{ "id": "ep1jqf630v", "slug": "radio-star", "title": "Radio Star (라디오 스타)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-2005-to-2006", "label": "Comedies of 2005 to 2006", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-2005-to-2006" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Asia (other) · 2001 to 2020: Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001", "label": "Asia (other) · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Radio Star (라디오 스타) is a 2006 South Korean comedy-drama film directed by Lee Joon-ik, starring Park Joong-hoon as a washed-up rock singer who becomes a small-town radio DJ.", "snippet": "Radio Star (라디오 스타) is a 2006 South Korean comedy-drama film directed by Lee Joon-ik, starring Park Joong-hoon as a washed-up rock singer who becomes a small-town radio DJ.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-2005-to-2006", "markdown": "# Radio Star (라디오 스타)\n\n**Radio Star** (라디오 스타) is a 2006 South Korean comedy-drama film directed by [Lee Joon](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-joon)-ik about a washed-up rock singer who becomes a radio DJ in a small rural town, and about the twenty-year friendship between him and his devoted manager. It stars Park Joong-hoon as the singer Choi Gon and Ahn Sung-ki as the manager Park Min-su, with Choi Jung-yoon as a demoted radio producer.[1](https://www.filmmakers.co.kr/movies/en/20060284) The film opened on September 28, 2006, the Chuseok holiday season, ran 115 minutes, and was produced by Achim Pictures and [Cineworld](https://www.edgepedia.org/cineworld) with distribution by Cinema Service.[1](https://www.filmmakers.co.kr/movies/en/20060284) • [2](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/e7285e1e3f18a385a90602fd2d446c66.pdf)\n\nIt should not be confused with *Radio Star* (라디오스타), the MBC talk show that began in 2007 as part of the Golden Fishery block.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/radio-star)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | September 28, 2006 (South Korea); 115 minutes; rated 12[1](https://www.filmmakers.co.kr/movies/en/20060284) |\n| Director and writer | Lee Joon-ik; screenplay by Choi Suk-hwan[1](https://www.filmmakers.co.kr/movies/en/20060284) |\n| Leads | Park Joong-hoon (Choi Gon), Ahn Sung-ki (Park Min-su), Choi Jung-yoon (Kang Seok-yeong)[1](https://www.filmmakers.co.kr/movies/en/20060284) |\n| Budget | US$3 million, shot on 35mm at 1.85:1[2](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/e7285e1e3f18a385a90602fd2d446c66.pdf) |\n| Box office | 1,590,951 admissions; 22nd among 2006 releases in Korea[4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20060284) • [5](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/boxOffice_Yearly.jsp?mode=BOXOFFICE_YEAR&selectDt=2006) |\n| Signature awards | Maxmovie Best Film (2007, internet vote); Blue Dragon Best Actor (2006); Daejong Best Actor (2007); KAFCA Best Music (2006)[6](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=569) • [4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20060284) |\n| Music | Bang Jun-seok score; songs spanning three generations of Korean rock, including Shin Joong-hyun and the band No Brain[7](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=1&mag_id=41638) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe story is set in motion in 1988, when Choi Gon briefly ruled Korean pop music. He won a 1988 \"King of Singers\" title on the strength of his hit song \"The Rain and You\" (비와 당신), then fell away through drug problems and violent incidents.[2](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/e7285e1e3f18a385a90602fd2d446c66.pdf) • [8](https://cine21.com/movie/point/view/?movie_id=18504) Nearly two decades later he sings guitar in a café village at Misari for couples, still convinced of his own stardom.[2](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/e7285e1e3f18a385a90602fd2d446c66.pdf)\n\nAfter a fight with a café customer lands him in a lockup, his manager of more than twenty years, Park Min-su, scrambles for bail money. An acquaintance who runs a radio station agrees to pay it on one condition: Choi Gon must work as a DJ at a remote station in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province.[2](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/e7285e1e3f18a385a90602fd2d446c66.pdf) • [9](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1599374593/weekend/) The program is titled \"Choi Gon's Afternoon Songs of Hope.\"[8](https://cine21.com/movie/point/view/?movie_id=18504)\n\n**The broadcast.** Choi Gon treats the job with contempt at first, ignoring song requests, improvising wildly, and even having coffee delivered into the booth.[8](https://cine21.com/movie/point/view/?movie_id=18504) His rough, unscripted style nevertheless strikes listeners as fresh. When he brings a café delivery girl on as an impromptu guest and her story moves many listeners, the show gradually wins the town's support, and the demoralized station staff revive with it.[10](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=0&mag_id=41367) The local rock band [East River](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-river), played by the real punk band No Brain, supplies comedy and music around him.[10](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=0&mag_id=41367)\n\nUnderneath the comedy, the film follows the two men's relationship. Park Min-su has propped up his friend's career for twenty years without a written contract, sacrificing his own family life to keep the illusion of stardom alive; the radio job forces Choi Gon to see how much that friendship occupies his life.