All about Chungmuro actors or film
Well, have you ever heard about this “chungmuro” things? If you’re wondering what is it, then you might want to continue read this article. Hopefully, you will get a better understanding about this word, especially if you like korean drama or movie.
In Korean acting industry, there is like “tiers” among actors, especially rookies. In my opinion, there are 3 tiers:
1. Web drama & sitcom (situation comedy) / Indie film
2. Korean drama
The next step after appearing on web drama, the young actor usually has accustomed their life and work with how the industry work. They also has a bit of experience now and able to polish their acting skills. Some of the lucky one, usually can get drama offer as the lead, but there is a lot of actors who start from the bottom by playing a supporting role, or even a cameo. Actor like lee sung kyung, kwon nara, kim bora, yoo in na, jung hae in and a whole lot more is an example. Most of them start their career by acting as supporting role first, before getting a lead role.
When an actor get their name known by public and continuously appearing in a popular drama (high rating drama), they will become an A class actor, eventually they will also get a lot of Cf or endorsements deals. Some of popular name including yoon eun hye, yoo in na, park bogum, kim woo bin, ahn jae hyun, seo kang joon, nam joo hyuk, jang geun suk, seo in guk and more.
Some of these actors below have strong brand star power:
Hyun bin, song jong ki, lee min ho, kim soo hyun, Gong yoo, soo ji sub, joo in sung, song hye kyo, jun jihyun, kim tae hee, ha jiwon, shin min a , son yejin, etc
Some of them even called as the chungmuro actor.
In some occasions, there is a lucky one who can directly get an offer as lead role since the beginning. Usually that’s what mostly happened to idols turn actor. Some of example are kim yohan, from x1, who will debut as an actor in drama school 2020.
Currently there is 2 type of Korean drama by how it’s aired, from national broadcast company like kbs, mbc and sbs, or from a tv cable like tvn, channel a, jtbc and ocn. On my own bias opinion I think tv cable drama from tvn and jtcb especially the one that got into Netflix are mostly high quality.
3. Korean Movie
Well, the success is counted by total tickets sold or movie goers. Different from drama, which usually has 16, 32 and 60 episodes, this one is shorter with duration about 2 hours. Some of big production house will have bigger funds than others. There is an actor who exclusively play on the big screen (Korean movie), but some try their luck to small screen too (Korean drama). It could count as successful when an actor who played in K drama get a role in a movie. Many of them is called “chungmuro actor”. It’s a compliment itself if people called an actor as chungmuro actor, because it’s often described as some actor who is skillful and able to pot-ray a lot of character. Their actings are mostly versatile and able to stole the show.
"Hollywood of Korea" or 충무로/Chungmuro is the terminology that Korean people use call the center of the filmmaking industry in Seoul. Today, the film studios and production companies are gone, and the area is just another block filled with print shops in downtown Seoul. Chungmuro is an avenue in Seoul where many film studios were located. The name Chungmuro was derived from "Chungmugong," (a title given to a famous Korean admiral) which means "martial subject of loyalty." Despite the fact that many film studios have recently moved to different cities, Chungmuro still serves as a metonym for the Korean film industry as a whole.
In Korean acting industry, there is like “tiers” among actors, especially rookies. In my opinion, there are 3 tiers:
1. Web drama & sitcom (situation comedy) / Indie film
for eg Love playlist, high kick, A-teen. These three actually considered as a successful one, that get a good viewers and buzz. A lot of actors and actresses that played on this drama, usually is a rookie who hasn’t get name yet or idol turns into actor. This is the lowest tier, as it isn’t aired widely on national broadcast. People needs to access a web site or application to be able to watch. The production cost for this drama is often low budget, so no wonder if the payment is also isn’t comparable with TV drama or movie. Yet, it’s a good portfolio to showcase individual acting skill and if the new faces could steal the show, the probability to get love call from better production team is high. Some individuals who is able to get their fame after appearing on web drama or sitcom are krystal, lee jongsuk, yoon shi yoon, shin syekyung, park shin hye and more
2. Korean drama
The next step after appearing on web drama, the young actor usually has accustomed their life and work with how the industry work. They also has a bit of experience now and able to polish their acting skills. Some of the lucky one, usually can get drama offer as the lead, but there is a lot of actors who start from the bottom by playing a supporting role, or even a cameo. Actor like lee sung kyung, kwon nara, kim bora, yoo in na, jung hae in and a whole lot more is an example. Most of them start their career by acting as supporting role first, before getting a lead role.
When an actor get their name known by public and continuously appearing in a popular drama (high rating drama), they will become an A class actor, eventually they will also get a lot of Cf or endorsements deals. Some of popular name including yoon eun hye, yoo in na, park bogum, kim woo bin, ahn jae hyun, seo kang joon, nam joo hyuk, jang geun suk, seo in guk and more.
Some of these actors below have strong brand star power:
Hyun bin, song jong ki, lee min ho, kim soo hyun, Gong yoo, soo ji sub, joo in sung, song hye kyo, jun jihyun, kim tae hee, ha jiwon, shin min a , son yejin, etc
Some of them even called as the chungmuro actor.
