Go Ah-seong suddenly leaves Korea

In the movie 'I Hate Korea', Go Ah-seong leaves Korea.

'I Hate Korea' is the story of 'Gye-na' (Go Ah-sung), a woman in her late 20s, who one day suddenly leaves her job, family, and boyfriend behind to go to New Zealand alone in search of her own happiness. Even before its release, the film has captured the concerns of contemporary youth, with its unconventional title, its original best-selling novel by Jang Kang-myeong, and its status as the opening film of the 28th Busan International Film Festival.

The eight stills that have been released increase the anticipation for the story of the main character, 'Gye-na', who left 'because she hates Korea'. In particular, 'Gye-na', who hates the cold, looks much brighter in New Zealand than when she was tired on her way to and from work wearing a thick coat, and she is surrounded by friends, making us cheer for the main character's change and empathize with her. Even just the stills show the change in 'Gye-na', and it raises curiosity about the realities that 'Gye-na' will face as she sets out to find happiness.

'I Hate Korea' main character 'Gye-na', her boyfriend of 7 years 'Jimyeong', and 'Jae-in' whom she met in New Zealand, as well as various other characters, each with different backgrounds, are on a journey to find their own happiness. The main character 'Gye-na' is an ordinary person in her late 20s. After going through a severe employment crisis, she gets a job that takes 2 hours just to commute to, and she leaves Korea behind her long-time boyfriend 'Jimyeong' who wants to get married without being prepared, and her parents who want to break open Gye-na's savings and move to an apartment. 'Gye-na' is a character who feels happy as long as she is not hungry and cold, but she escapes reality where it is difficult to feel even such small happiness and begins to find new happiness in New Zealand.

Actor Ko Ah-sung, who was similar in age to the character at the time of filming, was able to deeply empathize with the character's feelings and worries, and by focusing on those parts, he provided realistic immersion to the film. In fact, actors Ko Ah-sung, Joo Jong-hyuk, and Kim Woo-gyeom, who are peers, immerse themselves in the characters themselves and ask the audience questions such as "what is happiness?" and "what kind of life do I want?"

'I Hate Korea' will be released in theaters nationwide on August 28th.

Kim Seo-yoon, Ten Asia reporter seogugu@tenasia.co.kr