Kim Min-ha’s true-story-inspired 'Hana Korea' to open July 8; main trailer released

The South Korea–Denmark co-production 〈Hana Korea〉 will open July 8 and has unveiled its main trailer.

〈Hana Korea〉 is a drama inspired by a true story that follows Hye-seon (Kim Min-ha), a woman who fled North Korea, as she pushes forward in an unfamiliar life. The film won the Flash Forward Audience Award at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, drawing attention ahead of its release.

The main trailer begins with Hye-seon arriving in South Korea by plane and undergoing an identity check by officials from the National Intelligence Service. It then follows her entry into Hanawon, the resettlement support office for North Korean defectors, where she learns basic daily routines—such as the national exercise routine and how to use a washing machine—and begins adapting to an unfamiliar society.

In the trailer, Hye-seon shows a fierce will to survive even amid difficult circumstances, telling others, "I held my life in one hand and came this far." Yet scenes of her life in Seoul with Bomi (Ahn Seo-hyun)—from being flustered after failing to pass through a subway turnstile to looking lonely as she watches the glittering night skyline—underscore the real obstacles people who fled North Korea face. The trailer closes with Hye-seon's line, "Will I ever be able to call this place my home?", hinting at the film's lingering emotional impact.

In the film, Kim Min-ha portrays Hye-seon’s anxiety and resolve in an unfamiliar environment with a restrained performance. Kim Ju-ryeong plays Suk-hee, who offers Hye-seon warm comfort, and Ahn Seo-hyun plays Bomi, whose bright energy supports Hye-seon, rounding out the ensemble cast. The film is directed by Denmark-born Frederik Svolberg, and Choi Sung-jae (Sharon Choi), best known as director Bong Joon-ho's interpreter, contributed as a co-writer to deepen the story's authenticity.

〈Hana Korea〉, a drama about people struggling to build new lives, opens in South Korean theaters on July 8.