Sehun is showing off his youthful and vibrant vibe in an upcoming drama. The EXO maknae gets between Jo Joon Young and Jang Yeo Bin in the new “All That We Loved” poster. The visual also teases the similarities between Sehun and Jo’s characters in the drama.
Sehun Takes Center Stage In ‘All That We Loved’ Main Poster
TVINGshared the main poster for “All That We Loved” which features the three main characters of the upcoming drama. EXO’s Sehun takes centerstage as Go Yoo, the high school basketball star who donates a kidney to his best friend Go Hoon Hee (Jo Joon Young). Jang Yeo Bin‘s Han Seo Yoon rounds out the trio with her own sweet charm.
“All That We Loved” is a romance drama following best friends Goo Yoo and Go Joon Hee. Despite being polar opposites as the basketball star and top student, the boys begin to resemble each other after Goo Yoo donates a kidney to Go Joon Hee. The kidney gives Go Joon Hee cellular memory syndrome and they both fall in love with Han Seo Yoon.
Cellular memory syndrome is the hypothesis that one can acquire the personality, habits, and memories of their organ donor. After receiving a kidney from Goo Yoo, Go Joon Hee begins to resemble his best friend. When Go Yoo develops feelings for Han Seo Yoon, Go Joon Hee exhibits the same feelings as well.
Sehun has been busy since the beginning of April. In addition to playing one of the leads in “All That We Loved”, Oh Sehun reunited with the other members of EXO for a special fan meeting. The group celebrated their 11th debut anniversary with the 2023 Exo Fanmeeting ‘Exo’ Clock. The special fan meeting was held at the KSPO Dome on April 8 to 9, 2023.
The first two episodes of “All That We Loved” were released on April 5, 2023.
Park Seo Joon is ready for his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. The “Itaewon Class” star appeared briefly in the new trailer for “The Marvels.” The teaser offers a glimpse at Park as Prince Yan of Aladna, who has a special connection to Carol Danvers!
Park Seo Joon Roars Into Action In New ‘The Marvels’ Trailer
Marvel Studios dropped the first trailer for “The Marvels” on April 12, 2023. The teaser opens with Monica Rambeau on a mission when she suddenly switches places with Kamala Khan. However, this isn’t the only major switch as Carol Danvers ends up in Kamala’s room.
“The Marvels” will bring together the three MCU heroes as they figure out the strange connection between them. Carol, Monica, and Kamala will also encounter new villains like the new Kree Accuser Dar-Benn. The movie will also feature Carol’s comic book groom Prince Yan of Aladna, who is played by Park Seo Joon.
In the Marvel comics, Carol went to the planet Aladna to help Prince Yan get out of an arranged marriage. After a complicated situation where she finally becomes his bride, Carol gives the prince the right to choose who he wants to marry.
Prince Yan appears briefly in the trailer but Park Seo Joon’s appearance was enough for fans. People are excited to see the “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim” actor in a major Hollywood film.
“The Marvels” will also star Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan. It will bring back Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and introduce Zawe Ashton as the villainous Dar-Benn.
Catch Park Seo Joon in “The Marvels” when the film hits theaters on November 10, 2023. In the meantime, Park appears in the TV show “Jinny’s Kitchen” with fellow Wooga Squad members “Parasite” actor Choi Woo-shik and BTS’ V (Kim Taehyung).
Nowadays, we see a lot of idols who are very much active in music and also taking acting jobs, appearing in some very popular dramas. Just in the recently-concluded shows, there are several – you have three in Business Proposal (solo artist and formerly IOI and Gugudan main vocalist Sejeong, former Dal Shabet’s Woohee and Victon’s Byungchan), one in Twenty-Five, Twenty-One (WJSN’s Bona), and one in Forecasting Love and Weather (Girls’ Day’s Yura). Unfortunately, a lot of idol actresses these days are constantly lambasted for their lack of acting skills, with some opining that they are getting hired only because of their looks and popularity and that they’re stealing jobs from more talented actors who are struggling to get acting gigs.
But then, here are some actresses who have hurdled the challenge of being known for being “just idols” and have since proven that they have what it takes to be considered legit actresses:
Kwon Nara
Since 2017, Nara’s acting career has been on a roll, with her essaying major roles in hit K-drama series such as Suspicious Partner (as the ex-girlfriend of male lead Jiwook, played by Ji Changwook), My Mister (as the love interest of the male lead’s younger brother), Your Honor (where he played the girlfriend of the male lead played by Yoon Shiyoon), Doctor Prisoner (as a psychiatrist who joined forces with the male lead played by Namkoong Min in his revenge plans), Itaewon Class (as Park Seojoon’s initial love interest), Royal Secret Agent (where she shared lead status with Infinite’s L and Lee Yikyung), and Bulgasal (as a human being who used to be immortal). Her string of successes on TV has even landed her on Forbes’ Korea Power Celebrity List in 2020. But not too many k-drama addicts may remember that before her stellar TV acting career, Nara was actually not only an idol but a girl group member.
Nara, along with seven other girls, debuted in 2012 as Hello Venus under Tricell Media, a joint venture between entertainment companies Pledis and Fantagio. The girls actually enjoyed moderate success even during their rookie season, as their debut single Venus charted as high as #35 in the Gaon single chart, a rare feat for any debut group. The group lost two members in 2014, but continued to release popular tracks such as What are You Doing Today, Would You Stay for tea, and the iconic Wiggle Wiggle. The group unfortunately disbanded in 2019, but at that time, Nara was already successfully establishing herself as an actress. After all, she opted to sign with Fantagio instead of Pledis when the joint venture fell through. As expected, Fantagio, being primarily an actors’ agency, was more successful in supporting Nara’s acting career.
Min Hyorin
For those who were fans of the first season of Sister’s Slam Dunk, you may remember the dream project of TV actress and BigBang wife Min Hyorin of being in a girl group. While the show was actually successful in realizing Hyorin’s project when the Unnies debuted with Shut Up, this was not actually her first brush with the music industry. Long before debuting with Ra Miran, Kim Sook, Hong Jinkyung, Jessi, and Tiffany, she had already debuted as a solo artist in 2007.
Yes, you read that right. Min Hyorin, wife of Taeyang and erstwhile k-drama actress debuted as a soloist in 2007, only a year after her husband’s group debuted and more or less the same time her Unnie’s member Tiffany debuted with her first group, SNSD. Her debut album, RinZ had the lead single Stars, which at that time she promoted on music shows. Close to a year later, she released the digital single Touch Me, which actually received some measure of popularity because the song was used as the song for the ad for LG Cyon’s Viewty Pink mobile phone.
Min Hyorin at the first birthday celebration ceremony of her and Taeyang's little son ^^ [Dec 1, 2022]
Is their son's birthday on Dec 1? Or it was taken before?
Unfortunately, this was the end of Hyorin’s music career as she hasn’t released new material since then, save for her participation in Unnies. She has since then transitioned into acting in film and television, with her notable work in Sunny, The Grand Heist, Triple, and Persevere, Goo Hae-ra. Of course, she had also made appearances in variety shows, the most notable of which is Sisters’ Slam Dunk.
Four of Five Former Baby Vox Members
Alas, we have a first gen idol! Well actually, we do have a lot of idols, male and female from the first generation who have shifted from singing to acting. After all, it can’t be denied that pop music is pretty much a field where the tastes and preferences of the younger crowd – teenagers and college students dictate what’s in and what’s out. Thus, the careers of idols can be quite limited in terms of shelf life — as soon as your loyal fans get older and develop lives outside of idolizing pop singers and matinee idols, the idol’s singing career heads off into the sunset, with the idol looking into other ventures that may stretch his 15 minutes of fame. SES’ Eugene and Uhm Junghwa come to mind.
Along with the aforementioned SES and FIN.K. L (aka Lee Hyori’s group), Baby Vox dominated the girl group scene in the late ‘90s up to the mid-2000s, after which Kim E-Z, Heejin, Minyoun, Eunjin, and Eunhye decided to call it a day and disband. Out of the four +1 remaining members (with Eunjin actually leaving the group a year before the group went on hiatus in 2005 before the eventual disbandment in 2006), only the leader Kim E-Z actually did not pursue an acting career. Fresh off her early departure from the group, Eunjin appeared in the rather controversial movie Jenny, Juno which was about a teenage couple who gets pregnant, pretty much the Korean Juno. She was last seen in the 2021 idol drama (yes, that’s a genre – dramas about idol groups and the idol life) Imitation, where she essayed the role of a reporter.
Heejin took the route of musicals and stage plays before finally debuting as a TV actress in the 2011 drama It’s Okay, Daddy’s Girl. She was last seen in Penthouse 3, where she made a cameo appearance. Meanwhile, Miyoun made a splash in the Chinese market before appearing in the Korean movie Nana’s Rose War in 2010. She also acted in a number of dramas such as Moorim School, Missing 9, and Hit the Top. She was last seen on TV in the variety show Goal Girl (aka Kick a Goal, where celebrities train to be soccer players) last year.
Finally, let’s talk about Eunhye, perhaps the most successful former Baby Vox member when it comes to acting. As soon as she started her acting career, she immediately bagged leading roles in very successful dramas such as Princess Hours, The Vineyard Man, and Coffee Prince. After a string of successive hits, Eunhye again starred in another hit drama, My Fair Lady, although she was harshly criticized for her weird dialogue delivery. People wondered why after having led three wildly popular shows, it seemed Eunhye’s acting skills regressed. Two years later, she returned to being favorably seen by the public in the drama Missing You. Two years later, she participated in a Chinese reality competition Goddess Fashion, where she had to design clothes. She was a subject of controversy once again as she was accused of plagiarising her designs. Although she never admitted to the accusation, she had repeatedly apologized for the controversy years after. Her last acting role was in CGNTV’s Go Go Song in 2019, although she participated in another reality competition, this time a cooking show — Cooking – The Birth of a Cooking King in 2021.
