Synopsis Having once done time behind bars, CHA Tae-sik now leads a quiet life. His only connection to the rest of the world is a little girl, So-mi, who lives nearby. So-mi’s mother, Hyo-jeong, smuggles drugs for a drug trafficking organization and entrusts Tae-sik with the product. When the traffickers find out they kidnap both Hyo-jeong and So-mi. Mistaking Tae-sik for another mule, the brothers that lead the gang—Man-sik and Jong-sik—promise to release Hyo-jeong and So-mi if Tae-sik makes a delivery for them. Tae-sik makes the decision to face the outside world in order to rescue So-mi. However, the delivery was part of a larger plot to eliminate a rival drug ring leader, Mr. Oh, and Tae-sik is arrested. At the same time, Hyo-jeong’s disemboweled body is discovered, and Tae-sik realizes that So-mi’s life may also be in danger. He fights off half a dozen detectives and escapes from the police station. Now on the run, Tae-sik pursues Man-sik and Jong-sik. In the process, he discovers that their drug ring operates around kidnapped children. Stumbling upon a factory where the brothers have children’s organs removed to accommodate the drugs, Tae-sik rescues one child just before surgery and becomes enraged at the prospect So-mi may already be dead. Tae-sik prepares for a battle with Man-sik and Jong-sik, putting his own life at risk…source Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr

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Synopsis
In a follow-up to popular horror film, “Death Bell” (2008), Se-hee is haunted by her step sister Tae-yeon who used to be a promising swimmer but suddenly killed herself in a swimming pool 2 years ago. During the summer vacation, she joins the study camp at school for upcoming college entrance exam with other 30 elite students. On the first night, when Se-hee finds a riddling passage scribbled in the desk, she soon sees a dead girl’s body hung upside down. Then the TV monitors are on and the students watch another friend crushed by his bike in the corridor. Since then, the succession of cruel killings occurs whenever they fail to answer the given questions in time. Meanwhile, the hidden truth behind Tae-yeon’s suicide is slowly revealed and terrified students struggle to death to undo the puzzle before they become the next victim.  Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr

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Also, looks like I was wrong, there are some final showings (though they are really trickling out) of Moss coming up in the next couple of days:

Plot:  Source http://www.hancinema.net

Movie remade from a popular internet cartoon. The story of the few people who live in a village, and a man who comes to the village for his father’s funeral. He tries to figure out the mystery of his father’s death, but the villagers watch his every move.  Ryu, Mok-hyeong, a member of a small prayer house located in a remote mountain village, is well-respected for his leadership and gift of speech. In order to build a new prayer house Mok- hyeong leaves the mountains to build a new village with the help of his friend, Yong-duk. Many years pass and Mok-hyeong is discovered dead after sharing a bottle of rice wine with Yong-duk. Mok-hyeong’s good for nothing son, Ryu Hae-guk, arrives from Seoul to attend his father’s funeral. Hae-guk soon realizes that the villagers are trying to hide something from him leading him to seek the help of Park, Min-uk, the public prosecutor responsible for his demotion to a local branch during his more reckless past. Hae-guk plans to conduct his father’s autopsy himself, but arrives at his father’s grave only to find his corpse missing. Hae-guk suspects that Yong-duk is responsible.

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Nakwon Instrument Market By Fielding Hong

In the last article, we talked about how Dongdaemun markets can help you meet your special hobby needs – from fruit glazes and chocolate bricks for baking, to needles and buttons for sewing, to basketballs and kneepads for your athletic endeavors. In this week’s column, we’ll look at another area with uniquely specialized streets in the Jongno area.

Jongno is often known for having lots of adult hagwon and office buildings, as well as restaurants and bars for students and office workers to eat and relax after they’re off the clock. But Jongno has more than just places for you to chow down and blow off steam – it also offers some great places to find items that are cheaper than their counterparts at department stores or private boutiques.

Nakwon Instrument Market

Just a stone’s throw from Insa-dong, you can find a shopping complex that sells nearly every instrument you could possibly toot, strum or beat.

From traditional Korean instruments such as the janggu (hourglass-shaped drum) to Western instruments such as the saxophone or violin, you can find it all at Nakwon. Some stores even have rare instruments: harps, mandolins, tubas and ukuleles can be all found here. Guitars, both acoustic and electronic, are popular here among young customers, who are perhaps dreaming of future musical stardom. Stores also sell all of the microphones, amplifiers, cables and mixing boards you need to create a sound system for your own rock band.

The shopping complex is open from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, and some stores even keep their doors open on Sunday, though you’ll certainly find a wider selection during the week or Saturday.

Aside from selling new instruments, customers can also peruse used instruments or get repairs made on their own old instruments. Repair shops in the complex have different specializations, so make sure to find the right person for the job.

Read more »

Plot:  Source http://www.hancinema.net

Movie remade from a popular internet cartoon. The story of the few people who live in a village, and a man who comes to the village for his father’s funeral. He tries to figure out the mystery of his father’s death, but the villagers watch his every move.  Ryu, Mok-hyeong, a member of a small prayer house located in a remote mountain village, is well-respected for his leadership and gift of speech. In order to build a new prayer house Mok- hyeong leaves the mountains to build a new village with the help of his friend, Yong-duk. Many years pass and Mok-hyeong is discovered dead after sharing a bottle of rice wine with Yong-duk. Mok-hyeong’s good for nothing son, Ryu Hae-guk, arrives from Seoul to attend his father’s funeral. Hae-guk soon realizes that the villagers are trying to hide something from him leading him to seek the help of Park, Min-uk, the public prosecutor responsible for his demotion to a local branch during his more reckless past. Hae-guk plans to conduct his father’s autopsy himself, but arrives at his father’s grave only to find his corpse missing. Hae-guk suspects that Yong-duk is responsible.

