer, Actor.

•Unit Partner: Yoojung.

•KB was the stand-in Leader before Nine was officially made Leader. KB was in the BL Drama 'Bump Up Business' in 2023.

•

•Lee Sung Ho (이성호) / Rie (리에) 🐥

•Born in Daejeon, South Korea on November 6th, 1996.

•Height: 175cm (5’9)

•Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Songwriter, Actor.

•Unit Partner: Junji.

•Rie was in the BL Drama 'Bump Up Business' in 2023.

•

•Lee Tae Yeob (이태엽) / Yoojung (유정) 🐰

•Born in Gwangju, South Korea on May 29th, 1997.

•Height: Unknown

•Main Dancer, Vocalist, Choreographer, Actor.

•Unit Partner: KB.

•Yoojung was in the BL Drama 'Bump Up Business' in 2023.

•

•Kim Jun Hyung (김준형) / Junji (준지) 🐱

•Born in Incheon, South Korea on April 6th, 1998.

•Height: 181cm (5’11)

•Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Choreographer, Actor.

•Unit Partner: Rie.

•Junji was in the BL Drama 'Bump Up Business' in 2023.

•

•Lee Yong Soo (이용수) / Mill (밀) 🐭/🐵

•Born in Gwangju, South Korea on March 30th, 1999.

•Height: Unknown

•Main Rapper, Vocalist, Dancer, Choreographer, Actor, Unofficial Maknae.

•Unit Partner: Nine.

•Mill was in the BL Drama 'Bump Up Business' in 2023.

•

Former Member:

•Park Ji Sung (박지성) / Love (러브) 🐶

•Born in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea on January 17, 1994.

•Height: 182cm (5’11)

•Former Leader, Main Vocalist, Songwriter, Dancer.

•Former Unit: Mill & Nine

•Jisung left the group on August 2nd, 2021 for personal reasons. His leaving was very sudden and not well handled as the company never gave any explanation, the rest of the members haven't been allowed to talk about Jisung and the company basically acts like he never existed. We heard that he completed his military enlistment a couple years ago but otherwise it's been radio silence for three years, until July 2024 when Jisung opened his own personal Instagram under the username q4oll7 (which is his birthday 940117), I'm just happy to know that he's okay. So if you're new to OnlyOneOf know that we LyOns still love Jisung, there was no controversy or anything problematic with him. We are OT7 forever.

(Apologies for the lack of descriptions for the boys, I put this together in like an hour)

Stan OnlyOneOf! (Please)

[catch-me-hello]

Debut’s Plan, Episode 8 – Monsta Energy

This show is going to kill me.

Full disclosure:  I’m not a full-time writer.  I have a job, and writing K-pop essays and recaps is my hobby.  It’s been great having these Debut’s Plan episodes drop on Fridays so that when I finish work, I can spend the weekend writing.  But the next episode dropped as I was logging into my work computer Monday morning.  I guess I won’t be sleeping much this week.

Let’s start with a quick bit of housekeeping.  At the end of my I-Land (Enhypen) recaps, I was very concerned about eliminated contestant and 14 year-old show maknae Daniel.  He seemed to have emotionally crashed afterwards.  He’s one of those vanished trainees that I’ve been trying to keep up with, along with Lee Jae Eok from Wild Idol. 

Over the weekend, I was searching online for news about Boys Planet 2, and I found rumors that Daniel would be one of the contestants.

I quickly jumped to the comments, where I found a lot of skepticism, because apparently he’s working on a solo album.  From there, I found a music video he released three weeks ago.  He goes by Kyu now, the song is called “Tempo,” and it’s a smooth, steamy bossa nova groove. 

Watching the video feels like watching the solo work from Monsta X’s I.M.  The song is beautiful, and I really hope Daniel’s doing okay.

And since I also recapped Wild Idol, I’ll add that former TAN members Jaejun and Hyunyeop have teamed up with another accomplished K-pop artist named Juntae and debuted as the group In A Minute.  I really like their song “What You Want,” but I will never stop hoping for a TAN reunion someday.

Okay!  Now that the housekeeping’s done, let’s have fun.  Welcome back, however unexpectedly, to Debut’s Plan!

We start with a time jump.  After the success of the one-take video last week, our trainees went into a three-month special incubating program, where they have done nothing but practice nonstop.  After this period of intense training, our boys gather in a new location.  I miss the campus already.  We still have 21 trainees, so Seok June hasn’t left us yet.

