Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Son Sook donates earnings as 'Spirits' Homecoming' returns to honor sex slavery survivors
Actor Son Sook speaks in a promotion video for the 2016 movie “Spirits’ Homecoming,” scheduled for re-release on Aug. 26. Courtesy of Connect Pictures
By Baek Byung-yeul
Veteran actor Son Sook revealed that she donated all her earnings from "Spirits' Homecoming" (2016) to support survivors of Japanese military sex slavery, ahead of the film's 10th-anniversary re-release.
In the film, the 82-year-old actor played the present-day elderly version of the main character Young-ok, a survivor of Japan's wartime sex slavery.
On Aug. 26, the movie is scheduled for nationwide re-release with an extended cut version. Ahead of the film's return to theaters, the 82-year-old actor explained why she declined her initial appearance fee and donated all her box office bonuses.
"Because the film holds a deep place in my heart, asking for compensation was never a consideration," Son said Monday through the movie’s distributor Connect Pictures. "Money was never the priority for a project with such profound meaning."
Son recalled the difficult production conditions at the time, praising director Cho Jung-rae for his dedication to completing the movie.
The actor expressed deep sorrow over the sharp decline in the number of surviving victims over the past decade. When the original film debuted in 2016, 47 living survivors were registered with the government. Today, that number has dropped to just five.
Son expressed regret and heartbreak over the passing of so many survivors over the years, pointing out the true meaning behind the title of the film.
"I hope the souls of the young girls who passed away in foreign lands without ever returning home can finally find peace and fly freely in a better place," she said.
Son urged younger generations, particularly viewers in their 20s and 30s as well as those who missed the film a decade ago, to watch the extended cut in theaters.
"We must never forget history," Son said. "I hope this film helps audiences understand the deep pain of losing one's country and the immense hardship the victims endured throughout their lives."
She added that she hopes the audience finds comfort and emotional resonance through the film, while gaining a renewed appreciation for their current lives.
The new version is 132 minutes long and features six minutes of deleted scenes, broadening the story to cover survivors of wartime sex slavery across Asia during World War II.
To support nationwide screenings, the team is running a crowdfunding campaign through Aug. 18, offering rewards such as putting contributors' names in ending credit and movie merchandise.
Starting Aug. 26 in Busan, the director will begin nationwide tour visiting cities such as Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju and Seoul to host Q&A sessions with audiences.