Korean Weekly News - January 10

After the incredible success of 가문의 위기 (Marrying The Mafia 2: Enemy in Law), it was pretty obvious they'd do another one, since you don't see sequels out-perform the original -- 2002's 가문의 영광 (Marrying The Mafia) -- too often. Selling almost 5.7 Million tickets, the comedy starring Kim Soo-Mi, Shin Hyun-Joon and Kim Won-Hee paved the way for the third installment of the series, which will be entitled 가문의 부활 (Marrying The Mafia 3: Rebirth of the Family). Taewon Entertainment will take care of production as always, and Kim Young-Chan, who wrote the previous two films of the series, came on board again as well. As for casting, Kim Won-Hee and Kim Soo-Mi have been confirmed -- Kim Won-Hee hasn't signed a contract yet, but it should be a matter of weeks -- and the rest of the cast will be announced shortly. Shooting will start around April, to get ready for the obvious Chuseok release window.

'Killer Smile' (yeah.. right) Kim Jae-Won will finally return to the big screen, after being cast in Director Yoon Hak-Yeol's 소년 (Boy). This is his first film since that 'timeless masterpiece' 내사랑 싸가지 (100 Days with Mr. Arrogant) in 2004, and the film is expected to start shooting in March. The film is set in the immediate post-war, when a team of extremely young marine officers was assembled. Kim plays Smith, a 1.5th generation Korean-American who leads such a team. Seems like this will be a big budget affair, trying to present the post 6/25 situation realistically, with all the locations hit by the war, including living quarters and HQ for the US Army, the market and shanty towns. Yoon's previous film was the 2003 comedy 오! 해피데이 (Oh! Happy Day) starring Jang Na-Ra and Park Jung-Cheol.

After starring in Lee Myung-Se's 'love-hate' potboiler 형사 (Duelist), Ha Ji-Won has decided what her next project will be. She's been cast in the romantic comedy 바보 (Fool), after Cha Tae-Hyun was cast in the male leading role. The film, adapted from one of manhwa artist Kangpool's most popular works, will be directed by Kim Jung-Kwon of 동감 (Ditto), and feature Ha as a pianist who hits a slump in her career, and meets the foolish man of the title. She's also in the process of choosing her next TV Drama, which will be announced shortly. The strong cast of the film also features theater actor Park Hee-Soon from 남극일기 (Antarctic Journal), super talented veterans Song Jae-Ho, Jeon Mi-Seon and Lee Gi-Young, and Park Geurina. The film started shooting today in Seoul.

We've heard of theater directors making films (Jang Jin, Lee Yoon-Taek), but rarely the other way around. 'King of Comedy' Kim Sang-Jin will do exactly that, as he's slated to begin running his first ever play 안녕하십니까! 수녀님? (How Are You, Sister?) -- sister as in nun -- in the 'Broadway of Korea' Daehak-Ro from December 13, until March 12. Kim became famous for directing popular comedies like 주유소 습격사건 (Attack The Gas Station), 신라의 달밤 (Kick The Moon) and 귀신이 산다 (Ghost House). The cast features Park Sang-Myun of 조폭마누라 (My Wife is a Gangster), Kang Sung-Jin, Jo Min-Ah of pop group Jewelry and more. The play is adapted from a 1984 play entitled 병사와 수녀 (The Soldier and The Nun), and tells the story of a soldier and a nun meeting during the Korean War. Kim will also return to the big screen this year, with his next film 형제는 용감했다 (The Brave Brothers), which will star Eom Tae-Woong and Kang Sung-Jin.

If you're a Korean DVD producer, close your eyes for the next 20 seconds, you might suffer consequences or even die of envy. We all knew Yonsama Bae Yong-Joon was incredibly popular in Japan, but the sales figures of the 외출 (April Snow) DVD in Japan have reached monster heights. Released on December 27, the DVD ranked No. 35 in the Oricon Charts, to race to the top three spots in the following few days, and absolute Number 1 for its first week on release. According to Oricon data, the Korean film which sold the most copies on DVD so far is 2001's 엽기적인 그녀 (My Sassy Girl) with 182,000 copies, but people expect 'April Snow' to beat that record. The film was directed by Hur Jin-Ho, and also starred Son Ye-Jin. It did incredibly well at the box office in Japan, becoming the most successful Korean film of all time there, until the melodrama 내 머리속의 지우개 (A Moment To Remember) beat it.