Ahn Sohee
Finally, we have a Wonder Girl! The legendary second-gen girl group also has a contribution to this list – their erstwhile main dancer and face of the group Sohee, as in the girl who was in the Wonder Woman costume in the Tell Me music video!
But even before debuting with the Wonder Girls, Sohee and during her time with the group, had already appeared in a couple of movies and TV series. Before she quit the group at the end of 2013 to focus on her acting, she had her first acting lead role in the KBS drama special Happy! Rose Day. She continued doing guest appearances in TV shows like Heart to Heart and Entourage before snatching a major movie role in the 2016 zombie thriller Train to Busan. That single role may have cemented Sohee’s reputation in the acting field, as she continued to appear in drama series such as Welcome to Waikiki 2 and Missing: The Other Side. Her latest acting gig is in the JTBC drama Thirty-Nine, where she played the sister of the romantic male lead.
Unfortunately, since getting lead roles, Sohee has consistently been embroiled in controversy regarding her acting skills and her inclusion in major TV series and movies. A lot of netizens expressed their wonder as to why Sohee gets cast in major roles when her acting skills don’t really measure up to expectations. These critiques have followed her as recently as her appearance in Welcome to Waikiki 2. Train to Busan director Yong Sangho defended his decision to cast Sohee, who played the role of a carefree high school and cheerleader student in his movie.
He said, “I absolutely didn’t regret it.” He continues, “The idea that Sohee’s acting is bad didn’t even occur to me. All these talks about her bad acting, I don’t know where they are coming from. Although I think talks about Sohee still having the strong image as Wonder Girls are going around, but in the movie, I think there’s no problem. It’s not like there’s no problem at all but she did well.”
For her latest appearance in 39, Sohee did get some good reviews for her portrayal. The show during its early episodes did get some flak for what people considered to be a very dated storyline and skewed values. In the drama, Sohee plays a pianist whose adoptive father wishes to banish, forcing Sohee’s character to take a job in a nightclub as a bar girl. Viewers thought the character’s employment options are highly questionable since she graduated from Julliard. Viewers also thought the character of Hospital Playlist alum Jeon Mido is rather immoral for pursuing a relationship with a married man, albeit it being non-sexual. Despite these negative assessments, the show went on to get an increase in ratings. Well, that’s the power of Son Yejin. Also, at least Sohee wasn’t criticized much for her acting abilities, as the brunt of negative comments at the start were directed towards the show’s storyline and not the performances.
See? These seven (plus Uhm Junghwa and Eugene) have proven that indeed, you can have idols that can act! But this list isn’t exhaustive. You also have Rainbow’s Jaekyung (who’s set to be in Lee Joongi’s My Life Again), all three leads of Work Later, Drink Now (Apink’s Eunji, JQT’s Sunbin, and Secret’s Sunhwa). All hail these multi-talented queens!
Oh, to be a K-pop idol! You have the adoration of fans all over the world, always primmed with the best fashion, hair, and make-up, and presented with countless opportunities in the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, viewers and netizens may have noticed some of these idols are undeserving of the acting opportunities given to them. Some of the reasons for this “hatred” include these idol-actors just not having any acting talent at all. Most of them seem to be only relying on their looks and popularity to prop up the profile of the shows they’re part of. Let’s check out the three idols-turned-actors who have been bitten by the acting bug but have gotten unfavorable reviews for their effort.
ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo
The criticism: He has a weak voice, he is known for being an actor with “ham facial expressions” that produce cringe-worthy reactions with furrowed or raised eyebrows, flared nostrils, and overall exaggerated expressions. It does not help that most of the roles he has had for his dramas restrict him as someone who is blessed with facial beauty. For someone who has acted in shows such as My ID is Gangnam Beauty and True Beauty, it is quite obvious that the ASTRO member long regarded as a Face Genius can be quite limiting, even for the most talented of actors.
#2021KDramaGue True Beauty. On going drama just finished yesterday. I really enjoy it, the cast, storyline and the humors that build around it. Cha Eun Wo, oh my ♥️😍💯
Signs of redemption: A lot of netizens (the same group of people who have criticized the idol-actor in the past) have seen remarkable improvement with Eunwoo’s acting in his latest offering, the 2020-2021 drama True Beauty. They have noted two things: Less hammy facial expressions than what was seen in Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung and more natural acting.
What the idol needs to do: Eunwoo needs to challenge himself if he’s that serious about making acting an alternative career. After all, ASTRO will have to face and hopefully beat the 7-year curse of idol groups next year. So, if things with ASTRO don’t go smoothly as hoped for, he may venture into full-time acting, which means he may be presented with the possibility of doing more challenging and meatier roles. That should be great for Eunwoo, who may want the opportunity to display his acting chops and chuck his current image of being just another pretty face out the window. He has already been exposed to the world of television with supporting and leading roles in four programs already, plus he is set to debut in the movies with the yet-to-be-released Decibel, so a more discriminating taste in selecting his next roles will be important if he wants to be taken seriously as an actor.
Red Velvet’s Joy
The criticism: Joy has been the female lead of two dramas already – 2017’s s The Liar and His Lover and 2018’s Tempted. The acting major from the School of Performing Arts has been criticized for both appearances. Many had expressed skepticism when Joy accepted both lead parts and unfortunately, their disappointment was only encouraged when they watched both series. Comments ranged from Joy simply not being a good actress with her facial expression, gestures, and diction are supposedly unnatural and “painful to watch” to “Wow I can just tell from the photos that she sucks at acting. This needs to be investigated”, and “This is why you need to go to a major agency. They get you in variety shows and drama in any way they can”.
https://youtu.be/U8p_IzC36Ck
Sings of redemption: Joy is set to headline another drama, Only One Person with Prison Playbook’s Kim Kyungnam and Hospital Playtlist’s Ahn Eunjin which is supposed to be released before the year ends. Let us hope for this drama with a sterling cast to usher Joy to levels of better acting.
What the idol needs to do: At this time, Joy can still afford one more bomb performance before being dismissed outright as an acting black hole. This is why Only One Person needs to work. Otherwise, if she is bent on continuing her acting career, acting classes maybe must be in the offing.
The criticism: After bandmate Baekhyun got flack for subpar acting in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo while main vocal D.O received praises for his appearances in movies and TV series, it has been the group’s leader Suho who has been at the receiving end of a lot of criticism in his acting performances both on TV and the movies. For his latest drama, How Are U Bread, where he played a magical baker the vitriol against the idol was at an all-time high, with comments such as “Why does SM keep sticking idols into acting? I wouldn’t mind if they start from small roles but they’re taking lead roles when they can’t even act” and “If you’re going to claim this is a troll post, he has to be a good actor. It’s a fact that he’s a terrible actor but we can’t criticize his acting?” receiving support and agreement among K-netizens. Suho, like Eunwoo, is cursed with breathtakingly perfect visuals, which may be a handicap for actors who may need to look imperfect to suit their “everyday man” roles.
— Mary🐰👨🏻🎨En attendant SUHO💕ᴱˣᶦˢᵗ✵ (@cottoncandy_jun) July 4, 2020
Signs of redemption: None yet, as Suho is currently finishing his mandatory military service.
What the idol needs to do: Suho needs to shy away from the pretty boy and overly glamorized roles. He can’t help it if he looks the way he does, but It can be jarring to see perfect-looking idols portraying perfect-looking people in TV shows. If D.O can portray a blind athlete, a prince, and a North Korean POW all in the same degree of effectiveness, I am sure Suho can as well. He just has to be on the lookout for better-written characters who don’t rely on their looks to keep the story interesting.
To be honest, it’s not like these idols are going to disappear from k-dramas, especially if they still attract a following that show producers and TV stations would definitely not say no to. So, let’s just hope for these three to get their acting chops sharpened real soon!
Featured Image: Screenshot from The Liar and The Lover trailer.
Are you looking for dramas to follow that happen to feature your favorite idols-turned-actors? Here are five of them, all of which generated quite a buzz last year for their stories and high-profile casts, including some very familiar personalities you may have seen on stage, singing and dancing before.
Yumi’s Cells
Yumi (played by Goblin and The King: Eternal Monarch’sKim Goeun) is an ordinary office worker whose inner mind workings are displayed using animation of the “cells” that represent her drives, thoughts, and emotions, as what you may have seen in the movie Inside Out. However, the cells that represent love in her mind are in a state of coma, as she has yet to recover from her last relationship which failed. This is where other of the drama’s characters, game developer Ku Woong (Ahn Bohyun), and her officemates Ruby (Lee Yubi) and Seo Saei (Park Jihyun), come in to help in reviving Yumi’s love cells.
Idol appearance: SHINee’s Flaming Charisma Minho appears as one of Yumi’s colleagues, which she has feelings for, only to find out he has a girlfriend.
Lost
As its title suggests, Lost is a drama about people who feel adrift. There’s a 40-year-old woman Bujong (played by actress Jeon Doyeon, known for being the first Korean to win Best Actress at Cannes in 2007) who works as a ghostwriter. Bujong feels she hasn’t achieved anything in her life and she doesn’t know if she is living an existence with any direction. On the other hand, there’s a 27-year-old man named Kangjae (played by Ryoo Joonyeolof Reply 1988 fame) who lives in constant fear that he might end up as a nobody.
Idol appearance: Apink’s visual Naeun plays one of Kanjae’s friends who also has to deal with her quarter-life crisis issues. Lost is Naeun’s first major project since leaving Apink’s agency Play M to sign with YG Entertainment.
