This looks incredibly touching.
I don't know if these pictures are from filming this or not, but that look on go's face in the last picture shows his desperation to save his son, and made me want to watch this heheeh

man that kid is one incredible actor. when I first saw him on "The way home" when it first came out, I loved him soo much!

It's no big deal, but as a long-time resident of Busan I feel honor-bound(!) to point out that the Hanja characters for the actual city of Busan are different to those for the title of the film, although the sound in Korean (부산) is the same. They're (釜山), which means "kiln/furnace/stove mountain."

Still, I'm looking forward to seeing some local landmarks on the big screen. Off the top of my head, two other movies that were shot in Busan that readers may be familiar with were "Friend" (2001, 친구), and "Windstruck" (2004, 내 여자친구를 소개합니다), although the latter wasn't actually set in Busan.

No, not at all, your point wasn't unclear, and of course the double-entendre is intentional...sorry if my own comment was unclear! ^0^

I just thought I'd mention the actual meaning of the Hanja characters for the city name for anyone interested, as a lot of expats here do learn the Hanja for the Korean sound "산/san" pretty quickly ( "山" does look a lot like a mountain after all), but they never get around to learning the meaning of the "釜" Hanja for "부/Bu" part of the name, which means kiln or stove like I said.

"Stove Mountain" does seem a strange name for this pleasant coastal city though. One day I'll do some research and try to figure out which of the dozens of mountains outside my window is supposed to be the stove...

So many movies I'm looking forward to this year!

I actually look forward to Kim Young-ho... I watched this drama about his wife who left him for his sake (can't remember title)... I actually liked it and now I don't think of him as the evil guy in Ballad of Suh Dong (if that is the guy I'm thinking about.. so many look alikes.. I even confused Jo Hyun Jae for Go Soo... maybe I have bad eyes XD)

And how is everyone familiar with hanja -_-
I only remember the first 10 and by the end of the year, I'm suppose to remember the 1000 hanja chart @___________@

Aww I love Yoo Seung Ho! He did a great job in The Legend and he's just so cute ^^
& I can't wait for 71. Kim Bum AND Yoo Seung Ho together~~ double the hotties lol, hope the Korean War film won't be too boring...

oh goody. i hope 71 will be something of a cross between taegukgi & lord of the flies. not just an extension of heightened schoolyard politics.

James,

This is entirely the wrong forum for this, and I really do apologize to JavaBeans sincerely for any possible misuse of DramaBeans comments section, but I feel more comfortable posting this hopefully short response to a question that you recently posed on your excellent blog. You asked the question, "What Defines a Korean Drama?" in a recent post on your blog.

While I do NOT want to make a thread here about this here, at the same time, I am not comfortable commenting on your blog site. I will merely give my opinion, whatever it is worth, because you may see it here, and hopefully I might give some insight. I hope that we can continue any discussion in an appropriate forum, but not on this particular thread.

Generalization is a necessary evil here, and so I begin with a sinful fallacy. What defines Korean dramas? Korean dramas are about finding the essence of Korean humanity. Koreans are a mixed-up bunch, both oppressed and uplifted by pride in nation, culture, family and individual. And hence Korean dramas do provide an escape hatch from the burdens, the stress and the yoke of being Korean, but NOT for a glimpse of utopia; but as a way to reach out to our senses and remind us of the One Truth - that as humans we exist to love and be loved.

Western stories generally come from two wells - an extra-ordinary person in the ordinary world, or an ordinary person in an extra-ordinary world. Korean story-telling, at least through these k-dramas, draws from a third well - what happens when people fall in love.

Does it matter that the stories in the penumbra are contrived, or repetitive or even ridiculous by any realistic standard? No, not really, because the point isn't whether it is ridiculous that the girl and the guy repeatedly wander mere feet from each other around Incheon Airport without once seeing each other, the point is whether we are able to empathize with the idea of a near-miss, and in empathy, find connection and hope and love and sorrow and find humanity in ourselves.

Is it childish of Koreans to develop stories like this, as opposed to developing chaotically random story lines like in Western shows? Is it a sign of cultural immaturity or lack of sophistication that arbitrarily-chosen abstract ideas like those found in Japanese dramas haven't yet appeared in Korean dramas? Or perhaps the point is that Korean dramas lack staying power due to simplistic and repetitive themes.....that perhaps we should all enjoy the "realism" found in today's reality or voting-off shows which promise not to be simplistic or repetitive....

All culture is viewed through one's own lens. I have the luxury of being exposed to multiple lenses, and can appreciate difference without necessarily adding judgment. I would think that your lens is as broad as any, and would be able to see the abstract rather than the concrete in what makes Korean dramas work.

I adore Korean dramas, perhaps because they can be silly and ridiculous, but mostly because in my own life, I have found that the idea and practice of love to be so mysterious, so transcending, so invigorating, so necessary, that it merits exploration on as many levels as I can fathom. In their own way, Korean dramas add to my exploration and thought, and I can think of no higher praise for any vehicle of mere entertainment.

-Samsooki

P.S. JB, again, my apologies. I'll keep on topic from now on.

To Samsooki
I am not sure what causes the lengthy comment about Korean Drama but I am so glad you did. This is well thought and well said. I am not Korean. I do not know much about Korean's history, I like to remain that way at time so i would not stereotype anyone. I never want to know where people come from. I only care how people treat others. Love seems to be the most basic, common use as subject of stories for a good reason. And for what you said, let close this with " We exist to love and be loved"...

71 sounds awesome to me too.

Samsooki,

thanks for that response to my recent post on Korean dramas, but like you say this is entirely the wrong forum for me to reply to it. I understand you're more comfortable writing here, but still, I'm a pretty nice guy, and commenters on my own site are by and large a polite and civilised bunch too (and I quickly ban the ones that aren't!), so if you would like to hear my own response by all means please feel free to continue the discussion at the post itself (in the link on my name), copying and pasting from your above comment if necessary. But if not, then I don't mind, and thanks for writing it!

P.S. My apologies also J.B!

JT,

I'll repost as a comment on your blog.

To keep this thread on-topic, I'll make this comment:

"71" looks to be great - almost tailor-made for Yoo Seung Ho's rise to major stardom. If YSH was a stock, I would probably invest a tidy sum right about now. My small concern is the political nature of war movies in general and the minor exploitation of minors for propaganda purposes. However, I have yet to see a war movie where heart strings were not tugged by the terrible exigencies and price to pay brought on by war.

As for the k-drama "Busan," I think there is a saying in GyungSangDo where my forebears are from, that goes something like this, "there is no greater storm than a father to a son" or something like that. I really should open a meat shop, the way I butcher the Korean language. My apologies for killing the maxim. The point is that the father-son relationship is so powerful and important to a son growing up; no son realizes the extent of the damage (and/or foundation) that a father provides, until well after the son's character is developed into manhood. It can be a tragic thing, and so I am not sure how much of the drama I can watch before it gets too personal for me. Perhaps better if I avoid watching it altogether...

-Samsooki

It would be ok if yoo seung ho leads the kids instead of kim bum....for me YSH is a much better actor...mybe bcoz if their age since YSH is only 15...and now YSH is super handsome !

is like a dream meeting the emotional well Yoo Seung Ho .. done with great respect and love for me Stroe di Romania Florin .. this film are lively lovely love real love with raw emotion and real human stimulus wind cools seeking life before.