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Korea Herald
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Embattled Yang Ik-june takes stage at 'Confession' event
Movie director defends himself against last year's assault allegations, while promoting his new thriller at pre-release event in Seoul as actor Movie director and actor Yang Ik-june showed up at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday with an air of defiance. The "Breathless" (2008) actor-director, fresh off an investigation for allegedly assaulting a staff member in December, pulled off an almost playful swagger during his solo appearance at the pre-release screening for Nobuhiro Yamashita's upcoming psychological thriller "Confession." "I may look terrifying in the film, but that's not who I am," Yang said. Adapted from Japanese artist Nobuyuki Fukumoto's 1998 manga, the film centers on two former climbing club members trapped in a mountain hut after one confesses to murdering their fellow club member 16 years ago. Yang plays Ji-yong, the confessor, opposite Japanese star Toma Ikuta's Asai. When asked about the allegations, Yang reached for a prepared statement. He flatly denied the charges, casting his accuser as a manipulator who planted anonymous stories in the press. "When the truth comes out, you (reporters) might laugh at what you've published -- or be shocked by what you discover." He then turned his attention directly to his accuser: "You've been controlling and exploiting too many people behind my back. I know everything you've done. Maybe I'm your final strikeout." Police handed the case over to prosecutors on Tuesday. "Apart from this incident," he added, softening his tone, "I hope you'll focus on this film our cast and crew worked so hard to create." The film wastes no time spinning from claustrophobic two-hander into something far messier. Its psychological cat-and-mouse game crashes into outright chaos as Yang tears through the isolated mountain shelter in an unhinged display of rage. His wild performance ping-pongs between phantasmagorical menace and theatrical excess -- oftentimes landing in unintentionally funny territory. The film's lurch from slow-burn psychological thriller to Grand Guignol horror-action muddles the complex moral terrain it sets out to probe. Yet Yang's savage portrayal of spiraling madness more or less makes for enjoyable viewing, even as it undermines the film's more measured premise. "Confession" opens Feb. 19.
Korea Herald
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Actor-director Yang Ik-june faces assault investigation
News comes just days ahead of Yang's scheduled press appearance for his upcoming thriller 'Confession' Seoul police confirmed Monday they are investigating actor-director Yang Ik-june on allegations of assault. Yang is accused of repeatedly hitting a staff member with rolled paper and making verbal threats at a bar in Seongbuk-gu on Dec. 13. The case is expected to be forwarded to prosecutors this week, according to police. The news comes ahead of Yang's scheduled appearance at a prerelease event Wednesday for his upcoming thriller "Confession," where he stars alongside Japanese actor Toma Ikuta. Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita, the film follows two former climbing club members trapped in a mountain hut after one confesses to a murder committed 16 years prior. Film representatives said Monday that the event would proceed as planned. Yang, 48, gained international recognition for his 2008 directorial debut, "Breathless," which won 13 awards at international film festivals including Rotterdam and Deauville. He has since appeared in various TV series, including Netflix's "Hellbound," and established himself as a character actor in South Korea's independent film scene.