[11](https://www.kyeonggi.com/article/200609290202339) • [12](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/radio_star.htm) A record producer's later offer, which would sideline the manager, tests the bond.[7](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=1&mag_id=41638)\n\n## Production\n\nLee Joon-ik came to the film directly off *The King and the Clown* (2005), which drew over 12 million admissions and was then the biggest hit in Korean film history; he began shooting *Radio Star* the day after that film's theatrical run ended.[2](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/e7285e1e3f18a385a90602fd2d446c66.pdf) • [7](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=1&mag_id=41638) The original conception centered on a romance between a demoted female producer and the fallen singer; Lee moved the center to the singer and his manager, framing it as a story of companions who have walked a long road together.[7](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=1&mag_id=41638)\n\n**Origin of the story.** Screenwriter Choi Suk-hwan conceived the film after stumbling upon the KBS Yeongwol relay station, which had stopped broadcasting and closed its doors, and asking what would happen if a has-been rock star came there to DJ.[10](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=0&mag_id=41367)\n\nFilming began on April 19, 2006, at Sejong University in Seoul with a concert scene set in 1988, and wrapped on July 8 after three months.[13](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=37924) • [14](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=39906) Lee cast Park Joong-hoon and Ahn Sung-ki, who had already played opposite each other in *Chilsu and Mansu* (1988), the *Two Cops* series, and *Nowhere to Hide* (1999); Park had himself worked as a radio DJ, and Ahn accepted the role immediately after reading it.[15](https://screenanarchy.com/2006/05/2006-k-film-previews-lee-joon-iks-radio-star.html) In a flashback showing the 1988 awards ceremony, the presenter's lines spoken by Lee Deok-hwa were actually dubbed by comedian Choi Byeong-seo, an impressionist, after Lee was injured during a drama shoot.[16](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/200609122202053/amp)\n\n## Music\n\nMusic director Bang Jun-seok wrote the score and arrangements, and the Korean Association of Film Critics gave him its Best Music award for 2006.[4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20060284) Lee Joon-ik described the soundtrack as deliberately spanning three generations of Korean rock: three songs by Shin Joong-hyun, the first-generation pioneer; the fictional Choi Gon as the second generation; and No Brain, the Yeongwol village band, as the third.[7](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=1&mag_id=41638) No Brain's \"You Fell for Me\" (넌 내게 반했어) plays over a montage of small-town daily life, and Park Joong-hoon sings on screen himself.[10](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=0&mag_id=41367) • [12](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/radio_star.htm)\n\n## Box office and reception\n\nThe film opened weakly. Its first day drew about 15,000 admissions nationwide, and its first weekend about 150,000, in a Chuseok season crowded with competitors; commentators openly expected it to be pushed aside.[17](https://www.segye.com/newsView/20061101000886) • [18](https://senior.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/01/25/2007012565015.html) [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) records an opening weekend of $980,419 from 231 theaters, followed by a second weekend up 86.6 percent, an unusual trajectory for a wide release.[9](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1599374593/weekend/) It passed one million admissions on October 13, in its third week, and finished with 1,590,951 admissions, ranking 22nd among 2006 releases with a gross of 9,860,721,500 won.[19](https://www.newswire.co.kr/newsRead.php?no=193958) • [4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20060284) • [5](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/boxOffice_Yearly.jsp?mode=BOXOFFICE_YEAR&selectDt=2006)\n\n**Word of mouth.** The growth pattern made the film a textbook case of audience-driven success. A Chosun Ilbo study of 2006 releases computed a \"word-of-mouth index\" comparing first-weekend audiences with final totals; Radio Star ranked first at 10.60, ahead of *Tazza* and *The Host*, because its first weekend accounted for under 10 percent of total admissions. Its Naver user score of 9.22 out of 10 was the highest among the 676 films then listed on the portal.[18](https://senior.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/01/25/2007012565015.html) In January 2007, the reservation site Maxmovie and Channel CGV announced the results of their fourth annual internet-voted film awards: with 425,613 votes cast, Radio Star won Best Picture, a result the trade press called a surprise for a film that had opened weakly.[6](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=569)\n\nCritics responded to the same qualities. Reviews highlighted the chemistry between Park and Ahn, the balance of humor and feeling without sentimentality, and the way the small-town setting gives the story its warmth; the film was described as working within a small frame rather than straining for scale.[12](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/radio_star.htm) • [20](https://fareastfilms.com/review/radio-star/) The film also resonated with working managers in the entertainment industry, who saw their own circumstances in Park Min-su.