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[HanCinema's Digest] Cinema Snippets

KoBiz's latest infographic tracks the box office success of Korea's three "Pororo" films, Pierce Conran reviews Yang Woo-seok's "Steel Rain" on Modern Korean Cinema, these were the top stories and trends in Korea's film industry in 2017, and "Steel Rain" actor Jung Woo-sung talks about his role as a North Korean official with The Korea Herald.

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"Welcome to the World of Pororo!"

South Korea's favourite little penguin Pororo has appeared in three films since waddling onto the scene 14 years ago: "Pororo, The Racing Adventure" (2013), "Pororo, Cyberspace Adventure" (2013), and, more recently, "Pororo, Dinosaur Island Adventure" (2017). Known as "the president of children" is Korea, Pororo has delighted young hearts and minds in the Land of the Morning Calm, but he has also found fans all around the world. In this infographic on KoBiz, the admissions for each of the three Pororo films are compared. The latest film was released just this month, so the jury is still out on whether this new adventure will have the legs to overtake the 929,985 admissions the first Pororo film claimed four years ago.

...READ ON KOBIZ

"STEEL RAIN, Bombastic Action-Drama Ponders Nuclear Armageddon"

Korean film journalist and critic Pierce Conran reviews Yang Woo-seok's second film, "Steel Rain" starring Jung Woo-sung and Kwak Do-won. The film was released on December 14th and thoroughly outplayed "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" during its opening weekend by claimed 1.3 million admissions ($10.5 million) from 1,389 screens. The film, as Pierce notes, is based on a webtoon of Yang's, which he then adapted himself for the big screen. "The threat of nuclear armageddon on the Korean peninsula has never been so great in a film that is as ambitious as it is disjointed". Click on through to Modern Korea Cinema to see how many stars Pierce awarded the film and why...

...READ ON MODERN KOREAN CINEMA

"Korea Cinema's Top Trends and Stories of 2017"

If you weren't able to keep your finger on Korea's cinema scene in 2016, no problem! Get a bird's-eye view of all the major events that happened in the wonderful world of Korean cinema with this informative retrospective on KoBiz. It was a busy year for Korean cinema; there were great features from directors old and new, local films held their own against a string of international juggernauts, and the industry was not immune from local and international politics. What stood out for you this year? Let us know in the comment section below.

...READ ON KOBIZ

"[Herald Interview] North Korea is a glass box: Jung Woo-sung"

Actor Jung Woo-sung plays a North Korean official in Yang Woo-seok's "Steel Rain", a role that required meticulous research about North Korea and its military culture. In this interview on The Korea Herald, Jung shares how he prepared for the role, as well as what he thinks of the political ideology he had to know so well. "The people have no choice but to be loyal to that ideology. Some might need to fake it, because they have no choice", said Jung. "I realized then that films could send a certain message to the society".

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD

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