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Asian cinema: Korean films

Asian cinema: Korean films
From the stylish blockbusters of Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho to art-house gems by Hong Sang-soo and Kim Ki-duk, this is the place to go for reviews, interviews and features about movies both classic and new from South Korea.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
Jesse Hao Lap-hang (left) and Charis Mok Shu-wai from Zou Mat. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

The artisans behind Hong Kong’s woodworking revival

A new generation of Hong Kong joiners are riding high on a handmade carpentry renaissance, using everything from local trimmings to imported timber to elevate their craft.

Reading Time:9 minutes
Plaques that form part of the Benin Bronzes, which were taken from Africa by British troops in 1897, on display at The British Museum in London. Photo: Getty Images

Should museums return antiquities to their countries of origin? Some say no

Reading Time:11 minutes
A new crop of farmers are taking a more holistic approach to farming in Hong Kong. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

This week in PostMag: from Hong Kong farms to Vienna’s Strauss

Reading Time:2 minutes
An artist’s impression of an inflatable fountain that resembles a school of koi in Tsuen Wan Park in Hong Kong. Image: Design District Hong Kong

Artistic attractions with designs on tourism make districts worth a look

Reading Time:2 minutes
Tattoo artist Mr. Koo moved from Toronto to Hong Kong this year with a backpack – and is slowly rebuilding himself through art with a mental health focus. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Tattoo artist Mr Koo talks mental health and finding solace in art

Reading Time:4 minutes
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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Song Min-ho of K-pop group Winner and actress Park Ju-hyun, who are reported to be in a relationship. Photo: Instagram/@korea_fans_panama
K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

Are Winner’s Song Min-ho and Korean actress Park Ju-hyun dating?

‘Impossible to verify’ report the K-pop star is dating actress, his agency says. ‘Difficult to confirm’ a relationship, her agency says.

Asian cinema

The 12 best Asian films of 2024, including The Last Dance

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Cinema

Will these films draw Koreans back to cinema after protests over Yoon?

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K-drama news

Profile | Meet Lim Ji-yeon, star of K-dramas The Glory and The Tale of Lady Ok

Lim found fame in steamy drama Obsessed, stopped being typecast after her role in The Glory, and has not looked back since.

Lim Ji-yeon in a still from The Glory. Photo: Netflix
Fame and celebrity

Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung on fame and her sense of humour

Youn Yuh-jung, who won an Oscar for her role in Minari, shares her views on celebrity, and what makes her laugh.

K-drama news

AI-driven K-dramas, movies ring in new era of freedom for creators

Producers in Korea use ChatGPT and similar software to script dramas and films, and do AI editing. It cuts costs but there are still hurdles.

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K-drama news

Profile | Meet Jung Yu-mi, star of coming K-drama Love Your Enemy

Jung Yu-mi has appeared in films such as Train to Busan, Korean dramas including The School Nurse Files, and reality TV show Youn’s Kitchen.

Jung Yu-mi in a still from Love Your Enemy.
SCMP Highlights

Recap | Gladiator II, Love in the Big City, Cesium Fallout: our latest film reviews

We review six diverse films, from Ridley Scott’s epic Gladiator II and the empowering tale of The Last Dance, to the stellar Love in the Big City and Hong Kong blockbuster Cesium Fallout.

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Asian cinema

Review | Love in the Big City: Kim Go-eun shines in 5-star romantic comedy

Korea’s rampant misogyny and homophobia are highlighted in this intelligent romcom, boosted by a fine performance from Kim Go-eun.

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K-drama news

Profile | Meet Kim Tae-ri, beloved Korean actress of Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born

Kim Tae-ri burst onto the scene in acclaimed 2016 erotic thriller The Handmaiden, and she has only gone from strength to strength since.

Kim Tae-ri in a still from Jeongnyeon: A Star Is Born.
Asian cinema

10 of the best movies at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2024

This year’s programme includes a drama ripped from Hong Kong headlines, a social satire in a near-future Japan and a modern romantic drama.

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Kim Go-eun (left) and Steve Noh Sang-hyun in a still from the film Love in the Big City.
Asian cinema

The top 5 Korean premieres at the 2024 Busan International Film Festival

Our pick of Korean movies that premiered at the film festival, from crime comedy collection The Killers to period action thriller Uprising.

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Asian cinema

How Gang Dong-won prepared for role in Netflix’s Uprising by playing golf

Korean star Gang Dong-won talks about practising his sword swing on the golf course, and how Netflix allows filmmakers more artistic freedom.