Here's the current Top 10 of Korean films released on Japanese DVD, according to Oricon:
01. 182,000 엽기적인 그녀 (My Sassy Girl) - 2001 - Released on 7/25/03
02. 129,000 스캔들 (Untold Scandal) - 2003 - Released on 9/24/04
03. 113,000 내 여자친구를 소개합니다 (Windstruck) - 2004 - Released on 4/22/05
04. 89,000 쉬리 (Shiri) - 1999 - Released on 7/21/00
04. 89,000 태극기 휘날리며 (Taegukgi) - 2004 - Released on 11/5/05
06. 76,000 내 여자친구를 소개합니다 (Windstruck) LE - 2004 - Released on 4/22/05
07. 63,000 누구나 비밀은 있다 (Everybody Has Secrets) - 2004 - Released on 3/25/05
08. 60,000 실미도 (Silmido) - 2003 - Released on 10/22/04
09. 56,000 클래식 (The Classic) - 2003 - Released on 7/16/04
10. 47,000 화산고 (Volcano High) - 2001 - Released on 05/23/03

Now, can we show this chart to Koreans who watch films and never buy domestic DVDs, and see if they race to defend their country's honour as quick as they did with Dokdo and the Japanese schoolbooks? Let's buy some more Korean DVDs, folks...

Koala on the big screen? After the almost cult-status the super-cute MBC TV Drama 달콤한 스파이 (Sweet Spy) achieved, Lee Seon-Mi -- who wrote the show in collaboration with her real life husband Kim Gi-Ho -- admitted she received an offer to adapt the show for the big screen, with the same trio of leads (Nam Sang-Mi, Lee Ju-Hyeon and Dennis O'Neill), along with all the supporting characters. Nothing's confirmed yet, but it looks like this might become reality in the near future. 'Sweet Spy', which will air its final episode today, would join the ranks of the popular 1997 Fuji TV serial, which was adapted into the two 踊る大搜査線 (Bayside Shakedown) films. My only request... if possible, let's have Dennis O'Neill play a very mysterious figure who doesn't SPEAK A SINGLE WORD in the entire film, uhh? After almost killing the TV Drama, doing the same with the film would be too much to bear. It also seems like this offer was fueled by the success of minor hit 강력3반 (Never To Lose), which starred Nam Sang-Mi as a cute cop, and went on to sell a Million tickets last year.

Good and bad news for MBC's very promising new Historical Drama 삼한지 - 주몽편 (The Three Kingdoms). After casting young Han Hye-Jin from the hugely popular Daily Drama 굿세어라 금순아 (Be Strong, Geum-Soon), the last piece of the puzzle was added with the casting of Song Il-Guk. The young star of 적업의 정석 (The Art of Seduction), who became popular thanks to an impressive supporting role in KBS' Historical Drama 해신 (Emperor of the Sea), was supposed to form the backbone of the story, but at first he rejected the offer. Not so much because he didn't like the script, written by the great Choi Wan-Gyu of 상도 (Sang Do) along with Jung Hyung-Soo of 다모 (Damo), but because he didn't want to be known as one of those actors who only appears in Historical Dramas.

But after consulting with his management, Song finally decided to agree. Now the bad news is, because of the unexpected little problem, production will have to be postponed. Song is expected to return from the US on January 20, and now the airing of the show is set for April. The 30 Billion Won, 60 Episodes show is one of the many Historical Dramas under-production set in the Goguryeo period (37 BC - 668), telling the story of King Jumong, one of the most important figure in Goguryeo history. The show is produced by Lee Ju-Hwan of the super hit Daily Drama 인어 아가씨 (Mermaid Girl) from 2002.

TV DRAMA WRAPUP

After literally running out of money last year, it seems KBS is back in the Historical Drama game, with their latest effort 서울 1945 (Seoul 1945) just starting to unveil its first few episodes. First results were nothing special, with ratings under the 15%, but the show is already being praised, some even calling it the new 여명의 눈동자 (Eyes of Dawn). I still haven't started watching the show, but that sounds like a pretty bold statement, as I consider the 1992 MBC Drama the best Korean TV Drama of all time (not that my opinion counts, but I'm not the only who thinks that). Set in the Korea of the (guess when) mid 40s, with a pretty big budget and a good cast (Han Eun-Jung, Go Doo-Shim, Park Sang-Myun, Jang Hang-Seon, Kim Ho-Jin and more), this is the first Big Historical Drama from KBS in months. But MBC and SBS will come back strongly with Historical Dramas as well, as there's already a couple nearing release that look extremely interesting. We already talked about 삼한지-주몽편 (The Three Kingdoms), the first of many shows set in the Goguryeo era. If you take off the increasingly intriguing 신돈 (Shin Don), there's also MBC's 40 Billion Won 태왕사신기 (The Four Gods) starring Bae Yong-Joon, telling the story of King Gwanggaeto The Great with SFX from Weta Design.