Our Starnouncer appears on the wall.  We’re getting two more Plans.  Plan 6 is a pre-debut assessment, and Plan 7 is the debut assessment.  Plan 6 will be live in front of a crowd of 1,000 fans, which may be the biggest audience we’ve had on one of these shows, with the exception of the Boys Planet finale.  Our trainees are excited and terrified.  They get even more terrified when the Starnouncer confirms there will be eliminations.

Kim Ji Yong, our 6-year trainee, stares at the ground.  He has been eliminated several times over the past six years, often right before a planned debut.  We already know this is the last time he’s going to try to debut.  He told us back in the beginning that if he doesn’t make it this time, he’s giving up.

Now the Starnouncer deals a wild card.  An eliminated trainee from Plan 6 might be given a pass to come back for Plan 7.  Might.  The board will decide whether to use the “Super Pass” after the elimination.  It’s a slim chance, but it does give a bit of hope to the trainees.

Now to reveal the songs for Plan 6.  They are “Step Up,” “Sticky Bomb,” and “Password.”  These appear to be three new songs written for this show.  Now to divide these NewKids into the three groups.

This process gets a bit complicated, as it’s all about the positions in each group and how our trainees fit into these positions.  K-pop fans will recognize several of them:  Main Vocals, Main Dancer, Rapper, Sub-Vocals, and All-Rounder.  The whole process of telling each trainee what their position is and putting them into the groups takes a while, and of course, the text the Starnouncer gives us isn’t translated.  Kim Ji Yong is listed as an All-Rounder, which should hopefully help his chances of staying.

As expected, Kaira is listed in the dance line, as well as Haru.  Seok June is put in the rap line.  He has held on for a long time on this show, including the three-month incubation program.  There are only three episodes left after this.  He really did pick a puzzling time to leave.

Six Singers Family trainee Jo Min Jae is put in the Main Vocalist category.  It’s not looking like he will make it to the final group on this show, which will be his second loss after Make Mate 1, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  He deserves so much more than he’s been getting in his trainee career. 

Jo Min Jae and Kaira

We go through a long process of assigning each trainee to a song.  Kaira and Haru wind up in a dance battle for the position they both want, and Haru wins.  I was really hoping Kaira would come out on top for this.  I’ve been pulling for him the entire series, but it might just not be his turn yet.  He takes the loss well in front of the other trainees but breaks down when he steps out of the room.  I don’t think the tears are because he lost specifically to Haru.  I think he also sees the writing on the wall.  God, I hope he doesn’t give up.  He’s going to be another trainee I keep my eye on after this show.

Okay!  Teams are chosen.  Now we get an announcement that a special rap trainer is arriving.  He walks through the door and OH MY GOD.

It’s Jooheon from Monsta X!  One of my favorite artists on Earth! (I know he goes by Joohoney, but the show is calling him Jooheon.)  I am so excited, and so are the trainees.  We needed a rap coach, and the show brought the king.  I honestly think some of the trainees might faint.

Jooheon doesn’t take his seat until he shakes hands with our starstruck NewKids.  He’s just the best.

The first group up for evaluation is Team Step Up.  We get a flashback to their rehearsals, and Kaira finally gets a win when he earns the ID Member spot (Center Visual) after two rounds of auditions.  His face lights up for the first time since this plan was announced.  It’s his first time being an ID Member.  His confidence has definitely grown, as he takes a leadership role for the rest of rehearsals.  He has matured a lot on this series.

The flashback now moves over to the rehearsals for Team Sticky Bomb, and it looks like we might not see any actual performances in this episode.  Park Seong Hyeon is gunning for the ID Member part, still trying to make up for lost time after being out sick for a couple of episodes.  He’s up against every single member of his team, including Haru, but he wins out in the end.

Flashback over.  Team Sticky Bomb is about to do their evaluation.  (Is is just me, or does that song title sound like English slang for something obscene?)  This will be Jin Bo Min’s first time rapping, and he asks Jooheon for advice.  Jooheon tells him to focus on the message of the lyrics. He has Jin Bo Min deliver the line, “Don’t be scared, push it to the limit, don’t stop UHHH!”

Jin Bo Min performs the line in a rather subdued voice.  The “UHHH” at the end sounds like mild annoyance instead of the verbal aggression it’s supposed to be.

“You need to push it to the limit!” Jooheon tells him.  He stands up and encourages the trainee to try again.  It seems to work.

Jooheon is such a good coach.

