Steven Yeun “The revival of K content is comforting to the Korean diaspora” [BIFF]

[Edaily Starin Reporter Kim Bo-young] Hollywood Korean actor Steven Yeun shared his thoughts on visiting Korea to attend the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

At the press conference for the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) ‘Korean American Special Exhibition: Korean Diaspora’ held at the KNN Theater in Haeundae-gu, Busan on the afternoon of the 6th, director Lee Isaac Chung of the movie ‘Minari’, director and actor Justin Jeon, and Korean actors Jonjo and Steven Yeun attended. We talked. Programmer Park Do-shin took charge of the proceedings as a moderator.

Previously, this year’s Busan International Film Festival established a new corner, ‘Korean American Special Exhibition’, reflecting the growing interest in ‘Korean immigrants’ in the content market. It combines recent works that deal with the lives of Korean immigrants, such as the movies ‘Minari’ and ‘Rice Boy Sleeps’ and the Netflix series ‘Angry People’, with the trend of Korean actors being in the spotlight. Accordingly, four people who are difficult to meet in one place even in the United States met in Busan and talked.

Actor Steven Yeun is a well-known Korean actor both in Hollywood and in Korea, having appeared in Netflix’s ‘Angry People’ and the Korean film ‘Burning’. Regarding his impressions of visiting Korea, Steven Yeun said, “It has been two days since I came to Korea. “So I haven’t had many opportunities to meet fans yet,” he said, “but if I tell you what I’ve felt so far, I felt welcomed and felt like we were all connected heart to heart. “It wasn’t unfamiliar at all,” he said.

He continued, “I felt like all of us living in this global reality are connected together. I felt like I could talk to anyone and it was natural. “Thank you for your warm welcome,” he added.

He said, “It is an honor to be invited, especially in this situation.” He added, “What I feel especially these days is that we understand each other, sympathize with each other, exchange information and share stories across cultures, and that Koreans can relate to the works created by Korean Americans. “I felt joy in the situation where I was doing it,” he said.

“I felt like we could acknowledge differences, empathize, and achieve harmony,” he said. “I think they respect the distance between each other. So, what I feel is that people can make claims, respect those claims, and listen to each other’s situations.” They had something in common that I wanted to understand. “It felt special,” he added.

As a Korean-American, he also shared his thoughts on the situation in which K-content is gaining attention around the world. Steven Yeun said, “The revival of Korean content is of course very good. “As someone who lives in the diaspora, I find it comforting,” he said.

He said, “I watched the Korean entertainment show ‘Physical: 100′ on Netflix, and the images and people’s lives were similar. “It felt like Western people were appealing to us,” he said. “It felt like we were redefining how we wanted to show ourselves. We hope that Koreans will feel the same way about our work. I hope that you will feel deeply comforted and connected through the work. “I hope you feel that your humanity can be empathized with no matter where you are,” he added.

Kim Bo-young (kby5848@edaily.co.kr)