Kulture3

  Among drama writers, I like writer Kim Eun-sook the most.  I tend to watch every drama that person has written, and among them, I’d like to introduce one of the most dramatic and entertaining dramas. It’s “The Glory.” Once you start, you can’t stop, so please watch it with enough time.  1. The Plot  Moon Dong-eun, who suffered brutal bullying by Park Yeon-jin’s group during her school years, has spent her entire life seeking revenge against them. At last, with everything finally ready, Dong-eun appears as Yeon-jin’s daughter’s homeroom teacher… From now on, Dong-eun’s satisfying revenge begins.  2. The Cast and Director  At the role of Moon Dong-eun, actress Song Hye-kyo performed; at the role of Park Yeon-jin, actress Lim Ji-yeon from the film *Obsessed* played; at the role of Moon Dong-eun’s aide Kang Hyun-nam, actress Yeom Hye-ran took the role; at the role of Jeon Jae-joon, actor Park Sung-hoon played; and at the role of Choi Hye-jung, ac...

 There is a drama that comes to mind every summer. It's Coffee Prince. It's already been over 15 years, but it's a summer drama with memories of my 20s that are very precious to me. It was made based on the original novel, and I've read the book, but I'd like to vote for the drama.  1. The Plot  Eun-chan, a girl who has lost her father and lives with her mother and sister, is passionate and brave in everything. In contrast, Hangyeol, who grew up as a son of a rich family, is still in his immature 30s. He takes over a cafe that is ruined by his grandmother's call and is given a mission to make a profit for three months, and he gets involved with Eun-chan while catching a pickpocket for his friend Yu-ju. Eun-chan needed a job, and Eun-chan becomes a male-dressed woman to work at Hangyeol's cafe, where only men can work. As time goes by, things get strangely twisted as Hangyeol starts to be unable to control his mind toward Eun-chan.  2. The cast an...

  The episode of "Teach you a Lesson" consists of a total of 10 episodes, each of which deals with a different story of school life. The difference from reality is that inspectors from the government department called the Teachers' Rights Protection Bureau are sent to each school to solve problems. I thought it would be the most talked-about series these days, and I think it is a series well-made enough to recommend to mothers. 1. The plot This series is consist of 10 episodes which has different stories. It shows different types of School violence and how to solve by the team called Teacher’s Rights Protection Bureau. 2. The cast and director The cast is actor Kim Moo-yeol, actor Lee Sung-min, actor Jin Ki-joo, and actor Pyo Ji-hoon, and the director is Hong Jong-chan. As the series is based on webtoons, there are reviews that the matching rate with each character is high. In particular, Kim Moo-yeol, who is the most central character, played many action role...

If someone asked me to recommend just one historical film about South Korea, I would recommend the film "A Taxi Driver." It was set against the backdrop of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, one of the most important days in our country, and it was not only historically accurate but also perfectly cinematic.  1. The Plot  Man-seob, a taxi driver in Seoul, takes a foreign passenger to Gwangju to pay off his monthly rent. Knowing that he could earn a hefty 100,000 won if he returned before curfew, Man-seop risks everything and goes into Gwangju, growing increasingly anxious at the thought of his daughter being alone, and wanting to go home. This film brings to life Gwangju in May 1980, when the voice of the people was at its loudest.  2. The Cast and Director National actor Song Kang-ho played taxi driver Man-seob, professional German soldier actor Thomas Kretschmann played German reporter Peter, actor Ryu Jun-yeol played university student Goo Jae-sik, an...

I don't really like movies that feature non-existent entities. However, the movie "The Host" was a film that completely changed that idea. It’s partly because it’s a film by director Bong Joon-ho, whom I admire, and partly because the monster’s appearance wasn’t overly childish.  1. The Plot  By the peaceful Han River riverside, Park Hee-bong, who runs a convenience store, and Park Kang-du, who helps his father, were spending time as usual. Then, hearing the murmurs of people, I looked ahead and saw a monster I had never seen in my entire life hanging onto the Han River monster, rushing toward me? While he is fleeing with his daughter Hyun-seo, she is captured by a monster and taken away. After that, the family’s desperate struggle to find Hyun-seo begins in the Han River, where everything is sealed away.  2. The Cast and Director   Actor Byun Hee-bong plays Park Hee-bong, Song Kang-ho, one of Korea’s finest actors with a close connection to director Bong Joo...