We see him working with the other trainees, giving advice like, “If you’re a blade, be a very thick blade.  Think like that and start rapping.”  We see clips of the trainees before and after getting his advice, and he’s lighting a fire under them.  They throw their bodies into it.

“Don’t try to find a tone, just be yourself,” he tells Baek Jun Hyuk, another first time rapper.  “Rap is me!  Singing is also me!”  This is making me wish I could rap.

Later, Jooheon tells the group, “I want to be a monster onstage.  That’s why I scrunch down.  Find your own personal character.  You need to have your own color!”  This monsta is changing lives right now.

Team Sticky Bomb is now ready to do their evaluation.  I was hoping for something amazing after all this advice from Jooheon, but it’s not good.  They are all over the place.  Their formation falls apart immediately, and I can’t tell what they’re supposed to be doing.  When they finish, the room is dead silent.

When the coaches finally speak, it’s a laundry list of problems.  Baek Jun Hyuk lost his part and staggered around like he just woke up.  No one was on the beat.  It looked like they were imitating dancers instead of actually dancing.  These harsh criticisms would be hard to hear at any point in the series, but now, with eliminations coming up, they’re a stern warning.  Time for improvement is running out.

Team Sticky Bomb (seriously with that name) goes back to their rehearsal room, looking glum.  But then Baek Jun Hyuk says, “I’ve noticed that the team that isn’t very good at first has the best results at the end.  Let’s keep the cliché going.”

Guys, ONE OF OUR TRAINEES JUST FIGURED OUT THE FLASHBACK FORMULA!  He’s on to the producers!  I can just imagine the show’s editing team seeing this footage and having a panic attack.

Sherlock Jun Hyuk

We quickly cut over to the rehearsals for Team Password.  Fourteen year-old Lee Woo Ju is losing his confidence, and instead of auditioning for a part, he’s willing to take any part that’s left over.  He’s not sure he can stand out.  “I feel so small.  I’m just being dumb,” he says.  My heart aches for him.  In the end, he gets the Sub-Vocal 4 part.

Now we jump ahead to their evaluation.  They look and sound good.  The coaches applaud.

The coaches’ only concern is that they couldn’t see or hear Lee Woo Ju very well.  They encourage him to make himself known in the performance.  It makes me happy to see this.  All the celebrities on the panel are rooting for this insecure show maknae and want him to succeed.

Jooheon also gives him a pep talk, encouraging him to debut, and if that doesn’t lift this maknae’s spirits, I don’t know what will. 

With the evaluations over, Jooheon gives them some final words.

“Once you debut, that’s the real start,” he tells all 21 trainees.  “You’ll debut as Starship’s boy group.  Monsta X definitely wants our little brothers to do well.  And when the time comes, I’ll be meaner as your big brother and a sunbae.  The most important thing is the fans that love you guys.  Show your stage with gratitude for all your fans that come a long way to see you.”

We need more Jooheons in the world.

The episode ends here with a montage of all three teams in final rehearsals.  These last three episodes should be VERY exciting, with three final performances, one thousand fans, and eliminations.

The next episode should drop this Friday, or perhaps in the next ten minutes.  I can’t predict this show schedule anymore.  In the meantime, don’t forget to vote for your favorite NewKid at newkids.co.kr.  We’re getting closer to learning who will become little brothers to Monsta X.  And it looks like in the next episode, we’ll be getting a visit from some members of Cravity!  See you then!

[byneddiedingo]

Green Fish (Lee Chang-dong, 1997)

Cast: Han Suk-kyu, Shim Hye-jin, Moon Sung-keun, Mung Gye-nam, Kim Yong-nam, Han Seon-kyu, Jung Jin-young, Oh Ji-hye, Son Young-soon, Song Kan-ho, Lee Moon-sik. Screenplay: Lee Chang-dong. Cinematography: Yong Kil-you. Film editing: Hyun Kim. Music: Lee Dong-jun. 

A young man (Han Suk-kyu) finishes his military service and returns home, but on the way there he gets involved with a beautiful woman (Shim Hye-jin) with underworld ties. Fine performances and razor-keen editing animate this fascinating noir drama leavened with dark humor and superbly atmospheric cinematography and music. 

[bl-bam-beyond]

THE NEW EMPLOYEE (2022, SOUTH KOREA)

Remembering The Finale Episode 7

With the release of THE NEW EMPLOYEE MOVIE (No International Release Yet) said to extend the scene of their night together. Perhaps more.

This series ended its 7 episode run earlier this year in February 2023 beginning in December 2022.

