Yonhap News Agency reported this week that only one out of 35 Korean films of a certain scale was directed by a female director last year. Action thriller "The Point Men," directed by Yim Soon-rye, was the sole movie helmed by a female director among the 35 commercial films with a production budget exceeding 30 billion won ($2.25 million), according to the report released by the Korean Film Council (Kofic) on the status of gender equality in the Korean film industry.
The state-run movie promotion agency has been publishing the report every year since 2017. The ratio of female directors hit its lowest last year.

The number of female producers stood at 22, or 23.9 percent; female lead actors were at nine, or 25.7 percent; and female screenwriters came to 12, or 21.8 percent. There were no female cinematographers.
Out of the total 183 Korean films, including independent and art films, the number of female directors grew to 49, or 22.8 percent, with female producers at 77 (24.8 percent), lead actors at 81 (40.7 percent), screenwriters at 67 (30.7 percent) and cinematographers at 18 (8.1 percent).

"The involvement of female talent was relatively robust in low-budget, independent and art films, but it appears to be limited in the commercial film segment," Kofic said.

Among the seven Korean films released on streaming platforms, there were neither female directors nor female cinematographers. But the number of female producers and lead actors came to four and five, respectively, as a spate of female-led films, including "Unlocked" and "Kill Boksoon," were released last year.

The Kofic expressed concern that the window of opportunity for female talent could shrink further, as the Korean film industry faces challenges due to producers' hesitation to make bold experiments following the Covid-19 pandemic. "The Korean film industry's creative talent and gender equality appear to have regressed since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic," it said, expecting the trend to persist amid sluggish investment in film industry.

What surprised me in the statistics is that a whopping 81 percent of Korean films have a production budget under $2.25 million (US). Even with that low barrier, it is estimated that only a hand full of Korean films made a profit. Big budget films did poorly. The Point Men failed to surpass the break-even point, as it needed more than 3.5 million viewers to do so. On the other hand, Phantom, which premiered on the same day, only garnered 660,000 moviegoers and failed to attract over 3.3 million viewers to break even. The profits for South Korean movies are at an all-time low. According to the Korean Film Council’s report on the 24th, revenue from domestic films only accounted for 27.3 percent of the total market, which is about half of last year’s record of 54.4 percent. Korean moviegoers have also shown a lukewarm response to domestic movies, mostly due to the challenge of meeting their high expectations caused...

The Mayan civilization vanished in 900 AD. It left massive pyramids and city ruins in Central American jungles. Archeologists still debate what happened to the Mayan civilization. One theory is that a massive drought made city residents (up to 50,000 people) flee to find new water sources.

CBS News reported this week that Mexico City, population 22 million, will run out of water by June, 2024. There has been a water shortage for a while, but now it is predicted that the reserves will dry up by summer.

Citing the Water Basin Organization of the Valley of Mexico, local outlet La Razón de México reported last week that officials fear this "day zero" — when the Cutzamala System will no longer have enough water for residents — could come on June 26 and last until September. Locals are already struggling to have enough water, with many going "days, if not weeks, without running water in their houses," CBS News contributor Enrique Acevedo said.

"There's been water scarcity, water management, in the city that we haven't seen in at least a decade," he said. "Gyms here in Mexico City and other public parks had to start limiting the number of guests they have taking showers and using their facilities because a lot of people were taking advantage of their memberships to use water at those facilities."

Not everyone, however, believes "day zero" will come so soon. Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the government will be able to increase the water supply enough to avoid such an event this year, La Razón de México reported. Other researchers believe it's something that could happen in the years ahead.

Everyone takes a basic utility, like water, for granted. We do not need to make dystopian films when a documentary is unfolding right before our eyes. But the unanswered question is: where would 22 million people go?

Weather - yeah yeah yeah as February is with other months and now let's see how March does - this rally is just a too big power - a big oh ho - that you don't want.

Warm - cold season but at last you get good snow - now you can have water for the summer.

Rain - good rain - yes - another good for initial summer -

Monsoon - later summer is expecting power boost rain and that too a with a good monsson so gonna be huge floods as well as heavy rains - recording making rains.

Spring is early but cold season is keeping some +ve. But 1st week april summer it is - not gonna be a big spring this time.

Annyeong Beanies! If you had 36 hours in Seoul, what would you do / eat? Halal food recs welcomed!

I caught up with Goryeo-Khitan War this week - episodes 25-30 - 6 hours straight in quick succession and I think I can say the break I took from it was worth it. I don't think I'd have enjoyed it well if I had watched it weekly. This is the second time it's happening with this drama. I equally took a break from it and binged some mid-episodes the last time I watched GKW. But...that's not why I'm making this comment.

