''Single in Seoul'' () is a 2023 South Korean

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film directed by Park Beom-soo, starring

Lee Dong-wook Lee Dong-wook (; born 6 November 1981) is a South Korean actor and presenter. He is best known for his leading roles in the television dramas '' My Girl'' (2005), '' Scent of a Woman'' (2011), '' The Fugitive of Joseon'' (2013), ''Hotel King'' ...

and

Im Soo-jung Im Soo-jung (; born July 11, 1979) is a South Korean actress and former model. After modeling for teen magazines, Im made her acting breakthrough in Kim Jee-woon's horror film ''A Tale of Two Sisters'' (2003), followed by the popular Korean dram ...

. The film follows Yeong-ho, who likes to be alone, and Hyeon-jin a gregarious publisher, who writes an essay about single life. It was released theatrically on November 29, 2023.

Synopsis

The story revolves around two people who have different temperament and lifestyle. They meet via an essay about single life, and then old memories are rekindled, opening the past wounds. Park Yeong-ho (

) is an instructor and influencer with 300,000 followers, who enjoys being single. Joo Hyeon-jin (

) is Park Yeong-ho's college junior and an editor-in-chief of a publishing company and in-charge of the essay series titled "Single in the City".

Cast

as Park Yeong-ho, a successful essay instructor and power influencer. *

as Joo Hyeon-jin, chief editor of a publishing company. *

Esom Lee So-young (; January 30, 1990), known by her stage name Esom (), is a South Korean actress. Career She gained recognition for her leading role in the 2014 film '' Scarlet Innocence'', for which she was nominated for Best New Actress in five ...

as Agatha Hong, best-selling author of a mysterious romantic novel. *

Jang Hyun-sung Jang Hyun-sung (; born July 17, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He started his acting career as a member of the ''Hakjeon'' Theatre Company, before transitioning to film and television. Jang is best known for starring in director Song Il-gon's a ...

as Jin-pyo, president of the publishing company. * Kim Ji-young as co-owner of the publishing company. *

Lee Mi-do Lee Mi-do (; born 25 May 1982), birth name Lee Eun-hye, is a South Korean actress. Career In 2012, she started working in TV, while remaining active in the world of movies. Her notable TV credits include '' The Queen of Office'' (2013) and '' ...

as Yoon Jeong, Joo Hyeon-jin's coworker, senior employee of the editorial team. * Lee Sang-yi as Byeong-soo, an intern. *

Ji Yi-soo Ji Yi-soo (; born 26 October 1991) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for her roles in dramas such as '' Woman with a Suitcase'', '' Solomon's Perjury'' and '' When the Camellia Blooms''. Biography and career She was born on ...

as Ye-ri, member of editorial team. * Yoon Jung-eun as member of editorial team. *

Ryu Hye-rin Ryu Hye-rin (; born 24 October 1984) is a South Korean actress and model. She is known for her roles in dramas ''How Are U Bread'', ''Two Cops'' and '' The Game: Towards Zero''. She also appeared in movies such as '' Sunny'', ''Big Match ...

as Park Joon-hee

Special appearance

Yoon Kye-sang Yoon Kye-sang (; born December 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor and singer. He began his career in 1999 as part of the K-pop boy band g.o.d (South Korean band), g.o.d, then left the group in 2004 and pursued an acting career. He made his acting ...

as Seon-woo

Production

Casting

In June 2020,

and

were offered to play Park Yeong-ho, an instructor and influencer, and Lim Soo-jung, the editor-in-chief of a publishing company respectively. Lee Dong-wook and Im Soo-jung worked in '' Search: WWW'', though Dong-wook's appearance was short.

Filming

The

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on November 14, 2020, and is scheduled to last for three months.

Music

OST of the film was released on November 23, 2023. The OST features Kim Hyeon-cheol's "After a Long Time" and

Akdong Musician AKMU (; ), formerly Akdong Musician (; ), is a South Korean duo consisting of siblings Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun (singer, born 1999), Lee Su-hyun signed to YG Entertainment. As prominent figures of South Korea, their musical impact in their ...

's "Long Day, Long Night".

Release

The film theatrically released on November 29, 2023, by Lotte Entertainment.

Reception

Box office

The film was released on November 29 on 917 screens. It opened at first place on the Korean box-office with 71,003 cumulative admissions and a collection of US$460,615. , it is at 25th place among the Korean films released in 2023, with gross of US$2,834,842 and 394,683 admissions.

Critical response

Park Ji-yoon writing in The Fact criticised the story but praised the performance of actors, writing, "it was the actors' passionate performances that saved the somewhat sloppy story." Park Jae-hwan wrote in review that "the film shows the sensibility between coldness and passion and does not have the same gap as "Men are from Venus, Women are from Mars"." Park praised the performances of Lee Dong-wook and Lim Soo-jung, Jang Hyun-seong, Kim Ji-young, Lee Mi-do, Ji I-soo, and Lee Sang-i. Park concluded, "It cannot be denied that this is a work that reveals the true skills of Myeong Film."

References

External links

* * * {{KMDb movie 2020s Korean-language films South Korean romantic comedy films Myung Films films 2020s South Korean films Lotte Entertainment films