#Kim sang-shik

[ecargmura]

Solo Leveling Episode 8 Review - Build-up For Future Events

Solo Leveling is an anime filled with action sequences, so it feels rather unusual to see an episode that takes a step back from the fight scenes and be a bit more laid back as it’s a build-up for future events.

In this episode, Jinwoo takes a step back from his quest to conquer the S-rank dungeon as he knows it’s suicide to go in as he is now. What he needs is to level up. The only possible way for him to do that is to accept Jinho’s offer of creating a guild. Now that he has taken the offer, he needs to wait until it is actually formed. Because of that, Jinwoo decides to do some minor raid dungeons with other, rather familiar hunters too. I’m also curious about Mr. Yoo, Jinho’s father. Just what is his ultimate goal with creating a guild? I feel like he’s going to be a villain?

I think the best part about this episode is that the episode finally pulls away from Jinwoo being the central focus and now focuses on other characters for the time beings—mainly the S-class Hunters. We have Cha Hae-in, who got scouted by Yoo Construction, but declined the offer; it turns out that Jinho’s father has made offers to other S-class heroes in hopes of having one as his guild master. The S-class hunters are reluctant as they have their own guilds and duties to attend to. Guildmaster Choi wants the S-class hunters to reject the offer. He’s also someone who likes to push his duties onto Baek Yoon-ho as the interview from a few episodes ago was supposed to be for Choi, but Yoon-ho was forced onto it instead. What I liked about this segment is that I get to see what sort of people these S-class hunters are. They seem like people with their fair share of burdens and sorrows that will be explored in the future.

Not only are the S-class hunters have focus, the hunters that went with Jinwoo in the first mission have returned. We have Song Jinchul who’s still missing an arm, but still kicking. We have Joohee who is traumatized from the double dungeon incident but still chooses to be a hunter despite her mother wanting her to stop. There’s Mr. Kim who has a family, but still persists on hunting. It’s really nice to see that these people still choose to be hunters because they want to. They feel bad for leaving Jinwoo behind, but they’re still trying their best to make amends. I do like that Joohee has gotten a hairstyle change like how Jinwoo did. I’m sort of worried what sort of things will happen next episode as Kang Tae-shik of the Hunters’ Association brought three criminal hunters to the raid under his supervision. What are you planning, you suspicious dude? I feel like there’s more to Tae-shik than meets the eye because his voice actor is Kouki Uchiyama. If your voice actor is that prominent, you know something will be cooking…

What will happen to Jinwoo in the next episode? What will he receive once this dungeon has been cleared? Will it be a progression for him to create the Elixir of Life? I can’t wait for this weekend! What are your thoughts on this episode?

[kurayamineko]

[adamwatchesmovies]

Train to Busan (2016)

Train to Busan makes great use of the familiar elements of a zombie movie by centering its plot on a single location and injecting societal commentary into its plot. While this 2016 horror film does not reinvent the wheel, what it does, it does well.

Seo Seok-woo (Gong Yoo), the divorced, workaholic absentee father of Su-an (Kim Su-an), agrees to bring his daughter to Busan so she can visit her mother. Onboard the train, a young woman suddenly bites one of the attendants. Soon, an infectious disease has reduced most of the passengers to gnashing ghouls. Those who remain must work together to survive.

After introducing Seok-woo and Su-an at their home, nearly all of the story takes place inside the titular train to Busan. We get a couple of stops along the way but these are at a train station and at a terminal, which are extensions of the train itself. On top of the usual fears of having to face possessed loved ones and rampant infection, we also deal with claustrophobia. The space inside the train is already small and it keeps getting smaller. When someone becomes infected, everyone rushes to the next compartment and blocks the entrance. The safe space has shrunk. Sometimes, people are forced to hide in the tiny bathrooms, holding the door shut as best they can while fingernails scrape the other side. The limited space and ressources requires ingenuity - both from the characters and the filmmakers. This is one of those movies where you can tell writer Park Joo-suk sat down and wrote every aspect of the train he could use. Tunnels, the bathrooms, luggage, doors, passengers, etc. You feel a certain satisfaction whenever he ticks off one of these boxes - you were just wondering how the characters would deal with X. They need to use their wits to survive and you’re glad to see that they’re all pretty sharp.

You can also tell care was put in the writing by the number of well-rounded characters. Not everyone gets equal amounts of screentime but you get to know many passengers. They’re not just bodies waiting to get infected. There’s character development and growth. You understand what makes these people tick. This is also where the movie injects some commentary about our society (or Korea’s, I guess). If there’s an antagonist - besides the zombies - it’s a rich businessman called Yon-suk (Kim Eui-sung). You can see he might represent Seok-woo's future. Both are well-paid tie-wearing men who are all about their jobs, and nothing else. Both are disconnected from the world, as evidenced by their treatment of the other passengers. Unlike the altruistic blue-collar Yoon Sang-hwa (Ma Dong-seok), they hesitate to help anyone. With his relation to his daughter already strained, you can picture Seok-woo becoming exactly like the older man - and you hate that guy. He’s a worm but he’s also got power. The attendants and the train’s captain all turn to him - the rich guy - rather than the common people when a crisis arises. They don't realize he only cares about himself. Everyone is scared but his fear threatens to doom everyone. We’re used to this idea that “the worst monsters are the people” in zombie movies so it doesn’t feel out of place, and it gives you something to think about too.

The picture maintains a steady level of suspense throughout. Whenever you get a reprieve, it’s either to set up somethig even bigger or allow you to get to know the characters. Now that you care about them that much more, the stakes feel bigger than before. The body count grows, the number of people shrinks, those who remain you’re even more determined to see survive. Best of all, you’re not sure who will make will live and who won't.

