Enters Berlin Film Festival Competition...Will Hong Sang-soo go on a prenatal trip to Berlin with Kim Min-hee, who is 6 months pregnant

Jan 22, 2025

At this point, we have to say 'Devil's talent' Director Hong Sang-soo, who is the head of the household with a wife and a daughter, fell into an affair with a daughter-age actor and became pregnant with an extramarital affair, raising controversy by once again making him a competitive section of the Berlin Film Festival with his 33rd new film, 'What Nature Says to You' (produced by a film production company).

On the 21st (local time), the Berlin International Film Festival Executive Committee held a press conference to announce the official invitation to the 75th Berlin Film Festival to be held on February 13. In particular, the invited film that attracted the attention of domestic fans was director Hong's new work 'What Does Nature Say to You?' Director Hong's 『What Nature Says to You』 was officially invited to the competition section of this year's Berlin Film Festival.

'What does nature say to you?' is a work about what happens when a poet in his thirties accidentally visits his lover's house. Ha Sung-guk, Kwon Hae-hyo, and Cho Yoon-hee, who appeared in director Hong Sang-soo's previous works, participated together, and Kim Min-hee also participated as the production chief.

The Berlin Film Festival's executive committee said "We watched Hong's most recent film, loving the language of the form, its rhythm, and insight contained in the film. We felt that 'What does nature say to you?' was really intuitive about people and the flow between them. At the same time, it was acrimonious, humorous and funny at many moments. I really congratulate you on this movie,' he said, explaining the reason for the invitation.

Director Hong's love for the Berlin Film Festival has not changed this year. Earlier, Hong was invited to the Berlin Film Festival through his previous work 'The Runaway Woman'(20)'Introduction'(21)'The Novelist's Film'(22)'In the Water'(23)'The Need of Travelers(24). "What does nature say to you?", he has been invited to the Berlin Film Festival for six consecutive years, drawing attention.

In addition, Hong won the 67th Silver Bear Award for Best Actress (Kim Min-hee) for "Alone on the Beach at Night" (17) at the Berlin Film Festival, the 70th Silver Bear Award for Best Director for "The Woman Who Runs Away", the 71st Silver Bear Award for Best Screenplay for "Introduction", the 72nd Silver Bear Award for "The Novelist's Film", and the 74th Silver Bear Award for "The Need of Travelers".

Kim Min-hee, who won the Silver Bear Award (Best Actress) at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival

In particular, this year, apart from the award, hot attention is being paid to whether director Hong and Kim Min-hee will attend the festival together. "What Nature Says to You" will be released for the first time at the Berlin Film Festival as a world premiere. Director Hong and Kim Min-hee, who have appeared with their hands held tightly at overseas awards ceremonies even if they pass in a cool way, have been agonizing over whether to attend the festival this year.

That's because the shocking news that Hong's affair partner, Kim Min-hee, was pregnant with Hong's child was reported on the 17th. Currently, Kim Min-hee has a residence in Hanam, Gyeonggi-do, where Hong and her parents live, and she has a child due to natural pregnancy last summer. Kim Min-hee, who attended the 77th Locarno International Film Festival held in August last year with director Hong, was pregnant and is expecting a child this spring as she is six months pregnant.

Director Hong, who married A, whom he met while studying in the U.S. in 1985, and has an only daughter, developed into an affair with Kim Min-hee through 'Now Right and Then Wrong', which was released in 2015, and officially announced the affair with Kim Min-hee at a press conference for the 2017 domestic premiere of 'On the Beach at Night'. Since then, director Hong has filed a lawsuit for divorce from his wife A in 2019, but he has given up losing and appealing and still maintains a legal marital relationship with A, while having an affair with Kim Min-hee for 10 years. The two men had a confident affair despite public criticism and disappointed fans. In addition, the shock doubled as the news of Kim Min-hee, who was pregnant with director Hong's child, spread.

The sixth month of pregnancy is the time when mothers go on prenatal trips the most. If Kim Min-hee follows her condition, she will also participate in the Berlin Film Festival this year, holding the hand of director Hong, who is an "ill-fated lover", and show her presence as a production chief who participated in Hong's new film, and spend the time smoothly until the "Prenatal Education Trip". However, as the fact that she was pregnant became known to the world right before the Berlin Film Festival, the burden is increasing in many ways.

Various controversies surrounding Kim Min-hee and Hong continue, including the cold gaze toward Kim Min-hee, Hong's luxury of abandoning his wife A and his own daughter, Hong's large fortune, whether the extramarital person is in the family register, and the inheritance that the extramarital person will receive. Attention is focusing on whether Kim Min-hee will show her bulging belly and appear at the Berlin Film Festival, or whether she will cause another stir by mentioning the 'Out-of-wedlock' made by director Hong.

soulhn1220@sportschosun.com

Enters Berlin Film Festival Competition...Will Hong Sang-soo go on a prenatal trip to Berlin with Kim Min-hee, who is 6 months pregnant

K-drama