Tributes are pouring in for veteran actor Choi Bool-am, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 87, with President Lee Jae Myung and figures within the industry honoring him as "a warm-hearted father figure" who defined Korean television for nearly seven decades. On Friday, he was posthumously awarded the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest class of cultural honors from the Korean government, recognizing his pivotal contributions to the country's performing arts and public welfare. "We deeply mourn the passing of Choi Bool-am, who stood by the public for generations as the father figure of our time," President Lee wrote on his social media. "Whether playing a justice-seeking detective or a warm father, his image will remain in the hearts of the nation for a long time," Lee added, recalling Choi’s philosophy that "to become a good actor, one must first become a good human being." Choi, whose real name was Choi Young-han, died at around 10:30 p.m., Thursday at a hospital in Gangseo District, Seoul, after his health recently deteriorated. His memorial altar was set up at Asan M
Tributes are pouring in for veteran actor Choi Bool-am, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 87, with President Lee Jae Myung and figures within the industry honoring him as "a warm-hearted father figure" who defined Korean television for nearly seven decades. On Friday, he was posthumously awarded the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest class of cultural honors from the Korean government, recognizing his pivotal contributions to the country's performing arts and public welfare. "We deeply mourn the passing of Choi Bool-am, who stood by the public for generations as the father figure of our time," President Lee wrote on his social media. "Whether playing a justice-seeking detective or a warm father, his image will remain in the hearts of the nation for a long time," Lee added, recalling Choi’s philosophy that "to become a good actor, one must first become a good human being." Choi, whose real name was Choi Young-han, died at around 10:30 p.m., Thursday at a hospital in Gangseo District, Seoul, after his health recently deteriorated. His memorial altar was set up at Asan M
Director Hong Eui-jeong describes her latest mystery drama "White Blast" as a tense survival story where two characters engage in an unpredictable psychological game within a completely isolated space. "It is a story about people struggling to survive," Hong said during a press conference in Seoul, Friday. "Set in an isolated space, viewers will be able to watch a mystery survival game driven by two deeply human yet distinctive characters." "White Blast" centers around a remote rural train station trapped by a severe snowstorm. The story unfolds after Gap-soo (Kim Yoon-seok), the chief of the station, and Hyeon-taek (Koo Kyo-hwan), a newly assigned staff member, discover a mysterious corpse. The director expressed her hope that the movie will encourage viewers to question their own perceptions and moral judgments as the plot twists and turns. "I hope viewers will ask themselves questions like 'How could my judgment be so wrong?' or 'Is it right to root for this person?' as they watch the movie," Hong said. "Depending on their perspective, the story may look completely different.” Kim pl
Director Hong Eui-jeong describes her latest mystery drama "White Blast" as a tense survival story where two characters engage in an unpredictable psychological game within a completely isolated space. "It is a story about people struggling to survive," Hong said during a press conference in Seoul, Friday. "Set in an isolated space, viewers will be able to watch a mystery survival game driven by two deeply human yet distinctive characters." "White Blast" centers around a remote rural train station trapped by a severe snowstorm. The story unfolds after Gap-soo (Kim Yoon-seok), the chief of the station, and Hyeon-taek (Koo Kyo-hwan), a newly assigned staff member, discover a mysterious corpse. The director expressed her hope that the movie will encourage viewers to question their own perceptions and moral judgments as the plot twists and turns. "I hope viewers will ask themselves questions like 'How could my judgment be so wrong?' or 'Is it right to root for this person?' as they watch the movie," Hong said. "Depending on their perspective, the story may look completely different.” Kim pl
Veteran actor Choi Bool-am, beloved across generations, passed away on Oct. 29. He was 87. Choi died at around 10 p.m. Thursday at a hospital in Gangseo District, Seoul, where he had been receiving medical treatment, according to media reports Friday. Choi underwent spinal disc surgery in March last year and subsequently experienced mobility issues. This led to his departure from KBS TV's long-running food documentary program "Korean Cuisine and Dining," which he had hosted for 14 years since 2011. Although he actively engaged in rehabilitation, his health deteriorated rapidly in recent days. Choi was born Choi Young-han in Incheon in 1939. His birth was officially registered in 1940 in family records. Choi graduated from Seorabeol University of Arts and Hanyang University's Department of Theater and Film. Initially dreaming of becoming a director, he made his acting debut in 1959 with a production of "Hamlet" before joining the National Theater Company of Korea in 1965 as an actor. He made his television debut in 1967. Choi solidified his status as a national icon through several seminal