Remember The Rainbow Rice Cakes.

In this series staunch advertising executive Kim Jong Chan (KWON HYUK) had no personal life to speak of and had to welcome an intern when he preferred a more experienced new hire.

Instead he got a late 20's virginal intern Woo Seung Hyun (MOON JI YONG) a man that changed his life and made him fall deeply in love.

After his internship ended and he was rejected by the hiring committee Seung Hyun was hired by his boyfriend at a start up...yes Jong Chan left the company he worked so hard for once they unfairly refused to hire Seung Hyun and his intern bestie Lee Kang Hae (NAM KYU HEE).

Kang Hae joined the new start up along with Seung Hyun lesbian RAINBOW RICE CAKES best friend from school Seo Ji Yeon (BAEK JI HYE)

@pose4photoml @lutawolf

[koreanss501-kpop]

[giyuko]

my favorite films of 2023!! 🐛🧶🎭🎬📺🧃🥝🍏🍈🌱🌴⭐💚

One Day, You Will Reach the Sea ‘やがて海へと届く’ · dir. Ryutaro Nakagawa (2022)

Cría cuervos · dir. Carlos Saura (1976)

Stoker · dir. Park Chan-wook (2013)

Microhabitat ‘소공녀’ · dir. Jeon Go-woon (2017)

One Day, You Will Reach the Sea ‘やがて海へと届く’ · dir. Ryutaro Nakagawa (2022)

Fallen Angels ‘墮落天使’ · dir. Wong Kar-wai (1995)

Alba · dir. Ana Cristina Barragán (2016)

Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios · dir. Pedro Almodóvar (1988)

Wadjda ‘وجدة‎‎’ · dir. Haifaa al-Mansour (2012)

2046 · dir. Wong Kar-wai (2004)

But I’m a Cheerleader · dir. Jamie Babbit (1999)

Where Is the Friend’s House? ‘خانه‌ی دوست کجاست؟’ · dir. Abbas Kiarostami (1987)

One Million Yen Girl ‘百万円と苦虫女’ · dir. Yuki Tanada (2008)

The Recorder Exam ‘리코더 시험’ · dir. Kim Bora (2011)

Past Lives · dir. Celine Song (2023)

Verão Fantasma · dir. Matheus Marchetti (2022)

Raquel 1:1 · dir. Mariana Bastos (2022)

House ‘ハウス’ · dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi (1977)

Memento Mori ‘여고괴담 두번째 이야기’ · dir. Min Kyu-dong, Kim Tae-yong (1999)

Raquel 1:1 · dir. Mariana Bastos (2022)

Memento Mori ‘여고괴담 두번째 이야기’ · dir. Min Kyu-dong, Kim Tae-yong (1999)

C'è ancora domani · dir. Paola Cortellesi (2023)

Our Little Sister ‘海街diary’ · dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda (2015)

C'è ancora domani · dir. Paola Cortellesi (2023)

Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios · dir. Pedro Almodóvar (1988)

Past Lives · dir. Celine Song (2023)

and the series:

27. The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

28. Fragrance of the First Flower (2021)

29. A Vida pela Frente (2023)

[save-the-data]

The Uncanny Counter | S01E02

Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes

Episodes | Viki | YouTube | iQIYI | WeTV | Tencent | Netflix | Catalogue

[k-star-holic]

Kim Yong-man rang a child, beat the Berkeley music school ⁇ DJ ⁇ Sam's Club Open The Speech ⁇ Surprise (Lee Kyung-kyu)

[mystarmyangel]

[POLL] 231121 Daily Sports Korea 10th Anniversary Poll - Favorite Celebrity Ranking

[231121 Daily Sports Korea 10th Anniversary Poll - Favorite Celebrity Ranking]

Full list: 1) Yoo Jae Suk (8.8%) 2) IU (2.9%) 3) BTS (1.9%) 4) Nam Goong Min (1.6%) 5) Lim Young Woong, YoonA (1.3%)