Watching this drama brought to mind a lot of things. I took a break from King of Tears, Lee Bang-won the moment the fallout between Bang-won and Queen Won took root. I wasn't ready to see fallout, especially knowing what resulted from it thanks to history. Unlike KoTLBW, I was ecstatic about the fallout of the King and Empress here. No doubt she is a wise empress. I didn't like the fact that the imperial family's interests was her interests and what she determined to protect, fight for, and with, even though her husband thought otherwise.

But at the end of the day, I got to see her essence in the drama. The coup really brought out the very reasons I loved her in the first place - she is ready to do what needs to be done, for the sake of the imperial family. And in this case, the imperial family was her husband. Whilst she was tricked into being a fellow perpetrator of the coup, I liked how she handled matters nonetheless.

The conversation with the King after he found out her hands in the matter made me blame him a huge bit for the fallout between him and her. While his ministers oppose him at every turn, he never stops extending an olive branch to them. But he didn't do same to her. It took him a whole lot of time to realize that she was a symbol of the imperial court. And, in my honest opinion, had he found a way to work with her, they would have made a power couple. She has the brains. However conservative she was and progressive he is, the truth is he needed to convince her about his ideals. Once he has plead his cause to her and they found an understanding, all he had to do was sit back and watch her convince the imperial court and royal relatives. She might not take his side on all matters, but she was a wise woman who knew when to deflect. It wasn't only about "can't you see the good I am trying to do", it was about shaking the very core of their foundations in a way that wouldn't cause drama. Convince her and it would have been an almost easy-peezy implementation.

Second, I stand with the military coup. Even though it happened in the middle of war, restructuring, and threatened the defense of the country, the effontery of the civil officials to come for the lands of the military officials was the highest insult. Episodes ago, these officials rained hailstones and thunder when the King came for their autonomy over district regions. They kicked against it from left to right. Did they expect that the military would just sit back and do nothing? Honestly, I liked that the military guys held them in...

Happy Friday, Beanies! Hopefully your week was less hectic than mine, which was a total nightmare - forget dramas, I barely had time to sleep, ouch. Thus not that much of a music today, sadly((( But I gave yall almost too many last week, so this kinda evens it out (or nah?).

First, something I was sure doesn't exist - THE LONG BALLAD OST performed live. Yep, I've found it, @kiara , can you believe it?! Already posted subbed MV before, so no need for that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5sVwmpwcnk

Next is something even more precious - his other AJTL OST. The ballad one. The sad one (not that "Offer" was a very happy song either, esp in the latest episodes... ahem). Also apparently one of his favorite OSTs ever - he didn't bother to explain his reasoning, but I kind of get it anyway. Lyrics video with subs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy1Vzh0Zsp8

And live version from like 2 weeks ago - you have NO IDEA how desperately I waited for him to sing it! Pls ignore the silly filter - he was in especially playful mood at the time, I guess... or it was a prevention measure to stop viewers from crying, idk. Not that it helped much:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLB9R2pflFo

While we're on the topic of Very Sad Ballads - ETERNAL BROTHERHOOD still have a few episodes to air (and possibly a Season2, tho I wouldn't be very hopeful for variety of reasons) and someone other than me (shocker, I know!) already posted his OST for that, but here's a subbed version to twist the knife even deeper. Enjoy the pain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_zcgz6jK-A

And that's it for music. If our combined efforts managed to properly sour your mood, I'm sorry for that and can only offer (not that one!) a funny bonus to make things a little better. "Struggles of filming EB", subbed ofc:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90mGv56MAIE

9TAILEDVIXEN'S WEEKLY ROUND-UP (INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY EDITION):

1. Happy International Women's Day to all Beanies who are women and girls!

THIS WEEK IN KOREAN WOMEN'S NEWS:

(a) North Korean women are now the breadwinners – and shifting this deeply patriarchal society towards a matriarchy

North Korea is a deeply patriarchal society, and women have traditionally been defined by two words: mother and wife. But when famine hit the country in the 1990s, it was left to women to try to earn money to feed their families. And the state, obsessed with controlling the lives of men, mainly ignored that many women began working [...] selling what they could to supplement the meagre wages of their husbands’ factory jobs.

