December 1, 2021 - With Seck Zeen Hong in the leading role, "Crisis" is the first Korean-Croatian film and first Croatian film starring an Asian actor in the main role. Shot in Zagreb during the pandemic, the coming of age drama about a young Korean man seeking to adapt to a new society has already been selected at two film festivals.

In a year where Croatian cinema has not gone unnoticed at international festivals, a short fiction film arrives to join the celebrations and mark a couple of historical milestones along the way. Crisis (Kriza in Croatian, 위기 in Korean), was created and produced by Benjamin Noah Maričak, directed by Boris Vuković, and written by Karla Leko; as part of their graduate work at the University of Zagreb - Academy of Dramatic Art, and it is the first Croatian-Korean film and the first Croatian film starring an Asian actor in the main role. The film was shot in the city of Zagreb during the current pandemic, and it was completed on June 23 of this year.

Official English Poster for Crisis

With a runtime of 14 minutes and 58 seconds, and featuring both Croatian and Korean languages, Crisis follows the day in the life of 20 something-year-old Ji-Hu (Zeen Hong) who is working for his father's Korean restaurant in the heart of Zagreb, as the delivery boy, during the beginning stages of the worldwide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Throughout his delivery runs across Zagreb, he will not only have to deal with the constant pressure from his father and an odd variety of customers but also trying to adjust in a world where he still hasn’t found his place yet.

Seck Zeen Hong stars as Ji-Hu, a young Korean in his twenties, trying to adjust in the Croatian capital of Zagreb and dealing with pressure from his father, played by You Kwang Kim. Seck Zeen Hong becomes the first Asian actor to play a leading role in a Croatian film.

Everything seems to indicate that the coming of age family drama filmed in the Croatian capital has been well received, since to date the short film has been selected in the official program of two film festivals, confirms the producer and creator of Crisis, Benjamin Noah Maričak. The Asian premiere of the first Korean-Croatian film will be at the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), the largest film festival in Bangladesh. The short film, which features photography by Marko Milohnić and editing by Marta Bregeš, will be part of the festival's official program in the Short & Independent Film Section. The DIFF will be held from January 15th to 22nd, 2022.

In addition, for the local public, Crisis was also accepted in the official program of the CIiklop Film Festival, which will take place in Benkovac, near the city of Zadar. The dates of the Ciklop Film Festival will be from December 18th to 22nd of this year. The official program with the full list of selected films will be published very soon.

Crisis is the first Korean-Croatian film, and it was shot entirely in Zagreb. In this still from the film, you can see the famous brutalist residential buildings known as Rakete, built in 1968.

Here are the names of the cast and team behind the making of the first Korean-Croatian film, Crisis:

Cast

• Ji-Hu: Seck Zeen Hong (홍 석진)
• Father: You Kwang Kim (김 유광)
• Party Girl: Lara Nekić
• Slaven: Igor Jurinić
• Girls at Party: Lucia Luque Akrap, Laura Anić-Kaliger, Laura Bošnjak, and Dora Dimić Rakar
• Man in Tracksuit: Fabijan Pavao Medvešek
• Woman in Apartment: Alemka Sappe
• Teenager 1: Tara Dorotić
• Teenager 2: Klara Fiolić
• Man in Tram: Željimir Sappe
• Postman: Anđelko Katanec
• Bike Thief: Noa Nikolić

Crew

• Director: Boris Vuković
• Screenwriter: Karla Leko
• Producer and Creator: Benjamin Noah Maričak
• Cinematographer: Marko Milohnić
• Editor: Marta Bregeš
• Production Designer: Cinita Macuka
• Costume Designers: Jana Friščić and Ela Leko
• 1st AD: Filip Dizdar
• Hair and Make-up: Tea Pavec and Mia Popovska
• 1st AC: Urh Pirc
• 2nd AC / Best Boy: Tin Ostrošić, and Rene Recek
• Gaffer: Domen Martinčič
• Sound Recordist: Jan Kapetanović
• Boom Operators: Juraj Franolić, and Stjepan Hren
• Script Supervisors: Rudolf Ravbar, and Noa Nikolić
• Sound Mixer: Marko Klajić
• Color Grading: Marko Milohnić
• VFX: Marino Vuletić
• Assistant Editor: Stjepan Hren
• Title Designer: Tamara Milošević
• Production Assistants: Noa Nikolić, and Vedran Bošnjak

Thus begins the festival circuit for a project carried out by young filmmakers and artists, which explores existentialist and very human themes in a very complicated period of our history. We wish them the best and much success!

