Actress, Kim Min-hee, and director, Hong Sang-soo, were two among a handful of Korean guests at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. The pair stuck close together throughout the event, sparking heated criticism among online communities.
The two were invited to the event for Hong Sang-soo’s new film, On The Beach At Night Alone, of which Kim Min-hee is the lead actress. This is their first official public appearance since reports of their extramarital affair hit the headlines June 2016.
Reports at the time stated the couple had become acquainted while working together on the 2015 film, Right Now, Wrong Then, before beginning an affair. Hong Sang-soo had been married since 1985 and the married couple have a college student daughter.
To Korean news outlet Dispatch, Hong Sang-soo’s wife revealed her husband had confessed his involvement with a woman 22 years his junior September 2015 and devastated the family when he chose to move in with his new lover.
The rumours in between the announcement of the scandalous affair and today have been many and messy, with reports of the couple breaking up and others alleging the two had actually gotten married in Utah, instead. Kim Min-hee’s casting in the director’s new film was up in the air for some time, but photos released early last month have shown the couple to be working on a new production together.
In regards to his relationship with the actress, Hong Sang-soo stated at the film festival’s press conference, “Kim Min-hee and I have a very close relationship. That’s why I ask her for many opinions. It is true that my production reflect my personal life, because I create my work. Which means that yes, our conversations are included in it”.
On The Beach At Night Alone follows a young actress as she wanders around a seaside town, contemplating her relationship with a married film director.
Kim Min-hee’s performance in the film has received positive reviews. Despite her currently devastating public image, she has cemented herself as a talented actress, especially with her recent work as a beautiful Japanese heiress in Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden (2016).
On The Beach At Night Alone can be seen in theatres next month.
#Peace.Love.KimMinHee
