Singer Youn Ha

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Singer Youn Ha will appear as the heroine of a Japanese movie opposite one of Japan's biggest stars, her local management agency Stam Entertainment announced Thursday. The 19-year-old will star in ``Gondono Nitsuyobi'' (This Sunday), a human drama directed by Genmochi Satoki.

Youn Ha had previously appeared in a Japanese short film in 2005, but this will be her first commercial feature. She will play the role of a Korean student studying in Japan who, while juggling various part-time jobs, becomes involved with a mysterious man.

The singer will act opposite Somegoro Ichikawa, 35, a renowned Kabuki movie star in Japan. He is famous for being cast at age 14 as the youngest ever Hamlet for a theatrical production of the Shakespearean play. Here, Ichikawa is known through the films ``Welcome Mr. McDonald'' and ``April Story.''

``Youn Ha went through vigorous training because Japanese films require performing subtle emotions,'' said Stam Entertainment. ``She is particularly focusing on portraying the coming-of-age aspect of the film. She will be delivering lines in both Korean and Japanese.''

``It's a story about two people communicating and sharing perspectives, overcoming national, generational and gender differences,'' the director was quoted as saying, according to Yonhap News. ``The film depicts humanity through humorous situations, times of woe and warm friendships.''

The film is currently going into production in Nagano, Japan. The cast and crew plan to move the shooting location to Korea at the end of the month.

hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr