The term "Cinema of Korea" encompasses the motion picture industries of North and South Korea. As with all aspects of Korean life during the past century, the film industry has often been at the mercy of political events, from the late Joseon dynasty to the Korean War to domestic governmental interference. While both countries have relatively robust film industries today, only South Korean films have achieved wide international acclaim. North Korean films tend to portray their communist or revolutionary themes.
Kwon Sang-woo is a South Korean actor. He rose to stardom in 2003 with the romantic comedy film My Tutor Friend and the melodrama series Stairway to Heaven. His other notable credits include the films Once Upon a Time in High School (2004), 71: Into the Fire (2010), The Accidental Detective (2015) and its 2018 sequel, The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful (2019), and Hitman: Agent Jun (2020), as well as the television series Big Thing (2010), Medical Top Team (2013), and Queen of Mystery (2017).
Anarchism in China was a strong intellectual force in the reform and revolutionary movements in the early 20th century. In the years before and just after the overthrow of the Qing dynasty Chinese anarchists insisted that a true revolution could not be political, replacing one government with another, but had to overthrow traditional culture and create new social practices, especially in the family. "Anarchism" was translated into Chinese as 無政府主義 literally, "the doctrine of no government."
Anarchism in Korea dates back to the Korean independence movement in Korea under Japanese rule (1910-1945). Korean anarchists federated across their end of the continent, including forming groups on the Japanese mainland and in Manchuria, but their efforts were perforated by regional and world wars.
Take Off is a 2009 South Korean sport comedy-drama film written and directed by Kim Yong-hwa. The film was the 2nd most attended film of the year in South Korea with 8,392,953 admissions.
Freedom Fighter, Lee Hoe-young is a 2010 South Korean historical television series, starring Jung Dong-hwan, Ahn Jae-mo, Lee Ah-yi, Hong Il-kwon and Kwon Oh-joong. Based on the life of Korean independence fighter Lee Hoe-yeong, the drama was made to commemorate the centenary of the Japanese annexation of Korea. Its premiere coincided with the signing of the annexation treaty on August 21, 1910, and the drama aired on KBS1 from August 29 to September 12, 2010 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:05 for 5 episodes.
Top Star is a 2013 South Korean drama film directed, co-written and produced by veteran actor Park Joong-hoon, in his directorial debut. It stars Uhm Tae-woong as the manager of a top actor who dreams of someday becoming famous like his client, but when a twist of fate grants his wish, his life completely changes. The film premiered at the 18th Busan International Film Festival.
Hill of Freedom is a 2014 South Korean arthouse film written and directed by Hong Sang-soo. It premiered in the Orizzonti ("Horizons") section of the 71st Venice International Film Festival, and won Best Film at the 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards and the 36th Three Continents Festival. Hill of Freedom also made The New Yorker's list of Best Undistributed Films of 2014.
Two Faces of My Girlfriend is a 2007 South Korean romantic comedy film starring Bong Tae-gyu and Jung Ryeo-won.
Assassination is a 2015 South Korean period spy action thriller film co-written and directed by Choi Dong-hoon. The film, mainly set in 1930s Seoul and Shanghai during the Japanese occupation of Korea, depicts a group of Korean resistance fighters' plan to assassinate a highly ranked Japanese officer.
The Last Princess is a 2016 South Korean period drama film directed by Hur Jin-ho with a screenplay by Hur Gin-ho, Choi Gun-ho, Lee Han-eol, and Seo Yoo-min, based on the best-selling novel by Kwon Bi-young. It stars Son Ye-jin as Princess Deokhye, the last princess of the Joseon Dynasty. The film depicts Princess Deokhye's life in Japan after she was forced to move there at age 13 by the Imperial Japanese government, and her attempts to return to Korea.
Anarchist from Colony is a 2017 South Korean biographical period drama film directed by Lee Joon-ik about the life of independence activist Park Yeol, with Lee Je-hoon taking on the title role. It premiered in South Korea on June 28, 2017.
Cheese in the Trap is a 2018 South Korean romantic drama film starring Park Hae-jin, Oh Yeon-seo and Park Ki-woong, based on the Korean webtoon of the same name. It was released on March 14, 2018.
The Korean People's Association in Manchuria was a self-governing autonomous prefecture in Manchuria, populated by two million Korean refugees. Following the Japanese occupation of Korea, many Korean anarchists had fled over the border into Manchuria, where they began organising a network of mutual aid for displaced Koreans in the region. Together with some Korean nationalists, they established the KPAM in order to provide food, education and self-defence to its members. Before long, the association found itself under attack by both Korean communists and Japanese imperialists, who assassinated their leadership. The Japanese invasion of Manchuria put an end to the anarchist experiment, with many of its members fleeing to China in order to fight against the Japanese Empire.
Man of Will is a 2017 South Korean historical biographical drama film directed by Lee Won-tae, starring Cho Jin-woong and Song Seung-heon.
Mr. Sunshine is a South Korean television series written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Lee Eung-bok, starring Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-ri, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Min-jung, and Byun Yo-han. The series is set in Hanseong in the early 1900s, and focuses on activists fighting for Korea's independence. It aired on tvN from July 7 to September 30, 2018, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 (KST), and premiered internationally on Netflix.
Yaksha: Ruthless Operations is a 2022 South Korean spy action film directed by Na Hyeon. The film stars Sol Kyung-gu and Park Hae-soo. Based in Shenyang, China, the film revolves around a leader of an espionage agency's black ops team, and a prosecutor who was demoted to the espionage agency. The film was released worldwide on April 8, 2022 on Netflix.
Yi Jeong-gyu known by his pen name Woogwan was a Korean anarchist. He spent much of his youth in China, where anarchists were relatively freer than in occupied Korea, and collaborated with not only Chinese anarchists but also with ones from various countries such as Japan, Taiwan, and Russia. He was one of the pioneers of the Korean anarchist movement in the early 1920s, and one of the most prominent Korean anarchists in China of that period.
