Ahead of the release of the film "Still Shining", actor Kim Hye-ja shared a handwritten letter filled with her candid thoughts.

"Still Shining" tells the story of Soon-ok, who reunites after 60 years with her best friend with whom she shared the most radiant moments of her life.

Kim visited the 31st Busan International Film Festival for her big-screen comeback after nine years. On October 6, she walked the opening ceremony red carpet alongside director Song Il-gon, but health concerns arose after she was seen coughing multiple times. In response, the PR agency dismissed the rumors, stating it was "just a mild cold."

Concerns arose once again on October 15 when the stage greeting for the press screening of "Still Shining" in Seoul was abruptly canceled. A film representative stated it was due to "poor physical condition." Given her advanced age of 85, fatigue appears to have accumulated from back-to-back public appearances.

Although Kim was unable to attend the stage greeting that day, she delivered a handwritten letter to the film production company expressing her thoughts on the upcoming release and her gratitude to audiences.

In the letter, Kim mentioned the letter from director Song Il-gon that led to her joining the film: "It was in the autumn of last year. I received a letter from director Song Il-gon. In that letter, there were these words: 'Soon-ok does not cry. She is someone who believes until the very end that the time she spent with her friend remains radiant.' Those words stayed in my heart for a very long time."

She continued, revealing what motivated her decision to star in the film: "It is a sad history that we know all too well. We must remember how much pain those children suffered. But I also hope we do not forget how beautifully those children wished to live. That is why I thought I had to do this film."

Kim conveyed her heartfelt feelings to future viewers, saying, "At the end of the letter Director Song Il-gon sent me, there was this sentence: 'What I hope for is not the acting in a single scene, but the moment when the presence of a human being lingers above time.' Today, I want to convey that feeling to all of you as well. I hope you will not view the two young girls you will meet merely as a scene from painful history."

"Still Shining" will hit theaters on October 21.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)