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Keith Haring’s Pop Art exhibition at SOMA in Olympic Park started June 17th, but there’s still plenty of time for you to check it out before the exhibition closes on September 5th.



To get to SOMA, you can either go to Mongchontogsung Station (Line 8), exit 1 or go to Olympic Park Station (Line 5), exit 3.

Plot:  Source http://www.hancinema.net

Movie remade from a popular internet cartoon. The story of the few people who live in a village, and a man who comes to the village for his father’s funeral. He tries to figure out the mystery of his father’s death, but the villagers watch his every move.  Ryu, Mok-hyeong, a member of a small prayer house located in a remote mountain village, is well-respected for his leadership and gift of speech. In order to build a new prayer house Mok- hyeong leaves the mountains to build a new village with the help of his friend, Yong-duk. Many years pass and Mok-hyeong is discovered dead after sharing a bottle of rice wine with Yong-duk. Mok-hyeong’s good for nothing son, Ryu Hae-guk, arrives from Seoul to attend his father’s funeral. Hae-guk soon realizes that the villagers are trying to hide something from him leading him to seek the help of Park, Min-uk, the public prosecutor responsible for his demotion to a local branch during his more reckless past. Hae-guk plans to conduct his father’s autopsy himself, but arrives at his father’s grave only to find his corpse missing. Hae-guk suspects that Yong-duk is responsible.

Times and locations below:

Looks like this will be your last chance to see Man of Vendetta (파괴된 사나이) with English subtitles, July 14th-15th

Plot summary (taken from www.koreanmovie.com) – One day, Hye Lin, the five-year old daughter of a devoted pastor, Joo Young Soo, is kidnapped. Pastor Joo, who has a rock solid faith in God at this time, prays wholeheartedly for her safe comeback, but she does not return. Eight years later, Joo Young Soo, who now does not believe in God and leads a completely secular life, receives a call. Hye Lin is still alive and is with the kidnapper. Joo Young Soo’s resolute attempt to rescue his daughter begins.

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In times where transportation was slow, and communication systems didn’t exist, how did armies and civilians communicate? A common way people communicated across long distances was through the use of smoke in the day, and fire in the night, using a tool known as a Bong Su Je (봉수제), also known as a warning beacon. It is estimated that forms of these beacons were used from the period known as the “Three Kingdoms Period”, which was from about 57 BC to 668 AD, though the Goryeo Dynasty (918 AD to 1392 AD), and were decommissioned around 1894, during the Joseon Dynasty.

In order for a warning beacon to function properly, great importance and consideration must be given to its location. In order for a beacon to be effective, it has to be located on a site with a large field of vision. It is because of these considerations that old beacon sites are being used as observation areas today.

In present day Seoul, there are still remnants of the old warning beacons, one of the most famous ones being the Namsam Beacon Station. Only the Namsam Area has 5 beacon stations. Being located in the capital city of Seoul, all other beacons in the country linked to this beacon, and so it was also called Gyung Bong Su (경봉수, 경[京] meaning Capital).Due to the importance of this station, the Namsan Beacon Station was manned by an arrangement of signal officers and their supervisors, and the Minister of National Defense, who reported to the Secretariat of the King(Seung-Jeong-Won / 승정원) every morning, who would then in turn report the state of the kingdom to the King. (In order to paint a picture of how seriously these positions were, there are recorded incidents of severe punishments for failure to raise beacons in times of need. In urgent situations, not lighting the beacon could result in being flogged, perhaps being beat 100 times. Failure to light the beacon during war time could lead to a death sentence.)

Namsan beacon station #1 is connected to the Achasan beacon station, which is now called Bonghwasan beacon station, connecting the Provinces of Hamkyung and Gangwon. Namsan beacon station #2 is connected to the Chunrimsan beacon station, located in present day Yangjae-dong/Chunggyesan, and connects to the Provinces of Gyungsang and Choongchungbuk.

Namsan beacon station #3, also known as Muak beacon station, is divided into 2 locations and are located on Inwangsan, and connects to the Provinces of Pyeongan, Hwanghae by land.

Namsan beacon station #4 is the second division of Muak beacton station, and connects to the Provinces of Pyeongan, Hwanghae by sea. Namsan beacon station #5 connects to Gaehwasan beacon station, and continues the connection to the Provinces of Jeolla and Choongchung. Although it’s location in present day Gangseo-gu and Gaehwa-dong isn’t as high as the others, it still provides an excellent view.

At present, only the Namsan, Achasan, and Muak beacon stations have been restored, but the remnants of the other stations still exist. All of the stations provide an excellent view of Seoul and its surrounding regions. Weekend training for soldiers is held at the Namsan station, so not only can you see the view, but there are public performances as well, making it a good place for a weekend trip with family and friends.

The Seoul Metro Government announced a new policy named, ‘Secondhand Smoke-free Seoul’ as per the revised legislative bill, “The National Health Promotion Law” that  was passed by the National Assembly on April 28th, 2010.

Starting the second half of this year, all bus stops, parks, plazas, streets and areas within a 200-meter radius of schools are to be designated as non-smoking areas,  Those found smoking in these prohibited areas will be fined up to 100,000 won.