According to DVD Drive In: "MGM (as distributed by Fox) has finally announced a batch of Midnite Movies double features for release on September 11. These will include: [SNIP] KONGA/YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP."

Please visit one of my favorite sites, George Reis' excellent DVD Drive In, who broke the news, for all of the details (and full list of titles): http://www.dvddrive-in.com/

Man, I hope there is at least a chance that this will be widescreen. (I've heard that Korean elements no longer exist.)

I have heard reports that MONSTERS HD recent ran a widescreen version of YONGARY, so I imagine that this will be the source master for the DVD, 16x9 enhanced! Keep your fingers crossed (but don't hold your breath)!

Now if only there was an original audio option. August, do you think the Korean version was longer, as it is frequently listed? I tend to doubt it.

I wouldn't doubt it, because AIP-TV routinely cut down their GAMERA films for US broadcast to insure more commercial time for local stations in syndication. The notable exception was DESTROY ALL PLANETS, which actually was too short, and was padded out with flashback footage to get it up to snuff. I know that AIP kept all of the Japanese elements for JOHNNY SOKKO, because Orion used them to produce the four VHS tapes in the mid-1990s, so anything is possible. The listed original running time for YONGARY was 100 minutes, IIRC.

That's the figure I've heard as well. It just seems unlikely because a) it "feels" complete, and B) why cut it any shorter than 90 minutes when that seems to be the popular running time for a 2-hour time slot? 80 minutes is just a weird length to cut it to.

To bad AIP never licensed MONSTER WANGMAGWI.