Hawai'i hallyu ("Korean wave") fans will be the first to see director Kwak Kyung Taek's new film "A Love," starring Ju Jin Mo. The Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival (Oct. 18-28) secured the international premiere of the film, which was released in South Korea on Sept. 20 and has been getting a lot of attention at the box office.

Kwak is known for the 2001 box-office hit "Friend" ("Chin-goo"), which he wrote and directed. The film stars Jang Dong Gun as a gangster who must face off with his friend from youth, who heads a rival gang. "Friend" ranks in the top five of Korean box-office hits. The film includes a famous line that has a local connection: Jang's rival suggests he get out of town to hide for a while, saying, "Ni-ga ga-ra, Hawai'i," which translates to, "You go to Hawai'i."

Kwak went on to direct "Typhoon," which was released in the U.S. but did not do as well in the box office as "Friend," even though megastars Jang and Lee Jung Jae played the main characters. Kwak was born in Busan, the second largest city in South Korea. "Friend" and "A Love" were filmed there.

There were some rumors that Jang was cast in "A Love," but Ju fit the role and was motivated to play the part. Ju is very popular in Hawai'i, appearing in TV dramas such as "Fashion 70s" and "The Queen of the Game." Ju also has starred in many films such as "Happy End, Musa" (also starring Zhang Ziyi), and "200-pound Beauty."

If you have seen "Friend" and "A Love," you can't help but compare the films. Although the storylines are different, there are similarities as well in directing, location and style of speaking with an accent prevalent in the south.

The one aspect that translation and subtitles cannot deliver on is that of provincial accent. As a comparison, how would you translate and subtitle pidgin English into Korean? For those who understand the dialect, the film can be appreciated in more depth.

"A Love" is about a boy (Ju) who falls in love in his youth. Trying to save his girlfriend from a gangster kidnapping, he attempts to murder the gangster who holds his girlfriend hostage. But he ends up in jail. After serving his term, he gets a job working for a construction tycoon. Earning the trust of the chairman, Ju becomes the right-hand man. Then he finds out that the chairman's girlfriend is his old love from youth. The lovers are reunited but at the expense of losing the chairman's trust. For more on "A Love," go to www.sarang2007 .co.kr (Korean language).

Ju and Kwak have been invited to the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival and are expected to attend, but HIFF is waiting for final confirmation.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'BRIDE FROM VIETNAM'

Episodes 17 and 18: Jin-ju confesses to Han-suk in the doctor's office that she and Jun-wu are not truly "married." Jun-wu tells his family he was never ready to be married and storms out. When Jun-wu doesn't come back, Jin-ju goes out to find him in the rain. Jun-wu finally realizes how much Jin-ju means to him, and the two decide to make their marriage work. Se-mi and Won-mi enlist Young-su and Dong-gu's help to win a honeymoon package for Jun-wu and Jin-ju.

'KANGNAM MOM'

Episodes 15 and 16: Sang-won, once again, attempts to score some points with the chairman. Soo-mi's husband is transferred to another branch, but Soo-mi refuses to move with him so he decides to leave by himself. Min-joo tells her in-laws that they can't send Jin-woo abroad, and tells them that she's taking him back. Sang-won boasts that he's been getting many offers from cram schools only to have the chairman tell him that he should take one of the offers. But when Sang-won goes to see his friend for a job, he finds the cram school has shut down and his friend is on the run.

'THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR'

Episodes 11 and 12: Yoon-hee is having a hard time trying to get over Joon-suk. Joon-suk expresses that he wants to postpone his wedding with Hye-mi. Mi-hee and Duk-gil begin to find comfort in each other. Soo-chan is developing feelings for Yoon-hee. Joon-suk's mother threatens to kill herself if he chooses to stay with Yoon-hee. Yoon-hee is elated when Joon-suk proposes to her, but her heart sinks when it turns out to be a proposal to be his mistress. Nevertheless, Yoon-hee accepts his proposal.

'KARL & SUJUNG'

Episodes 7 and 8: Su-jung is shocked to find Man-su at her home, and mortified when her brother tells her Man-su carried her home the night before. Man-su is dumbfounded when Su-jung shamelessly asks him if he still has feelings for her. Su-jung catches Dae-soon and Man-su in an embrace and falls in her rush to leave the scene. Su-jung is outraged when her mother shows up at Man-su's birthday party. Man-su asks Su-jung what happened with the man she had gone to America with, but Su-jung doesn't give him an answer.