In some occasions, there is a lucky one who can directly get an offer as lead role since the beginning. Usually that’s what mostly happened to idols turn actor. Some of example are kim yohan, from x1, who will debut as an actor in drama school 2020.
Currently there is 2 type of Korean drama by how it’s aired, from national broadcast company like kbs, mbc and sbs, or from a tv cable like tvn, channel a, jtbc and ocn. On my own bias opinion I think tv cable drama from tvn and jtcb especially the one that got into Netflix are mostly high quality.
3. Korean Movie
Well, the success is counted by total tickets sold or movie goers. Different from drama, which usually has 16, 32 and 60 episodes, this one is shorter with duration about 2 hours. Some of big production house will have bigger funds than others. There is an actor who exclusively play on the big screen (Korean movie), but some try their luck to small screen too (Korean drama). It could count as successful when an actor who played in K drama get a role in a movie. Many of them is called “chungmuro actor”. It’s a compliment itself if people called an actor as chungmuro actor, because it’s often described as some actor who is skillful and able to pot-ray a lot of character. Their actings are mostly versatile and able to stole the show.
Many popular actor or actress doesn’t get label as chungmuro even they’re popular, endorsed by many cf, pretty/handsome or have brand power. Some of them actually act in similar role or character for several different drama, eg: Park minyoung, lee minho, shin sekyung, cha in wo, etc
Some of the example of chungmuro actor are:
Kim Tae-ri a korean actress born on April 24, 1990 in Seoul. Both her and her older brother were raised by her grandmother during childhood. After graduating from Youngshin Girls' High School, Kim enrolled into the Department of Media Communication at Kyung Hee University.
Kim Tae-ri is definitely an exceptional actress. She won 10 awards and was nominated for 14 awards. Her acting is so realistic in a way that can drawn people in the movie/drama perfectly. You can see how good she is just by knowing she was picked out of 1,500 candidates to be part of the main cast of the movie ‘The handmaiden’.
When you hear the name Song Kang Ho, it is certain that there are many Koreans who will have some kind of respect for him. Because the senior actor is known to have works that are always of high quality. The 49-year-old actor has starred in many films. Some of Song Kang Ho's films that are highly recommended are Joint Security Area, Sympathy For Mr Vengeance, The Host.
Ha Jung-woo is a very known actor in the world of Korean cinema being in many famous Korean movies like The Handmaiden, Assassination, and Nameless Gangster to name a few. Not only is he an actor, but he is also a director who directed movies like Fasten Your Seatbelt and Chronicles of a Blood Merchant.
Ha Jung-woo is a very known actor in the world of Korean cinema being in many famous Korean movies like The Handmaiden, Assassination, and Nameless Gangster to name a few. Not only is he an actor, but he is also a director who directed movies like Fasten Your Seatbelt and Chronicles of a Blood Merchant.
Oh Dal Soo earned the nickname as an actor 10 million. Because almost all the films he has starred in have been watched by more than 10 million viewers. As for some of his famous film titles are The Host, The Good The Bad And The Weird, and The Thieves.
Park Hee Soon is an extremely talented and award-winning actor who is especially well-known for his supporting roles. On screen he’s known to “digest” his roles, no matter how big or small. His dialogue delivery, in particular, is unsurpassable. He strives to portray all his characters with as much authenticity as possible in order to communicate with the audience effectively and truthfully.
Another notable mention includes:
Kim woo bin
Yoo ah in
Kang dong won
Kim dami
Park Hee Soon is an extremely talented and award-winning actor who is especially well-known for his supporting roles. On screen he’s known to “digest” his roles, no matter how big or small. His dialogue delivery, in particular, is unsurpassable. He strives to portray all his characters with as much authenticity as possible in order to communicate with the audience effectively and truthfully.
Another notable mention includes:
Kim woo bin
Yoo ah in
Kang dong won
Kim dami
Kim goeun
Song Kang Ho
Ma Dong Seok
Ha Jung Woo
Oh Dal Soo
Yoo Hae Jin
Jung Woo Sung
Gong Yoo.
Based on Max Movie DB accumulation and expert advice, the Korean movie magazine 'Max Movie' in the latest April issue have selected a list of 30 individuals/organizations as the power creators in the Korean film industry. A list of movie producers, directors, actors, agency CEOs and cinema-related sites have been chosen.
