Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Director Hong Sang-soo, actress Kim Min-hee to attend Berlin Film Festival
Director Hong Sang-soo, left, and actress Kim Min-hee / Korea Times file
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Director Hong Sang-soo and actress Kim Min-hee will attend the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival (also known as the Berlinale) to promote their film, which is set to compete in the event this month, industry sources said Wednesday.
This visit will mark their first public appearance in two years since they attended the Berlinale in 2020 to promote Hong's “The Woman Who Ran,” which earned the Silver Bear for best director.
In January, Hong's 27th feature, “The Novelist's Film,” was invited to vie for the Gold and Silver Bears at the film festival, which is scheduled for Feb. 10-20. It is the third consecutive year that Hong's film has been invited to screen in the competition category of the Berlinale. The director won the Silver Bear for best screenplay for “Introduction” in 2021.
“The Novelist's Film” is the ninth movie the filmmaker has worked on alongside Kim. The black-and-white film revolves around a female novelist who takes a long trip to visit a bookstore run by a younger colleague who has fallen out of touch.
Hong and Kim have made repeated headlines in Korea over the past several years for engaging in an extramarital affair. In November 2016, Hong filed for a divorce from his wife of over 30 years, after his affair with Kim was made public. His wife, however, rejected the request, and the Seoul Family Court denied Hong's divorce suit last year. In Korea, only the injured party in a case of adultery can legally file for a divorce.
Hong did not appeal to a higher court and is thus still legally married to his wife, even though the two have been separated for several years.