Train To Busan is one of the better zombie films in recent years. It’s got the right amount of gore and suspense to keep horror fanatics happy and it shows restraint when needed to make it nice and accessible to the rest too. (Original Korean with English subtitles, April 2, 2021)

[blackramhall]

살인의 추억 - Memories of Murder Bong Joon-ho (2003)

val3n_roig

[swampflix]

Memories of Murder (2003)

Bong Joon-ho’s 2003 feature 살인의 추억 (Memories of Murder) is an example of a familiar genre made unfamiliar in its trappings, at least at first. Initially, this is because it is set in the yesteryear of 1986—and, as L.P. Hartley noted in his 1953 novel The Go-Between, “the past is a foreign country” where things are done differently—but also because it takes place in the South Korean city of…

[junkobato]

Upcoming Kdrama February 2024 🌈

5/2: Branding in Seongsu with Kim Ji Eun, Lomon. 24 episodes; supernatural, business, romance.

9/2: A Killer Paradox with Choi Woo Shik, Son Sok Ku, Lee Hee Joon. 8 episodes; supernatural, mystery, thriller.

26/2: Wedding Impossible with Jun Jong Seo, Moon Sang Min, Kim Do Wan. 12 episodes; rom-com.

28/2: the Impossible Heir with Lee Jae Wook, Lee Joon Young, Lee Ji Hoon. 12 episodes; Business, drama.

29/2: Pyramid Game with Bona, Jang Da A, Ryu Da In. 10 episodes; thriller, mystery.

Reblog for updates!! :)

[manawari]

Solo Leveling werewolf AU!

If we have AUs such as Mafia and Vampire, why not Werewolf AU?

Other ideas are greatly appreciated!<3

SHADOW BLOODHOUNDS

> led by Sung Il-hwan, the Alpha.

> werewolves with black fur are rare, so it's no surprise that Sung Il-hwan soon became the leader of the pack.

> the name "Shadow Bloodhounds" was originated from a family of werewolves, who had dark reddish-brown fur, and the shadow term came from how the members frequently lurked in the shadows for surprise attacks. And since Sung Il-hwan became the Alpha, plus his wolf form being a black wolf, the name became stronger and prominent.

> Sung Il-hwan's son, Sung Jin-woo, is the Beta. Like his father, his wolf form also has a black fur. This became a big shock to the entire pack, especially when they saw their Alpha's son transform for the first time.

> before becoming the Beta when he reached 20, Sung Jin-woo had to fight the former Beta — as per tradition among all wolf packs. Despite being the "weakest" due to his birth, Jin-woo managed to win by sheer determination and since he became his father's second-in-command, he became stronger overtime.

> if he's not doing any werewolf duties, Sung Il-hwan runs a fire department, which he also works as a firefighter. He also holds urgent meetings in the station once everyone else is out. Sung Jin-woo, however, has chosen to be a detective rather than a firefighter like his father.

> Jin-woo is secretly the only member in the pack who has killed a human. Although, he never tells it to anyone.

> known members: Park Kyung-hye, Sung Jin-ah, Yoo Jin-ho, Yoo Soo-hyun, Lee Ju-hee, Han Song-yi, Kang Tae-shik, and Kim Sang-shik.

CRIMSON FANGS

> led by Choi Jong-in, the Alpha.

> unlike Sung Il-hwan, Choi Jong-in came from a heritage of Alphas and Betas. His father was an Alpha and his mother was a Beta. Thus, they led the pack together, as well as running a law firm, which soon fell into Jong-in's hands when he took his rightful place in the pack.

> for his Beta, Jong-in chose Cha Hae-in, who is his close friend since childhood. But not only that, she's also the fastest wolf in the pack and has the strongest smell, so it'll make sense of why he picked her of all strong werewolves in the pack.

> even though a werewolf's eyesight is sharp, Jong-in wears his glasses to shape himself into being a human. But when he's in his wolf cycle, his eyeglasses are taken off as they might break during his transformation.

> when there's a wolf cycle, it's also hunting season for the werewolf packs. Jong-in and Hae-in plot the strategy and divide their pack into two, sometimes three if their target is a larger herd.

> known members: Song Chi-yul, Son Ki-hoon, Gina, Seo Ji-woo, Lee Bora, and Han Se-mi.

RAVEN HOWLERS

> led by Lim Tae-gyu, the Alpha.

> usually, whenever there's a large flock of ravens, all of the Raven Howlers are gathered. Ravens also serve as the Eagle Eye of the pack, alerting the Alpha if anything dire happens.

> Ma Dong-wook used to be the Alpha, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, he stepped down and switched places with Lim Tae-gyu, who was the Beta at that time.

> during the wolf cycle, the entire pack will howl under the bright full moon whilst the ravens swirl in the air. It is a tradition for summoning more luck in the pack.

> while most wolves don't like to have birds resting on them, Tae-gyu happily lets the ravens rest on his fur however as they want, especially in winter.

> Tae-gyu also relies on Eun-seok, who serves as his "back-up" since he's quick to lunge into action or if someone is going to attack the Alpha from behind.

> known members: Eun-seok, Jung Ye-rim, Lee Min-sung, and Park Jong-soo.

BERSERK CLAWS

> led by Baek Yoon-ho, the Alpha.

> some believed that Yoon-ho came from a lineage that bore strong connection to Rakan.

> Yoon-ho is a fierce werewolf, lethal in his heavy claws. He's one of the biggest werewolves when transformed, but even in his human form, he can crush a head with his own bare hands.

> Park Hee-jin is his chosen Beta. She's a she-wolf with an impeccable sense for danger, she reads the situation quick and carefully, and her guts are as sharp as her mind. She's able to tell when a situation is not good and informs her leader firsthand before forming her own strategy.

> Min Byung-gyu, Yoon-ho's best friend, had once been offered for the rank of the Beta. However, he rejects it as he doesn't think leadership is his forte. And even then, he's one of the strongest wolves and protects his fellow members.

> Yoon-ho has a reputation of killing his own kind, making him fearsome that even some of his members are cowering on him.