In no particular order
Kang Woo Suk (Director)
Kim Woo Taek (NEW CEO)
Kim Jee Woon (Director)
Kim Hye Soo (actor)
Na Hong Jin (Director)
Hung (Trinity Entertainment CEO)
Netflix (streaming video services, production investment)
Ryoo Seung Bum (actor)
Ryoo Seung Wan (director)
Park Chan Wook (director, producer)
So Ji Sub (actor, 51K CEO)
Son Ye Jin (actor)
Song Kang Ho (actor)
Sim Jae Myeong (Myung films CEO)
Sang Ho Yeon (director)
idols pan (make Earth representative)
Won Dong Yeon (Realize Pictures CEO)
Yoo Jeong Hoon (Showbox representative)
Yoon Jong Bin (director, producer)
Yoon Je Kyoon (director, producer)
Yun Ha Rim (Tuesday aendam representative)
Lee Byung Hun (actor)
20th century Fox Korea (distribution, production, and investment)
Lee Yoo Jin (home studio representative)
Yi Tae Heon (Opus Pictures CEO)
Implementations (digital studio 2L representative)
Jang Tae Yoo (director)
Choi Min Sik (actor)
Ha Jung Woo (actor)
Hwang Jung Min (actor)
The Chosun Ilbo asked 12 producers and PR executives to rank the top 20 Korean actors according to drawing power. Unsurprisingly, Song Kang-ho [송강호] ranked first among all actors and actresses. Coming in at first place in 2003 and capturing second place in 2005, the lead of The Host was chosen by 10 of the 12 experts that took part in the survey as the actor with the greatest potential to attract an audience. Among actresses, Lee Young-ae [이영애] (Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) came in first. The failure of films starring last year’s no. 1 and 2, Moon Geun-young [문근영] (Love Me Not) and Jeon Ji-hyeon [전지현] (Daisy, My Sassy Girl), to live up to audience expectations also played a role in Lee’s rise to the top.
Among those trailing the two were Jeon Do-yeon [전도연] (You Are My Sunshine) (second), Uhm Jung-hwa [엄정화] (Princess Aurora) (ninth), Kim Hye-soo [김혜수] (The War of Flowers) (11th) in the women’s category, and Hwang Jeong-min [황정민] (You Are My Sunshine, Bloody Tie) (eighth) and Lee Byeong-heon [이병헌] (A Bittersweet Life) (ninth) in the men’s. Kim's popularity has soared since her role in "Flowers".
Jo In-Seong's [조인성] performance in A Dirty Carnival earned him fifth place on the list. Nos. 3 and 4 were Jo Seung-woo [조승우] (The War of Flowers, Marathon) and Kang Dong-won [강동원] (Duelist). Others who made the grade were Lee Jun-ki [이준기] (The King and the Clown) (19th), Choi Kang-hee [최강희] (My Scary Girl) (19th) and Ko Hyeon-jeong [고현정] (Woman on the Beach, Sandglass) (20).
Hung (Trinity Entertainment CEO)
Netflix (streaming video services, production investment)
Ryoo Seung Bum (actor)
Ryoo Seung Wan (director)
Park Chan Wook (director, producer)
So Ji Sub (actor, 51K CEO)
Son Ye Jin (actor)
Song Kang Ho (actor)
Sim Jae Myeong (Myung films CEO)
Sang Ho Yeon (director)
idols pan (make Earth representative)
Won Dong Yeon (Realize Pictures CEO)
Yoo Jeong Hoon (Showbox representative)
Yoon Jong Bin (director, producer)
Yoon Je Kyoon (director, producer)
Yun Ha Rim (Tuesday aendam representative)
Lee Byung Hun (actor)
20th century Fox Korea (distribution, production, and investment)
Lee Yoo Jin (home studio representative)
Yi Tae Heon (Opus Pictures CEO)
Implementations (digital studio 2L representative)
Jang Tae Yoo (director)
Choi Min Sik (actor)
Ha Jung Woo (actor)
Hwang Jung Min (actor)
The Chosun Ilbo asked 12 producers and PR executives to rank the top 20 Korean actors according to drawing power. Unsurprisingly, Song Kang-ho [송강호] ranked first among all actors and actresses. Coming in at first place in 2003 and capturing second place in 2005, the lead of The Host was chosen by 10 of the 12 experts that took part in the survey as the actor with the greatest potential to attract an audience. Among actresses, Lee Young-ae [이영애] (Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) came in first. The failure of films starring last year’s no. 1 and 2, Moon Geun-young [문근영] (Love Me Not) and Jeon Ji-hyeon [전지현] (Daisy, My Sassy Girl), to live up to audience expectations also played a role in Lee’s rise to the top.
Among those trailing the two were Jeon Do-yeon [전도연] (You Are My Sunshine) (second), Uhm Jung-hwa [엄정화] (Princess Aurora) (ninth), Kim Hye-soo [김혜수] (The War of Flowers) (11th) in the women’s category, and Hwang Jeong-min [황정민] (You Are My Sunshine, Bloody Tie) (eighth) and Lee Byeong-heon [이병헌] (A Bittersweet Life) (ninth) in the men’s. Kim's popularity has soared since her role in "Flowers".
Jo In-Seong's [조인성] performance in A Dirty Carnival earned him fifth place on the list. Nos. 3 and 4 were Jo Seung-woo [조승우] (The War of Flowers, Marathon) and Kang Dong-won [강동원] (Duelist). Others who made the grade were Lee Jun-ki [이준기] (The King and the Clown) (19th), Choi Kang-hee [최강희] (My Scary Girl) (19th) and Ko Hyeon-jeong [고현정] (Woman on the Beach, Sandglass) (20).
How about Kim Go Eun?
ReplyDeleteI was looking for kim Go Eun too, coz I saw her on a korean news video about this.
ReplyDeletewhere is KIM GO EUN she is one of the best chungmuro actoķrs too
ReplyDeleteIs Gong Yoo a chungmuro actor?
ReplyDelete