MOVIE
Song Joong-ki revealed that his mother-in-law is Colombian
On the 19th, a press conference for the film 'Bogotá: City of the Last Chance' was held at Megabox COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Director Kim Seong-je and actors Song Joong-ki, Lee Hee-jun, Kwon Hae-hyo, Park Ji-hwan, and Kim Jong-soo attended.
'Bogotá' tells the story of Guk-hee (played by Song Joong-ki), who, after the IMF crisis, moves to Bogotá, Colombia, with hopes of a new beginning. There, he becomes entangled with Soo-young (played by Lee Hee-jun), a key figure in the Korean community in Bogotá, and Sergeant Park (played by Kwon Hae-hyo).
Song Joong-ki plays Guk-hee, who leaves Korea with his family after losing hope post-IMF crisis, only to lose everything in Bogotá and do whatever it takes to succeed.
Song Joong-ki explained, “The director set the timeline right after the IMF crisis because there needed to be a reason for Guk-hee's family to leave Korea. I think he imagined them going far away, not somewhere close. Bogotá, Colombia, where there are Koreans but not many, was chosen as a place that feels chaotic and where guns are needed.”
Regarding concerns about potential controversies similar to those faced by the Netflix series 'Narcos' with the Surinamese government, Director Kim stated, “We didn't deliberately avoid controversy. At the time set in the film, Bogotá was indeed one of the most dangerous places in the world. We aimed to address the narrative and conflict with realistic elements rather than tarnishing the country's image.”
Song Joong-ki added, “My mother-in-law is Colombian, and many of my wife's family live there. From my limited knowledge, I heard that people used to be ashamed of that image or tried to shake it off. The Colombia I experienced is full of life and warmth. The food is amazing. The people are very warm-hearted. I saw efforts to move away from the old image. I have many fond memories. Maybe it's because I have family there and feel close to it, but even when we were filming, there weren't many sources of information like YouTube. Nowadays, there are many places to get information. I don't think the film will cast a negative image.”
Song Joong-ki remarried British actress Katy Louise Saunders last year and welcomed a son in June of the same year, followed by a daughter this year.
'Bogotá' is set to release on the 31st.
