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Korea Herald
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Jeonju International Film Festival wraps up ten-day showcase
Documentary on Nepali migrant workers brings the curtain down on Korea's premier independent film event JEONJU, North Jeolla Province — The 26th Jeonju International Film Festival concluded its ten-day run on Friday evening, capping off an event that presented 224 films from 57 countries to over 70,000 attendees. This year's edition maintained its focus on independent and experimental cinema, with 80 works making their world premieres across various sections. Earlier in the week, American director Joel Alfonso Vargas's family drama "Mad Bills to Pay" took home the Grand Prize in the international competition, while Cho Hyun-suh's "Winter Light" received the top honor in the Korean competition. Press conference highlights solid attendance despite challenges At a press conference held Friday afternoon at the Jeonju Digital Independent Cinema, festival organizers reflected on this year's achievements. According to the organizing committee, the festival recorded an 81.6 percent seat occupancy rate— a 2.3 percentage point increase from the previous year. Of the 586 screenings, 448 sold out completely, marking a notable rise from last year's turnout. The robust numbers came in spite of financial headwinds, according to Min Sung-wook, co-executive director of the festival. "The Korean Film Council cut our budget by 150 million won with little notice," Min said. "That's a significant loss for a festival like ours. Thankfully, the city of Jeonju stepped in to help cover the gap. We hope the incoming administration shows greater support for cultural and artistic funding." Co-executive director Jung Jun-ho underscored the strength of this year's programming, which featured masterclasses with four leading figures: Korean director Bae Chang-ho, British filmmaker Christopher Petit, Spanish producer Montse Triola, and Portuguese auteur Pedro Costa. "Independent cinema is where film starts drawing its broader canvas," Jung said. "Watching so many premieres unfold here reminded me of our responsibility. Although the industry is facing tough times, we've pushed to bring more films to audiences." Closing ceremony spotlights migrant workers' voice The closing ceremony, held at Jeonbuk National University's Samsung Cultural Center, drew a capacity crowd to the 1,500-seat venue. Actors Kang Gil-woo and Kim Bo-ra hosted the event, which opened with a tribute to this year's award winners. A fusion performance blending traditional Korean dance, pansori and breakdance segued into the evening's centerpiece: a screening of the closing film "In the Land of Machines," directed by Kim Ok-young. The documentary follows three Nepali migrant workers in Korea who contributed to a 2020 poetry collection titled "This Is the City of Machines," which featured 69 poems by 35 Nepali laborers. Programmer Moon Seok introduced the film as a compelling reframing of Korea seen through the eyes of immigrants, noting that Kim brings four decades of experience as a documentary scriptwriter to her directorial debut. Kim appeared on stage alongside one of the film's featured workers, Jiban Khatri, and writer Lee Ki-joo, who translated the poetry collection into Korean. "When I first read the poems, I was struck by the idea that these workers were quietly observing us," Kim said. "They can't speak freely at work because of their vulnerable positions, but through poetry, they offer honest reflections on Korean society and people. I hope this film becomes a kind of mirror— one that helps us see ourselves through their perspective." Khatri, a former journalist and published poet in Nepal who now works at a factory in Incheon, addressed the audience in Korean. "I don't speak Korean fluently, so thank you for understanding," he said, his words halting but clear. "Thank you so much for loving this film. I'll keep doing my best to give that love back." With Lee Ki-joo translating his words into Korean, he continued in Nepali: "When life is hard and you're stressed, you need an outlet for things you can't tell anyone. For me, poetry lights the way— it tells me where to go." The ceremony closed with remarks from Jeonju Mayor Woo Beom-ki, who chairs the festival's organizing committee. After thanking filmmakers, staff, and attendees, Woo touted Jeonju's bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. North Jeolla Province, where Jeonju is the capital, was selected over Seoul as South Korea's official candidate for the Games earlier this year.