For everything you need to know about filming in Croatia, in your language, be sure to check Total Croatia's page.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes on the 6th of December, 2020, although the coronavirus crisis has shaken the global economy, Croatian-Korean economic relations will continue to progress well in the coming period, it was said at the 8th Croatian-Korean Economic Forum, which was held yesterday. It was organised by the Embassies of the Republic of Korea in Zagreb and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

It was pointed out that the quality level of Croatian-Korean cooperation is visible even during the pandemic, and in some cases even because of it, because many tests for coronavirus, as well as a good part of other sophisticated equipment used in the fight against this pandemic, are of Korean origin.

Korean Ambassador Kim Dong-chan emphasised that 2018 was a big step forward in the cooperation between the two countries due to the opening of the Croatian Embassy in Seoul and the first flight taken by Korean Air, which directly connected the two countries and as such aided in boosting Croatian-Korean relations.

Ivan Barbaric, Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce for International Affairs, pointed out that the strength of the Croatian economy doesn't lie in numbers, but in innovation.

"We have unique products and services and a lot of knowledge that we can share in joint projects and compete together internationally," said Barbaric, adding that some of these innovative products come in the form of the currently highly sought after protective masks. A Croatian company called Splendor is engaged in their production.

Suzana Percic, head of development at Splendor textiles, pointed out that in just a few months, due to the lack of protective masks available on the market, this Croatian company has developed a sophisticated and certified product for protection against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

"In the meantime, we learned a lot about the market, it wasn't easy, nor was it cheap, but we succeeded. We have a capacity of four million masks per month that have a special three-layer filter that filters 99.9 percent of the virus,'' said Percic, adding that although they are generally interested in entering every market, their primary focus lies within Croatia and the immediate region.

Korea is very well known as a high-tech country and technology, primarily artificial intelligence, is widely used in the fight against coronavirus. However, Croatia also has something to say on this issue, and the Koreans were introduced to the Croatian digital assistant Andrija and his "sister" Megi.

Mislav Malenica, director of the company Mindsmiths, which developed Andrija, said that Megi helps treat chronic patients, and is primarily focused on issues surrounding blood pressure.

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As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak/Privredni.hr writes on the 17th of December, 2019, a project of cooperation between the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) and the Bluesun hotel chain with the Korean media company A9 began last year. What followed is an excellent promotion for Croatia.

The collaboration came to pass last autumn when Martina Kovačić, director of Salve Regina, which operates the Kaj, Nestos and Sagitta hotels, and Leo Urlić, the director of marketing and sales of Bluesun Hotels & Resorts, visited Korea.

Recording the TV show is, according to Martina Kovačić, Croatia's best promotional channel as a destination and, of course, for Bluesun that has hotels in a number of destinations both on the continent and along the coast.

The Battle Trip is a show designed in such a way that two countries, or two media stars, compete with what they have seen and experienced. In this particular case, Azerbaijan and Croatia are competing. Viewers rate which country is more attractive and better represented.

The show began airing in late November on KBS, which is viewed by more than 25 million viewers in South Korea and also by a large number of Korean expatriates, predominantly in the USA, through KBS World. It's important to mention that it airs during prime time on Saturdays. The people who participate in it and the show itself are followed with great attention on social networks, which acts as additional promotion for Croatia.