One the Woman
https://youtu.be/Nct4RyMfWl8
Jo Yeonjoo (played by Miss Universe 2007 3rd runner-up-turned-actress Honey Lee) is a prosecutor who engages in questionable practices. A case she handled made her lose her memory, which somehow led her to live as Kang Mina, a daughter-in-law of a chaebol family, who also happens to look just like Yeonjoo. Meanwhile, there’s Han Seungwook (Lee Sangyoon) who is the son of the chaebol family and hasn’t gotten over his first love. But is sort of forced to be involved with his wife Mina, who he doesn’t know is already Yeongjoo.
Idol appearance: EXID’s Jeonghwa who plays Han Seongwook’s girlfriend and old lover who he abandoned for Kang Mina. She keeps her career as the representative announcer of the broadcasting company, conducting the 9 o’clock news despite being left for another woman. You can also see Weki Meki ‘s Doyeon playing the young Mina in flashback scenes.
High Class
In the grand tradition of dramas such as The Penthouse: War in Life and Sky Castle, the show is about the hypocrisies hidden behind the perfect lives of the women who are part of the top 0.1 percent bracket of society. Song Yeoul (Cho Yeojeong, who gets to play an elite housewife again after her award-winning turn in Parasite) is framed for murdering her husband. Her supposed friends in her exclusive circle include Nam Jiseon (Kim Jisoo), who is the star among the mothers at the international school where the children of the elite go, Hwang Nayoon (Park Sejin), a single mother who is the only one friendly to Yeoul and Cha Doyeong (Gong Hyunjoo), an actress who is past her prime and is a disciple of Jiseon because she wants to be in the limelight.
Idol appearance: Former After School member Lee Gaeun (aka the Produce 48 contestant who was wrongly eliminated by the show producer’s manipulation) plays a teacher in the international school where the children of Yeoul’s children go.
Dali and Cocky Prince
School dropout but keen moneymaker Jin Moohak (Kim Minjae) is part of a family that runs the global restaurant franchise firm Dondon F&B, a company that started out as a gamjatang (pork bone stew) restaurant. Kim Dal-Ri (Park Gyu-Young) is a visiting researcher at an art gallery and being the only child of a prestigious family is quite spoiled, so she is lacking in household chores. The two meet without knowing about each other’s backgrounds, with one being the son of an uneducated family with thriving wealth and the other being the daughter of a prestigious family whose fortunes are declining because the art gallery is going bankrupt.
Idol appearance: Momoland’s Yeonwoo, a gallerist and the daughter of a National Assembly member.
While waiting for your favorite actors to stage their comebacks on the small screen or streaming services, why don’t you try these five shows, that is if you weren’t able to catch them last year. All five have gotten a lot of thumbs-ups from viewers. So they won’t disappoint! Besides, since they’re already done, you don’t have to wait for weeks for binge-watching them. So, what are you waiting for? Get ready for k-drama marathons with these shows.
Historical Kdrama featuring BLACKPINK Jisoo in Snowdrop
After all the starts and stops, the JTBC drama Snowdrop was highly anticipated among BLINKs who couldn’t wait to see the real acting debut of BLACKPINK Jisoo, sharing the small screen with one of K-drama world’s hottest leading men, Jung Haein. But then, thousands have also protested the show, accusing it of historical revisionism, with Jung Haein’s character coming under fire as it has been reported that the actor will play a North Korean spy disguising as a student protestor in the 1987 university protests.
If you binged Snowdrop already, here are four dramas based on modern Korean history. Trust us, these shows are good!
The Hymn of Death
Initial TV run: November 27 to December 4, 2018, for 6 episodes on SBS, currently available on Netflix
Cast: Shin Hye‑sun as Yun Simdeok, Lee Jongsuk as Kim Woojin, Park Seonim (as Woojin’s wife), Ko Bo‑Gyeol (as Simdeok’s younger sister)
What’s it about: When Korea was under Japanese occupation, a love story blossomed – drama writer Kim Woojin (played excellently by Lee Jongsuk of W and While You Were Sleeping fame) falls in love with Yun Simdeok (played by Shin Hyesun of Mr. Queen fame) when they met in Waseda University in Japan as participants of a play. They start off as two people who don’t really get each other’s vibes, but as with any other K-drama couple, they started getting to know each other more and eventually liking each other, and then fall in love.
Sounds like your typical k-drama, right? But wait; there’s a catch: Simdeok discovers that Kim Woojin is already married. So, Simdeok decides to avoid Woojin and nip their relationship in the bud.
To add to the love story’s complications, Woojin’s wife is not your typical female antagonist everyone loves to hate. So, instead of people fully rooting for the Woojin-Sindeok couple, the audience may also feel slightly guilty.
Fast forward to a few years, the two led sort of compromised lives, with Woojin foregoing writing to attend to the family business and Simdeok shifting from classical to pop music to cater to the masses. They meet again and rekindle their romance, as Simdeok cannot help but fall for Woojin’s advances while Woojin thinks Simdeok’s rags to riches story of perseverance makes her the ideal woman for him. But with still quite conservative 1920’s Korean and Japanese societies they had to contend with, their story had an inevitably tragic ending.
Trigger warning: Viewers triggered by the topic of suicide are advised to skip this drama.
done watching hymn of death! it was only short but i definitely enjoyed it. arts, hope, and love can serve as our light through the darkest times
How is it related to real-life events: The characters and the circumstances of the drama are all based on real-life characters and events. In 1920’s Japanese-invaded Korea, esteemed playwright Kim Woojin and soprano Yun Simdeok actually lived! The song Simdeok recorded that was inspired by their doomed romance, Praise of Death(of the Hymn of Death, to which the show got its title from) is considered the first Korean pop song in 1926.
Reply 1988
Initial TV run: 20 episodes running from November 2015 to January 2016 on tvN
Cast: Hyeri as Sung Dukseon/Sung Sooyeon, Ryu Junyeol as Kim Junghwan, Go Kyungpyo as Sung Sunwoo, Park Bogum as Choi Taek, and Lee Donghwi as Ryu Dongryong
What’s it about: From a very heavy melodramatic show, let’s move to one that just spells feel-good all around. I’m sure all of us K-pop and K-drama fans may have heard of, if not binge-watched the entire Reply series, particularly Reply 1988. This family show tells the story of five families living in the same neighborhood. The kids practically all grew up together and are in the same school.
There’s a bit of a conflict with the kids as they grew up when naturally, they started to experience adulthood, particularly falling in love. This starts off with Deoksun (played by Girl’s Day Hyeri) expressing her attraction to Sunwoo (played by Go Kyungpyo of Strongest Deliveryman and SNL Korea fame), who as it turns out, is actually attracted to her older sister Bora (played by Law School’s Ryu Hyeyoung). After we see Deoksun getting rejected and Sunwoo trying his best to muster the courage to tell the rather stern character Bora how he feels, we discover that it is Junghwan (played by Lost’s Ryu Junyeol, who has been Hyeri’s boyfriend IRL since 2017) who likes Deoksun.
BUT WAIT! Deoksun develops feelings for quiet and dedicated Taek (played to perfection by Park Bogum), who hasn’t regularly hung out with them since he is a professional Baduk player and doesn’t even go to school because he goes on these international tournaments.
Warning: The scene where Junghwan sees Deoksun and Taek outside a concert venue while he was stuck inside his car with the red traffic light is the biggest mood in the world. He goes, “But fate and timing aren’t just coincidences that find you. They are miraculous moments made from numerous choices arising out of earnestness. Surrender and decision, without hesitation, that is what makes timing. He (Taek) was more ardent. And I should have been more courageous. It was not the traffic light’s fault. It was not timing. It was my many hesitations.”
(Well, we did say that Reply 1988 is more of a feel-good show than The Hymn of Death. It is a tearjerker, all right, but not a tragedy like the first show we mentioned.)
How is it related to real-life events: The families in the series weren’t really real people who lived in Ssangmu-dong. But there are two things in the series that were based and inspired by real life. One, there’s is really a Ssangmu-dong neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Seoul. Two, the character of Taek is based on Lee Chang Ho, a professional Baduk player known in South Korea for starting a professional career in the sport at the young age of 16. So, there, Choi Taek is based on a real-life Baduk prodigy.
Crash Landing on You
Initial TV run: 16 episodes from December 2019 to February 2020
Cast: Son Yejin as Yoon Seri, Hyun Bin as Ri Jeonghyeok, Seo Jihye as Seo Dan, and Kim Junghyun as Gu Seungjun / Alberto Gu
What’s it about: Yoon Seri (played by Son Yejin) is a South Korean chaebol heiress who is hated by her family, namely her half elder brothers and her stepmother. So, instead of being involved in the family business, she creates her own fashion and beauty company. Before the launch of her brand’s latest line of extreme sportswear, she tests it herself by going paragliding and unfortunately gets caught in a sudden tornado, which blows her over the Korean Demilitarized Zone and into North Korea, where she encounters the impossibly handsome Captain Ri Jeonghyeok (played by Hyun Bin).
So throughout the drama, we see Seri trying her darned best to go back to South Korea, Captain Ri and his four patrol officers trying to help her, and Seri’s evil stepbrothers scheming to replace her while she is still nowhere to be found. On their first attempt, they failed as they were spotted by the coast guard, only to escape by pretending to make out. On their second try, Seri joins a North Korean sports team that was going to Europe for a tournament. In between these efforts, she makes friends with the people in Captain Ri’s village who thought she was his new fiancee from Pyongyang. She also starts to be more appreciative of the simple way people in Captain Ri’s village lives, which was a far cry from the overly sophisticated hustle and bustle of her lifestyle as a CEO in Seoul.
But then, the second plan also gets foiled, so Capt. Ri’s dad helps him (also to appease the family of Capt. Ri’s real fiancee) by staging a fake border patrol search for a deserter, which actually served as a cover for Seri to cross the DMZ.