Veteran actor Choi Bool-am, beloved across generations, passed away on Oct. 29. He was 87. Choi died at around 10 p.m. Thursday at a hospital in Gangseo District, Seoul, where he had been receiving medical treatment, according to media reports Friday. Choi underwent spinal disc surgery in March last year and subsequently experienced mobility issues. This led to his departure from KBS TV's long-running food documentary program "Korean Cuisine and Dining," which he had hosted for 14 years since 2011. Although he actively engaged in rehabilitation, his health deteriorated rapidly in recent days. Choi was born Choi Young-han in Incheon in 1939. His birth was officially registered in 1940 in family records. Choi graduated from Seorabeol University of Arts and Hanyang University's Department of Theater and Film. Initially dreaming of becoming a director, he made his acting debut in 1959 with a production of "Hamlet" before joining the National Theater Company of Korea in 1965 as an actor. He made his television debut in 1967. Choi solidified his status as a national icon through several seminal
Korea has entered a new cinematic frontier with the release of the science-fiction action movie "Steelay," which hit local theaters on Oct. 21. The movie drew strong interest before its release as it applied artificial intelligence (AI) tools across the entire production process instead of relying on the technology for just a few specific scenes. “Steelay” follows Yoon Kang, a young man who steps into a combat suit left by his father and teams up with the AI Ara to fight a virus and a rogue autonomous robot named AIRA. As AIRA begins to treat humans as threats, the film mirrors contemporary real world discussions surrounding agentic AI and autonomous decision making systems where machines act without human command. Running for 90 minutes, "Steelay" stands out as the longest Korean AI feature film to date, outpacing recent 60-minute AI movies like "I'm Popo" and "Man in Hanbok." Produced by Laon Company Plus on a modest budget of under around 1 billion won ($750,000) within a compact six-month production period, the movie demonstrates how independent imagination can materialize on scre
Korea has entered a new cinematic frontier with the release of the science-fiction action movie "Steelay," which hit local theaters on Oct. 21. The movie drew strong interest before its release as it applied artificial intelligence (AI) tools across the entire production process instead of relying on the technology for just a few specific scenes. “Steelay” follows Yoon Kang, a young man who steps into a combat suit left by his father and teams up with the AI Ara to fight a virus and a rogue autonomous robot named AIRA. As AIRA begins to treat humans as threats, the film mirrors contemporary real world discussions surrounding agentic AI and autonomous decision making systems where machines act without human command. Running for 90 minutes, "Steelay" stands out as the longest Korean AI feature film to date, outpacing recent 60-minute AI movies like "I'm Popo" and "Man in Hanbok." Produced by Laon Company Plus on a modest budget of under around 1 billion won ($750,000) within a compact six-month production period, the movie demonstrates how independent imagination can materialize on scre
Director Kim Jung-hoon emphasized that his upcoming mystery thriller film "Final Interview" focuses on capturing the changing emotions and facial expressions of its six main actors as their characters engage in a high-stakes psychological battle. "Rather than just depicting the tense atmosphere inside the interview room, I wanted to focus on the emotional lines of the applicants striving to pass," Kim said after the premiere of the movie at a theater in Seoul, Wednesday. "Even if the overall background looks simple, I tried not to miss a single facial expression of the actors because their faces are the real visual center of this movie." Based on the mystery novel "Six Lying University Students" by Japanese author Akinari Asakura, "Final Interview" follows six job applicants who reach the final round of a corporate recruitment process with a 5,000 to 1 acceptance ratio. Trapped in a room for two hours, the applicants are forced to vote among themselves to choose a single successful candidate after discovering mysterious envelopes containing each other's hidden secrets and past revelation