"This is a great promotional story. We wanted to launch on the South Korean market for individual arrivals. The fact is that the TV show ''Battle Trip'' is mostly watched by younger people. We expect this to be a trigger for organised groups that have not had Croatia in their travel plans so far. Koreans are great lovers of nature and active holidays, including hiking, biking, mountaineering, using wellness facilities... It's in this direction that we develop our services. Recently, the Kaj Hotel has become the only bike hotel in Hrvatsko Zagorje, not to mention the pace of cycling in Brač and how much that has helped that destination,'' explained Martina Kovačić.

The collaboration with the production company A9 came about by chance after Martina Kovačić travelled over to Seoul to meet with tourism partners, among whom she tried to answer the question about the best way for promotion for Croatia and Croatia's Bluesun hotels.

"They revealed to us that ''Battle Trip'' is the most watched Korean TV show. As we have hotels in a number of destinations, this seemed like a great promotional channel to us. In addition, we've had a successful partnership with the Croatian National Tourist Board, focused on the increased promotion of Zagreb, Hrvatsko Zagorje, Split, Brač and the Makarska riviera,'' pointed out Martina Kovačić.

The stay of the twenty-person crew, including two stars, pop singer Park Cho-rong and Yoon Bo-mi, lasted six days. The crew visited and filmed scenes in Zagreb, Hrvatsko Zagorje, Split, Starigrad Paklenica, Brač and the Makarska riviera. During their stay, a number of Bluesun hotel staff took care of them. The Croatian National Tourist Board was instrumental in obtaining filming licenses and coordinating filming, arranging logistics, translating and taking care of all the details.

The Kaj Hotel has about 4,000 Korean guests come to stay each year, and this additional promotion for Croatia will surely enhance that figure.

''The interest of Korean guests is growing. After this, we expect an increased arrival of individual guests. The most common motive for the arrival of individual guests from Korea are honeymoons and active holidays.

The rest are the so-called Balkan tours of organised groups from Korea, which start from Venice or Ljubljana. Such guests stay one night in a destination, and can travel about 800 kilometres in one day by bus. What is certain is that their habits are changing, and we're positioning ourselves for them to be able to stay longer in our facilities, whether it be in the continental or coastal areas.

It's worth noting that they're very interested in Marija Bistrica because they like historical and other sights. In addition, we're in the process of exporting Stina wines to the Korean market, into their duty free shops. This is an important event that is significant for Croatia as a destination,'' emphasised Martina Kovačić.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and travel pages for much more on the promotion of Croatia as a tourist destination.

As Glas Istre/Andjelo Dagostin/Gordana Calic Sverko writes on the 3rd of June, 2019, last week, a visit of foreign delegations to Istria took place. Istria's Zminj municipality was visited by a high delegation from South Korea, led by a personal envoy of Korean Culture, Tourism and Sports Minister Shin Kinam. Along with his colleagues, they were hosted by Željko Plavčić of Žminj, on the occasion of the fifth Assembly of Čakavian poetry that was held in Žminj last weekend.

The previous delegation held meetings with Minister of Culture Nina Obuljen Koržinek and President of the Croatian Olympic Committee Zlatko Mateš, and after Žminj they visited Pula. Among the delegation was a film producer and university professor Baek Hak Gi, journalist from the United Press International Lee Sang Bong, president of EZ Entertainment and university professor Na Jungyoon, and visiting coordinator, translator and member of the American Association of Architects, Redden Soonyoung. Žminj and Istria were visited upon the recommendation of the Croatian Ambassador to South Korea, Damir Kušen.

In Istria, more specifically in Žminj, members of the delegation discussed the establishment of economic, cultural and tourist co-operation with Plavčić. Direct investment was not discussed because this was just an initial visit, however, Kinam expressed the desire to concretise cooperation at the next meeting in Seoul. Kinam himself personally joined the celebration of Čakavian poetry by bringing up Korean poetry. Kinam has spent four mandates in the South Korean Parliament, is an experienced writer and author of the contemporary novel "The Person I met in Dubrovnik" (Osoba koju sam sreo u Dubrovniku).

The meeting in Istria highlighted the fact that Croatia was visited more than 560,000 Koreans last year, contributing to the quality of traffic connections between Seoul and Zagreb, which is certainly a prerequisite for Žminj to become a ''station'' for Korean tourists, as well as artists who could find inspiration in this very quiet and picturesque region of Istria, with its rich gastronomic offer and cultural heritage.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

While the headlines continue to be dominated by the depressing tales of the mass exodus of Croatia's inhabitants to other countries, there is a much quieter, but still very much present, trickle of foreigners making Croatia their permanent home. One of these people made the journey from Asia, and relocated from Korea to Zagreb in search of happiness, which she well and truly found.

''If someone is looking for a nice place to live, I'd certainly recommend Croatia, but if they're coming to develop their career and earn money, I'd definitely offer them some friendly advise to go somewhere else,'' says 35-year-old Soyeon Won, who relocated from Korea to Zagreb almost a decade ago,.

As Novac.hr/Jutarnji/Boris Oresic writes on the 8th of December, 2018, back in 2015, she opened the Korean restaurant Cro K on Ulica pod Zidom (Street under the Wall) near Dolac in central Zagreb. Cro stands for Croatia, and K for Korea. Soyeon states that she's so fond of the name Cro, that she named her eldest son, who is now eight, Cro, because he was born in Croatia. In Korea, as she says, there is no such male name, but regardless, it sounds good to her.

It's no secret that South Korean people love Croatia, which is best evidenced by the data proving that a growing number of tourists are visiting Croatia from this distant country in which the Croatian tourist offer has been being very well advertised over recent years. There have also been some very popular TV shows which were shot in Croatia, after which the curious Koreans, fascinated by the beauty of the cities and nature that they saw on their screens, began visiting in larger numbers.

Some, like Yo Han Kima, a Korean shop owner, came to Croatia on holiday, and they ended up liking it so much that they decided to stay, live here permanently, and even start their own business. Gye Yoen Cho from the Korean Embassy in Zagreb revealed that according to her knowledge, around 180 South Korean citizens have made the move from Korea to live in Croatia, but as they're not required to report to the embassy, ​​the actual number is certainly somewhat higher than we'd expect. A good deal of them came to Croatia to study initially and ended up staying, while some work in Korean company offices, particularly Samsung.

The amount of people who have either tried, or have successfully made the move from Korea to Zagreb and beyond remains unknown by the embassy, but their numbers are likely higher than we might imagine.

"There are more and more Korean tourists in Croatia and I hope there will also be more investors. For the time being, there aren't many examples of that, but there is a lot of research on the market and they're exploring opportunities to launch jobs mainly related to tourism, as well as more significant investments,'' says Gye Yoen Cho.

According to the latest data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, during the first eight months of this year, Croatia increased its exports to South Korea by 117.5 percent compared to the same period last year, to 509.33 million kuna. At the same time, imports increased by 51 percent to approximately 917 million kuna. Economic co-operation between Korea and Croatia continues to grow, but not as fast as it could, and Croatia hasn't particularly emphasised its desire to attract direct investments from that Asian country, as was highlighted last week and at the Korean-Croatian Economic Forum which was held in Zagreb.

Last year, Croatia was visited by a massive 444,000 Korean tourists, and it is expected that this year, those numbers will be even higher. In the first seven months of 2018, there were 180,000 Korean tourists, or 29 percent more than in the same period of 2017.

In Zagreb, Koreans have been by far the most numerous guests for a number of years now, and in the first half of this year, the Croatian capital was visited 55,600 Koreans, which is 43 percent more than last year.

Everyone expects that these positive trends will continue in the coming years, especially as two Korean reality shows have been recorded in Croatia this year, and Korean Air also introduced a direct connection between Zagreb and Seoul which runs twice a week, which made the Croatian capital and the rest of the country as a whole much more accessible to Koreans than ever before.