Korea Herald
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Jeonju film fest announces 2025 award winners
Dominican American family drama 'Mad Bills to Pay' claims top prize, as 'Winter Light' wins Korean competition Director Joel Alfonso Vargas' "Mad Bills to Pay" took home the grand prize in the international competition at the 26th Jeonju International Film Festival, while Cho Hyun-suh's "Winter Light" received the same prize for the Korean competition on Tuesday, at an awards ceremony held at Jeonbuk National University's Samsung Cultural Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Winners across the festival's international, Korean and short film competitions were crowned at the awards ceremony, with 50 films having screened in competition. "Mad Bills to Pay," a family drama, offers an intimate portrait of working-class Dominican American life in the Bronx, New York, through a series of fly-on-the-wall observations. Vargas, himself a Bronx native, could not contain his excitement during his acceptance speech: "I feel like I'm walking on the moon right now. I've never seen audiences like at Jeonju anywhere else — the way they connect with films is truly something special." Chen Deming's "Always" earned the NH Nonghyup-sponsored best picture prize, while Spanish-Portuguese documentary "Resistance Reels" by Alejandro Alvarado Jodar and Concha Barquero Artes received the special jury prize. The Korean competition saw Cho Hyun-suh's "Winter Light" win the top prize. Cho's feature debut follows a high school student struggling with money problems while caring for his sister with a hearing disability. Cho thanked lead actor Seong Yu-bin "for honestly responding to my requests for restraint" and credited her production team for sticking with her vision. Park Joon-ho's "3670," a story about a gay North Korean defector, emerged as the ceremony's big winner with four awards: the distribution support prize, CGV Award, Watcha's Award and best actor prize for Kim Hyeon-mok. The sweep highlighted the festival's ongoing recognition of LGBTQ+ narratives, which festival programmers noted as a key trend in this year's Korean submissions. The newly established Nongshim Shinramyun Award for a director in the Korean competition who demonstrated exceptional promise went to Divine Sung for "Summer's Camera." "I feel like I'm contributing, however slightly, to creating a safer world for queer people," Sung said. "I'll take this as encouragement to keep making films." In the Korean competition for short films, which received a record 1,510 submissions, Hwang Hyeon-jee's "Mistletoe" won the grand prize. Other special awards included the NETPAC Award for Tsuta Tetsuichiro's "Black Ox" and the documentary award for Kim Il-rhan's "Edhi Alice: Reverse." The 10-day festival, which opened April 30th with Romanian director Radu Jude's smartphone-shot "Kontinental '25," concludes Friday with Kim Ok-young's documentary "In the Land of Machines," which follows Nepali migrant workers in South Korea.
Korea Herald
01-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
Deadline passes for medical students to return to class
A mass repeat of academic years for South Korean medical students has become a reality after the deadline for returning to classes passed at midnight Wednesday, with only a small number of last-minute returns. As a result, a rare 'tripling' scenario — where three cohorts of first-year pre-medical students take the same classes simultaneously — now appears inevitable. All 40 medical schools across the country had finalized their lists of students who failed to return to class as of midnight, according to the Education Ministry Thursday. Despite repeated calls from the government, only a few students who had continued to boycott classes this year chose to reverse their decision by the deadline. Data as of late April showed that only about 30 percent of students had resumed classes, meaning up to 70 percent may now be subject to academic failure. On April 17, the government offered to reduce the annual medical school admission quota for 2026 to 3,058 students, reversing a controversial plan to expand it to 5,058. The decision was made in the hope of restoring normalcy to medical education amid a standoff with students lasting over a year. Education officials had earlier sent a directive to universities requesting detailed data on students at risk of failing, including how many had not attended enough classes to receive academic credit, and whether universities had notified students that further non-attendance would result in academic failure. The ministry also asked universities to convene early academic review committees to confirm repeat status before the end of the semester. Several universities are now preparing for the logistical and academic challenges of teaching three cohorts of first-year students simultaneously. Schools such as Dong-A University and Jeonbuk National University have already revised their regulations to prioritize course registration for the 2026 cohort, with others expected to follow suit. Despite the ministry's repeated warnings, some students who have not returned are reportedly holding out on the hope that the new administration — which takes office after the June 3 presidential election — will implement a more lenient academic policy and reverse the decisions. Medical education leaders quickly dismissed such hopes as false optimism. 'Any belief that students who have not returned by now can be saved later is completely unfounded,' said Lee Jong-tae, chair of the Korean Association of Medical Colleges. 'Administrative timing may differ between schools, but as of today, academic failure is effectively confirmed.' Medical school presidents and administrators echoed the sentiment. 'We have reached the point of no return,' said an Education Ministry official. 'What's needed now is serious planning for how to accommodate a historic academic bottleneck in 2026.'
