Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung says Korea is 'still conservative' on sexual minorities

Actress Youn Yuh-jung speaks during a press conference for “The Wedding Banquet” at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae District, Friday. Newsis

“Everyone is equal, whether gay or straight. Korea is still conservative, so I hope things move forward. We should open our hearts to all people,” actress Youn Yuh-jung said as she criticized the conservative view of sexual minorities in Korea.

Youn, who appeared in the American independent film “The Wedding Banquet” that explores homosexuality, made the remarks during a press conference Sept. 19 at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae District for the film’s screening in the World Cinema section of the 30th Busan International Film Festival. “Our country is not yet like the United States in terms of being more accepting (of sexual minorities),” she said, adding, “We are all human and we are all equal.”

She also revealed during the film’s U.S. release that her eldest son had publicly come out as gay in 2000. At the time, she said, that after New York legalized same-sex marriage, her son held his wedding there. She noted that her personal life was closely tied to the film, adding that she shared in it the experiences she went through with her son. However, she did not mention him specifically at the press conference.

“The Wedding Banquet” is a romantic comedy remake of Taiwanese director Ang Lee’s 1993 film of the same name, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. The story follows Min, a gay Korean student studying in the U.S. who faces the prospect of returning home after graduation and arranges a fake marriage with a lesbian woman. James Schamus, who co-wrote the original script with Lee, also wrote the screenplay for the remake. Actor Han Gi-chan plays the role of Min, while Youn plays his grandmother who travels to America for her grandson’s wedding. The film was first introduced at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and will open in Korean theaters Sept. 24.

A scene from "The Wedding Banquet" / Courtesy of Busan International Film Festival

The remake was directed by Korean American filmmaker Andrew Ahn, who has publicly identified as gay. “When I first saw Ang Lee’s 1993 film, I didn’t realize how meaningful it was to portray an Asian homosexual character,” he said at the press conference. “Later, as both a person and a filmmaker, I was greatly influenced by it.” Explaining why he decided to remake the film, he added, “It wasn’t just because I loved the movie. So much has changed since then, including the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, and I also reached an age when many of my Korean friends were getting married.”

The main character’s background was changed from Taiwanese to Korean, and several cultural elements were adapted. “Since I am Korean, of course I wanted to show Korean culture,” Ahn said. “Through Korean wedding rituals like the pyebaek ceremony, I became more aware of my identity as both a Korean and a Korean American. I wanted to explore my identity through the wedding scenes. As a gay man, I had wondered if I could ever have such a wedding, but through this film, I feel like I experienced a Korean wedding for myself.”

Actress Youn Yuh-jung speaks during a press conference for “The Wedding Banquet” at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae District, Friday. Yonhap

Originally, Ahn asked Youn to play Min’s mother, but she suggested taking the grandmother role instead, citing her age. “Acting is not like solving a math problem where you plan out everything depending on whether you are the mother or grandmother,” she said. “The love for a child is the same. But after becoming a grandmother, I realized that unlike when I was a parent — when I scolded my kids and told them not to do things out of a sense of duty — I became much more forgiving. Life never goes the way you want. Now I only hope my grandchildren grow up healthy. Maybe those thoughts showed through in my performance.”

Han Gi-chan, who plays Min, said, “To love someone is ultimately to love their inner self. I approached the role from the perspective of loving someone’s soul.” On the film itself, he said, “It is a story about new forms of family. I hope it becomes a film that embraces audiences with humor, friendship, and warmth.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.