Zo Insung and Park Jungmin Co-Star in 1970s-Set Crime FilmThough Escape from Mogadishu, the year’s biggest box office hit in Korea, is barely in the rearview mirror, director Ryoo Seungwan has already completed production on his next film.Smuggling (translated title), starring Kim Hyesoo, Yum Jungah, Zo Insung and Park Jungmin, began shooting in early June and wrapped up production earlier this mo...

Hong Wonchan Preparing Crime Drama GANGSTERHong Wonchan is the latest filmmaker eyeing a transition to the small screen. The DELIVER US FROM EVIL (2020) director is planning the helm the crime drama Gangster (literal title)Set in the turbulent criminal underworld of the 1960s, when rising criminal organizations were vying for influence in the aftermath of the Korean War, Gangster will follow the r...

Lee Joonik’s Latest Up for Best Film and Best Director at AFAsLee Joonik’s critically acclaimed latest film The Book of Fish is among the titles leading the field for the upcoming 15th Asian Film Awards. The period drama received four nominations, including key Best Film and Director nods as well as ones for Best Costume Design and Production Design.Also scoring four nods this year from Korea was ...

Korean Film Council, Holding ‘Korean Cinema, Our Old Friend’ Campaign**사진 정우성**Korean Film Council(KOFIC) is holding the 'Korean Cinema, Our Old Friend' Campaign to add vitality to the Korean film industry and encourage audiences to watch movies in the theater. With the campaign slogan, 'With vaccines ensuring our health, and Korean cinema replenishing our spirits,' KOFIC sends a m...

Korean Cinema is in the Lowest Slump, Disney is Putting Up a Good FightThe negative effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic have already been expected, but the shock has not easily disappeared. For seven years from 2013 to 2019, the number of moviegoers surpassed 200 million every year, and the Korean movie theaters, which enjoyed a good time opening the so-called ‘200 million audiences,’ is rapidly fall...

HOSTAGE: MISSING CELEBRITY Leads the Way as Local Films Command the MarketMajor local releases continued to lead the way at the summer box office as the Korean industry claimed 87% of sales over the past weekend. Admissions also remained high relative to the rest of the year, down a fraction from last weekend’s total with 1.16 million sales counted.Box office titan Hwang Jungmin returned to the to...

Despite no major new releases, there was some good news on the charts as business grew 10% week-on-week with 617,000 spectators packing into multiplexes. This was largely thanks to a local word-of-mouth hit that helped keep the local market share very high, at 84% of all sales. After comfortably claiming first place last weekend, although with a depressed COVID Era gross, word of mouth has had a m...