KIM JI-WON AND THE KOREAN SLAVES

Kim Ji-Won (A BITTERSWEET LIFE, TALE OF TWO SISTERS) is going into pre-production soon for his next movie, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD a Western set in China starring Song Kang-Ho (THE HOST) in the role of "the Weird".

Other slaves will probably star in the movie, too. Slaves?!? Yes, Korea's entertainment industry is currently going to war over slavery. "Slave contracts" are what talent in Korea sign, shackling them to management companies that take huge fees and basically call the shots over film production thanks to the massive power they wield. These contracts run for decades, and are virtually unbreakable, bringing down massive penalties on the signer if they leave for a better offer. The management companies say they spend hundreds of millions of won (that's Korean money!) developing their stars and therefore it's no fair if they leave for a better offer. And, of course, this keeps production costs down by keeping star salaries from being escalated beyond reason in bids to lure stars away.

Now, however, the Seoul courts have ruled that these slave contracts are illegal. Expect the Korean entertainment industry to explode as freed slaves run around looking for better deals.

(Thanks to Twitch)