With this shift, it became a whole new lexicon that was derogatory around men, because the economic power had shifted. Women are the breadwinners in a very tight economic times, and men were another mouth to feed.

https://theconversation.com/north-korean-women-are-now-the-breadwinners-and-shifting-this-deeply-patriarchal-society-towards-a-matriarchy-225195

(b) To celebrate International Women's Day, Spotify spotlights the growing influence of Korean Women Artists Scaling the Globe

According to Spotify data, [female] artists are not just participating in the global music scene; they are dominating it, with over 24 billion global streams in 2023 alone. This marks an incredible 602% increase since 2018, clearly demonstrating their growing influence and the universal appeal of their music.

https://www.allkpop.com/article/2024/03/to-celebrate-international-womens-day-spotify-spotlights-the-growing-influence-of-korean-women-artists-scaling-the-globe

(c) Korean Men Are Flying To Vietnam To Marry A Stranger Within 24 Hours

2. And Not-So-Happy Tax Season to Everyone

This week is all about finance stuff for me - preparation for tax filing (Can we all do the "Yuck!" face together? Thank you), paying bills etc.

Paying bills was momentarily painful... but the extended torture of tax filing prep means I have to repeatedly remind myself while I am laboriously searching for receipts for tax deductible items and toting up earnings while praying I don't land in the next tax bracket that it could be worse - I could be a U.S.-ian dealing with the labyrinthian U.S. IRS tax filing system.

Happy Fridays everyone!

I just finished watching My Name is Loh Ki-wan a moment ago; and while I think there are many violent scenes of many kinds, the movie was delicately done and the shots are powerful. Song Jeong-ki is at his best in this one. There is one particular scene of his that really shook me hard. He is nothing short of brilliance.

Now here is another thing I discovered: The FL is just as FABULOUS as SJK is. She just ROCKS the role, and she is just a feast to the eye. I had to google who she is and discovered that her name is Choi Sung-eun. I also realized that this is the same person that played the FL in one of my most hated dramas named The Sound of Magic! I especially DISLIKED the FL in that drama, and tbh that made me dislike the actress who played that character, too. That's why this came as a shock for me to discover that the fabulous FL in MNILKW is played by the same actress who played the FL in TSoMG.

You can't really judge an actor/ an actress by some projects, can you?

Really, she is just FABULOUS in My Name is Loh Ki-wan. Stunningly beautiful, and utterly devastated.

Brilliance.

I've been watching Marry My Husband on an alternative site and I'm really liking it. Glad to have found it. I'm still trying to catch up with dramas to get ready for the next onslaught of them. The skies are beautiful today with sun and beautiful blue skies. Its March yet I can actually hang my sheets outside and have them dry and smelling so good!

There is a Korean cultural phenomenon that I just don't understand. And maybe also in the world. Why are famous actors, singers, popular figures persecuted for having a relationship???
Is the average everyday person so delusional in thinking their favorite person is in love with them. Any sane person is going to know that these romances in shows are fake- and if they aren't then yay for that relationship!!
I can't imagine a lonelier life that having to hide your relationship until your in your 40's.
I'm referencing especially the newly announced relationship between aesps's Karina and our handsome Lee Jae Wook.
https://www.soompi.com/article/1646661wpp/aespas-karina-apologizes-to-fans-in-heartfelt-letter-following-dating-news
The fact she had to write a letter of apology to keep her fans loyal and happy is sickening to me in this day and age. Taylor Swift has recently been in a relationship and I would think if anything it has increased her exposure and popularity.
Is it worse for Music stars than Drama??
Anyway this is my rant of the week. I felt this was the best forum to talk about it. Thanks for listening.

Huge shout out and love to DB Staff for putting my favorite guy Kim Min Jae from Dali and The Cocky (Gamja-tang) Prince on the thread picture!

Did Open thread eat my comments? There was no -1 warning.

I see Kim Min Jae as the pic used for today’s OT and now I miss him 🥹 Should I go and re-watch “…Brahms?” for the umpteenth time??

Things I think about on a Friday when I don’t wanna work LOL

Dear Beanies,
Healer's @claire2009 @midnight, Cera @seeker Unaspirated @jls943, and I are starting a fanwall community watch of Our Blooming Youth next week. If you feel like joining us, please do. The schedule of discussions is as follows:
Post 1 (Episodes 1-2): Midnight – 14-15 March
Post 2 (Episodes 3-4): Minnie – 21-22 March
Post 3 (Episodes 5-6): Claire – 28-29 March
Post 4 (Episodes 7-8): jls943 – 04-05 April
Post 5 (Episodes 9-10): Cera – 11-12 April
Post 6 (Episodes 11-12): Claire – 18-19 April
Post 7 (Episodes 13-14): Minnie – 25-26 April
Post 8 (Episodes 15-16): Midnight – 02-03 May
Post 9 (Episodes 17-18): jls943 – 09-10 May
Post 10 (Episodes 19-20): Cera – 16-17 May

In a few countries, it's available on Amazon Prime. In the US, it's on Viki (premium).
If this is your first time watching it, I suggest you binge-watch it because this series comes off better with it. Also, while there is a beautiful romance, it's a forbidden kind. To be honest, this is not supposed to be a romance drama at all (don't go on the description; the OBY marketing team should have been fired), and its slow-burn romance is set on the slowest burner on its lowest setting in the history of sagueks.
Hoping to see some of you there, beanies.