> while the rest work in teams, Yoon-ho usually hunts alone as his strength is merely for taking down large animals.

> known members: Kim Chul and Ahn Sang-min.

CRESCENT GUARDIANS

> led by Go Gun-hee, the Alpha.

> Woo Jin-chul is his second-in-command.

> like black-furred werewolves, white-furred werewolves are also rare. And Go Gun-hee is the oldest living white-furred wolf, as well as the oldest active Alpha when most would retire before reaching his age.

> Go Gun-hee doesn't always go for action, mainly because he's looking after his strength, so he relies on his Beta for the task.

> Go Gun-hee is the most respected Alpha besides Sung Il-hwan.

> they're the only pack who has been recognized by other packs outside the country.

> Woo Jin-chul once took down an entire group of rogues, showing his formidability after they attempted to raid the pack.

> known members: ————

Other notes:

— pack wars are a thing, though not as frequent unlike decades ago.

— it is believed that Rakan, a beast entity who can turn into a human, had started the race by cursing several humans to continue his legacy and increase population.

— there are werewolves called 'Rogues' — it's when a werewolf is banished from their pack.

— there are certain outfits/fabrics that don't get ripped apart when shifting, rather they just disappear in the process.

— during the wolf cycle, all packs run to the mountains for camping — some build their own little houses deep in the woods, far from the human civilization. It is a coincidence if they stumble upon other packs.

[kdramaqween]

To finish off the year, here's my TOP 23 Ships from dramas I watched in 2023

1. Kim Doo Shik ♥ Lee Mi Hyun

Moving

2. Cha Jin Woo ♥ Jung Mo Eun

Tell Me That You Love Me

3. Seo Do Guk ♥ Han Yi Joo

Perfect Marriage Revenge

4. Xin Qi ♥ Min Hui

The Love You Give Me (C-Drama)

5. Choi Kang Ho ♥ Lee Mi Joo

The Good Bad Mother

6. Dongfang Qincang ♥ Xiao Lanhua

Love Between Fairy and Devil (C-Drama)

7. Jung Ki Ho ♥ Seo Mok Ha

Castaway Diva

8. Moon Jang Yeol ♥ Bong Ye Bun

Behind Your Touch

9. Gu Won ♥ Cheon Sa Rang

King the Land

10. Cho Yong Pil ♥ Cho Sam Dal

Welcome to Samdalri

11. Yoo So Joon ♥ Song Ma Rin

Tomorrow With You

12. Kang Hee Shik ♥ Kang Nam Soon

Strong Girl Namsoon

13. Dong Go Yun ♥ Jung Da Eun

Daily Dose of Sunshine

14. Gong Tae Gyeong ♥ Oh Yeon Doo

The Real Has Come

15. Jang Seon Gyeol ♥ Gil Oh Sol

Clean With Passion for Now

16. Cha Min ♥ Cho Se Yeon

Abyss

17. Heo Joon Jae ♥ Shim Cheong

Legend of the Blue Sea

18. Kim Tae Hee ♥ Baek Dong Joo

May I Help You

19. Jung Gu Won ♥ Do Do Hee

My Demon

20. Nam Si Heon ♥ Han Jun Hee

A Time Called You

21. Jang Tae Sang ♥ Yoon Chae Ok

Gyeongseong Creature

22. Lee Kang ♥ Moon Cha Young

Chocolate

23. Cha Eun Ho ♥ Kang Dan Hee

Romance is a Bonus Book

[chillingcinemachronicles]

Top 5 Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix

5. Predestination (2014)

Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Alicia Pavlis, Annabelle Norman, Arielle O’Neill, Ben Prendergast, Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen, Cate Wolfe, Christopher Bunworth, Christopher Kirby, Christopher Sommers, Christopher Stollery, Dennis Coard, Dick York, Elise Jansen, Eliza D’Souza, Eliza Matengu, Ethan Hawke, Felicity Steel, Finegan Sampson, Freya Stafford, Giordano Gangl, Grant Piro, Hayley Butcher, Jim Knobeloch, Katie Avram, Kristie Jandric, Kuni Hashimoto, Lucinda Armstrong Hall, Madeleine West, Maja Sarosiek, Marky Lee Campbell, Milla Simmonds, Monique Heath, Noah Taylor, Noel Herriman, Olivia Sprague, Paul Moder, Raj Sidhu, Rob Jenkins, Sara El-Yafi, Sarah Snook, Sophie Cusworth, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Tyler Coppin, Vanessa Crouch

Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig, The Spierig Brothers

Rating: R

One of the most original time-travel thrillers since 12 Monkeys. A brilliant subversion of the Time Paradox trope, with enough plot twists to keep you entertained until well after the movie is finished. Predestination is an amazing movie with great performances from Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook. It’s a movie that will feel like Inception, when it comes to messing with your mind and barely anyone has heard of it. It is highly underrated and unknown, sadly.

4. Train to Busan (2016)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Ahn So-hee, An So-hee, Baek Seung-hwan, Cha Chung-hwa, Chang-hwan Kim, Choi Gwi-hwa, Choi Woo-shik, Choi Woo-sung, Dong-seok Ma, Eui-sung Kim, Gong Yoo, Han Ji-eun, Han Sung-soo, Jang Hyuk-jin, Jeong Seok-yong, Jung Seok-yong, Jung Young-ki, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Chang-hwan, Kim Eui-sung, Kim Jae-rok, Kim Joo-heon, Kim Ju-hun, Kim Keum-soon, Kim Soo-ahn, Kim Soo-an, Kim Su-an, Kim Won-Jin, Lee Joo-sil, Lee Joong-ok, Ma Dong-seok, Park Myung-shin, Sang-ho Yeon, Seok-yong Jeong, Shim Eun-kyung, Sohee, Soo-an Kim, Soo-jung Ye, Terri Doty, Woo Do-im, Woo-sik Choi, Ye Soo-jung, Yeon Sang-ho, Yoo Gong, Yu-mi Jeong, Yu-mi Jung

Director: Sang-ho Yeon, Yeon Sang-ho

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

A zombie virus breaks out and catches up with a father as he is taking his daughter from Seoul to Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city. Watch them trying to survive to reach their destination, a purported safe zone.

