South Korean celebrities have been busy the last few years learning English in an attempt to break into Hollywood films.

A few have been successful in recent releases. Jun Ji-hyun ("My Sassy Girl" and "Windstruck") has taken the lead role in "Blood: The Last Vampire." Lee Byung-hun is in the latest big-budget film, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" as Storm Shadow. The Korean film "Thirst," another vampire movie, was released last week in select U.S. cities, including Honolulu. The movie is in Korean with English subtitles.

Jun Ji-hyun made it big with the hit movie "My Sassy Girl" in 2001, which was later remade in the United States in 2008. She plays the main character, Saya, in "Blood: The Last Vampire," a remake of a 2000 Japanese anime horror film. The film was released in Asia, Britain and the United States in May, June and July to mixed reviews. The film is in English, and Jun Ji-hyun is rumored to have studied diligently in the United States to prepare for the film, using Gianna as her American name. There is a theory on how she came up with Gianna: In South Korea, when close friends call each other by their names, there is usually an "a" if the name ends in a consonant and a "ya" if the name ends in a vowel. Parents tend to call out to their own children in this manner. So in Jun Ji-hyun's case, her close friends would call her "Ji-hyun-a."

Lee Byung Hun takes his first role in the big-budget Hollywood film "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" as Cobra team member Thomas Arashikage, aka Storm Shadow. Lee's English is quite good in the film, which took the top slot on opening weekend, although the $170 million film has also received mixed reviews from critics. Lee has been working on his English for some time now. At the Hawaii International Film Festival in 2005, he gave a speech to his Hawai'i fans entirely in English. The role in this heavily promoted movie has given Lee the largest global exposure among all the hallyu stars.

Coincidentally, another vampire film, "Thirst," was released in select U.S. cities at the end of July and in mid-August. Directed by famous Korean director Park Chan Wook ("Old Boy," "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" and "I'm a Cyborg But Its OK"), "Thirst" is currently showing at the Kahala Mall multiplex. Park received the Vision in Film Award from HIFF last month at a special screening of his latest film during a one-day stop in Honolulu.

Rain — Jung Ji-hoon — will be in the upcoming film "Ninja Assassin," along with Korean-American actors Rick Yune and Sung Kang. Rain is taking the lead role as Raizo.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'BRILLIANT LEGACY'

Episodes 21 and 22

Tonight at 7:45: Hwan barges in on Eun-sung drunk and passes out on her doorstep. He's touched when he wakes up the next morning to warm hangover soup and a new toothbrush. Seung-mi gets anxious when she finds out Hwan never came home the night he was supposed to meet her. Eun-sung and Hwan leave on an overnight business trip.

Tomorrow at 7:45 p.m.: Hwan professes his love for Eun-sung and kisses her, but she rejects him. Jun-sae and Seung-mi get nervous when they find Hwan and Eun-sung are gone together. While on a tour, Seung-mi witnesses Hwan unconsciously caring for Eun-sung and passes out in a cave. Jun-sae tells Hwan to stay away from Eun-sung, saying he'll only end up hurting her.

'DARE TO LOVE'

Episodes 23 and 24

Sunday at 6:45 p.m.: Gum-ran and Soon-shin lie to their parents and go away on a trip to celebrate their engagement. Both moms keep fighting and call off the wedding. Sul-ran settles the custody dispute by suggesting joint custody. Denny gets a call back from the talent agency.

Sunday at 7:45 p.m.: Soon-shin and Gum-ran try to help their mothers make up by leaving them together to work out their differences. Bong-sun looks into how Denny knows the president of the talent agency. Yong-ha asks Poong-ran to write a soap opera on her own and hires a new assistant. Sae-dol installs a hidden camera in Yong-ha's office to figure out what's really happening.

'PRINCESS JAMYUNG'

Episodes 36 and 37

Monday at 7:45 p.m.: A battle with Goguryeo ends in absolute victory for Nakrang, thanks to Jamyunggo. When King Daemushin requests a meeting with Prince Hodong, everyone gets suspicious. Upon his return to Goguryeo, King Daemushin asks Song Okgu for his troops, but Song Okgu says he'd consent only on the condition that Prince Haeaewu is made crown prince.

Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.: Hodong hears the horn and heads to Jamyung's chamber. He demands to know why Jamyung called him and Jamyung shows him a note from King Daemushin. Hodong lies and tells her the note says his father King Daemushin is gravely ill. Lahee goes looking for Hodong with a sword in her hand when she finds Hodong is gone from their wedding chamber.

'CITY HALL'

Episodes 19 and 20 (last episode)

Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.: Mi-rae suspects that Go-hae's father's company may have ulterior motives in wanting to build a power plant in Inju and decides to renege on her pledge to sign off on its approval. This earns the ire of Go-hae and Big Brother, and Guk once again finds himself at a loss as to which side he will support.

Thursday at 7:45 p.m.: With Jung-do's assistance, Mi-rae finds out that Go-hae's father's company is trying to import hazardous waste material from Europe for the proposed recycling power plant. While Mi-rae looks for a way to prevent the plant from being built, Guk confronts Big Brother in order to get him to own up to being a father.