But even if Seri has already successfully left North Korea, the show doesn’t end there as Cho Cheolgang, an intelligence officer who has always been at odds with Capt. Ri discovered the entire operation, so he managed to sneak into Seoul to find Seri, knowing that he may extort money from her. Upon knowing this, Capt. Ri and his four loyal officers went to Seoul to find Seri and protect him from Cheolgang. Everyone eventually finds everybody and Cheolgang’s plan to kill Seri and her stepbothers’ schemes to take control of her company by merging it with the family’s conglomerate were all foiled.
How is it related to real-life events: No, there’s really no Captain Ri or Seri in real life. Even North Korean defectors who were interviewed later by South Korean media to vouch for the show’s veracity were the first to admit that unfortunately, you would be hard-pressed to find a military man in Pyongyang as handsome as Hyun Bin. Moreover, a lot of them commented on how Hyun Bin’s accent was not North Korean at all, but that’s not the issue here.
Park Jieun, the writer for Crash Landing on You, did reveal that she actually drew inspiration for the show, particularly on Seri’s quirky North Korean adventure, from a real-life event involving the South Korean actress Jung Yang.
Jung Yang made the news in 2008 when she and her friends rode a leisure ferry boat and sail across the shores of Incheon and were led astray by inclement weather to crossing the Northern Limit Line that separates South Korea and North Korea.
However, unlike the events in the series where Seri actually landed in North Korean territory, Jung Yang and her friends turned their boat around upon hearing North Korean fishermen speaking in a North Korean accent. Panicking, she sent an emergency message to the South Korean coast guard who went on to rescue her boat. She got away with paying a fine of 400,000 won for sailing beyond five miles without a report, though the actress’ party denied deliberately trying to cross over while asserting that they actually got lost in the fog that enveloped their boat.
Youth of May
Initial TV run: 12 episodes from May to June 2021 on KBS
Cast: Lee Dohyun as Hwang Heetae, Go Minsi as Kim Myeong-hee, Keum Saerok as Lee Sooryeon, and Lee Sanyi as Lee Soochan
https://youtu.be/afW9W0FI5vc
What’s it about:Youth of May is a romantic drama about a fateful meeting between medical student Hwang Heetae (played by 18 Again’s Lee Dohyun) and nurse Kim Myunghee (Go Minsi of Love Alarm fame), who fall in love during the political upheavals of May 1980, a historically significant time period in South Korea. Though those protests became rampant throughout the entire country, the one that became the biggest and most prominent was the Gwangju Uprising, when initially, there were student protests that later morphed into a violent armed uprising that involved other sectors of society that clashed with the military that was on the side of the government. Amidst this rather tumultuous setting, the show’s characters get entangled in a complicated relationship.
Our female lead, Kim Myeonghee is a nurse who was bound for Germany to complete further education. However, she lacked the money to purchase her plane ticket to go abroad. Enter Lee Sooryeon (Keum Saerok, best known for her performance in The Fiery Priest), her best friend who comes to the rescue by lending her some money in exchange for Myeonghee’s agreement that she replaces Sooryeon on a blind date.
Myeonghee does stand in for her friend on the date and meets Hwang Heetae, a medical student. What started off as a blind date ended up with the two falling in love with each other. However, their budding romance will be challenged by the brewing destabilization of Korean society as students started expressing their dissatisfaction at the military-backed political regime.
Myeonghee started having second thoughts about pursuing her studies abroad because she wants to spend more time with Taehee and the unstable peace and order situation in Gwangju, and as their city is being taken over by the military, she may regret her decision of staying as she died from a gunshot wound from a martial law soldier.
Or did she? The drama then shifts to fast forwards to present-day Gwangju and flashbacks as Heetae, now forty years older in present-day Gwangju, continues to look for Myunghee, who he still believes survived the encounter.
How is it related to real-life events: The characters may not be based on real-life personalities, but the entire drama was based on one of the most historical events in contemporary Korea – the Gwangju Uprising, which as mentioned earlier, happened in the city of Gwangju. It actually only happened in nine days, but the effects were shattering and have up to this day, continued to affect the fiber of Korean culture. It may be because ordinary citizens, who were initially university students opposing the martial law government were pitted against soldiers and police of the Korean Government.
When the dust settled, the government downplayed the casualties to around 170, although other reports range between 600 to 2,300 deaths. During the presidency of Chun Doohwan, which the protestors were demonstrating against, the incident was described as a rebellion that was initiated by Communist sympathizers who may even have been linked to the North Korean government. However, investigations conducted decades later proved that it may have not exactly mattered if those who protested were communist sympathizers or may have gotten support from the North Korean government, as it was proven that the South Korean military and police really committed major atrocities and used excessive force to control the uprising.
Move to Heaven
Initial TV run: 10 episodes released on May 14 this year on Netflix
Cast: Lee Jehoon as Cho Sanggu, Tang Joonsang as Han Geuru, Ji Jinhee as Han Jeongwoo, and Kim Juyeon as Min Jiwon
What’s it about:This show is about Han Gaeru (who was in Crash landing on You, playing one of the Capt. Ri’s allies in Company Five) whose father suddenly died and was left under the care of his estranged uncle Sanggu (played by Taxi Driver’s Lee Jehoon) to be part of this company called Move to Heaven. Their job was to clean up houses of those who died only recently and in the process they discover how they lived and they further understood their stories.
The duo started out as a very odd couple, as Gaeru has difficulty understanding the world around him, having been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. On the other hand, Sanggu, who has had brushes with the law as an ex-convict and also living as an underground MMA fighter, isn’t really comfortable with the responsibility of restoring order and cleanliness in people’s lives and prefers chaos and lack of order.
The drama packs a lot of heart-wrenching scenes guaranteed to make even the hardened fan get teary-eyed in almost every episode. Although the first few episodes can be a bit dry as they lay the entire storyline and the characters, the audience gets the opportunity to know the nature of their work better before getting further attached to them as their shadowed pasts get revealed slowly.
How is it related to real-life events: The show Move To Heaven is actually based on a nonfiction essay Kim Sae Byul, a real-life trauma cleaner entitled Things Left Behind. Thus, most, if not all stories in the episodes are based on the real lives of the people who have passed away and the living spaces Kim has cleaned. Viewers will relate to a llot of the scenarios, like one story where a janitor and his wife died without anybody attending the funeral since they don’t have any living family left, so the Move to Heaven guys figured a way to give the couple a proper, not too depressing sendoff.
Another episode showed Geuru’s dad being present in Sampoong Department Store when it collapsed, which actually happened, causing hundreds to lose their lives and be injured. This incident was also shown in an episode of Reply 1994.
Did these dramas whet your appetite after Snowdrop binge? We have more suggestions for historical dramas of a different period here
Featured image: Historical Kdrama featuring BLACKPINK Jisoo in Snowdrop. Photo: JTBC Drama/YouTube
Kpop idol turned Kpop actor Park Hyung Sik with Wooga Squad
We’ve seen them own the stage as idols, but now it seems they’re focusing on honing their thespian skills. Here are five K-pop celebrities who we now know more as Kpop actors:
1. Baro
Who can ever forget the super adorable Binggrae in the second installment of the Reply Series, Reply 1994? Whether it was because we all somewhat related to his struggles of keeping a positive, cheerful appearance despite his inner struggles or because he’s just adorable, or because the character feels so far from the tough, fast-rapping image of the actor who played him when he is in his idol group, Baro’s debut as an actor was quite a success. Considering that the Reply series also successfully launched the acting careers of Apink’s Eunji and Hoya, who was then with INFINITE, it was inevitable that Baro would also fare well in his first foray into acting.
But then, aside from having the right project, people did notice Baro’s exceptional abilities in acting, which at that time was considered special as people have been quick to classify idols who get acting jobs as undeserving. They were usually believed to be hired so that the dramas can bank on their built-in popularity to also raise the public’s awareness of the show. Moreover, there were (and actually, there are still) critics who claim that idols only serve visuals and don’t really have the skills to act.
But with Reply 1994 under his belt, a film debut in the short film Misaeng: Prequel (that also featured an idol-actor we will talk about later) the same year, and another critically-acclaimed drama God’s Gift: 14 Days with Cho Seungwoo, Baro proved himself as a very capable actor. For God’s Gift: 14 Days, he was nominated in various award-giving bodies for the Best New Actor award.
Aside from lending his voice to an animated movie and appearing in another short film in 2015, Baro finally appeared in a full-length feature, the teenage horror-thriller Close Your Eyes in 2017 with Seol Inah. As for his TV roles, he booked regular acting jobs with Angry Mom, Loss: Time: Life, and The Master of Revenge before leaving WM Entertainment in 2018. Though he declined to re-sign a new contract with the agency of his idol group B1A4, he claimed that he wasn’t leaving the group and would be open to working with them in the future.
Since leaving WM Entertainment, Baro has mostly focused on his acting career, bagging more roles in dramas like Less Than Evil in 2018 and Two Hearts, Level Up, and Melting Me Softly in 2019, which was also the year he started his conscription in the military. He only finished his mandatory service in February, and he has since then been busy with new acting projects.
Last Kpop idol activity: 2017’s Rollin’ with B1A4
Latest Kpop acting activities:Fearsome, a horror thriller movie based on the true story of a band getting lost, and Disney+’s Grid, a mystery thriller with Seo Kangjoon to be released in 2022.
2. Jung Jin-young
Speaking of B1A4, the group did not only “lose” Baro in 2018 as all of the members’ contracts were up for negotiation. Sandeul, CNU, and Gongchan re-signed with WM Entertainment, while Baro didn’t. But leader Jinyoung didn’t as well, although it was said that the two were open to working with the group for a reunion project in the future. Thus, B1A4 is still supposed to be five members, although the group has had two comebacks that only had the three remaining WM members. But we digress.