If I had to pick the hottest male actor in South Korea these days, I think it would be actor Park Jung-min. At a domestic film festival, he thrilled many female fans with a collaborative stage performance with singer Hwasa, and today I’d like to review his romance film, Miracle.  1 . The Plot  In Jun-gyeong’s village, there are only railway tracks, not even a train station, and today he walked five hours again to go to school. Despite his father’s objections, he refuses to give up sending letters to the Blue House, and even Ra-hee, whom he met at school, joins forces with him—this train station-building project is impossible to abandon. Can his efforts really build a train station? 2. The Cast and Director  Park Jung-min, a heartthrob, played Jun-kyung, and Lim Yoon-ah, famous as the visual center of the girl group Girls’ Generation, played Ra-hee. Lee Soo-kyung played Jun-kyung’s older sister, and the beloved actor Lee Sung-min played Jun-kyung’s father. The director is ...

Is there a movie you look up when you’re hungry? There’s a movie I look up when I have no appetite. It’s Little Forest. It’s a film about cooking and enjoying food with stylish visuals, yet it somehow leaves you feeling inexplicably at ease by the end.  1. The Plot  In the busy city, Hye-won studies for the civil service exam, and one day, feeling extreme hunger, she returns to her hometown home. After that, she meets her former friends Jaeha and Eunsook, and by cooking and eating food herself, she gradually begins to heal the wounds of her old memories.  2. The Cast and director  Kim Tae-ri played Hye-won, Ryu Jun-yeol played Jae-ha, and Jin Ki-joo played Eun-sook. The director was Ms. Lim Soon-rye, a female director famous for the Waikiki Brothers.  3. What to watch for Since this film is a remake of a Japanese manga, I think it might be worthwhile to watch it and then compare how closely it matches the original work.  And I wonder if it might be interest...

In Korea, there are many great film directors besides Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho. One of them is director Lee Chang-dong, and this time I’d like to introduce one of his films.  1. The Plot  Jongsu, an aspiring writer, works as a delivery driver and by chance meets Haemi, a childhood classmate from his hometown. Haemi leaves for Africa, entrusting Jongsu with taking care of his cat before departing. And on the day he returns, Jongsu meets a man named Ben, who has come back with Haemi. They continue a mysterious meeting, and one day when Haemi goes missing, Jongsu begins to suspect Ben and starts following him around.  2.  The Cast and Director Yoo Ah-in, famous for the film Veteran, played Jong-su; Jeon Jong-seo, then a newcomer, played Haemi; and Steve Yeun, known for The Walking Dead and Angry Birds, gave a powerful performance as Ben.  Director Lee Chang-dong has a record of winning awards at the Venice Film Festival for the film Oasis. ...

If you want to see Korea’s most renowned actors in one film, I recommend the movie "The Thieves." It might be good to think of it as the Korean version of Ocean’s Eleven. Although the runtime is a bit long, I think it’s a work that is definitely worth watching.  1. The Plot  It is a crime thriller about ten professional thieves from Korea and China who struggle to steal a diamond called “Tears of the Sun,” which is in Macau’s Casino.  2. The Cast and Director  Among the main thieves in the film, Macau Park was played by actor Kim Yoon-seok; Pepsy, the safecracker, was played by Kim Hye-soo, one of South Korea’s finest actresses; Lee Jung-jae as Popeye; Jun Ji-hyun as Yenicole; Kim Soo-hyun as Zampano; Kim Hae-sook, the nation’s beloved mother, as the chewed gum; Oh Dal-su as Andrew; and the other Chinese thieves were passionately portrayed by Im Dal-hwa, Chinese Sang, and Lee Sin-je. I think it might be one of the most outstanding films in the Korean film industr...

If there was an actor I’ve been most interested in lately, it would be actor Um Tae-goo. His real personality is extremely timid and introverted, but the way he appears in the work is very different. The Netflix movie Night in Paradise that I’m introducing this time is also one of them.  1. The Plot Park Tae-gu, the second-in-command of a ruthless organization, eliminates the leader of his rival group, the Bukseong faction, and becomes hunted by them. The film depicts what happens when he meets Jae-yeon, who is living with only a limited time left in his life.  2. The Cast and director Actor Um Tae-goo played Park Tae-gu, actor Jeon Yeo-bin played Jae-yeon, and actor Cha Seung-won played Mai Sa. Also, director Park Hoon-jung, famous for the film The Witch, directed it.  His film New World is also a movie worth recommending.  3. What to watch for It’s fun to see how actor Um Tae-goo, who is known for his usually extremely introverted personality, portrays the organiza...

