Korean Job Discussion Forums

[antgonz]

Do they all have English subs or is it hit and miss?

[PBEnglish]

[antgonz]

yeah I meant the Korean movies. So I guess most of the films they show there are from Hollywood?

[bassexpander]

I have heard there are/were one or two theaters in Seoul that do/did this. I'm sorry I don't know which.

[mindmetoo]

Pretty much no. First, Koreans don't like subtitles on Korean films. Much the same way the vast majority of English movie go'ers don't like subtitles either. Second, the market is pretty small.

Once in a while an important Korean movie or one they really want to market to international audiences will come with subtitles at select theaters but this is pretty rare. I can count them on my right hand if I had 2 or 3 fingers blown away in a pipebomb making accident (kids, always dust off the gun powder before you screw on the caps).

There was, hrm, Silmido. President's Last Bang. Maybe Taegukea and maybe Welcome to Dokmagol or whatever it was called.

[rumdiary]

[mistermasan]

but if you rent DVDs there is an english language option most always.

[Billy Pilgrim]

Yeah, the market here is nowhere near big enough to support English subtitles on Korean movies in the theatre. It happens occasionally, but very, very rarely. I have seen three Korean films like that in all the time I've been here - The President's Last Bang, Road and Time.

DVD is your friend, though it seems that there are more and more DVDs being released without an English subtitle option.

[matthews_world]

Most DVD rental shops here on the peninsula dissuade foreigners from renting movies. Go figure.

There are internet sites that specialize in subtitles but I have yet to find Korean-English.

Your best bet at watching English subtitled is something called Gom player. Have a Korean help you out. It's free, supported by advertising.

[korea252]

I've heard of small showings of movies in areas frequented by foreigners. Can't remember exactly where but maybe tourist info or one of the foreigner magazines will be more help. (Tourist info 1330 - I think - foreigner info service 120).

[mindmetoo]