Photos for Friday

Culture - July. 13, 2006

Actress Lim Soo-jung and child actress Kim Yu-jeong pose to promote the film “Lump of Sugar” at the horse race park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday. The movie is released on Aug. 10./Yonhap



Miss Universe delegates: Contestants in the 2006 Miss Universe pageant Miss Korea, Kim Ju-hee, left, and Miss Japan, Kuara Chibana, pose together as they arrive for a party in Los Angeles, Monday. /AP-Yonhap

Michelle Wie shows dismay at her first-round play Thursday at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. /AP-Yonhap 07-14-2006 15:42

Michelle Wie's mother Bo Wie, left, and father B.J. Wie joins their daughter during practice Tuesday during her preparation to play in the John Deere Classic golf tournament in Silvis, Ill.
/ AP-Yonhap 07-12-2006 15:01

Auto fair: Models pose with a modified, premium foreign car at the “2006 Seoul Auto Salon” at COEX in Samsong-dong, Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times 07-13-2006 20:16

Card design: Kookmin Bank vice president Won Hyo-sung, left, shakes hands with costume designer Andre Kim at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday, after signing a contract to cooperate on credit card design. /Courtesy of Kookmin 07-12-2006 20:29

Ultra-premium BMW: A model showcases the BMW 750i Exclusive Line, a tailor-made luxury sedan aimed at South Korean VIP customers, at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday. 07-12-2006 20:00


Ha Ji-won to Play Famous Chosun-Era Entertainer

Ha Ji-won will be taking on the title role in the upcoming KBS miniseries “Hwang Jin-I”, about a famous Chosun-era gisaeng or female entertainer. The first episode will be shown on Oct. 11.

"After looking at a lot of top stars for the role, we recently signed a contract with Ha Ji-won," the producers said Friday. The actress goes head-to-head with Song Hae-gyo, who also plays Hwang Jin-I in a movie of the same title that starts filming at the end of the month. Ha reportedly thought about turning down the part, citing the lack of time to practice the geomungo or six-stringed Korean zither and other skills of the accomplished all-round entertainer.

But she changed her mind when the first episode originally slated for September was postponed. Ha's agency Soft Land says Ha will study geomungo, dancing and even tightrope-walking starting this month, having said that she wants to do whatever she can herself instead of relying on a double. The drama depicts the life of Hwang Jin-I from her early years through when she became a famous gisaeng through the lens of a modern sensibility. Stories including her attempt to seduce great 16th century scholar Seo Gyeong-deok and their subsequent student-teacher relationship will be portrayed against beautiful scenic settings. The drama will air on Wednesdays and Thursdays in 30 episodes.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Wow, Song Hae-gyo in another movie, playing the same character as Ha Ji-won--I wonder who will do a more credible job? I didn't care much for Ha Ji-won's last movie, The Duelist, even though it attempted to be stylish. Since it is a 30-episode drama, it should be better. It will be interesting, though, to see if it has been sanitized in terms of content. (Unless Hwang Jin-I lead an innocent/pure life, despite her profession. But that would be surprising, wouldn't it? One does not hear of gisaengs or geishas getting married and remaining in their profession; one does hear of them becoming mistresses.)