The acting is spot-on; the set pieces are particularly well choreographed. You’ll care about the characters. You’ll feel for the father as he struggles to keep his humanity in the bleakest of scenarios.

It’s a refreshingly thrilling disaster movie, a perfect specimen of the genre.

3. Serenity (2005)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Carrie ‘CeCe’ Cline, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Colin Patrick Lynch, David Krumholtz, Demetra Raven, Dennis Keiffer, Elaine Mani Lee, Erik Weiner, Gina Torres, Glenn Howerton, Hunter Ansley Wryn, Jessica Huang, Jewel Staite, Linda Wang, Logan O’Brien, Marcus Young, Mark Winn, Marley McClean, Matt McColm, Michael Hitchcock, Morena Baccarin, Nathan Fillion, Nectar Rose, Neil Patrick Harris, Peter James Smith, Rafael Feldman, Rick Williamson, Ron Glass, Ryan Tasz, Sarah Paulson, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Tamara Taylor, Terrell Tilford, Terrence Hardy Jr., Tristan Jarred, Weston Nathanson, Yan Feldman

Director: Joss Whedon

Rating: PG-13

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

Serenity is a futuristic sci-fi film that serves as a feature-length continuation of the story-line from the TV program Firefly (2002–2003). The story revolves around the captain (Nathan Fillion) and crew of the titular space vessel that operate as space outlaws, running cargo and smuggling missions throughout the galaxy. They take on a mysterious young psychic girl and her brother, the girl carrying secrets detrimental to the intergalactic government, and soon find themselves being hunted by a nefarious assassin (Chiwetel Ejiofor). The first feature-length film from Joss Whedon (The Avengers), Serenity is a lively and enjoyable adventure, replete with large-scale action sequences, strong characterizations and just the right touch of wry humor. An enjoyable viewing experience that stands alone without demanding that you have familiarity with the original program beforehand.

2. Sorry to Bother You (2018)

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Actor: Armie Hammer, Danny Glover, David Cross, Ed Moy, Forest Whitaker, James D. Weston II, Jermaine Fowler, John Ozuna, Kate Berlant, Lakeith Stanfield, Lily James, Marcella Bragio, Michael X. Sommers, Molly Brady, Omari Hardwick, Patton Oswalt, Robert Longstreet, Rosario Dawson, Steven Yeun, Teresa Navarro, Terry Crews, Tessa Thompson, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tony Toste, W. Kamau Bell

Director: Boots Riley

In the year of the Netflix TV Show Maniac, another absurdist title stole critics’ hearts. Sorry to Bother You is a movie set in an alternate reality, where capitalism and greed are accentuated. Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta) is a guy called Cassius who struggles to pay his bills. However, when at a tele-marketing job an old-timer tells him to use a “white voice”, he starts moving up the ranks of his bizarre society. A really smart movie that will be mostly enjoyed by those who watch it for its entertaining value, and not so much for its commentary. It is like a Black Mirror episode stretched into a movie.

1. Ex Machina (2015)

Genre: Drama, Science Fiction

Actor: Alex Garland, Alicia Vikander, Chelsea Li, Claire Selby, Corey Johnson, Domhnall Gleeson, Elina Alminas, Gana Bayarsaikhan, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno, Symara A. Templeman, Symara Templeman, Tiffany Pisani

Director: Alex Garland

Rating: R

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

Ex Machina is the directorial debut of Alex Garland, the writer of 28 Days Later (and 28 Weeks Later). It tells the story of Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson from About Time), an IT developer who is invited by a billionaire CEO to participate in a groundbreaking experiment — administering a Turing test to a humanoid robot called Ava (Alicia Vikander). Meeting the robot with feelings of superiority at first, questions of trust and ethics soon collide with the protagonist’s personal views. While this dazzling film does not rely on them, the visual effects and the overall look-feel of Ex Machina are absolutely stunning and were rightly picked for an Academy Award. They make Ex Machina feel just as casually futuristic as the equally stylish Her and, like Joaquin Phoenix, Gleeson aka Caleb must confront the feelings he develops towards a machine, despite his full awareness that ‘she’ is just that. This is possibly as close to Kubrick as anyone got in the 21st century. Ex Machina is clever, thrilling, and packed with engaging ideas.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

If “The Last of Us” was remade as a K-Drama (won’t cover every character):

1) Lee Jung-jae (Gi-hun from Squid Game) as Joel Miller

2) Kim Su-an (the daughter from Train to Busan) as Ellie Williams

3) Park Hae-soo (Sang-woo from Squid Game) as Tommy Miller

4) Lee Chae-eun (Park Hee-su from All of Us Are Dead) as Sarah Miller

5) Song Hye-kyo (Dong-eun from The Glory) as Tess

6) Ma Dong-seok (Gilgamesh from Eternals) as Bill

7) Choi Woo-shik (Kevin from Parasite) as Henry Burrell

8) Lee Byung-hun (Front Man from Squid Game) as David

9) Son Ye-jin (Yoon Se-ri from Crash Landing on You) as Anna Williams

10) Choi Ji-woo (Jeong Yoo-jin from Winter Sonata) as Marlene

[consumeronionbulletin]

Our Beloved Summer (2021-22)

A well written second chance romance that just feels real. I enjoyed the characters and just loved spending time with them, even when they were clearly going through it.

What Worked

The writing was top notch, but the two leads made this show come alive. The actors all put in the work to make sure all of the layers shown through with these characters. Every episode lets you see a new faucet to all of the characters and their relationships. It feels almost like an adaptation to a much larger story, which is an amazing trick to pull off in any drama.