Followed by: -Choi Boolam (1.2%) -Lee Hyori (1.2%) -Jo In Sung, Lee Byung Hyun (0.9%) -Kim Hye Ja, Lee Young Ae, Hyun Bin (0.8%) -Ahn Sung Ki, Han Hye Joo, Ma Dong Seok (0.7%) -Kang Hodong, Song Hye Kyo, Gong Yoo, Han Sun Kyu, Jang Dong Gun (0.6%) -Karina, Kim Hye Soo, Cha Taehyun, Lee Seojin, Song Kang Ho (0.5%) - Park Bo Young, Suzy, Han Gain, SHINee, Kim Sung Kyu, Cha In Pyo, New Jeans, Jang Yoon Jung, Choi Min Sik (0.4%) -AKMU, Shin Ha Kyun, Taeyeon, PSY, Cha Eun Woo, Ahn Yujin, Shin Dong Yup, Lee Soon Jae, Jun Jihyun, Sol Kyung Gu, Han Jimin, Han Yeseul, Kim Ho Joong, Park Eun Bin, Ji Sung, Jennie, Kim Woo Bin, TVXQ, Shin Min Ah, Super Junior, Kim Tae Hee, Kang Dong Won, Lee Seung Chul, Go Doo Shim, Cho Yong Pil, Tak Jae Hun, Shin Hye Sun (0.3%)

*Survey conducted from 3 to 8 Nov on 1,003 people above 18 years old living across the country. The survey method is a mobile web survey, and the sampling error is ±3.1% points with a 95% confidence level.

Source: Link

[skfilmgoldenrevival]

1. Introduction

Welcome to my blog Golden Revival, dedicated to analyzing South Korean film and its industry. The main focus of this blog will be South Korea’s film Golden Age, taking place from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, and its period of Revival, spanning from the late 1990s to the present day. This initial blog entry will serve as an introduction to both time periods, with some examples of key films and themes for each age of film, while also giving some historical insight into what outside sources and conflicts have influenced the film industry of South Korea. Let’s dive in!

The Golden Age

The Golden Age of South Korean film kicked off in the mid-1950s, with an increase in movie production from 15 films in 1954 to 111 films in 1959, the majority of which were melodramas. This spark in the industry was seen following the end of the Korean War (1950-1953) partly due to the rapid increase in production quality and the newly booming movie theatre attendance rates.

Up until 10 years prior, during the Japanese invasion, the movie theatres throughout South Korea had been divided up into theatres for Japanese citizens and, even fewer buildings, for South Korean citizens, which mainly showed activist pieces. With the liberation of South Korea, attendance rates of South Koreans at theatres began to rise as well, presenting the opportunity for further industry growth with an expanded audience.

Popular films throughout this period include Lee Kyu-Hwan’s retelling of Chunhyang-jeon (1955), Han Hyung-Mo’s Madame Freedom (1956), Kim Ki-Young’s The Housemaid (1960), Yu Hyun-Mok’s Obaltan (1960), and Kang Dae-Jin’s The Coachman (1961). Drama, more specifically melodrama, is a recurring genre throughout not only these popular films but also the majority of South Korean films to this time. This genre gained popularity through its entertaining and emotional pull, which is still seen by audiences in the South Korean film industry today.

The Revival

Following the Golden Age the film industry faced major censorship issues with exceeding levels of government control, reaching its height in 1970 during President Park Chung-Hee’s authoritarian-style presidential term. It wasn’t until the 1980s that the film industry would begin to recover once again, after the government started to ease up on its control over it, with laws being put in place to ensure this.

The Revival of South Korean film has also been referred to as the “Renaissance” of the country’s film industry, or “New Korean Cinema”, finding funding through chaebols. Throughout this time period the melodrama category continues to thrive among Korean audiences but has also begun to make waves internationally as well. With the globalization of film and media, South Korea has become home to one of the largest film industries in the world by capturing audiences with its captivating dramas and nail-biting thrillers. Along with sharing its own film culture with the rest of the world, South Korea’s film industry has also picked up a few things from various influencing countries. Action Blockbusters, which originated in the US, became popular due to its exciting twists and massive star power. Today, all of South Korea’s top-grossing films have been released within this period of Revival, with films that opened even more doors recently such as Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite.

Other popular films throughout this period include Kang Je-Gyu’s Shiri (1999), Kwak Jae-Yong’s My Sassy Girl (2001), Park Chan-Wook’s Oldboy  (2003), and Yeon Sang-Ho’s Train to Busan (2016).

sources:

“Cinema of South Korea.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Apr. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_South_Korea.

“Movie Theaters in South Korea.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Aug. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_theaters_in_South_Korea.

Yeon-soo, Kwak. “Sowing Seeds for Korean Cinema Boom in 1950s - The Korea Times.” Koreatimes.Co.Kr, 2 Nov. 2020, www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20201102/anniversary-special-sowing-seeds-for-korean-cinema-boom-in-1950s.