Culture News

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Quite a few ordinary Koreans may not have realized that this week marked the anniversary of the death of independence activist Kim Koo. A couple of Korean entertainers commemorated the day in a special way. This and more in today’s culture corner.

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This is a message comedians Song Eun-I and Kim Sook posted on their social media, marking June 26th, the anniversary of the freedom fighter's death. The message includes a photo of Kim Koo and urges people to remember his death in 1949. These messages known as "card news" in Korea are part of an education project carried out by Sungshin Women's University Professor Seo Kyoung-duk where these posts are distributed timed with the death anniversaries of historical figures. A similar post was unveiled earlier to commemorate another freedom fighter Yun Bong-gil. Entertainers Song and Kim are influential celebrities online with many social media followers and they shared the message for Kim Koo with fans. The two went further and also made efforts to have the name Kim Koo appear in the top search word rankings this day. They said they were happy to take part in a meaningful project and expressed hopes to continue promoting the achievements of Korea's historical figures. Thirteen Korean film stars including actors Ha Jung-woo and Cho Jin-woong and actress Bae Doo-na have been appointed as new members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The AAAS is the organization that overseas the largest US film gala, the Academy Awards. Over the years, directors Im Kwon Taek, Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook and actors Choi Min-sik, Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun were appointed as academy members. This year, the academy has announced 928 new members and the percentage of Koreans is sharply up, testifying to the increased profile of Korean cinema. Members have voting rights on Academy Award film nominees. Attention now turns to what impact the larger Korean presence in the organization may have on the future of Korean and Asian films.