Also, I normally hate love triangles, but the way this show did it worked. Mainly because it never felt like a dramatic love triangle, it just felt like a bunch of people in a mess because of their feelings. And that's always more interesting.

What Didn't Work

I don't think there were any major missteps, but there were choices that some people like and others won't. This is a slow, slice of life show that tries to ground itself in real life. For some people, like me, this is going to hit them right away. For other people, it'll seem boring, or hard to get into, and that's okay.

The Performances

Choi Woo-shik as ("the artist") Choi Ung. If you've seen him in Parasite, you already know he's a darn good actor. He makes a character that's kind of a loser (especially at the start of the show) seem instantly appealing, because you can tell there's more to him than you see on the surface. Fun to watch in every scene, and the way the character subtlety changes over the series is just fascinating.

Kim Da-mi as ("grumpy overachiever") Kook Yeon-soo. I loved this performance. The character is portrayed as this uptight, stuck-up person (even in High School), but (like Choi Woo-shik's performance), you can tell there's more going on under the surface. While Choi Ung's character has a hidden strength and charm, with Yeon-soo, it's the vulnerability and compassion that's hidden, and it's so good to watch these layers get uncovered over the series.

Kim Sung-cheol as ("side character") Kim Ji-ung. He played a similar quiet character in Do You Like Brahms? and he did an even better job of making him seem layered and interesting (it helps that the writing overall is better). This performance will probably shine on rewatches when you get his entire story and can see where things were hinted at early on. Fun to watch, even when he was a little mopey.

Roh Jeong-eui as ("super idol") NJ. I loved this performance too. The actor did a great job of playing someone who was forced to have feelings and care about people, even though she was way too cool for any of them. I liked how she interacted with Choi Ung, and pretty much all of the other characters as well. Just fun and interesting in every scene.

Park Won-sang as Choi Ho / Choi Ung's father. and Seo Jeong-yeon as Lee Yeon-ok / Choi Ung's mother. These actors were delightful. Just brought warmth whenever they were on screen.

Cha Mi-kyung as Kang Ja-kyung / Kook Yeon-soo's grandma. I loved the scenes we got with her, especially with Yeon-soo.

Park Jin-joo as Lee Sol-yi. I always like seeing this actor. The character work was solid, but the writing for her scenes (and so her performance) was a little uneven. She was funny and great to watch with Yeon-soo and sometimes with other characters, but the stuff with her and Eun-ho was kind of hit and miss.

Ahn Dong-goo as ("manager buddy") Gu Eun-ho. His performance wasn't exactly weak, just not nearly as good as the other people he had to share a scene with. Might have been improved by giving the character more depth, but I would still rather have an additional scene learning more about any other character, which is why he never got that.

The documentary team. The side characters (Ji-ung's boss, writer-nim, Ji-ung's junior, and the intern) were all well developed and it was nice when they got screentime. A good example of how this show treated even minor characters pretty well.

RUN Company people. I feel like this group was a little weaker, especially Yeon-soo's boss and the gossipy coworkers. At the start, they felt a little tropey and mostly interchangeable. By the end of the show, they were in a good place, but it took a long time for them to get interesting.

TL; DR:

A hard hitting romance drama that's not afraid to take its time. Definitely worth a try if you're even a little interested in this.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Papasan Choi died on Feb 23, 2023. Boonville was founded by him but taken away by Sun Myung Moon

Updated March 5, 2023

▲ Papasan Choi (aka Choi Sang-Ik, Choi Bong-Choon and Masaru Nishigawa) and Mamasan in Tokyo.

Sang-Ik Choi was born in 1925. At the age of two he had moved to Japan with his family, returning to Korea when they were forced to repatriate in 1945. His father gave him the name Bong-choon when he was in his twenties. He realized the significance of the name only after joining our church in April 1957 and thereafter adopted it. During his missionary days in Japan, he went by the Japanese name Masaru Nishigawa.

Mutual hostility contributed to Korea and Japan not restoring diplomatic relations until December 1965. In 1958, severe travel restrictions existed between the two countries. Talks recommenced in December that year only after Japan dropped its long-standing claim to about 80 percent of all property in Korea and its claim that Korea was the beneficiary from 1910-1945. Antiquities had been spirited away from Korea. Japan called this archeology; Korea called it theft. Any concessions on Japan’s part led to riots in Tokyo. Even in 1965, in both countries, riots and histrionic statements by politicians preceded the ratification votes.

He planted the seeds for the Unification Church in Japan from 1958 to 1964. Because Korea and Japan did not have diplomatic relations, he was arrested upon arrival in July 1958. Escaping confinement, he made his way to Tokyo where, after six months of struggle, he got a job as a salesman for a watch shop in the Shinjuku section. During the morning he worked. In the afternoon he witnessed. Once a week he rented the second floor of the shop to preach. On Sunday, October 2, 1959, he conducted the first Sunday service. The Unification Church of Japan commemorates this as its founding day.

Sang-Ik Choi was married in the 36 couples under the name of Bong-Choon Choi. His wife, Mi-Shik Shin, had been expelled from Ewha Woman’s University in 1955 during the UC sex scandal. The young women did not want to testify in court. However, Moon admitted to the judge that he had lied about his age to avoid the military draft. He was sentenced to two years in jail, but was released after a few months after some “special arrangements” were made. Papasan Choi was always reluctant to talk about how his wife was “womb-cleansed” by Sun Myung Moon.

▲ Papasan Choi with Japanese members

In 1964 he was deported from Japan to Korea; the following year he traveled to the US where he was known as Papasan Choi. He established a community in the Bay Area, but there was conflict between his group and that of Young-oon Kim who taught the Divine Principle in a more orthodox way.

▲ Boonville, also known as New Ideal City Ranch

Boonville was purchased in 1970 by Papasan Choi. He and his wife, known as Mamasan, led the Re-Education Center which he had founded in San Francisco. Mamasan’s role in the community was significant. Yeon-Soo Lim (or Onni Durst as she was later known) ran an outpost of Papasan Choi’s community in Berkeley.

