Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
EXO's Suho returns to big screen
Actor Shin Ha-kyun, from left, Suho, Kim Seul-gi, Yoo Soo-bin, and director Hur Jin-ho pose for pictures during a media conference for the film “The Present,” held at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
By Lee Gyu-lee
By Lee Gyu-lee
Leader of K-pop group EXO, Kim Jun-myeon, who performs under the stage name Suho, returned to the big screen on Monday with short film “The Present,” which tells the story of young startup founders and their struggles.
Aside from his singing career with the popular boy band, Suho has been building his acting career. Starting with online series “EXO Next Door” in 2015, he has since taken lead roles in several dramas and films.
A year after his last film “Student A” (2018), he took on the role of a young entrepreneur Ha-neul who attempts to invent small-sized thermal imaging cameras for firefighters and starts his own business.
“I was drawn to the story because it's a story of youth and sends a positive message to them,” Suho said during a media conference held at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Monday.
The comedy film intends to take a close look at young people struggling to start their own businesses. Ha-neul and his friend Bo-ra (Kim Seul-gi) enthusiastically try to establish their business but as they continue to fail in making the final product, they struggle to hold onto their lab and their project. They are about to be evicted by the landlord.
Then, one day, Ha-neul encounters mysterious man Sang-goo (Shin Ha-kyun) who claims he leaped through time from 1969 and is the original owner of Ha-neul's lab. His presence helps the young entrepreneurs turn the tide.
Suho and Shin shared how much they enjoyed working on the film with each other, even if it was for a short period of time.
"I'm a big fan of Shin and when I heard that he would be in the film, I got very excited," Suho said.
Shin said Suho "is full of energy and such a positive, hard-working person" to work with. He added that he would like to work with Suho again on a longer project.
The film is directed by Hur Jin-ho, who has a huge reputation from directing melodrama and romance movies. He has directed numerous award-winning romance films, including “Christmas in August” (1998), ”One Fine Spring Day” (2001), and “Dangerous Liaisons” (2012).
The director said this film allowed him to test a new genre that he has never done before. “This was an opportunity to try a new genre, and I really had so much fun working on this.”
The film is based on a real startup ― “Team Ignis,” a group of people who invented thermal imaging cameras for firefighters. “After I was offered to make a film about young startup entrepreneurs, I found the story about 'Team Ignis' who helped firefighters with their invention,” Hur said.
The actors expressed how honored they were to work with such a recognized director. Shin said he has known Hur for almost 20 years and is glad to finally get to work with him for the first time.
Suho also expressed that he was thrilled to work with the director, as he has enjoyed Hur's films since he was young. “My parents are also a huge fan of Hur, so they were very excited for me when they heard I'd be in one of his movies,” he said.
The film was released Monday and is available to watch through online streaming platforms, including the film's sponsor Samsung Electronics' social media accounts.