Jinyoung, like Baro, also started his acting career in 2013, with the tvN drama, She is Wow, where he played the troubled son of an actress who has also been struggling because she was losing roles to younger actresses. The following year, he made a splash with his movie debut in Miss Granny, where he shared the screen with industry veterans Na Moonhee, Sung Dongil, and Shim Eunkyung. He continued appearing in more TV dramas like Persevere, Goo Hae-ra (where Baro also made a cameo appearance), Warm and Cozy, and Love Detective Sherlock K. In 2016, he appeared in what has been his biggest TV drama so far, Love in the Moonlight, where he worked with Park Bogum and Kim Yoojung and won numerous awards.
Jinyoung also started his mandatory military service in 2019 and was discharged in April 2021. He immediately went back to work, starring in Police University with Krystal Jung and Cha Taehyun. The drama ran from August to October and was considered very successful for KBS, as the drama peaked at an 8.5% audience share, whereas its predecessors were only averaging 2% audience share weekly.
Last Kpop idol activity: Jinyoung has not been holding promotional activities as an idol since his departure from B1A4 apart from the occasional OST contributions, including a song he recorded for the webtoon Morning Kiss at Tiffany’s OST. However, he is still very active in the music industry as a songwriter and producer, having started with producing songs for B1A4. He has penned numerous songs for his former group and for other artists as well.
Latest Kpop acting activities: No news yet of any drama or movie Jinyoung has signed up for after Police University.
3. Seo Inguk
Here is one actor who not a lot of people know actually started out as a legit singer. Seo Inguk did not only compete in the inaugural season of Mnet’s singing competition Superstar K in 2019 – he actually won the whole thing. His subsequent albums and singles sold well and charted high, although rumors and criticism followed him as he steadily rose in popularity, including claims that he had too much plastic surgery done on his face and getting cold shoulder treatment from SBS, KBS, and MBC because he was a product of a cable TV reality competition. The rumors were downplayed though as he started his acting career with a supporting role in the KBS drama Love Rain, which has Girl’s Generation YoonA and Jang Geunseuk.
His first starring role though was in the first Reply installment, Reply 1997, in 2012, which also had other idols – Eunji, Hoya, and Sech Kies’ Eun Jiwon. He has since appeared in dramas for the three free public channels – 2012’s The Sons and 2016’s Shopahlic King Louis for MBC, 2014’s The King’s Face and 2015’s Hello, Monster with KBS, and 2013’s Master’s Sun for SBS. However, he is still quite known for appearing in a lot of dramas shown on tvN, such as High School King of Savvy, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, and Doom at Your Service (with Park Boyoung).
Seo Inguk was supposed to start his mandatory military service in 2017. But as he was diagnosed with Osteochondritis dissecans, a bone and cartilage condition, he was exempted from military duty.
Last Kpop idol activity: Seo Inguk’s last album was released in 2014, after which he has released a single every year until 2017. The song Distant Fate for the Doom atYour Service OST was his first music-related activity in three years.
Latest Kpop acting activities: After his latest series Doom at Your Service premiered on May 10, his latest movie Pipeline also opened in theaters on May 26 up in June. His next movie is Wolf Hunting with School 2017 star Jang Dong Yoon, which has yet to have a release date. Rumors in June claimed that has also been offered a role in a TV adaptation of the webtoon ‘Minamdang: Case Note’ (literal title), but nothing has been confirmed yet.
4. Im Siwan
Siwan’s road to acting was quite long, as he had to train for three years after getting recruited by a talent scout of entertainment company Star Empire. After those three long years as a trainee, he finally debited with eight fellow members that would make up his group, ZE:A in 2010. After debuting with his group, it took another four years before he would be tapped as an actor. For those two years, he had a number of cameo appearances in a couple of dramas before finally appearing in a more substantial role. But his debut television role happened to be the young Master Ho Yeom in the historical drama Moon Embracing the Sun (which also starred Kin Soohyun, Han Gain, Kim Minseo, and Yeo Jingoo) that up to now still holds records for audience share, ratings, and viewership, making it one of the country’s most popular dramas in history. Thus, while ZE:A may not have become one of the country’s most popular groups, but Siwan’s participation in Moon Embracing the Sun did propel his celebrity to household name status almost overnight.
Siwan’s impressive TV debut was followed up with another career highlight in Man from the Equator, which premiered the week after Moon Embracing the Sun’s final episode. Siwan’s second drama was also his second appearance as the teenage version of one of the show’s main character, as this time, he played the teenage version of the eventual antagonist of the drama. Unlike Moon Embracing the Sun, though, Man from the Equator started out a bit weak in the ratings and generated less buzz compared to its competitors Rooftop Prince and The King 2 Hearts (which replaced Moon Embracing the Sun on its Wednesday – Thursday 9:55 timeslot), although through good word of mouth, it eventually beat the competition in some weeks throughout its run.
Siwan’s film debut was also as impressive the following year. He first movie was The Attorney, a contemporary historical drama inspired by the Burm Case of the 1980s starring Song Kangho and Oh Dalsu. This high-profile debut actually won Siwan a number of New Actor awards, cementing him as an actor so effectively that a lot of people tended to forget that he was still actually promoting with ZE:A.
Siwan has not looked back on his successful acting career, even if his activities as an idol have altogether stopped since 2015. He still continues to sing by contributing songs on his dramas’ OSTs once in a while.
Im Siwan, ZE:A
– moon embracing the sun – misaeng – man from the equator – stranger from hell – the king loves pic.twitter.com/T0pHIGvoYa
Last Kpop idol activity: Singing I and You, a song part of the Run On OST, while his last activity with ZE:A was in 2016 with the compilation album Continue.
Latest Kpop acting activities: Siwan’s latest movie project, Emergency Declaration, which stars Song Kangho, Jeon Doyeon, and Lee Byunghun, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival last July. TV-wise, his last drama was Run On with Girl’s Generations Sooyoung, which ran from December 2020 to February this year, and the soon-to-be-released Tracer with Ko Ahsung.
5. Park Hyungsik
Another ZE:A member who has also been bitten by the acting bug is the group’s other visual, Hyungsik. Actually, like the rest of ZE:A (something which we failed to mention earlier with Siwan, the entire group had their film “debut” with the movie Ronin Pop, a Korean and Japanese collaboration project which revolves around the power struggle between youths in the aftermath of a nuclear war. Well, I bet most, if not all members of ZE:A, are not particularly proud of this movie, as most of them would attribute their acting debuts with other projects. In the case of Hyungsik, the SBS drama special I Remember You in 2012 is commonly referred to as his acting debut. This was followed months later by a supporting role in another SBS drama, Dummy Mommy, which starred Ha Heera and Kim Hyunjoo. Many more acting roles followed for Hyunsik, such as tvN’s Nine, SBS’ The Heirs, and KBS’ What’s With This Family.
There has been no stopping Hyungsik with his TV career then, as he has bagged leading roles in dramas such as High Society (which also starred idol-actress Uee), the idol-filled Hwarang with Shinee’s Minho, and his fellow Wooga Squad members BTS’ V plus Park Seojun, Strong Girl Bong-soon with Jisoo and Park Boyoung, and the Korean adaptation of the US drama Suits with Jang Donggun.
As for movies, aside from the very forgettable ROnin Pop, Hyungsik has done voice roles for animated features like Justin and the Knights of Valor and Trolls before starring in the short film Two Lights: Relumino and finally, his first major film role in 2019’s Juror 8.
As for his idol career, he has also contributed to OSTs of some of the shows he has starred in, but he hasn’t debuted as a solo artist like his bandmate Siwan. Come to think of it, the only ZE:A member who has had an active career as a soloist is Dongjun, who also happens to be the third member who has also established an acting career.
Last Kpop idol activity: Two Lights, part of the OST to his short film Two Light: Relumino and Because of You, a song he sang for the OST of Strong Girl Bong-soon and charted in the Gaon Download Charts.
han sohee and mc hong jinkyung were so amazed by park hyungsik singing 😭 sohee said “it’s so cool” at the end everyone’s forgetting he debuted as an idol pLS#SoundtrackNo1pic.twitter.com/kRuJzZanTe
Latest Kpop acting activities:Happiness, an apocalyptic thriller on tvN that marks Hyungsik’s return to TV since his military discharge on January 4 and premiered on November 5. In support of his bandmate, Siwan brought a coffee cart to the drama’s filming location.
Of course, there are still idols who are successfully balancing their singing and acting careers. But for these five, here’s hoping we can see them on stage again in the near future.
Featured image: Kpop idol turned Kpop actor Park Hyung Sik with fellow Wooga Squad members V and Park Seo Joon. Photo: 씩꾸릿Kharictye/YouTube.
Krystal Jung of f(x) fame plays snob but kind-hearted Lee Bona in the SBS K-Drama, The Heirs. Photo: SBS Drama/YouTube
For us K-pop fans, being in a girl group and maybe graduating into a soloist would be the be-all-end-all for our favorites’ careers. But as a lot of idols have proven time and again, there are enticing opportunities awaiting them in the field of acting, whether it’s on television or the movies. Yes, a good number of them have been harshly criticized because of their sub-par thespian skills, and sometimes they get called out for being hired as actors only to raise the popularity of the show they are a part of. But then, there are quite a number of female idols who have proven their acting mettle, so much so they have already successfully transitioned into focusing on their careers as actresses rather than as idols. Here are five of them:
Hyeri
Any K-drama fan would remember Dukseon, the most adorable picket girl for Madagascar in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and her neighborhood gang. With that one drama, Reply 1988, Hyeri became a household name. But K-pop fans would argue that Hyeri was already popular thanks to her girl group, Girl’s Day and that she had already starred in a couple of TV dramas (Jekyll, Hyde, Me and Tasty Life) before Reply 1988 started. Both are true, but it so happens that Reply 1988 just became a phenomenon. And as what Reply 1997 and 1994 did to Apink Eunji and Go Ara’s popularity respectively, Reply 1988 cemented Hyeri’s star status as well, not to mention that it became more popular than the previous Reply versions.