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Asian cinema

Review | Hear Me: Our Summer, Korean remake of deaf romance, is problematic

The film’s demeaning portrayal of the deaf community and a final reveal that is insulting in its sheer stupidity make this one to miss.

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Hong Kyung (left) and Roh Yoon-seo as Yong-jun and Yeo-reum in a still from Hear Me: Our Summer (category TBC), directed by Cho Sun-ho. Photo: KC Ventures Co., Ltd & Plus M Entertainment & Movierock Inc
Asian cinema

Review | Bogota: City of the Lost – abysmal ‘crime’ movie starring Song Joong-ki

Song Joong-ki stars as an immigrant who becomes a Colombian crime lord in Korean movie Bogota: City of the Lost, a one-star waste of time.

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Lee Hee-joon (left) and Song Joong-ki in a still from Bogota: City of the Lost. Photo: Plus M Entertainment and Watermelon Pictures Co., Ltd
Asian cinema

Review | Uprising: Gang Dong-won leads a rebellion in lavish Netflix movie

Big on sword-fighting, but lacking in narrative, Netflix historical movie follows two friends who end up on opposing sides in a rebellion.

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What to do in Hong Kong

5 movies and TV shows to watch in Hong Kong this weekend, September 27-29

Inside Out 2, Wolfs and The Judge from Hell all hit streaming services while Stuntman and I, the Executioner open in Hong Kong cinemas today.

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Asian cinema

Review | Officer Black Belt: Kim Woo-bin stars in fun Netflix action comedy

Kim Woo-bin plays a martial artist who finds some much-needed purpose in new Netflix action comedy Officer Black Belt, directed by Jason Kim.

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Kim Woo-bin in a still from Officer Black Belt. Photo: Soyun Jeon/Seowoo Jung/Netflix
Cinema

Giant panda and her South Korean keeper focus of ‘heartwarming’ film

Documentary Hello, Grandpa, a mix of live-action and animated scenes, tells the story of Fu Bao, a giant panda born in South Korea, her bond with her zookeeper and her bittersweet relocation to China.

K-drama news

Profile | Meet Park Ju-hyun, feisty star of new K-drama Perfect Family

The South Korean star was close to becoming a K-pop trainee before pursuing an acting career. She’s been on the ascendant since 2020’s Extracurricular, and had a star turn in drama series Mouse.

Asian cinema

Review | Pilot is a Korean cross-dressing comedy that takes on gender imbalance

Jo Jung-suk stars as a disgraced pilot working for a rival airline as a woman in this cross-dressing comedy – less a tale of deception than one that highlights gender imbalance in today’s world.

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Jo Jung-suk in a still from Pilot.
What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do this weekend, August 9-11, in Hong Kong

A neon signs exhibition, a K-pop girl group pop-up store, a boozy night out and more awaits those looking for entertainment in Hong Kong this weekend.

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The “Whispers of Signs” exhibition in Cheung Sha Wan, Hong Kong, showcasing vintage store signboards. Photo: May Tse
Japan

Film recalls the resilience of Korean factory girls in Japan

A Song of Korean Factory Girls tells the story of 30,000 Korean women, mostly teenagers, who faced discrimination while working in textile mills in Japan during the colonial era.

Asian cinema

Review | Mission: Cross, Korean spy caper on Netflix, is an action-packed romp

In Netflix action comedy Mission: Cross, Yum Jung-ah shines as a top detective who discovers her husband (Hwang Jung-min) is a retired special forces operative.

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What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do this weekend August 3-4 in Hong Kong

There is plenty to do this weekend – feline fans can hit the Cat Expo in Wan Chai, MTR enthusiasts an exhibition in Wong Chuk Hang, and those looking to escape the heat an ice rink in Discovery Bay.

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The Hong Kong Cat Expo 2024 is on in Wan Chai. Photo: May Tse
What to do in Hong Kong

5 movies or shows to watch this weekend August 3-4 in Hong Kong

The weekend’s viewing highlights include recent Godzilla and Planet of the Apes films, a ‘reverse heist’ caper, and from Korea, a historical hijack story and a mystery manhunt thriller.

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Ha Jung-woo in a still from Hijack 1971.
Asian cinema

Review | Hijack 1971 tells true story of Korean Air Lines jet hijacked to North Korea

First-time director Kim Sung-han ably conjures an era of high tension between North and South Korea, the context in which the events of Hijack 1971, inspired by true events, take place.

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Asian cinema

Kurosawa, Godzilla and girlishness: Choi Jinhee on themes in East Asian cinema

Professor of film studies at King’s College, London, Choi has created a course that uses the films as a gateway to explore the societies that produced them

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