Papasan Choi’s secular teachings, The Principles of Education, were the foundation for the teaching methods used in the Bay Area and Boonville by Mose Durst, Kristina Morrison Seher and the Creative Community Project team.

__________________________________

▲ Papasan Choi, Mamasan and San Francisco members, January 1, 1969

“Furthermore, the International Re-Education Foundation had owned some land in Boonville, California, sometimes known as [the New] Ideal City Ranch, which it turned over in a simple transfer of title in 1974 to the Unification Church.” (page 111) Rev. Sun Myung Moon (1978) by Chong-Sun Kim. University Press of America

In December 1974 Yeon-Soo Lim was married to Mose Durst by Sun Myung Moon in Pasadena. From then she was known as Onni Durst. At the same time Moon made her the Unification Church leader of California (excluding Los Angeles). In this way she inherited the Boonville property. Papasan Choi was sometimes described as a failure by leaders of the Creative Community Project, however, that had not been the case.

Link to an extended report on Papasan Choi and the early UC in California.

Papasan Choi made a public declaration about leaving the Unification Church on January 15, 1987 in Saitama, Japan.

統一教会問題と私、及びその未来 – 西川 勝氏

__________________________________

Creative Community Project brochure

From a talk given by Dr. Mose Durst, President of the Creative Community Project.

Childcare in the Unification Church of Oakland

Boonville – Is this how the Family cared for its children?

Recruitment – The Boonville Chicken Palace by David Frank Taylor, M.A., July 1978, Sociology

Moonwebs by Josh Freed

Crazy for God: The nightmare of cult life by Christopher Edwards

Ford Greene – the former Moonie became an attorney

Chant 10,000 times – instruct Onni Durst and Kristina Morrison Seher, June 2014

__________________________________

Thomas W. Case:

Boonville in the spring of 1974

Inside Look at a Boonville Moonie Training Session

__________________________________

[whatisonthemoon]

What the KCIA and the Moonies did to the Editor of the Korea Journal, Song Sun Keun

▲ Pictured: Song Sun-Keun pictured in the December 10, 1976 issue of the San Francisco Examiner

Mr. SONG: I would like to begin with a KCIA attempt to disrupt the speech engagement of Mr. Kim Dae Jung in San Francisco in May 1973 that was foiled; a KCIA-Moon Sun Myung connection through the Korean-American Political Association as early as 1970; and an assassination plot against me.

On May 18, 1973, Mr. Kim Dae Jung, sponsored by a group of Korean-American political science scholars, was to speak at the International Student Center in San Francisco. I understand you are going to question me about this, so I won't go into detail.

Mr. FRASER: Were you going to skip part of your statement?

Mr. SONG: Do you want me to read it?

Mr. FRASER: You might go through your whole statement. It might save some questions.

Mr. Young Shik Bae, a KCIA agent who also acted as vice consul at the Korean consulate general in Los Angeles, showed up with an entourage of more than 10 hoodlums from Los Angeles. Joining Vice Consul Bae were Mr. Dong Jim Kim, consul of the Korean consulate general in San Francisco and a certain Mr. Min Hi Rhee, a well-known karate instructor in the San Francisco area, and several of his karate students. Their tactic to disrupt Mr. Kim's speech was at once all too obvious to the entire audience.

As Mr. Kim began his speech, these hoodlums started to interrupt and harass the speaker. There was a commotion, shouting, and making ugly gestures and all. And they brought with them several bottles of tomato ketchup, dozens of raw eggs, and a movie camera.

The timely arrival of the San Francisco police, which resulted in removing Mr. Min Hi Rhee, saved the meeting from pandemonium. I was an eyewitness to the scene and duly reported the incident in my Korean language biweekly called the Korea Journal. Here I would like to submit the article with photos and its English translation.

Mr. FRASER: Thank you. We will make that a part of your testimony.

Mr. SONG: What surprised me was the fact that Vice Consul Bae Young Shik led this outrage openly. Furthermore, although I didn't realize at the time but later came to learn, Mr. Yang Doo Won, alias Sang Ho Lee, Minister at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., who was also KCIA station chief in the United States, came to San Francisco and stayed at the Hilton Hotel, where Mr. Kim Dae Jung was staying and was the prime mover who directed that fiasco behind the scenes.

Second, I have heard that in 1970, Mr. Sang Ik Choi, a representative of Moon Sung Myung's Unification Church in the San Francisco area, received $25,000 from the Unification Church and set out to organize a Korean-American political group. Thus, the Korean-American Political Association (KAPA) was chartered in the State of California as a nonprofit corporation, and Choi set himself up as its president. Mr. Doo Whan Kim, while consul at the Korean consulate general in San Francisco, became the de facto vice president of KAPA.

The express purpose of this organization was to exert its influence on American politics, local as well as national. To date, KAPA is known to have contributed $5,000 to Gov. Jerry Brown during his 1974 gubernatorial campaign and $1,000 to Mayor Mosconi of San Francisco during his mayoral campaign in 1976. 

However, I would like to point out to you that this nonprofit U.S. corporation had an official of a foreign government as a key officer, and in addition was receiving financial support from Moon's Unification Church as early as 1970. When Mr. Sang Ik Choi was promoted to the position of fundraising manager of the Unification Church of New York, Consul Doo Whan Kim succeeded him as KAPA's president after resigning his post at the Korean consulate general.

I gained my knowledge of KAPA while serving as a consultant to the San Francisco chapter of KAPA. I have supplied the subcommittee staff with copies of several KAPA documents, concerning the relationship between KAPA and the KCIA.

