Koreans in Hollywood

Hollywood blockbuster “Red: The Legend” is a movie about retired intelligence agents. Korean actor Lee Byung-hun is another fun in the movie. Playing a Korean intelligence agent-turned-killer at the movie, Lee said he made his body eating 15 fish a day to show his naked body in the beginning of the movie. “Which part do you want to be torn apart?” The Korean line appearing in two scenes makes us proud, rather than sounding cruel. Korean singer Rain and actress Bae Du-na also enhanced Korean actors’ reputation. It is a giant leap forward from the past when a Hollywood star with a hint of Korean blood was center of the public attention.

The cream of the crop in Hollywood is movie directors rather than actors. The year of 2013 will be remembered as a meaningful year thanks to a series of releases -- Kim Ji-woon’s “The Last Stand,” Park Chan-wook’s “Stalker,” and Bong Jun-ho’s “Snowpiercer,” which is inviting expectations amid heavy applause of the foreign media and critiques.

Ang Lee from China has successfully gained a foothold in Hollywood. His signature films such as “The Life of Pie” and “Brokeback Mountain” have an oriental touch. Russian director Timur Bekmambetov’s movies including “Wanted” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” have a wit that breaks stereotypes. It makes me curious what the world will find in Korean directors’ films. Hopefully, Korea could produce more actors and directors who are "global" beyond “exotic.”

Korean actors and directors’ success in Hollywood has been made possible because Korea’s strong film-making capacity and Korean actors’ quality have satisfied the needs of Hollywood, which longs for cultural diversity and new people. Koreans’ winning grand prizes in major international film festivals would have helped it as well. Hollywood must have thought the unique and sensitive nature of Korean films and production ability would work on the global stage. It has to be remembered that Korean audiences have continued to choose Korean movies amid many Hollywood films behind the scenes.

Editorial Writer Chung Sung-hee (shchung@donga.com)