Alas, although the members of Girl’s Day decided not to renew their contracts with the group’s agency, Dream T Entertainment, it has been years since the group’s last comeback – I’ll Be Yoursin 2017. Moreover, Hyeri hasn’t gotten involved in solo projects when it comes to music. So, suffice to say that until a Girl’s Day reunion comeback truly materializes, we may not see the return of idol Hyeri.
Last singing activity: The 2017 EP Girl’s Day Everyday #5, with the single I’ll Be Yours
Latest acting activities: KBS’ When Flowers Bloom, I Think of the Moon with Yoo Seungho and Kang Mina has finished and is slated to be released soon.
More idols like EXID’s Hani and Jeonghwa, SISTAR’s Dasom, I.O.I and Pristin’s Lim Nayoung, and AOA’s Seolhyun have expressed intentions of focusing on acting. For the first four mentioned, this means signing with new agencies as actors – Hani and Nayoung actually share an agency, Sublime Artist Agency, Jeonghwa is with J-Wide Company, and Dasom is with Story-J. As for Seolhyun, with MIna’s erratic behavior and Jimin’s departure from the entertainment industry, her group AOA’s future is most uncertain. But then again, AOA’s agency, FNC Entertainment, is quite experienced in having idols who straddle between singing and acting careers.
Seohyun
Now, this is one weird career shift. Seo Juhyun, known to all of us as Seohyun, Girl’s Generation‘s golden maknae and one of the group’s main vocalists (anyone still holding out hope for a TaTiSeo comeback?), has turned her back completely on singing. Which is quite weird considering other GG members who have ventured into acting still have dabbled into recording. For example, Sooyoung, famously known for saying she never considered herself the best singer after being with a better vocalist during her time with the group, still recorded a single in 2020. Yoona and Yuri, who are also more known in their careers as sub-vocalists, have still recorded singles and contributed to OSTs.
Not Seohyun, though. Her last activity related to singing was her 2017 EP Don’t Say No, and that was when she was still with SM. No promotional singles, no OST contributions, not even a single musical theater role. Not that we’re complaining about our girl’s three lead role performances on TV since 2018 and two upcoming movies, but it has to be said, not hearing our SONE maknae‘s singing voice ever again is one sad thought.
Last singing activity: 2017’s EP Don’t Say No
Latest acting activities: Two movies slated for 2022 release: Netflix’s webtoon-based Love and Leashes and Holy Night: Demon Hunters with Ma Dongseok.
Uee
While not necessarily one of the pioneers of the legendary group that during their peak was dubbed the “Pussycat Dolls of K-Pop,” Uee’s time with After School was quite remarkable. She was seen as a replacement of Soyoung, who although was still there when she joined the group, was actually the first AS member to “graduate” and pursue acting. But then, Soyoung only stayed with the group for 10 months, while Uee stayed with and was very prominent in almost all of the group’s most iconic comebacks, including Bang!, Diva, First Love, and Flashback. After eight years with the group, Pledis Entertainment announced that Uee has graduated from the group with the expiration of her contract with the company.
But Uee’s shift to acting did not really come all of a sudden. Long known for her beauty, she was already appearing in several dramas even as she started with the group in 2009. She debuted earlier as an actress, playing the young Mishil in MBC’s popular historical drama Queen Seondeok, which was shown in May, a clear four months before her idol debut. She regularly appeared in dramas throughout her career as a girl group idol, and when she finally left Pledis for Yuleum Entertainment in 2017, she practically focused on her acting career. She has not sung for anything since 2014 when After School was last promoted as a group. As of this year, she has again signed to a different agency, Lucky Entertainment, making her current agency her 4th in her entire career.
Last idol activity: Japanese promotion for Best, After School’s 2nd compilation album that featured a new song, Shine.
Latest acting activity: Will be seen in tvN’s Ghost Doctor, slated for a 2022 release.
Nana
Well, since we have already mentioned Uee, why not go ahead and mention the other After School actress Nana? Nana, of striking visuals and Orange Caramel fame, did not actually start acting until late in her idol career. She debuted in After School in late 2009 and started off her acting career with cameo appearances in a couple of movies, White and Fashion King in 2011 and 2014, respectively. Her first main role was in a 2015 Chinese film entitled Go Lala Go 2, which starred Taiwanese actors Ariel Lin, Vic Zhou, and Chern Bolin. Her first TV role was also in the Chinese drama Love Weaves Through a Millennium, which was shown on Hunan Television in 2015 as well.
Nana’s acting career has a number of hits and misses, with performances in the Korean remake of The Good Wife (she played the equivalent of Archie Panjabi’s role and shared screen time with Jeon Doyeon, who played the Korean version of Julianna Marguilles’ part), Justice, and Into the Ring earning her praise, while her 2021 drama Oh My Landlord is considered by media observers as the start of drama powerhouse MBC’s downfall. But not to worry, fans, as Nana will continue with her acting career, with shows such as Netflix’s Glitch with Lee Donghwi and Jeon Yeobeen. Also, unlike the idol we mentioned before her, she is still quite close with After School members and cheered them on when some of the members reunited in MMTG to perform Bang! and Diva earlier this year. Also, she is the only member of After School who hasn’t really graduated, and is still with Pledis Entertainment, which technically, is now under HYBE.
Last idol activity: Contributed a song to the OST of her own show, Into the Ring in 2020. Not promoted, so this doesn’t really count as an “idol activity”, but rather a singing one.
Latest acting activity: Netflix’s Glitch, which was slated for release in 2021, but now that it’s early 2022 with no confirmed date in sight.
Krystal Jung
Who could forget snob yet kind-hearted rich kid Lee Bona in K-drama The Heirs/Inheritors?
Here is another idol who has managed to combine her idol and acting career seamlessly, until unfortunately, one of the two sort of waned. Just like the Pledis group After School, Krystal’s group in SM, f(x), also debuted in 2009. The next year, Krystal first appeared on the small screen with a supporting role in More Charming By the Day, and since then, both her idol and acting careers flourished. But as she got more recognition for playing snobbish ice queen types on TV to perfection, f(x) activities became scant. In fact, so scant that the group’s last legitimate comeback was in 2015. They contributed a track to SM Station,All Mine, in 2016, but that wasn’t promoted at all and it was practically the group’s last activities.
https://youtu.be/C0SSU8U87I4
Krystal’s fans were not left in the cold with the acting jobs, though, as even without her group, she has steadily been part of popular programs such as The Bride of Habaek and Prison Playbook. With the possibility of an f(x) reunion practically non-existent since all members are now with different companies (Krystal is now with H& Entertainment since her official departure from SM in October 2020), we can only hope to see Krystal go full speed ahead with her acting career.
Last singing activity:I Don’t Wanna Love You, a 2017 single
Latest acting activities: KBS’s Police University with former B1A4 Jinyoung and a Chinese film Unexpected Love, which doesn’t have a release date yet.
Well, the idol world’s loss can be TV and films’ gain and we fans can’t really complain.
Featured Image: Krystal Jung of f(x) fame plays snob but kind-hearted Lee Bona in the SBS K-Drama, The Heirs. Photo: SBS Drama/YouTube
Have you seen Korean period dramas and wondered if there are ones that are based on real-life characters? Here are five historical dramas that draw inspiration from, if not reflect, events and personalities that really happened in Korea’s very colorful history:
Empress Ki
Initial TV run: a whopping 51 episodes from October 2013 to April 2014 on MBC
Cast: Ha Jiwon as Ki Seungnyang / Ki Nyang who later becomes the titular Empress Ki, Joo Jinmo as Wang Yoo / King Choonghye, Ji Changwook as Toghon Temür / Ta Hwan, and Baek Jinhee as Tanashiri, daughter of Yeon-Chul
What’s it about: Seungnyang (played by Ha Jiwon) was born a girl in a family of low-ranking palace officials. She did not have any affections towards the job of her parents, so to avoid being a palace maidservant, she disguised herself as a boy. As a man, she was assigned to watch over Yuan crown prince To Gon, who was exiled to Koryo (Korea) from the Yuan/Mongol empire. Eventually, Seungnyang secret was discovered, and she now has to help To Gon get back to his rightful place in the Yuan empire, which was taken from him by his half-brother who was the one responsible for his exile in Koryo.
In his return to Yuan, he employs Seungnyang’s assistance, who then posed as a royal maidservant. Together, they rose to the highest positions of power in Yuan, as To Gon later decides to marry Seungnyang. Seungyang becomes empress, but she still remembers her first love who she left in Koryo, Wang Yoo (played by Joo Jinmo).
How is it related to real-life events: The events and characters of Empress Ki were based on real-life people. Seungnyang who was then 16 in the year 1331, was sent to Khanbaliq (what is now known as Beijing) from Koryo as part of a tribute to the Yuan empire that also included the return of the crown prince To Gon from exile. With her tenacity and intelligence, she eventually became the first Korean empress of the Yuan Dynasty and became the ruler of close to 60 million people who inhabited Mongol-controlled China at that time.
Empress Ki! Gosh it's been almost 8 yrs and can't still move on with the ending😭 https://t.co/5GTsueqhPj
The drama, although successful among Korean and Chinese television viewers, was criticized by Koreans as too sympathetic, as she was (and still is) seen as a traitor who chose to rise to power in the Yuan dynasty rather than in her native Koryo. On the other hand, Ming Dynasty historians did not look favorably upon her reign as she was considered a corrupting influence.