Korean Air's sales representative for Central and Eastern Europe, Michal Ohnesorg, told Globus that this welcome direct line was introduced primarily owing to a large number of Korean tourists travelling to Croatia. Additionally, the number of travellers from Croatia and neighbouring countries who are heading to Korea or specifically Seoul as their final destination has also increased.

"We believe that the introduction of Seoul - Zagreb connection was a good business decision and we're confident that this line will be successful in the future," concluded Ohnesorg.

Research has shown that Korean tourists typically look to travel to destinations which inspire them, where they will learn something about history and the local lifestyle, expand their knowledge and their perspectives, and they travel with the same intensity for twelve months of the year. When at home Koreans, regularly visit Korean restaurants, and in the Croatian capital, thanks to those making the move from Korea to Zagreb, there are two already, Cro K in the very centre of Zagreb, and Omma on Unska street in Trnje.

Cro K's owner Soyeon Won studied Italian language and literature at home in Korea, and she worked as a translator and dreamed of completing her studies in Italy. Then she got married and her husband got a job at the Korean Embassy in Zagreb, which she liked very much because Croatia is so close to Italy. She then relocated from Korea to Zagreb.

By then, her husband had three years of cooking experience behind him from working in restaurants in America. She admited to Novac.hr/Jutarnji, that she herself had nothing to do with gastronomy. When their sons, born in Croatia, grew up a little, Soyeon Won began thinking about starting her own business, and so in June 2015, she cemented her move from Korea to Zagreb by opening the city's central Korean restaurant after finding a suitable space, right in the heart of Zagreb, where there used to be a cafe. They had to invest heavily in decorating. On the ground floor there is a 33-seat dining room and another 40-seat room in the basement, as well as the obvious - a kitchen.

"My friend has restaurants in Vienna and he was astonished when I told him what the price of renting space in the centre of Zagreb is, it's almost like it is in Vienna.

Zagreb is comparatively quiet and comfortable when compared to Seoul. In Korea, they all compete and compare with each other. Here, we're happy, the kids go to the British school, and my husband recently opened a company that deals with the sale of metal products from Korea. When I started this job, my acquaintance with people from Croatia helped me greatly with the administration, which is far more complicated than it is in Korea, was very important to me. My husband says that it isn't as demanding even in America as it is in Croatia,'' says the young Korean, satisfied with the fact that she has more and more guests every year, especially in the tourist season, which runs from March until November.

Therefore, she adds, she's happy with not only her move from Korea to Zagreb, but with her business, and she hopes that next year will be even better than this one.

The restaurant's guests are mostly tourists, not just Koreans, but, as she reveals, there are plenty of Germans, French, Americans, Chinese, Malaysians, and others who like Korean food. But it's no surprise that Croats also often come to try something new and exotic, and some have already become very regular guests.

In the beginning, Soyeon Won was mostly cooking everything herself, but one year later, there were some Korean chefs, two young men who moved from Seoul to work with her in Zagreb. She employs four chefs and three waiters. Soyeon added that it isn't easy to keep hold of Croatian workers during the summer because everyone prefers to go to work on the coast where they typically earn more money.

"The laws in Croatia are much more inclined towards workers than they are in Korea. It's happened to me that a waiter or chef has told me that he can't work, and I can't do anything about it. There are many reasons it is not really easy to do business in Croatia, I know some Koreans who came here to try something, but quickly gave up. I don't intend to go anywhere.

Every summer we go to the coast and have never seen such a beautiful coast as Dalmatia, and I have more and more friends who are Croats. I don't include myself among those Koreans who just can't live without kimchi, Korean fermented spicy cabbage, so at home, I often prepare European dishes, and I love Croatian food, particularly sarma and kulen,'' says Soyeon Won.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more stories from not only those who have made the move from Korea to Zagreb, but of many of Croatia's foreign residents from close to home in Europe, and from much further afield.

Click here for the original article by Boris Oresic for Novac.hr/Jutarnji

The Korean connection!

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