Third, in May of 1973, I began publishing a local Korean language biweekly, the Korea Journal, and also was its editor-reporter. As the paper started to criticize various overt activities of the KCIA in the United States and the Park Chung Hee regime, a businessman who is a former KCIA agent approached me and indicated that he would help the Korea Journal to expand if its coverage were confined to local matters—in his words, if it became a "pleasant community bulletin board." I declined the offer.

Then I received a substantial offer to purchase the Korea Journal. This offer came to me indirectly through close acquaintances of my family. I told them the paper was not for sale. At the time, I was having considerable financial difficulty. I was approached for the third time again through some close friends with an offer to engage in profitable trade with Korea. It was all too obvious to me that such offers were made to divert my attention and activities away from my critical stand on Korean politics. I refused.

On separate occasions, two old friends of my father, Mr. Il Kwon Chung, the Speaker of the Korean National Assembly, and Mr. Han Lim Lee, the Minister of Construction, sought out my father and tried to persuade him to change his views on the Park regime. My father is a Methodist minister, whose views on the Park regime could not be changed by these visitors.

After all these "friendly" attempts and offers were turned down, I began to receive telephone calls threatening my life. I reported these telephone calls to the local police and wrote about them in the Korea Journal. I would like to submit a 1974 San Francisco Examiner article for your reference.

The threatening calls backfired because I became more vocal than ever. Then Mr. Man Sung Limb, a KCIA agent at the Korean consulate general in San Francisco, came up with a plot to assassinate me. In order to save time, I would like to submit for your files copies of articles which appeared in the San Francisco Examiner, Los Angeles Times, Berkeley Barb, and the San Mateo Times that covered this plot. I am also submitting a tape recording and its transcript in translation of a personal interview with one of the witnesses who was present at the time Consul Limb discussed this plot.

Needless to say, such KCIA harassment and threats would be illegal acts in this country even if I were not a U.S. citizen, and these acts should be duly condemned.

Related articles below

Up against the Human Wall in Seoul - The Washington Post - February 1985

Delay of Chun’s Visit Proposed : Kim’s U.S. Backers Cite Melee at Seoul Airport - The LA Times - February 1985

United States Congressional investigation of UC

The Unification Church and KCIA: Some Notes on Bud Han, Steve Kim, and Bo Hi Pak

Robert Parry’s investigations into Sun Myung Moon

On Young Oon Kim’s Relationship to Butterwick

Young Oon Kim and Bo Hi Pak were both employed by the Korean Military Advisory Group (KMAG)

Who was “Papasan Choi” (Or Sang Ik Choi, or Bong-choon Choi)?

More details on Papasan (Sang Ik Choi)

Paul Perry, or Paulo-Juarez Pereira, a CIA-Connected Moonie

[beritalkorea22]

Rumor mengejutkan tentang kematian aktris populer Tang Wei baru-baru ini menyebar luas di internet. Namun, agensinya segera membantah rumor itu dan mengklarifikasi kondisi sang aktris.

 Kabar mengejutkan tentang kematian tentang Tang Wei baru-baru ini menghantam dunia maya. Sebuah media Tiongkok menciptakan kehebohan karena mengklaim bahwa aktris Tiongkok kelahiran tahun 1979 itu telah meninggal dunia.

Kabar palsu ini cepat menyebar secara daring, mengakibatkan kata kunci "kematian Tang Wei" menjadi tren di hasil pencarian. Rumor tersebut bahkan mendorong para penggemar untuk membanjiri media sosial Tang Wei dengan pesan-pesan duka cita.

Para penggemar menuliskan komentar seperti, "Aktris tercinta kami, Tang Wei, telah meninggal dunia. Kami akan sangat merindukannya, tetapi dia tidak akan dilupakan." Agensi sang aktris akhirnya buka suara menanggapi rumor kematian tersebut.

Agensi tersebut dengan tegas menyatakan bahwa, "Rumor kematian ini adalah informasi palsu. Tang Wei adalah salah satu selebriti yang dirugikan oleh rumor ini. Dia masih hidup. Jangan percaya pada laporan berita palsu ini."

Di sisi lain, Tang Wei dikenal karena perannya dalam film-film seperti "Late Autumn", "The Grandmaster", "The Golden Era" hingga "Decision to Leave". Sang aktris menikah dengan sutradara Kim Tae Yong pada Juli 2014 setelah bertemu melalui film "Late Autumn". Pasangan ini menyambut kelahiran putri mereka, Summer, pada tahun 2016.

Tang Wei juga baru-baru ini menyapa publik lewat film "Wonderland" bersama Park Bo Gum, Suzy, Jung Yu Mi dan Choi Woo Shik. Sayangnya, film ini kurang memberikan respons positif dan banyak yang memberikan komentar negatif.

Rumor kematian Tang Wei tidak hanya menggemparkan penggemar, tetapi juga mendorong banyak spekulasi. Beberapa netizen menduga bahwa rumor ini mungkin merupakan cara promosi baru untuk film "Wonderland" yang memang mengeksplorasi tema kehilangan orang yang dicintai dan kemudian terhubung kembali melalui AI.

Para penggemar diimbau untuk tidak mudah percaya pada segala sesuatu yang mereka baca di internet. Tang Wei hanyalah salah satu dari banyak selebriti yang terkena dampak oleh rumor-rumor yang tidak berdasar seperti ini.