Korea Herald
01-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
Deadline passes for medical students to return
A mass repeat of academic years for South Korean medical students has become a reality after the deadline for returning to classes passed at midnight Wednesday, with only a small number of last-minute returns. As a result, a rare 'tripling' scenario — where three cohorts of first-year pre-medical students take the same classes simultaneously — now appears inevitable. All 40 medical schools across the country had finalized their lists of students who failed to return to class as of midnight, according to the Education Ministry Thursday. Despite repeated calls from the government, only a few students who had continued to boycott classes this year chose to reverse their decision by the deadline. Data from the end of April showed that only about 30 percent of students had resumed classes, meaning up to 70 percent may now be subject to academic failure. On April 17, the government offered to reduce the medical school quota for 2026 to 3,058 students, reversing a controversial plan to expand it to 5,058. The decision was made in hopes of restoring normalcy to medical education amid a standoff with students lasting over a year. Education officials had earlier sent a directive to universities requesting detailed data on students at risk of failing, including how many had not attended enough classes to receive academic credit, and whether universities had notified students that further non-attendance would result in academic failure. The ministry also asked universities to convene early academic review committees to confirm repeat status before the end of the semester. Several universities are now preparing for the logistical and academic challenges of teaching three cohorts of first-year students simultaneously. Schools such as Dong-A University and Jeonbuk National University have already revised their regulations to prioritize course registration for the 2026 cohort, with others expected to follow suit. Despite the ministry's repeated warnings, some students who have not returned are reportedly holding out on the hope that the new administration — which takes office after the June 3 presidential election — will implement a more lenient academic policy and reverse the decisions. Medical education leaders have quickly dismissed such hopes as false optimism. 'Any belief that students who have not returned by now can be saved later is completely unfounded,' said Lee Jong-tae, chair of the Korean Association of Medical Colleges. 'While administrative timing may differ between schools, as of today, academic failure is effectively confirmed.' Medical school presidents and administrators echoed the sentiment. 'We have reached a point of no return,' said an Education Ministry official. 'What's needed now is serious planning for how to accommodate a historic academic bottleneck in 2026.'
Korea Herald
27-01-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Retired men are main demographic at Korea's libraries. Why?
We spoke with senior library-goers about the reasons they love spending time there On the second day of the New Year, the National Library of Korea in southern Seoul had its usual visitor profile: senior male citizens forming a predominant majority. A 75-year-old surnamed Lee is among the regulars. He said he comes to the library every morning, has lunch for 5,000 won ($3.45), and stays until 4:30 or 5 p.m. 'There's nowhere to go once you're over 70. It might be the same for you someday,' he said in a hushed voice in the hallway of the four-floor reading room. 'I just come here to relax.' Before retiring over a decade ago, he was a civil engineer in the public sector. At the library, he continues to study his former field. 'Well, it's what I did my whole life. I need to stay updated on recent developments.' Other than that, he currently enjoys reading Park Kyung-ri's multi-volume historical saga 'Land.' Another man, 66-year-old Seo Tae-joon, was on his way to lunch at the cafeteria, just a one-minute walk from the library. Like Lee, Seo also visits the library every day. Six years ago, he retired from a mid-sized construction company, where he had worked in human resources for nearly 40 years. 'I came straight to the library after retiring,' Seo said. 'Staying home isn't good. It makes you sick. I just don't like staying at home. I'm used to going out to work.' He likes the library, he said. 'It's pretty nice. You can read as much as you want and freely use the computers as long as you don't disturb anyone.' Still, he does sometimes see people causing disturbances, making noise, and 'acting like they're still at home.' Seo typically arrives at the library at around 10 a.m. and spends most of his time in the digital reading room, where he studies English. 