Finally, it should be noted that when her son, Biligtu Khan, succeeded his father (and in actuality, her, as Empress Ki did more of the ruling compared to her husband To Gon) to the throne when he died, Empress Ki actually faded and disappeared. There were no records of her in her twilight years when her son took over as emperor of the Northern Yuan dynasty.
Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth
Initial TV run: 20 episodes plus four specials from December 2016 to February 2017 on KBS
Cast: Park Seojoon as Moomyung / Kim Sunwoo / Kim Isabu / Dog-bird, Go Ara as Kim Ahro, Park Hyungsik as Sammaekjong / Kim Jidwi / Jinheung of Silla, Shinee’s Choi Minho as Kim Sooho, and BTS’ V (Kim Taehyung) as Seok Hansung
What’s it about: This is a story set in the ancient Silla dynasty about a group of young men called Hwarang who lived 1,500 years ago and their passion, love, friendship. After the death of King Beopheung died, Jiso ruled the kingdom as regent while keeping her son Sammaekjong (played as an adult by Park Hyunsik) hidden outside of the capital to protect him from court intrigue and drama. As the years roll by, everybody is anticipating who shall replace Jiso. There’s Sammaekjong who’s now of age, and nobles, citizens, and officials who now want power for themselves. For fear of the restless nobility who want the throne to themselves, Jiso created a new called the Hwarang, that will protect the throne for Sammaekjong and ward off other interested parties. Leading the Hwarang is Moo Myung (played by Park Seojoon), a young man who despite not being a part of the nobility, became a legendary warrior.
Other members of the Hwarang are Kim Ahro (played by Reply 1994’s Go Ara), a half-breed with an aristocrat father and a peasant servant mother, who becomes the physician of the Hwarang and the love interest of Moomyung.
"Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth", where #Taehyung played the role of youngest Hwarang, "Hansung", was recommended on 'Welcome to Hallyuland', Netflix India
— Taehyung India FB | FRI(END)Sˡᵒᶜᵏᵈᵒʷⁿ •◡• (@Taehyung_india_) November 23, 2020
Kimsammaekjong secretly becomes a Hwarang warrior himself who vowed to eliminate the nobles making his quest for the throne difficult. Other Hwarang members include Kim Suho (SHINee’s Choi Minho) who became known to be flirtatious, Park Banryu (Do Jihan from Basketball) known as the cold-blooded Hwarang, Kim Yeowool (Jo Yoonwoo from Mask) who is described as the most charming Hwarang who doesn’t have designs for the throne despite having royal lineage, and Suk Hansung (BTS’ V aka Kim Taehyung) known as the maknae of the Hwarang warriors.
How is it related to real-life events: In the history of the Silla dynasty, Hwarang actually existed. Known as Flowering Knights, they were an elite warrior group of male youth in Silla, They originally bonded to study arts and culture as well as religious teachings stemming mainly from Korean Buddhism. The youths who were chosen by the Silla Kingdom became the knights and warriors for the Silla Dynasty within the age of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
Haechi
Initial TV run: 48 episodes running from February to April 2019 on SBS
Cast: Jung Ilwoo as Yi Geum / Prince Yeoning, Go Ara as Chun Yeoji, Kwon Yul as Bak Munsu, Park Hoon as Dalmoon, Lee Geungyoung as Min Jinwon, Jung Moonsung as Yi Tan / Prince Milpung, and Bae Junghwa as Chun Yoonyoung / Bokdan
What’s it about: Haechi is a legal drama set in the period of the Joseon Dynasty. At the beginning of the drama, Minister Min Jinwon (played by Lee Gyeungyoung) explains that justice and truth are unattainable, like that legendary animal. “In real life, it is impossible to judge right from evil.” For him, politics is not about justice, but about power. And when you lose power is tantamount to death.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, a group of people working in Saheonbu (practically the Office of the Inspector General that administered inspections in the capital Hanyang (now Seoul), and the periphery) who actually believes in true justice. With Head Inspector Han Jeongseok (played by Lee Pilmo), they start digging into a murder case that gets them in the crosshairs of the royal court.
Enter Yi Geum (played by Jung Ilwoo), a good for nothing prince who accidentally gets himself involved in this crime-solving mystery. Although a prince, there are some people who look down on him as his mother was a maid, so he was seen as a low-born royal. He also wasn’t being taken seriously because he spends his days drinking and womanizing, which is a waste of his smarts. But then, because of the involvement of the royals in the murder, he needs to establish his position and slowly but surely flex his political muscle as a prince. While he doesn’t have any political capital at the start, he was joined by some friends and advisers, and soon he has people supporting him.
While it can be argued that we already know the ending and that he will become king, his journey to the top is quite an exciting and thrilling ride that we as viewers can join. Alas, with the other officers in the Saheonbu on his side – Inspector Park Moonsoo (played by Kwon Yul), Assistant Inspector Yeoji (Go Ara), and ring leader of beggars Dalmoon (Park Hoon), among others, his rise to the top and their crusade for justice combined splendidly.
By the end of the drama, we also see the shift in the attitude of the Minister who opens the show. While he still believes true justice is unattainable, he was given more hope as he recalls his youth, when was also an idealistic dreamer
How is it related to real-life events: This drama is actually based on the real-life story of Yi Geum, who was later known as Prince Yeoning, during his early years of reign. He becomes King Yeongjo, the 21st king of Joseon in 1724 who reigned for 52 years. However, he would also be subject to a rather depressing episode of Joseon history in relation to his son, Prince Sado, who died of starvation after his father (yes, Prince Yeoning aka King Yeongjo) locked him up in a rice closet for seven days. This father-son tragedy was the subject of the 2015 movie The Throne which stars Song Kangho (Parasite) as King Yeongjo and Yoo Ahin (Chicago Typewriter, Burning, and the soon-to-be-released Hellbound) as Prince Sado.
So now, you may ask, where does the drama’s title come from? Haechi is actually a Korean mythological creature whose likeness is found in front of the Saheonbu building. Haechi looks like a lion with scales and represents a righteous judge of justice and truth. Saheonbu, the Joseon office that is also responsible for carrying out investigations and justice, was meant to be like the righteous and honorable Haechi.
Dae Jang Geum
Initial TV run: 54 episodes that ran on MBC from September 2003 to March 2004
Cast: Lee Youngae as Seo Janggeum, Ji Jinhee as Min Jungho, Hong Rina as Choi Geumyoung, Im Ho as King Jungjong, and Yang Mikyung as Court Lady Han Baekyoung (Jang Geum’s teacher)
What’s it about: For international audiences, this drama is more known as Jewel in the Palace, while in Korea, the drama bears the name of its lead character. Set in 16th century Korea, the series is about Jang Geum whose mother was killed and whose father was arrested and disappeared (we’re not sure if he was killed or was put in exile until his death), when she was still not more than five years old. While his dad was arrested and exiled or killed or no one knows really, her mom came out of hiding to find out what happened to her husband, but alas, was hit by an arrow. Before she died, she told her daughter that her dying wish was for her (the daughter) to enter the palace and become the highest-ranking kitchen lady so that she can somehow avenge her from the palace personalities against whom she fought.
Jang Geum eventually became successful in both entering the palace and getting a training spot as a court lady. This did not sit well with the other court ladies in training and even with the other palace staff, as she is not known for her strong family background. In fact, her parents are a mystery to the rest of the palace, which increased their suspicion and dislikes for our girl, while she obviously cannot divulge the identity of her parents because they still pretty much had unfavorable reputations, even in their death.
Despite her innate intelligence and perseverance, she finds herself in trouble many times. The intrigues she was involved with, combined with her sketchy background, led her to be convicted of treason for which she was sent to Jeju Island to be exiled. There, she met a lady physician who taught her the tricks of her trade and gave her another way of getting back to the palace – by practicing medicine. So, even if she already built her culinary skills as a court lady, she also had to learn medicine from the lady so she can get back to the palace as a physician.
So, does she get back to the palace and avenge her parents? You’ll have to watch the drama to find out!
How is it related to real-life events: The stories and characters are pretty much based on real life. Jang Geum was a real-life physician of the palace, and the title of the series Dae (meaning great) Jang Geum was also bestowed upon her because of her achievements. The first mention of her in the palace records was in the spring of 1515 when King Jungjong’s second wife, Queen Janggyeong, died from complications of childbirth. While court officers tried to convince the king to punish the medical women, including Jang Geum, for the queen’s demise, the king refused, saying,
“Jang Geum deserves big credit for her role in the safe childbirth of palace ladies, but I have never awarded her for her actions until now, because of other affairs. Now you (the court officers) are telling me to punish her because the Queen is dead, but I won’t do that as well as I won’t reward her. That’s enough.”
Jang Geum’s position as the king’s physician continued until his death in November 1544. In the Yi dynasty Medical Officer’s Journal, she was also mentioned in this passage:
“Medical Lady Jang Geum, whose origins cannot be traced, received the right to be called ‘Dae Jang Geum” under an edict issued by the 11th King of Korea, Jungjong, in the 18th year of his reign [1524-1525]. At that time, there was no precedent of a Medical Lady treating a King, but the Emperor trusted in Jang Geum’s method of treating illness with food. Jang Geum, with the granting of the right to use ‘Dae’ in her name, is certainly an epic lady whose name will be recorded in the history books.”
So, yes, by now we’ve spoiled the drama for you. She pretty much had an awesome career as a doctor and continues to be the only female physician in history to serve the highest officer of the land. Even now, the Korean president’s personal physician is male. But to know if Jang Geum’s family background was eventually exposed, that you will have to find out ion the drama. It seems that we didn’t spoil everything, after all!