[goalhofer]

2024 olympics South Korea roster

Archery

Je-Deok Kim (Seoul)

Woo-Jin Kim (Okcheon Gun)

Woo-Seok Lee (Incheon)

Hun-Young Jeon (Incheon)

Si-Hyeon Lim (Gangneung)

Su-Hyeon Nam (Suncheon)

Athletics

Jangwoo Kim (Seoul)

Byeong-Gwang Choe (Seoul)

Sang-Hyeok Woo (Daejeon)

Badminton

Hyeok-Jin Jeon (Ulsan)

Min-Hyuk Kang (Suwon)

Seung-Jae Seo (Buan Gun)

Won-Ho Kim (Suwon)

Ga-Eun Kim (Suwon)

Se-Young An (Gwangju)

Ha-Na Baek (Gimcheon)

So-Hee Lee (Ulsan)

So-Yeong Kim (Incheon)

Hee-Yong Kong (Jincheon Gun)

Yoo-Jung Chae (Suwon)

Na-Eun Jeong (Seoul)

Boxing

Ae-Ji Im (Hwasun Gun)

Yeon-Ji Oh (Gunsan)

Breakdancing

Hong-Yul Kim (Seoul)

Climbing

Eun-Cheol Shin (Seoul)

Dohyun Lee (Seoul)

Chae-Hyun Seo (Seoul)

Cycling

Eu-Ro Kim (Seoul)

Min-Ji Song (Seoul)

Diving

Jaegyeong Yi (Ulsan)

Jung-Whi Shin (Seoul)

Ha-Ram Woo (Busan)

Yeong-Taek Kim (Incheon)

Na-Hyun Kim (Seoul)

Su-Ji Kim (Changwon)

Equestrian

Young-Shik Hwang (Osan)

Fencing

Jae-Won Kim (Seoul)

Tae-Gyu Ha (Seoul)

Bon-Gil Gu (Daegu)

Sang-Uk Oh (Daejeon)

Sang-Won Park (Daejeon)

Gyeong-Dong Do (Yeongcheon)

Se-Ra Song (Geumsan Gun)

Hye-In Lee (Ulsan)

Young-Mi Kang (Incheon)

In-Jeong Choi (Geumsan Gun)

Ji-Su Yoon (Busan)

Sebin Choi (Suwon)

Ha-Young Jeon (Daejeon)

Eun-Hye Jeon (Daejeon)

Golf

Joo-Hyung Kim (Seoul)

Byeong-Hun An (Orlando, Florida)

Hee-Young Yang (Orlando, Florida)

Hyo-Joo Kim (Wonju)

Jin-Young Ko (Frisco, Texas)

Gymnastics

Jun-Ho Lee (Seoul)

Woong Hur (Seoul)

Sung-Hyun Ryu (Seoul)

Seo-Jeong Yeo (Yongin)

Do-Hyun Eom (Seoul)

Da-Yeong Lee (Seoul)

Yun-Seo Lee (Seoul)

Sol-Yi Shin (Chungju)

Handball

Bitna Woo (Seoul)

Eunseo Kang (Seoul)

Ji-Yeon Jeon (Samcheok)

Da-Young Kim (Busan)

Jin-Mi Shin (Seoul)

Ji-Young Song (Gwangmyeong)

Eun-Joo Shin (Incheon)

Eun-Hee Ryu (Incheon)

Jin-Hui Jeong (Seoul)

Sae-Young Park (Seoul)

Mi-Seul Han (Sokcho)

Eun-Hye Kang (Seoul)

Kyung-Min Kang (Incheon)

Bo-Eun Gim (Samcheok)

Judo

Won-Jin Kim (Cheorwon Gun)

Ba-Ul An (Anyang)

Joon-Hwan Lee (Gumi)

Ju-Yeop Han (Seoul)

Min-Jong Kim (Seoul)

Hye-Kyeong Lee (Ulsan)

Ye-Rin Jung (Daegu)

Mi-Mi Huh (Tokyo, Japan)

Ji-Su Kim (Himeji, Japan)

Hyun-Ji Yoon (Cheorwon Gun)

Ha-Jun Kim (Busan)

Pentathlon

Woong-Tae Jung (Gwangju)

Changwan Seo (Yeongam)

Sunwoo Kim (Seoul)

Seung-Min Seong (Daegu)

Sailing

Jee-Min Ha (Busan)

Shooting

Daehan Choe (Changwon)

Min-Su Kim (Seoul)

Ha-Jun Park (Yangyang Gun)

Won-Ho Lee (Busan)

Yeong-Jae Cho (Chuncheon)

Jong-Ho Song (Seoul)

Eun-Seo Lee (Seoul)

Kook-Hee Jang (Seoul)

Ji-Hyeon Keum (Ulsan)

Ha-Na Im (Wonju)

Ye-Ji Kim (Danyang Gun)

Ye-Jin Oh (Hacheon-Ri)

Ji-In Yang (Namwon)

Gee-Eun Kang (Seoul)

Bo-Na Lee (Seoul)

Swimming

Dong-Yeol Choi (Seoul)

Min-Seop Kim (Seoul)

Yeonghyeon Kim (Seoul)

Ji-Hun Kim (Seoul)

Yu-Chan Ji (Gwangju)

Sun-Woo Hwang (Suwon)

Woo-Min Kim (Busan)

Ju-Ho Lee (Seoul)

Sung-Jae Cho (Ansan)

Ho-Joon Lee (Seoul)

Yoo-Yeon Lee (Anyang)

Jae-Hoon Yang (Jinhae)

Yoonseo Hur (Seoul)

Ri-Young Lee (Seoul)

Yeon-Kyung Hur (Seoul)

Eunji Lee (Seoul)

Seo-Yeong Kim (Suwon)

Table tennis

Dae-Seong Cho (Seoul)

Woo-Jin Jang (Sokcho)

Jong-Hoon Lim (Busan)

Ji-Hee Jeon (Seoul)

Yu-Bin Shin (Suwon)

Eun-Hye Lee (Seoul)

Taekwondo

Tae-Joon Park (Ulsan)

Geon-Woo Seo (Seoul)

Yu-Jin Kim (Danyang Gun)

Da-Bin Lee (Ulsan)

Weightlifting

Joo-Hyo Bak (Goyang)

Dong-Ju Yu (Sunchang Gun)

Yeon-Hak Jang (Asan)

Su-Hyeon Kim (Suwon)

Hye-Jeong Park (Ansan)

Wrestling

Seung-Jun Kim (Seoul)

Seung-Chan Lee (Seoul)

Hanbit Lee (Seoul)