[11](https://www.kyeonggi.com/article/200609290202339)\n\n## Awards\n\nThe Blue Dragon Awards named Park Joong-hoon and Ahn Sung-ki joint Best Actors for 2006, and the Daejong Film Awards gave its 2007 Best Actor prize to the film as well; the Korean Association of Film Critics also named a Best Actor for 2006.[4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20060284) Further recognition included the Jin Jue Award at the 2007 Shanghai International Film and TV Festival, a Women in Film Korea Festival honor in 2006, and later festival retrospectives, including the Florence Korea Film Fest's 2015 Ahn Sung-ki retrospective and the 2019 Jecheon International Music and Film Festival program \"100 Years of Korean Cinema, Songs of the Times.\"[4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20060284)\n\n## Place in Lee Joon-ik's career\n\nRadio Star began what festival programming later grouped as Lee Joon-ik's music-film trilogy: *Radio Star* (2006), *The Happy Life* (2007), and *Sunny* (2008).[21](https://jimff.org/kor/addon/00000002/history_film_view.asp?QueryType=B&QueryYear=2007&c_idx=165&m_idx=102288) Lee said he wanted to make a film suited to his own age, addressing the fatigue of Koreans worn down by competition, and that he pursued the film's social function rather than its aesthetic one.[7](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=1&mag_id=41638) Ahn Sung-ki later named Radio Star the favorite among his own films, and Lee said he wrote the scenario with the two veteran actors' long friendship in mind, calling it a film dedicated to two actors who represent Korea.[22](https://www.kmediarods.com/fileUpload/bulletins/bulletin_2026-01-07.pdf)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Radio Star, Filmmakers film database](https://www.filmmakers.co.kr/movies/en/20060284)\n2. [Radio Star pressbook, Directed by Lee Joon-ik](https://netboardme.s3.amazonaws.com/published/1518/files/e7285e1e3f18a385a90602fd2d446c66.pdf)\n3. [Radio Star (2007 TV series) streaming listing, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/radio-star)\n4. [Radio Star (2006), KOFIC Korean Film Biz Zone film database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20060284)\n5. [Yearly Box Office 2006, KOBIS via KOFIC](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/boxOffice_Yearly.jsp?mode=BOXOFFICE_YEAR&selectDt=2006)\n6. [Korean netizens choose Radio Star, KOFIC News (Darcy Paquet), January 29, 2007](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=569)\n7. [Interview with Radio Star director Lee Joon-ik, Cine21, September 21, 2006](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=1&mag_id=41638)\n8. [라디오 스타 (Radio Star) detail page, Cine21](https://cine21.com/movie/point/view/?movie_id=18504)\n9. [Radio Star weekend grosses, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1599374593/weekend/)\n10. [〈라디오 스타〉 첫 공개 (Radio Star first screening), Cine21, September 7, 2006](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=0&mag_id=41367)\n11. [연예인 매니저 사이에 '라디오 스타' 열풍, Kyeonggi Ilbo, September 29, 2006](https://www.kyeonggi.com/article/200609290202339)\n12. [Radio Star review, AsianMovieWeb](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/radio_star.htm)\n13. [〈라디오 스타〉 촬영 시작 (Radio Star begins filming), Cine21, April 20, 2006](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=37924)\n14. [〈라디오 스타〉 촬영 종료 (Radio Star wraps filming), Cine21, July 2006](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=39906)\n15. [2006 K-Film Previews: Lee Joon-Ik's Radio Star, Screen Anarchy, May 20, 2006](https://screenanarchy.com/2006/05/2006-k-film-previews-lee-joon-iks-radio-star.html)\n16. [최병서, 이덕화 목소리로 영화 출연, Sports Kyunghyang, September 12, 2006](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/200609122202053/amp)\n17. [영화 '라디오 스타'를 세번 보고, Segye Ilbo, November 1, 2006](https://www.segye.com/newsView/20061101000886)\n18. [2006 한국영화 '입소문 지수', Senior Chosun, January 25, 2007](https://senior.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/01/25/2007012565015.html)\n19. ['라디오 스타' 100만 관객 돌파, Newswire, October 13, 2006](https://www.newswire.co.kr/newsRead.php?no=193958)\n20. [Radio Star review, Far East Films, May 16, 2015](https://fareastfilms.com/review/radio-star/)\n21. [Jecheon International Music and Film Festival program notes on Radio Star](https://jimff.org/kor/addon/00000002/history_film_view.asp?QueryType=B&QueryYear=2007&c_idx=165&m_idx=102288)\n22. [Ahn Sung-ki memorial coverage, Korea Media Rods bulletin, 2026](https://www.kmediarods.com/fileUpload/bulletins/bulletin_2026-01-07.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2005 to 2006*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-star", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-star.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Radio Star (라디오 스타)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-star. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Radio Star (라디오 스타)](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-star)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-star](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-star). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Radio Star (라디오 스타)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-star. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Radio Star is a 2006 South Korean comedy-drama film directed by Lee Joon-ik, starring Park Joong-hoon as a washed-up rock singer who becomes a small-town radio DJ." }