"I am actually the youngest of four sisters. I thought I could capture the story of the mother and older sisters that I witnessed, along with those emotions. I wanted to make a movie with the story I am most confident about."

Director Kim Mi-jo, who directed the film "The Journey to Gyeongju", shared that the four sisters dynamic in the movie was adapted from her own family. Of course, the family in "The Journey to Gyeongju" is far from ordinary. An unexpected tragedy strikes them, and they devise and execute an extraordinary plan to overcome that pain.

Director Kim Mi-jo, who drew attention with her independent film "The Seagull", hit the jackpot in terms of casting for her commercial debut film "The Journey to Gyeongju". She cast some of the most talented actors in the current film industry: Lee Jung-eun, Kong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, Lee Yeon, and Byun Yo-han. Four of these female actors came together as a family, while Byun Yo-han played a ruthless murderer.

The somewhat monotonous title takes on a different feel after watching the movie. This film blends elements from distinct genres such as family drama, thriller, action, and drama, giving it a very clear and distinct personality.

Attending the press preview on the 13th, Director Kim Mi-jo explained about this directing style, saying, "'The Seagull' and 'The Journey to Gyeongju' are both me. Personally, I am very interested in genre films. My goal is to shoot a movie like "Mad Max", and after watching "The Odyssey", I wanted to make a movie like "The Odyssey" too. I always match the format of the story to the production environment I can handle. This movie did not have a large budget, and since the format was a drama, I directed it that way."

"The Journey to Gyeongju", where comedy and tragedy intersect, also carries a dark comedy tone. The situation is tragic, but the episodes bring laughter. When a full-scale revenge story unfolds, viewers can also feel tension and fear.

Director Kim Mi-jo explained the meaning of the ending where comedy and tragedy intersect, saying, "When watching existing revenge stories, what I always wondered most was whether the process would be easy even if you understand the desire for revenge. Killing a person can never be easy. Furthermore, our movie features an inefficient revenge undertaken together by a family, and it was important to deal with a personal story. The same goes for how to deal with loss. I wanted to portray the mother Oksil as a character who pushes through the loss and makes a certain choice until the end."

"The Journey to Gyeongju" is a family revenge story about four mothers and daughters who embark on a "lethal" journey after eight years of waiting for their youngest daughter Gyeongju, who never returned from a school trip. Lee Jung-eun, Kong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, and Lee Yeon starred in the film, while Byun Yo-han made a special appearance. It is scheduled to be released on August 26. 

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)