Kim Min-hee Is Not Returning To Domestic Film Industry After Mistress Scandal?

According to insiders in the film industry, Kim Min-hee did not attend this year’s Berlin International Film Festival to complete her personal schedules that had been planned before the festival.

This is the second time that Kim Min-hee has not accompanied her lover, director Hong Sang-soo, to overseas film festivals. Last year, “In Our Day” by Hong was invited to the 76th Cannes Film Festival but only the director and actor Ki Joo-bong showed up at the event even though Kim Min-hee played the lead role in the movie. Kim Min-hee was supposed to join Hong at the Berlin International Film Festival this year because she participated in “A Traveler’s Needs” as a production director, but she was absent again. Although Kim Min-hee has not appeared at any domestic film events during the past few years, Korean movie fans are still having a great desire to see her acting.

After leading Park Chan-wook’s movie “The Handmaiden” in 2016, Kim Min-hee has continuously starred in Hong’s works. In 2020, she left a great impression on viewers by showcasing a drastic transformation from her signature long hair to wavy short hair for a role in “The Woman Who Ran”. Knowing Kim Min-hee is a versatile actress, fans feel even more regrettable that she’s active only in Hong’s movie world. 

When Kim Min-hee couldn’t attend the 2016 Directors’ Cut Award despite winning Best Actress for “The Handmaiden” due to the scandal over her romance with director Hong Sang-soo, director Lee Hyun-seung, who was an award presenter, showed his warm support for Kim Min-hee, saying “The directors did not change their mind and they couldn’t see anything aside from her passion for acting and films. Min-hee ah, the directors love you”. He added, “I will definitely deliver the award to her and let her know that the directors root for her”, showing the movie industry’s respect and affection for the actress.

Facing controversy over her acting skills during her debut days, Kim Min-hee coolly overcame it and has been starring in dramas and movies of various genres. In addition, she’s also known as a fashionista. With Hong’s films, the actress has earned many great achievements and awards, including being among the 25 Greatest Actors in the 21st Century selected by The New York Times. 

Will Kim Min-hee return and carry out diverse acting activities in Korea? Or, on the contrary, is she moving far away from the Korean film industry? That’s the reason why fans are paying keen attention to her moves.

Source: Naver