Hi! I put a post about this on my fan wall, but I would also like to promote Robin Ha's work here. Robin Ha is an artist my boyfriend discovered for me. He bought me her graphic novel cookbook, Cook Korean! which I utterly love. I love to read cookbooks and watch cooking video content for fun. If you haven't had a chance to read that, check it out of the library and see what you think! I love the way she contextualized the recipes.

Anyway, Robin Ha has a new graphic novel out this month called The Fox Maidens. It's a gumiho legend based story, set in the Joseon period. Anyway, I thought the book was a great complement to all the sageuks with cross dressing, all the gumiho stories, and so forth. Here the gumiho is a terrifying monster and the sexism and extreme class stratification of Korean society is pretty explicit.

(I just realized she has another book I haven't read yet! I'm going to fix that right now.)

One thing I hate/strongly dislike about the secrets keeping trope is the person getting mad about being left out of the loop and then getting mad when they're in the loop. In many cases that I've seen, person A has a life changing/life affecting secret and the more people know about it, the more danger it is or the harder it is to maintain. It's quite a burden and they don't want other people to have to shoulder that. Person B knows or suspects they're being lied to or kept out of the secret and they get angry (which is understandable because who likes being lied to right) but when they're told there's a reason they can't be included or told the truth, they get more offended. Fast forward to them finding out the secret somehow and they freak out. It's stressful and now their life is in danger and they're mad at Person A for ever getting involved with them in the first place.

Ah, the secret keeping trope. It's complicated haha

What are people supposed to do?

When are people no longer considered rookies? During Love Song for Illusion, it was mentioned that the leads were green and rookies yet Park Jihoon has acted as a child and he's been in a few dramas before he was this project. He was even the lead actor 2 or 3 times before LSFI and even won an award for Weak Hero Class 1. He is young though; I think he's only 24 and I'm wondering if that's why he's considered a green rookie.

Lee Joon Gi got his big break at 24 with the king and the clown but I think he was still considered a rookie even though he had been doing small roles here and there before that but after the success and popularity boost, he got lead roles. So was he no longer considered a rookie?

Lee Seung Gi has only, that I've seen, referred to his rookie days as when he was preparing for his music debut. He got started with the sitcom Non Stop 5 (I think it was a sitcom) and then he did a supporting role and then he did lead roles. Granted, the level of success for his first lead role was surprising and unexpected but still, was he considered a rookie actor?

Finally finished Queen of Divorce.

Twelve hours somehow compressed into about ten by the virtue of the ff button, but I earned my bean.

Verdict: Watch only and only of you want to earn a bean and watch a cool, nattily dressed villain smirking through this terrible drama with a juvenile ending.

I just came across an old DB post from 2014 saying that Lee Seung-Gi was about to be cast as the ML in Kill Me, Heal Me. Nothing against LSG, but I can't see him pulling off the role of a chaebol with associative identity disorder who has seven distinct personalities. Thank goodness the part went to Ji Sung. He gave a brilliant performance... or should I say performances?

There's a long list of iconic roles that were initially supposed to go to a different actor, including:
Amy Schumer as Barbie (Margot Robbie)
John Travolta as Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks)
Tom Cruise as Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp)
Al Pacino as Han Solo in Star Wars (Harrison Ford)
Shirley Temple as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (Judy Garland)

I was gonna write this on my fan wall but alas it got cut off. I seriously don't know people use it by copy and pasting. I did that same thing and it gets cut off.

Anyhoo, Lee Joon Gi.
He has played so many characters was effed up fates.
- amnesiac who becomes the right hand of the man who killed his parents AND he unknowingly had a relationship with the man's daughter
-orphan whose mother ended herself on his birthday; threatened into being a fall guy; falsely accused of murder while also having a target on his back
-guy ostacized and bullied for being different; framed for murder; takes a shot to the head.

Of all the projects I've seen so far, I think I still like Flower of Evil most. I think it has all the elements that he's good at and known for (physicality and extreme emotion) but the family dynamic is also good, the female lead is good, smart, and empathetic, the stort is good. It just all works in my opinion. The only thing I've never understood is why Baek Hee Soo's parents had him use their son's identity in the first place but I guess chalk it up to the story needs to happen.

Ah, my heart hurts for his characters but he plays them so well haha

Mark you calendars, folks, in about a week a new K-drama comes out that involves a young woman (played by Kim Yoo-jung) who gets turned into a chicken nugget. The series is aptly titled 'Chicken Nugget'. From the director of 'Melo Is My Nature'.