A new interesting movie was updated on Netflix, so I clicked on it right away. It’s called “Hyumint,” and it refers to information activities involving people.  1. The Plot  While investigating international crimes in Southeast Asia, a section chief of the National Intelligence Service is led to Vladivostok by the information she left behind, through the sacrifice of his informant. Meanwhile, Park Geon, dispatched from North Korea to investigate a border-area disappearance case unfolding in Vladivostok, meets his former lover Chae Sun-hwa there, only to find that she had already become an informant for a section chief of the National Intelligence Service. Park Geon discovers that Hwang Chi-seong, the North Korean consul in Vladivostok, is behind the disappearance, and that Hwang already knows everything and is selling Chae Seon-hwa to the Russian gang, marking the beginning of the desperate struggle between Section Chief Jo and Park Geon to save her.  2. The Cast and...

The 2000s can also be called a renaissance period for Korean cinema, and among them, I’d like to introduce the movie "Welcome to Dongmakgol," which I enjoyed watching in the theater.  1. The Plot  In 1950, when a U.S. fighter plane crashed in a place called Dongmakgol in Gangwon Province, Yeo-il meets a United Nations soldier named Smith. On his way to inform them of this, he encounters the North Korean People’s Army, and they too gather at Dongmakgol. Also, as the South Korean soldiers, including Pyo Hyun-cheol and Moon Sang-sang, who have gone astray from the military forces, gather at the village chief’s house in Dongmakgol, their precarious and dangerous cohabitation begins.  2. The Cast and Director Yeo Il, who can be called the film’s most iconic mascot, was played by Kang Hye-jung, the actress famous for Oldboy. Steve Tashler played Neil Smith of the Allied forces, and Shin Ha-kyun played Pyo Hyo-cheol of the South Korean army. Seo Jae-kyung, now no longer active i...

If I were to talk about Bong Joon-ho’s hit films before Parasite, I’d like to recommend Mother as well, but I’d rather recommend Memories of Murder. Because it is sometimes based on true events, and because it is fun to deduce the culprit throughout the film.  1. The Plot  In 1986, a horrific rape and murder takes place in Gyeonggi Province. Two months after this incident, another murder occurs.  Led by Captain Gu Hee-bong and Detective Park Doo-man, they keep investigating local thugs as suspects, but there is no progress in the investigation. Seo Tae-yoon, who voluntarily came from Seoul, searches for a culprit based on data, but there is little advancement in the investigation. One day, he discovers that the victims are women wearing red on a rainy day and starts a sting operation, but when another murder occurs the next day, it remains unsolved.  2. The Cast and Director  Byun Hoe-bong played Captain Gu Hee-bong, the beloved actor Song Kang-ho as Detective P...

After this film, a famous line became popular in Korea. It’s the line, “Do I even have the face to become king?” It was a line by actor Lee Jung-jae, and I’d like to review the movie "The Face Reader," which is still being talked about today.  1. The Plot  A physiognomist who can see through a person’s face. One day, while living in seclusion in the mountains with his brother-in-law Paengheon and his son Jin-hyeong, he is invited by the gisaeng Yeonhong to go to Hanyang, the capital of Joseon, and soon after he becomes known as a famous physiognomist in Hanyang.  Eventually, he is chosen by the king’s right-hand man and meets Grand Prince Suyang, who is plotting rebellion against Joseon, and he seeks to change the fate of the dynasty.  2. The Cast and Director  The role of Naegyeong, the physiognomist, was played by Song Kang-ho, famous for the film Memories of Murder. Paengheon, the brother-in-law, was played by Jo Jung-suk, known for the role of Napdeuk. Jin-h...

I think I can pick "Ballerina" if it's the most sensational and shocking movie I've seen in recent years. It's not based on a true story, but I think I was more immersed in it because it reminded me of the Burning Snu incident or digital sex crimes that made Korea buzz throughout the movie.  1. The plot  Ok-joo, a former bodyguard, receives a phone call from her middle school classmate Min-hee after a long time and visits her house, but Min-hee has already died. Before Min-hee dies, she leaves a message to Ok-joo asking her to get revenge on someone, and Ok-joo traces it one by one, and takes cruel and pleasant revenge.  2. The Cast and director  Jeon Jong-seo as Okju, Park Yoo-rim as Min-hee, and Kim Ji-hoon as Choi Pro. And Lee Choong-hyun directed the movie. Lee Choong-hyun is also famous for directing the movie called ‘Call’.  3. What to Watch for  It's an action thriller film by actor Jeon Jong-seo that seems to show exciting acting in ever...