Empress Myeongseong
Initial TV run: 124 episodes that ran from May 2001 to July 2002 on KBS
Cast: Lee Miyeon (episodes 1, 10-81) and Choi Myunggil as Empress Myeongseong, Lee Jinwoo as King Gojong, and Yoo Donggeun as Heungseon Daewongun
What’s it about: If you come across the song If I Leave being sung in singing contests and programs in Korea like Immortal Songs, Yesterday, and King of Masked Singer, then you may have had a brush with this historical drama. That OST was originally sung by world-renowned Korean soprano Jo Somi for the historical drama Empress Myeongsong. This is one historical drama that was so successful that decades after it was first shown, people still remember it, including the timeless theme song. It even had two actresses playing the same role – the titular Empress for its run that lasted a year and two months and 124 episodes!
The issue with the two actresses is not really a real issue as it just happened that the original actress was not ready for the eventual success of the show. The contract that the “original” Empress Myeongseong, Lee Miyeon, signed with KBS was only for 100 episodes. However, due to the success of the program, the TV station wanted to extend it to more than 100 episodes. However, Lee Miyeon wanted to adhere to the original contract, so she refused to do more than 100 episodes. Not to worry though, as the station just had to hire a new actress, Choi Myunggil, to play the empress from Episode 82 onwards.
So, for K-drama fans who are used to a 16-episode show, be prepared for a very long ride.
How is it related to real-life events: Although there may be some scenes where the show’s creators exercised some creative freedoms, the characters of the drama are based on real-life historical figures. There’s Empress Myeongseong, who was the wife of the country’s first Emperor, Gojong, and the 26th King of Joseon. Her presence was felt when the First Sino-Japanese War broke out and was a driving force in modernizing Korea.
Empress Myeongseong was known for her liberal ways such as wanting girls to be educated and employing a modern army for the country. She was Korea’s first queen to rule the country—next to her husband—and was politically more active than the emperor. Due to her immense power and influence, the Empress’ rule did not sit well with foreigners, particularly the Japanese, who sent agents to assassinate her.
There are still more historical dramas that are actually based on real life. Even if you can’t relate to the traditions or you may not recognize your favorite actors because of the hair and make-up, get ready to be dazzled by the high production values!
Featured Image: BTS’s V/Kim Tae Hyung as the ever loyal and innocent Hansung in Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, along with lead actor and fellow Wooga Squad member Park Seo Joon. Photo: BANGTANTV/YouTube
South Korean Netflix series “Squid Game” has been the hottest thing on TV (rather, OTT [over-the-top] media services, geez this thing about Netflix and streaming platforms has everybody confused on what to call their content) these days. Imagine, a drama that is not in English has been topping Netflix’s most-watched show list. Even the streaming platform’s earlier breakout hits that are not in the English language – Spanish programs “Money Heist” and “Elite,” the French Japanese manga-inspired “Lupin,” and the German Yiddish-language “Unorthodox” cannot claim that distinction!
Just when we thought that South Korean soft power is showing signs of plateauing, our Hallyu content creatives somehow manage to churn out something that has the entire world lapping anything they produce. Like every year, most of us Korean culture otakus who speculate that maybe this year will be the year that the Korean Wave will recede and start to decline in popularity, it is not the case at all. The thing is, I have been anticipating this since 2014, when so many scandals have hit a lot of our well-loved Korean celebrities. Not to mention that the Sewol Ferry tragedy felt like it did a huge number of the collective South Korean national psyche. But year after year, I have been proven wrong.
2015 had K-pop reawakening with a vengeance with JYP and YG debuting Twice, iKon, and Day 6, SM Entertainment finally debuted Girl’s Generation’s Taeyeon as a solo artist, and who can forget the iconic MAMA performance of 2NE1 in December of that year?
In 2016, it was Korean cinema’s turn to keep Hallyu on top with Train to Busan, A Violent Prosecutor, and The Age of Shadows establishing astronomic box office figures and Park Chanwook’s The Handmaiden and Na Hingjin’s The Wailing killing it in international film festivals and giving Korean movies more global recognition.
The age of cinema and drama
And before 2016 ended, ageless Gong Yoo, who already had a banner year starring in two of the three highest-grossing films of the year (#1 Train to Busan and #3 The Age of Shadows) and also starring in A Man and a Woman with Cannes darling Jeon Doeyeon, gifted the world with Goblin – The Lonely Shining God (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God in other countries), a TV show that would further Korean TV already-stellar year. The year was dotted with worldwide hits such as Descendants of the Sun, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bokjoo, and Love in the Moonlight.
Since 2016 was also a banner year for TV dramas, it was also a great year for its OSTs. OST songs really dominated the Korean charts for most of the year, not just in their separate OST category, but in the main top single streaming and downloading charts as well.
The Song couple-led Descendants of the Sun was everywhere with not one, not two, not three, but FIVE songs charting high when they were released – Gummy’s “You are My Everything“, Davichi’s “This Love“, Chen and Punch’s “Everytime”, K.Will’s “Talk Love“, and Yoo Mirae’s “Always“.
Who could forget Jung Seung Kwan’s addictive ballad “If It is You“, included in the OST of Another Miss Oh which has been used countless times in singing reality competitions? We’re not even counting Goblin’s three impressive songs that were released early the following year – Soyou’s “I Miss You“, Chanyeol’s “Stay With Me“, and of course, Ailee’s modern-day classic “I Will Go to You Like the First Snow“.
One word: BTS
And what can we say about 2017 than to keep it in three letters – BTS. Out of nowhere, the group that has been considered as a nugu group with flash in the pan success internationally proved that they can also sell domestically when they released a repackaged version of Wings entitled You’ll Never Walk Alone that had songs “Spring Day” and “Not Today“. This was followed up by the group getting international exposure for the rest of the year and not looking back since then.
But we simply can’t rely on BTS to raise the flag for Korean pop culture every year, yes? Doing that will only allow people to believe that Korean soft power is a fluke since it only relies on a single entity to keep it afloat.
Once the popularity of our Bangtan Boys will wane (which of course we will never accept but, just for academic discourse, say it might be a possibility), international audiences will quickly revert to asking, “Why are there Chinese shows on TV?” when we watch K-dramas or “Is that Japanese?” when we listen to K-pop.
2018 proved that Korean pop culture is right back at the center of the world’s stage as 2NE1’s CL and EXO performed in the closing ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. On the TV front, the year cemented the arrival of two actor-dols in Astro’s Cha Eunwoo (My ID is Gangnam Beauty) and EXO’s D.O (100 Days My Prince) and yet another oppa who has shown promise in the past but broke out in 2018 with What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? – Park Seojun.
In 2019, the world renewed its appreciation for Korean movies when Bong Joonho’s Parasite took every award there was, including American ones, which has had a history of being reluctant when it comes to recognizing films that are not in the English language.
It started with 2018’s Burning, directed by Lee Changdong and starring premiere character actor Yoo Ahin who has also proven his abilities as a lead star, and Steven Yeun, who was at that time most known as Glenn in the US TV show The Walking Dead. Burning was heaped with praises by film critics and award-winning bodies, managing to win the FIPRESCI Prize and Vulcan Award in the 2018 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. However, when it came to the biggest event, the Academy Awards aka the Oscars, the movie only managed to crack the final nine-film shortlist, but was eventually dropped off the final five nominees.
Thus, that Parasite didn’t just win the following year in the Cannes’ Palm d’Or and the Oscars’ Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture gave the Korean film industry another full year to take the world’s center stage. The movie exposed the class divide between the haves and the have nots, with no clear protagonist or antagonist. It therefore leaves the decision on who are the heroes and villains of the movie to the audience – the poor Kims who have managed to leech off their subsistence from a wealthy family, or the rich Parks, who seem to be distanced from the harsh realities of the world and not really caring for their employees?
As critics opined, the movie solidified the creation of a unique genre by the movie’s director Bong Joonho: not quite a drama, not quite a suspense thriller, not quite a legit black comedy, but a balanced mixture of all three elements.
The year where everyone was home
When 2020 had people thinking, this will be the year that Korean culture’s popularity will finally begin its decline, they were disappointed again. How can movies and dramas possibly be popular this year when people are not allowed to go out and watch movies in a cinema? That’s where Netflix and other online streaming platforms barged in with their promises of binge-watch-worthy content. Thus, everybody got to know the gallant North Korean soldier Captain Ri (Hyun Bin) and self-made tycoon Seri (Son Yejin) in Crash Landing on You, as well as the wronged wife Dr Ji (Kim Heeae), the philandering Lee Taeoh (Park Haejoon) and the blindingly beautiful Dakyung (Han Sohee) in The World of the Married. Both showed broke domestic and international records in terms of viewership and made household names of their actors. Both shows have also been (and still are) available on Netflix.
2020 also brought us another gem in the film world – the Korean-American co-production Minari. Although it can be argued that the movie slants more towards the American sensibilities of its director Lee Isaac Chung, the scenes and emotional tug are distinctly Korean. It even won an Oscar for Korean acting icon Youn Yuhjung, the first for any Korean actor.
This brings us to 2021, when the popularity of Korean TV shows has been further established with Squid Game’s phenomenal run. Before Squid Game, the most popular Korean export is the history zombie thriller Kingdom, which stars Ju Jihoon. With Kingdom only releasing a special episode this July and another one in the works that won’t be released until 2023, it’s safe to say that it was Squid Game that really reinforced South Korean soft power, something we fans can be happy with because this definitely means that we will be having more Korean dramas, k-pop music, and Korean movies for more years to come!
Featured image: Squid Game besties HoYeon Jung (Kang Sae Byeok) and Lee Yoo-mi (Ji Yeong). Photo: Still Watching Netflix/YouTube
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