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Stars launch Korean Film Festival

In what must be the biggest-budget launch of the KCC’s third London Korean Film Festival, director Kim Ji-woon and actor Lee Byung-hun were brought to London to introduce the flagship film of the festival, The Good the Bad and the Weird.

Tony Rayns, the UK’s most established Korean film expert, was also there to celebrate. A few introductory speeches – including a brief welcome from Lee Byung-hun – opened the evening on Thursday, before a capacity screening of Kim Ji-woon’s kimchi western.

Lee Byung-hun and Mrs ChoiThe party afterwards gave plenty of photo opportunities with the stars, while Barbican staff came round with glasses of soju and Korean-inspired dishes. Both Lee and Kim were generous with their time in posing for photos with guests. Inevitably it was the handsome Lee who was in greater demand.

Ambassador Chun was there, splendidly attired in white tie following a royal banquet with the Queen earlier in the evening, and he too wanted his photo taken. As of course did I. I think I need to get a suntan though:



LKL blogmeister with Lee Byung-hun. Photo credit Jo Seong-hee
Photo credit Jo Seong-hee

Photo credits:

All photos courtesy Lee Hyung-wook, Editor-in-Chief of The EAST, except where otherwise stated.

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5 thoughts on “Stars launch Korean Film Festival

  1. Oh my…이병헌 is my favorite actor and I couldn’t go because simply I couldn’t get a ticket. I’m so jealous. you are going to have to tell me about that day. by the way I’m Burn, remember? Hi

  2. Hey guys…I firstly want to thank Phillip cuz with out u I wouldn’t have known a thing about this….I can happily say that I was there…and I enjoyed the movie soooooooo much…and the talks afterwards cuz we got to chat with the star himself…and the directer as well…

    It was so great…

    Thank you…
    xxxxx

  3. Oh! I can’t believe Lee Byung-hun was in London and I didn’t know! *looks for bridge to throw myself off*

    Is he still here (in London)?

    Is that the owner of this website in a picture with him??

    : …(

  4. @ellie – I’m told that he left London on Sunday :-(. And yes, that’s me. It was my highlight of the year. I felt like a teenage fan. Mind you, there was a Cambridge modern history professor who also got his picture taken with LBH – to make his film studies colleague jealous.
    @ samya – a pleasure. Glad you managed to get there.
    @ Burn – Hiya – thanks for visiting!

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