There is an actress I really like. It’s actress Chun Woo-hee. While looking through all of her films, I came across a movie called "Love, Lies," and I’d like to introduce it. Especially if you enjoy music films, I think it’s a movie you can definitely enjoy.  1. The Plot  In 1940, So-yul and Yeon-hee are inseparable friends at the last remaining Korean courtesan school in Gyeongseong. Soyul, known as the ace of the “Daeseongkwonbeon” thanks to her outstanding looks and singing talent, has Yoonwoo, the greatest composer of the time who loves her. Yeonhee was a Korean courtesan loved by everyone for her naturally gifted voice. At the time, Yunwoo was looking for a singer who could perform “The Heart of Joseon,” fitting for the era, and in pursuit of this song, Soyul and Yeonhee ultimately end up going in completely different directions.  2. The cast and Director Han Hyo-joo, the lead actress in the film "The Beauty Inside," played So-yul, while Chun Woo-hee, famou...

Do you like occult movies? I didn’t particularly like the occult genre, but after watching director Jang Jae-hyun’s films, I became captivated by occult movies. I also really enjoyed watching the movie Sabaha The sequel, “Pamyoh,” was so popular in Korea that it drew over ten million viewers.  1. The Plot  Hwarim, a shaman who has been commissioned by hundreds of millions, and Bonggil meet the eldest grandson of a family experiencing strange phenomena in the United States, and Hwarim learns that the ancestral burial site is the problem, urging them to relocate it.  Then, with the help of Sangdeok, a Korean geomancer, and Yeonggeun, a mortuary doctor, they began exhuming, and Sangdeok’s ominous premonition proved correct… As a result, something harsh comes out into the world.  2. The Cast and Director  Kim Go-eun, currently one of South Korea’s hottest actresses, plays Hwarim; Lee Do-hyun, famous for the “The Glory” series, plays Bong-gil; Choi Min-s...

I like romance and romantic comedy films, and I usually enjoy movies from Hollywood or the UK, but among Korean films, I think this was the one I enjoyed the most.  It's the movie Sweet & Sour.  1. The Plot  This film is divided into two main parts. In the first half, it is titled “The Story of New Sneakers,” and it introduces the meeting of Jang Hyuk, a hepatitis patient, and Da-eun, a nurse, and then it is titled “The Story of Old Sneakers,” and it tells the story of Jang Hyuk and Da-eun’s long-distance relationship. And an astonishing twist awaits.  2. The Cast and Director  Daeun, the nurse: the actress Chae Soo-bin, who is very popular among South Korean men for her cute looks and acting skills, played the role. Actress Chae Soo-bin has established herself as the number one-rated actress in the drama “Fox Bride Star.”   Jang Hyuk: The actor Jang Ki-yong, known for his excellent physique and handsome looks, acted in it. He built his rec...

If I have to choose the funniest movie of 2019, I want to choose an extreme job. I watched a movie in the theater and I remember laughing a lot.    1. The Plot Upon hearing the news of an international drug criminal organization's smuggling of drugs into Korea, the late class president of drug enforcement unit goes on an undercover investigation with four team members. The drug squad acquires a chicken restaurant in front of the drug gang's hideout for 24-hour monitoring and starts a disguised business. In the meantime, with the activities of Detective Ma, who has an absolute taste, the chicken restaurant begins to go viral as a delicious restaurant, but the investigation is behind the scenes, and the drug squad, who is busy selling chicken restaurants, one day gets a golden opportunity. Can they wipe out the drug gangs? 2. The Cast and director  Ryu Seung-ryong played the role of Detective Ko, Lee Ha-nee played the role of Detective Jang, Jin Seon-gyu played the role of ...

There is a movie line that was once very popular. It is the phrase “I can’t believe it,” which is a line spoken by Jo Tae-oh in the movie Veteran. I’d like to review Veteran, the film that drew over ten million viewers, along with Yoo Ah-in’s excellent performance as Jo Tae-oh.  1. The Plot  Detective Seo Do-cheol, who handles high-profile cases without fear, happens to meet the third-generation chaebol heir Jo Tae-oh and his right-hand man, Executive Director Choi, and while investigating the masterminds behind a truck driver’s death, he discovers that Jo Tae-oh is connected to it and relentlessly digs into the case.  2. The cast and Director Detective Seo Do-cheol: The role was played by actor Hwang Jung-min, who is synonymous with natural acting.  His detective performance is praised for being so natural that it makes you wonder if he is really a detective. His other recommended film is the romance movie "You Are My Destiny," in which he acted alongside South Kore...