DURING the filming of the hit Korean movie My Girlfriend Is An Agent, actress Kim Ha Neul, who plays the title role, kissed her co-star so hard, her lips bled.

She also fell off a horse while male lead Kang Ji Hwan tore a ligament in an ankle.

But the pain was not in vain: The movie, which opens here on Thursday, became a hit in South Korea.

It out-grossed Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Trek and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, attracting over four million moviegoers during its screening there from April to June and grossing 26.3 billion won (S$31.1 million) at the box office.

The romantic action-comedy is about Soo Ji (played by Kim), a high-level spy who has to hide that fact and ends up lying to boyfriend Jae Joon (Kang) constantly.

Sick and tired of her lies, he goes abroad to further his studies and returns as a rookie spy.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.