Technically, 1 minute and 35 seconds.

Such is the box office draw of one of Korea’s favorite actors, Jang Dong-gun. The warm and humorous Good Morning President is his first film in several years, and Korean audiences are eager to see Jang back onscreen, as he has been out of the Hallyu spotlight to pursue Hollywood interests (The Warrior’s Way is still forthcoming). Thus they’ve leapt at the chance to get their first glimpse of his latest role when President opens October’s Pusan International Film Festival.

Sure, he only plays one of three presidents in the movie (with Lee Soon-jae, Go Du-shim) and stars opposite glamorous Han Chae-young, but really, the pull is all about Jang Dong-gun.

Tickets went on sale at 5pm on September 21, and according to a rep at PIFF, they sold out completely in the first minute and 35 seconds. This follows a similar response to last year’s PIFF opener, Gift to Stalin, which also sold out in under 2 minutes. Some previous fast sellers include The Coast Guard (which also starred Jang Dong-gun and sold out in 2 min 4 sec) in 2002, The Last Witness (2 min 28 sec) in 2001, and Traces of Love (2 min 45 sec) in 2006. President is therefore the fastest-selling Korean film at PIFF, which seems to me a strange statistic to keep track of, but oh well.

Via Joy News

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Post tags: film festivals, Go Du-shim, Han Chae-young, Jang Dong-gun, Lee Soon-jae

The first posters are out of Jang Dong-gun’s latest movie, Good Morning President [굿모닝 프레지던트], which features him as one of three presidents along with Lee Soon-jae and Go Du-shim.

Each presidential figure is noteworthy in his/her own way: Jang Dong-gun’s character is a handsome and single president (Han Chae-young plays his love interest), and his tagline reads, “Thanks to the president, the ratings for the 9 o’clock news are skyrocketing.”

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Read the rest of Good morning, three presidents (175 words)

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Post tags: Go Du-shim, Jang Dong-gun, Lee Soon-jae

The upcoming High Kick Through the Roof, the new MBC sitcom brought to you by the makers of Unstoppable High Kick, started filming this month and has already put in its first all-nighter.

The family sitcom’s first day on the set was August 20 at the Ilsan Dream Center in the city of Goyang. (The first outdoor shoot was on the 12th.) All of the main players were present, which includes grandparent characters Lee Soon-jae and Kim Ja-ok, parents Jung Bo-seok and Oh Hyun-kyung, and the younger cast including Daniel Choi (The World They Live In), Seo Shin-ae (Thank You), Shin Sae-kyung (Queen Seon-deok), Hwang Jung-eum (We Got Married), Julien Kang (Dream), and new singer AJ.

The show is being called “High Kick 2,” although it’s not really a sequel and employs all new characters. What it has in common is its PD Kim Byung-wook, who is known for creating “syndromes” (pop-culture sensations) with his sitcoms, which may lack grand visual tableaux but are bolstered by interesting stories about ordinary families that draw in viewers.

High Kick Through the Roof will premiere on September 7.

Via No Cut News, Review Star

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Post tags: High Kick Through the Roof, Lee Soon-jae, Seo Shin-ae, Shin Sae-kyung, sitcoms, Unstoppable High Kick

What do you do if you’re a hot young actor about to take on a potentially career-boosting role in a highly anticipated new drama? If you’re Jung Il-woo — which means you’re hard-working (some might say over-working), obsessive about learning the art of acting and script analysis, and blessed with well-known actor friends — you go to those friends for advice.

Given that My Fair Lady is one of the year’s more anticipated trendy series, primarily (but not solely) because it’s the comeback project for Yoon Eun-hye, Jung Il-woo has turned to his sunbaes in preparation for his chaebol character. One handy resource is his best bud Lee Min-ho, who already played a chaebol character to great success earlier this year in Boys Before Flowers. Too bad he doesn’t give such great advice; Jung says that Min-ho merely told him, “Just do your best.” Ha!