Director Kim Jung-hoon emphasized that his upcoming mystery thriller film "Final Interview" focuses on capturing the changing emotions and facial expressions of its six main actors as their characters engage in a high-stakes psychological battle. "Rather than just depicting the tense atmosphere inside the interview room, I wanted to focus on the emotional lines of the applicants striving to pass," Kim said after the premiere of the movie at a theater in Seoul, Wednesday. "Even if the overall background looks simple, I tried not to miss a single facial expression of the actors because their faces are the real visual center of this movie." Based on the mystery novel "Six Lying University Students" by Japanese author Akinari Asakura, "Final Interview" follows six job applicants who reach the final round of a corporate recruitment process with a 5,000 to 1 acceptance ratio. Trapped in a room for two hours, the applicants are forced to vote among themselves to choose a single successful candidate after discovering mysterious envelopes containing each other's hidden secrets and past revelation
Korea is working to open an era of 30 million foreign visitors by shifting its tourism focus from Seoul to regional areas, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said Wednesday. "An unprecedented future has already arrived and Korea is fully preparing to welcome 30 million and eventually 40 million overseas travelers," Chae said during a press conference in Seoul. "To ensure that regional tourism genuinely drives local economies, we will manage not just the total number of inbound visitors, but also focus on qualitative growth while actively addressing overtourism concerns." The country's tourism sector is currently riding a wave of record-breaking growth, with cumulative foreign tourist arrivals surpassing the 2025 annual total of 18.94 million as of Tuesday. Despite global challenges like high oil prices, inflation and the Middle East conflict, the ministry credited K-culture popularity, industry innovation and local hospitality for the steady growth. To sustain this upward momentum, the government has boosted its 2027 budget for the tourism sector to 1.756 trillion won ($1.31 billion), a 19 p
Korea is working to open an era of 30 million foreign visitors by shifting its tourism focus from Seoul to regional areas, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said Wednesday. "An unprecedented future has already arrived and Korea is fully preparing to welcome 30 million and eventually 40 million overseas travelers," Chae said during a press conference in Seoul. "To ensure that regional tourism genuinely drives local economies, we will manage not just the total number of inbound visitors, but also focus on qualitative growth while actively addressing overtourism concerns." The country's tourism sector is currently riding a wave of record-breaking growth, with cumulative foreign tourist arrivals surpassing the 2025 annual total of 18.94 million as of Tuesday. Despite global challenges like high oil prices, inflation and the Middle East conflict, the ministry credited K-culture popularity, industry innovation and local hospitality for the steady growth. To sustain this upward momentum, the government has boosted its 2027 budget for the tourism sector to 1.756 trillion won ($1.31 billion), a 19 p
Church Growth International (CGI), an international church growth research organization founded by the late Rev. Cho Yong-gi, will hold a four-day conference in Seoul starting Wednesday to mark its 50th anniversary, bringing together church leaders from around 50 countries. The 2026 CGI 50th Anniversary Conference, running Oct. 28 to 31, is hosted by Yoido Full Gospel Church and organized by CGI. It will take place at the church’s main sanctuary in Seoul, Jamsil Students’ Gymnasium and Osanri Choi Jashil Memorial Prayer Mountain in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Organizers expect about 7,000 registered participants, including 3,000 from overseas and 4,000 from Korea. Under the theme “The Holy Spirit Across Generations,” the gathering will examine how churches can pass on their faith and ministry experience to the next generation while responding to a changing social and technological environment. Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church and chairman of CGI, identified leadership succession and the Christian response to the age of artificial intelligence as key issues.
Church Growth International (CGI), an international church growth research organization founded by the late Rev. Cho Yong-gi, will hold a four-day conference in Seoul starting Wednesday to mark its 50th anniversary, bringing together church leaders from around 50 countries. The 2026 CGI 50th Anniversary Conference, running Oct. 28 to 31, is hosted by Yoido Full Gospel Church and organized by CGI. It will take place at the church’s main sanctuary in Seoul, Jamsil Students’ Gymnasium and Osanri Choi Jashil Memorial Prayer Mountain in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Organizers expect about 7,000 registered participants, including 3,000 from overseas and 4,000 from Korea. Under the theme “The Holy Spirit Across Generations,” the gathering will examine how churches can pass on their faith and ministry experience to the next generation while responding to a changing social and technological environment. Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church and chairman of CGI, identified leadership succession and the Christian response to the age of artificial intelligence as key issues.
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