Also, KBS' 대조영 (Dae Jo Young) will start airing this August, and is set in the Balhae Kingdom so prominently featured in 무영검 (Shadowless Sword). It's produced by Kim Jong-Seon of the amazing 태조 왕건 (Wang Gun), so my expectations are really high. Finally, SBS' 연개소문 (淵蓋蘇文, General Yon Gae Somun), which brings Yoo Dong-Geun and Jeon In-Hwa (!) back to Historical Dramas, telling the story of one of Goguryeo's biggest heroes. You might not be familiar with the two, but Yoo has been in many popular Historical Dramas, including 용의 눈물 (Tears of The Dragon), 장녹수 (Jang Nok-Soo) [The concubine of Prince Yeonsan, also featured in Lee Joon-Ik's 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown)] and 명성황후 (The Last Empress). Jeon In-Hwa became really famous playing Jang Heebin in Lee Byung-Hoon's 1988 Historical Drama 인현왕후 (Queen In-Hyun), one of the many Dramas about Lady Jang, and also starred in 여인천하 (Ladies in The Palace). The 35 Billion show is produced by Lee Jong-Han of 토지 (Land), and written by Lee Hwan-Kyung of 태조 왕건 (Wang Gun) and 야인시대 (The Rustic Era). First episode is set for May.

But of course there's more to see. It seems like one of the biggest themes of the year will be super-cute actresses playing goddesses in the art of conning people out of their money. This 사기꾼 syndrome already started in full force with Lee Da-Hae in 마이걸 (My Girl), which save for 'Shin Don' is the best thing on TV right now. Hilariously taking advantage of Lee's charm and spunky attitude, the show has often been called a 'One (wo)man show', but even the rest of the cast is doing a good job. The show is extremely popular also because it's featuring young Koreans' new obsession, the androgynous Lee Joon-Gi, of 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown) fame, playing a womanizer. Also, many shows featuring martial arts fighters as main characters are under production, like 사랑하지...않아 (I Love You... Not) and 웃지마라 정든다 (Don't Laugh, My Dear). 'I Love You... Not' stars Jae Hee of 싸움의 기술 (The Art of Fighting) as a Pride FC fighter, while in 'Don't Laugh, My Dear' Kim Jae-Won and Yoon Tae-Young will play K-1 fighters.

Some of the country's top writers, including In Jung-Ok, Noh Hee-Kyung and Kim Soo-Hyun will return with new Dramas. The latter just completed the remake of her 1986 masterpiece 사랑과 야망 (Love & Ambition), which has been shortened from 98 to 50 episodes, but should attract a lot of attention anyway. The veteran writer will work again with Kwak Young-Beom, after joining forces in the super hit of the 80s. Another Drama that's eagerly anticipated is the return of Noh Hee-Kyung of 꽃보다 아름다워 (More Beautiful Than Flowers), who will return this March with 굿바이 솔로 (Goodbye Solo). Cast is really interesting, with talented youngster Cheon Jung-Myung and Han Eun-Jung. Finally, 'Queen of Urban Dramas' In Jung-Ok will return with 내가 나빴다 (I Was Bad), which was delayed from its original January release, but is now under production. Other Dramas of note are 연애시대 (The Age of Love) with Gam Woo-Sung and Son Ye-Jin (who is getting paid 50 Million Won per episode, the highest ever for a Korean actress), and of course 궁 (Princess Hours), which will start shortly.

Hard to say which of all those Dramas will become a hit, and which will fail, but one thing's for sure: 2006 is showing already a lot of variety, and that can only be a positive thing.

TV DRAMA RATINGS
01/01~01/09

01. 35.2% 별난여자 별난남자 (Weird Man, Weird Woman)
Daily Drama - KBS1 [Cast: Jung Joon, Kim Ah-Joong, Go Ju-Won]

02. 31.9% 슬픔이여 안녕 (Goodbye To Sadness)
Weekend Drama - KBS2 [Cast: Park Sun-Young, Kim Dong-Wan, Oh Yeon-Soo]

03. 29.9% 하늘이시여 (Dear Heaven)
Weekend Drama - SBS [Cast: Yoon Jung-Hee, Lee Tae-Gon, Jo Yeon-Woo]

04. 23.3% 마이걸 (My Girl)
Wed/Thu Drama - SBS [Cast: Lee Da-Hae, Lee Dong-Wook, Park Shi-Yeon]

05. 23.1% 서동요 (The Ballad of Seo Dong)
Historical Drama - SBS [Cast: Lee Bo-Young, Jo Hyun-Jae, Ryu Jin]

06. 22.3% 인생이여 고마워요 (Thank You Life)
Weekend Drama - KBS2 [Cast: Yoo Ho-Jung, Park Ye-Jin, Oh Ji-Ho] NEW!

07. 15.9% 백만장자와 결혼하기 (Marrying a Millionaire)
Special Project - SBS [Cast: Kim Hyun-Joo, Go Soo, Son Tae-Young]

07. 15.9% 들꽃 (Wild Flower)
Daily Morning Drama - SBS [Cast: Lee Ah-Hyun, Seonwoo Jae-Deok, Kim Jung-Hak]

09. 15.7% 황금 사과 (Golden Apple)
Wed/Thu Drama - KBS2 [Cast: Park Sol-Mi, Park Ji-Bin, Jung Chan]

10. 15.5% 그여자 (That Woman)
Friday Drama - SBS [Cast: Shim Hye-Jin, Jang Dong-Jik, Oh Yoon-Ah]

[Sources]
Star News: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Yahoo Korea: 1, 2, 3, 4
Yonhap News: 1