He then turned to his High Kick sunbaes, Lee Soon-jae and Na Mun-hee (who played his grandparents). Jung has sought their advice before, so it seems he has a good relationship with his elders and is eager to learn from them. This time, they told him, “Don’t try to look cool, don’t overexert yourself by trying. You’ll be fine if you enjoy yourself and let that show through.”

Jung Il-woo’s lawyer character Lee Tae-yoon boasts smarts, looks, and a “warm and gentle disposition,” but also shows a “cool-headed charisma” when it comes to work. (I’m guessing that he doesn’t get the girl — oh, sadness — but he’ll hopeful liven up the romantic rivalries.)

My Fair Lady premieres next Wednesday, August 19.

Via Segye

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Post tags: Jung Il-woo, Lee Min-ho, Lee Soon-jae, My Fair Lady, Na Mun-hee

…but it IS “through the roof.”

The producers of Season 2 of Unstoppable High Kick have decided to christen the new show with a different name; rather than calling it “Season 2,” it’s being tentatively renamed High Kick Through the Roof [지붕뚫고 하이킥]. (They are entertaining other options, but “Through the Roof” is a top contender.)

This name change is probably a good idea when considering that while Through the Roof is using a similar format to its predecessor as well as one of its main actors (grandpa Lee Soon-jae), the new series is not a spinoff, or even a sequel. It’s simply a similar setup being produced by the same folks of the original, but employs different characters and storylines.

Still, expect to see some familiar faces from the original: For insance, Kim Hye-sung, who played the smart, well-adjusted “Min-ho” in the first season, will be making a cameo in Through the Roof. It’s being reported that “most of the main actors of Unstoppable High Kick will be making cameo appearances” throughout the sitcom’s planned 120 episodes. (This ought to come in handy for ratings purposes — a reunion with Kim Hye-sung, as well as Jung Il-woo, Park Min-young, and Kim Bum? I bet they won’t all come back at once, but one can hope.)

Episode 1 airs on September 7.

Via Asia Economy, Today Korea

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Post tags: High Kick Through the Roof, Kim Hye-sung, Lee Soon-jae, Unstoppable High Kick

I wasn’t excited to hear about the upcoming Season 2 of family sitcom Unstoppable High Kick, which would cast an entirely new crop of actors (the only exception being veteran Lee Soon-jae, the grandpa of the original series, who will be in the second season as well).

But I may have to rethink it now that the rest of its cast has been announced, and among them are Thank You’s precocious and adorable Seo Shin-ae, The World They Live In’s endearing screw-up Daniel Choi, and up-and-comer Shin Sae-kyung (most recently of Queen Seon-deok and Ogamdo).

The story has 19-year-old Shin Sae-kyung and 10-year-old Seo Shin-ae playing sisters who, on account of their debt-ridden father, come to Seoul on the run. The two sisters enter Lee Soon-jae’s household as maids, while Daniel Choi plays Lee Soon-jae’s son.

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Read the rest of High Kick 2 fills out its new cast (212 words)

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Post tags: AJ, Daniel Choi, Jung Bo-seok, Lee Soon-jae, Oh Hyun-kyung, Seo Shin-ae, sequels, Shin Sae-kyung, Unstoppable High Kick

Ooh, now THAT’s what I’m talkin’ about!

Jang Dong-gun plays a president in the upcoming film Good Morning, President [굿모닝 프레지던트], as we can see in these (many!) behind-the-scenes shots taken at the film set. The production opened the Kyunggi province shooting location to a press conference on July 20 and gave the media a glimpse of the crew and its universally liked lead actor (really, Jang Dong-gun has among the fewest anti’s — if any — in the business, which is remarkable given how incredibly famous he is).

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Read the rest of From the office of President Jang Dong-gun (176 words)

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Post tags: Han Chae-young, Jang Dong-gun, Lee Soon-jae