ACF 224: Hwang Jin Yi - The Korea Society to screen final episode of TV drama Wed

The Korea Society will screen the final select episode of KBS TV's blockbuster TV drama Hwang Jin Yi on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at 6:30. Here's some info about the series, its director, writer, and star, and a brief synopsis of the final episode:

In an age when women were treated as if they were invisible, Hwang Jin Yi, the celebrated Korean courtesan-singer-poet of the 16th century, was larger than life. Her beauty, wit and intellect propelled her from obscurity into the company of Korea’s most powerful aristocrats. The defining romance of her life broke across Korea’s rigid class lines and was in turn shattered by tragedy. A symbol of art and individuality, the subject of countless novels, movies and operas, Hwang Jin Yi remains a powerful feminist figure in Korea to this day.

Directed by Kim Cheol-gyu (More Beautiful Than Flowers) and written by Yoon Sun-Ju (The Immortal Lee Soon Shin), the acclaimed KBS TV drama series Hwang Jin Yi retells the tumultuous life story of Korea’s most famous kisaeng (courtesan). Top actress Ha Ji-won’s portrayal of Hwang Jin Yi made the series an instant television event when the series first aired in Korea in 2006, causing a nationwide rediscovery of the role kisaeng played in Korean history.

Part Four: Finale

Having won the acclaim of King and court, Hwang Jin Yi is confidant that she will win the heart of the people by performing her elegant dances in the marketplace. The people turn out to be a much harder audience to impress than the nobility. Hwang Jin Yi wrestles with the question of whether her life's passion is really meaningful if it doesn't resonate with the people among who she was raised.

All screenings presented in Korean with English subtitles.

The Korea Society is located at 950 Third Avenue (entrance on 57th Street), 8th Floor, New York, NY

More information at www.koreasociety.org or calling at (212) 759-7525, ext. 323.