Culture Corner

[Anchor Lead]

Actor Kim Woo-bin was trending online in Korea, as he was spotted hanging out in downtown Seoul on Sunday. There have been a lot of rumors surrounding Kim, as he has not appeared in public since he began medical treatment for his nasopharyngeal cancer. Fans are sending words of encouragement to Kim. This and more in today’s culture corner.

[Pkg]

A photo and video of Kim Woo-bin were posted on social media and multiple online communities on Sunday. In the photo and video, Kim appeared slimmer with longer hair, compared with before his diagnosis of cancer. An Internet user who first posted the photo and video said that Kim was spotted hanging out near a busy commercial district in southern Seoul with his friend, actor Lee Jong-suk. Kim visited a hospital in May last year with unusual physical symptoms. He was found to be in stage four of nasopharyngeal cancer, which is a rare type of head and neck cancer that may hit one out of 100,000 people. Kim sometimes said hello to fans and revealed how he was doing in his own hand-written letters. But this was the first time in a year he was spotted in public with a photo. Relieved by Kim's better-than-expected condition, fans are hoping that the actor will fully recover soon. Korean actor Gi Ju-bong won the best actor prize at the 71st Locarno International Film Festival held in Switzerland. Gi is the second Korean actor to receive the award, following Jung Jae-young who was given the honor three years ago. Gi was invited to the film festival for his role in director Hong Sang-soo' 2018 movie "Hotel by the River." Along with Gi, director Hong and actress Kim Min-hee, his lover and the female lead in the new movie, also attended the film festival. According to film festival organizers and international news outlets, Hong and Kim appeared in front of reporters, holding hands in an affectionate atmosphere. Hong and Kim have not made public appearances in Korea since their extramarital relationship was reported in 2016. However, they have continued to show up together at international film festivals. As Hong's 23rd full-length film, "Hotel by the River" was the sole Korean movie that was invited to the Swiss film festival. However, it brought home no prizes.