Oh Ji Ho - A New Year

This,

NOT this.

The sun rises at the Unification Observatory in Goseong, Gangwon Province. The year comes to a close with tension between the two Koreas following the North's missile and nuclear tests, and suspension of inter-Korean dialogue. [Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald]
2006.12.29

Peace, Health, and Happiness to all.
Hyacinth

"My Wife is a Gangster 3" to Be Released in Hong Kong in February

The Korean comic action film "My Wife is a Gangster 3" will be shown at theaters in Hong Kong next February.

The film's producer Hyunjin Cinema said Tuesday that it has decided to release the film in Hong Kong right before Chinese New Year in February considering the high expectations for the film there. It had planned to release it as soon as in January, but concerns over illegal copying made it decide on February, it added.

"My Wife is a Gangster", the first in the series released in 2001 in Korea, garnered some 5.3 million viewers locally, and topped the box offices of Asian nations including Hong Kong and Vietnam upon its overseas release in 2002. In Hong Kong particularly, it ranked fourth among all the movies released in 2002.

"Shu Qi and Lung Ti, who starred in the movie, are very curious because they have not seen the completed film yet", Hyunjin Cinema president Lee Sun-yeol said. "They viewed the trailers when they came to Korea to promote the film and expressed satisfaction. They are now looking forward to the film's release in Hong Kong".

The third installment of the series has already attracted much attention from Asian nations such as Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam as well as Germany by being sold for a total of 660,000 US dollars (620 million won) at the American Film Market held in L.A. in early November.

The producer said that because the series has high brand recognition in Asian nations and Shu Qi is popular in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia (her birthplace), it expects that the third installment will also become successful in those countries.

"My Wife is a Gangster 3" deals with events involving Aryeong (Shu Qi), the daughter of the most powerful mafia boss in Hong Kong who escapes to Korea due to a power struggle, and a group from the Korean gangster organization Dongbangpa, who try to protect her.

2006/12/20)

Link to original KBS Global News article.

Taiwanese Star in Korea to Promote New Gangster Film

Taiwanese actress Shu Qi (30) is in the country to promote the Dec. 28 release of her new film "My Wife Is a Gangster 3". She is the sole lead in the third installment of the series, which made it to the top of the box office in Hong Kong as well as Korea. The actress reported the Korean Wave is still being felt in Hong Kong, adding it was an honor to be cast as the lead in her first appearance in a Korean film.

Shu Qi became known in Korea for her work in "City of Glass" (1998) with Leon Lai and her role in the Hou Hsiao-hsien film "Three Times" (2005). In 1996 she appeared alongside Leslie Cheung in "Viva Erotica" in a role that won her Best New Performer and Best Supporting Actress at the 16th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards. In "My Wife is a Gangster 3" she plays the heir to an organized crime empire in Hong Kong that has been forced to temporarily flee to Korea following a power struggle back home. Opposite her in the film is Lee Beom-soo, who steps forward as her protector not knowing her identity and himself is a "No 3" in a domestic organized crime syndicate.

Even though it was hard communicating with her fellow actor, it wasn't all that critical, she says. Lee was "like a big brother", she said, and whenever they were not shooting he would seek her out to go and eat together. When it was cold he would offer her some of his clothing. Asked if being put up for comparison with actress Sin Eun-kyung, who formerly played the role, was a burden, she said, "To say that I didn't ever think about it would be a lie". The two stars both have shown their tough sides, like when they battle 50 men with a sword in each hand, but their style in love is a little different. "While Sin Eun-kyung loves in a tough way, like a gangster, I show both softness and toughness at the same time", Shu said.

She has been told thousands of times that she is sexy, and it is hard to tell which character is closer to real her: the sexy woman from "Viva Erotica" or the pure and innocent girl in sporty clothes from "City of Glass". "In reality, I'm so conservative that I even feel embarrassed when I see other actresses wearing sexy clothes on TV". When someone reminded her that she has been in the business for 10 years and has been in more than 150 films, she looked surprised and her eyes widened. Time has flown, and she did not even know how she had already shot so many, she admitted.

Already Shu has appeared in four films this year. "From now on, I want to take my time selecting films", she promises.

(2006/12/07)
My source: HanCinemaNews.
Original article link: Chosun Ilbo Culture