Kim Min Ha is showcasing a completely new side of herself, transforming into a North Korean defector for her latest project.
Her new film, Hana Korea, follows the journey of Hye Seon, a woman navigating the challenges of adapting to a new life in South Korea after fleeing the North. Sharon Choi, widely recognized as director Bong Joon Ho’s interpreter, also participated in the project as a co-writer.
To portray Hye Seon, Kim Min Ha threw herself into intense preparation. She spent about three to four months working closely with a dialect coach to master the accent and understand the character’s emotional landscape.
“I listened to stories about the defection process from a coach from Yanggang Province and also referred to documentaries,” Kim Min Ha explained. “I heard stories about how people acted when they first arrived in South Korea, their experiences with hamburgers and spaghetti. I also noted their efforts to hide their North Korean origins. Although there were difficulties because these were experiences I hadn’t personally gone through, I tried to reference and embody them as much as possible.” She added, “The defection process was more dramatic than any movie. Hearing vivid accounts of swimming across the sea and risking their lives to cross made me truly feel Hye Seon’s desperation and the immense effort required to adapt to South Korea.”
Working with a foreign director brought a unique dynamic to the project, which she found incredibly refreshing.
“It was interesting that the story was viewed through a foreigner’s perspective. As the director has a background in documentary filmmaking, I was excited to see how realistically he would portray it,” she said. “It wasn’t particularly different because he’s a foreign director; I felt that the filmmaking process is the same regardless of nationality. The only difference is language and culture, but the goal of conveying the story is clear. The shared commitment to moving in the same direction was identical.”
Director Frederik Sølberg reportedly sought out Kim Min Ha specifically after watching her breakout performance in the Apple TV Plus series Pachinko.
Reflecting on their first meeting, she shared, “When the director first saw me, he told me he watched Pachinko in one night and cried a lot. He felt that Hana Korea also requires a lot of expression through the eyes, and he believed I could do it well.”
While Kim Min Ha shot to global fame through Pachinko, she looks back at the long road it took to get there with deep gratitude, noting that her current success wouldn’t exist without her early years in the industry.
“I steadily built my experience through web dramas, independent films and short films without a break. Then I met Pachinko and became widely known,” she said. “Without those 7-8 years, I wouldn’t have been able to meet Pachinko. During that time, I learned and trained how to fall and get back up, becoming stronger. It has become an opportunity for me to tell many stories now.” Her passion for the craft remains her biggest driving force. “Even if I struggled for a year to stand in front of the camera for 30 seconds, I was happy. I find working so joyful and love being on set. That’s why I think I can continue. I want to go at the right pace, without losing myself. I want to tell many stories without rushing.”
During the interview, the actress also opened up about her recent physical transformation, addressing the public buzz surrounding her significant weight loss.
“Compared to the Hana Korea period, I’ve lost a lot of weight. I started losing weight after Typhoon Family and it took two years,” she revealed. “There’s about a 17kg difference compared to when I was filming Hana Korea. I lost weight by eating only one meal a day and exercising diligently. I lost it over a long period, as healthily as possible, without too much stress.”
The drastic change was fueled entirely by her commitment to her next role. “I lost weight because the role required me to lose a lot of it. About 90% of it was for the role, and it was also a time when I was contemplating how I could show a different side of myself as an actress,” she explained. “I lost weight slowly over a long period to maintain my stamina.”
She also used the opportunity to clear up any public misunderstandings regarding her past comments on body image. “There are parts I want to clarify. I didn’t expect it to become such a big topic. I previously said that I love myself as I am and questioned why everyone has to be thin, but some people misunderstood that as being contradictory to my current weight loss,” she noted. Emphasizing her professional dedication, she concluded, “This weight loss was 100% for work. I am satisfied with both my fuller appearance and my current look. It is my job to portray diverse people in the world.”
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