'I have a lingering regret about English. I failed a recruitment exam at a broadcasting company because of it, and it even held me back in promotion exams,' he said. Despite no longer needing English scores, he remains motivated. 'Who knows? There might still be a chance to travel abroad.' At the Namsan Public Library in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 72-year-old Baek Chun-ku was watching a Chinese martial arts movie in the digital library when he was met by this reporter. Baek, who retired at 60 after 35 years in banking, visits the library three days a week. He enjoys reading about society, culture and poetry, he said. 'It's about passing time,' he said. 'I need to feel like I've spent the day well. I can't just stay home all the time, channel surfing on the couch.' 'My wife is hardly home either. She's busy every morning with the gym, her art studio -- she's an artist -- and other activities.' For many men in retirement, libraries serve as vital spaces to engage with the world at little to no cost, said Seol Dong-hoon, a sociology professor at Jeonbuk National University. 'Libraries provide a heated and cooled environment with an inexpensive lunch,' said Seol 'They offer a space where seniors can spend time without spending money, whether by reading books or simply sitting and relaxing.' But why men? In the several libraries The Korea Herald visited, women were a rare sight among the older male patrons. Park Kyung-hoon, 69, who regularly visits a library in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, observed, 'I rarely see women my age in the reading rooms. But when you attend cultural programs like calligraphy or drawing offered at libraries and welfare centers, 90 percent of the participants are female. Men just don't join those programs.' Data provided by the National Library of Korea and analyzed by the Herald shows that men in their 60s were the most frequent visitors during weekdays last year, accounting for 23.6 percent of the total. This was followed by men in their 50s (19 percent) and men in their 70s (13.4 percent). In contrast, women of similar ages were far fewer: Only 2.5 percent of library visitors were women in their 60s. Women in their 50s and their 70s accounted for 4.3 percent and 0.7 percent of all visitors, respectively. All the male seniors we interviewed reported that while they visit the library regularly, they do not form acquaintances there. Commenting on this phenomenon -- male seniors frequenting libraries with no intention of making friends, while female seniors go to community centers to socialize -- Lee Byung-hoon, an honorary sociology professor at Chung-Ang University, highlighted its sociological implications. 'For that generation, life was primarily about survival and supporting their families, leaving little room for socializing or developing a sense of community,' Lee said. 'This lack of social infrastructure or emotional connection makes it difficult for them to cultivate these skills later in life.' Prof. Lee views the isolated and lonely lives of retired men in South Korea as a sad reality. 'These individuals were once part of the generation that built Korea's vibrant modern era, yet they sacrificed much on a personal level to achieve that prosperity,' he said. Still seeking knowledge Not all older male library visitors are isolated or lonely; many visit because they take their reading seriously. Park Kyung-hoon, who retired at 65 after a 40-year career at the National Assembly working on promotional materials related to policymaking, continues to pursue intellectual endeavors. Even after retirement, he works as a freelance writer specializing in memoirs and biographies. He visits the library seven days a week, spending five hours a day researching books, newspapers and magazines to capture the context of the eras he writes about. Park believes libraries play a vital role in raising public awareness. 'In the past, schools, churches and civic groups educated the public. Now, libraries play a similar role.' Lee Maeung-yeong, a 63-year-old pastor, has been a regular library user for over 30 years. Having worked for 15 years with the homeless near Seoul Station and currently involved in prison ministry, Lee reads extensively on religion and the humanities. He alternates between Yongsan Library and Namsan Library, avoiding holidays. Recently, Yongsan Library added reading spaces by the windows, allowing visitors to enjoy books in natural sunlight. 'It's a blessing to read under the sunlight,' he said, expressing gratitude for the new addition. Lee believes libraries are spaces of deep social significance, especially for the elderly, who often grapple with loneliness. 'I think libraries are even better for mental health than religion,' the pastor said. 'Libraries are where you can truly enjoy knowledge. When I discover a great book, I feel immense gratitude. Someone dedicated their life to creating this gem and I get to enjoy it here,' he said.
