'The Journey to Gyeongju' Kong Hyojin mentioned how she has become more positive after marrying Kevin Oh.
On the afternoon of the 19th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview with Kong Hyojin, the lead actress of 'The Journey to Gyeongju', took place.
'The Journey to Gyeongju' (written and directed by Kim Mijo, presented by Lotte Entertainment·Michigan Venture Capital Co., Ltd., distributed by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Studio HiFive, co-produced by Euphoria ENT) depicts a family revenge drama of four mothers and daughters who embark on a "killer" trip after eight years of waiting to find the youngest daughter, Gyeongju, who did not return from a school trip. It is director Kim Mijo's first commercial film, who gained strong recognition for her directorial skills at major domestic and international film festivals with her debut film 'Seagull', and it has drawn much attention by receiving an invitation to the Hawaii International Film Festival and winning the audience award at the Florence Korea Film Festival before its release. Kong Hyojin played Jangju, the eldest daughter who loves her family fiercely. She is a reliable eldest daughter who always takes care of her mother first, soothing her immature younger siblings while trying to complete a blood-soaked revenge drama. Kong Hyojin, who is appearing in the MBC Friday-Saturday drama A Bona fide Killer, recently surpassed a 10% viewership rating, proving her lasting influence. In addition, her lead film 'The Journey to Gyeongju' also rose to No. 1 in Korean film advance ticketing rate, raising expectations.
With a drama and a film being released at the same time, Kong Hyojin said she used to get carried away when a work did well. She said, "In 2019, both When the Camellia Blooms and Love, Again did well, and even now both works are receiving attention, so I think, 'Is this a dream again? Is this real?'."
She added that she thinks, "I shouldn't get carried away," but ratings can plateau, so today might be the happiest day. So she thinks, "This is great; I should enjoy it." She said she is not at an age where she fears disappointment. "I should accept it happily and enjoy it now~," she said. She said each day feels increasingly happy, like a dreamlike time.
Reuniting with Lee Jung-eun as mother and daughter after seven years in 'The Journey to Gyeongju', Kong Hyojin praised, "Her mother acting gave me goosebumps, and I thought, 'I'm lacking.' But I liked that imperfect part of myself. After acting, feeling 'I wish I had done better' is, I think, still a good attitude. A mother's face is the story itself, so there were many times when I got goosebumps watching the cuts."
She said that while she used to focus on her career as an actress, that attitude has recently changed. The biggest reason is "marriage." Kong Hyojin married singer Kevin Oh, who is 10 years her junior, in October 2022 after two years of dating. Kevin Oh enlisted in active duty in 2023 for stable family life and music activities in Korea and was discharged in 2025.
She said, "(After marrying Kevin Oh) new family members were added. When I started my social life I became a special daughter to my parents, but now I also have to be an ordinary daughter-in-law. I try to play the ordinary daughter role for my parents. The same goes for my in-laws in the United States. The drama had good ratings through episode 4, so I received many congratulations. My husband congratulated me too."
She continued, "Now when a project does well the feelings of joy, elation and abundance I felt multiply several times. I was so grateful. When my husband asked why I was grateful, I said, 'My joy seems to have doubled.' My parents have felt this emotion, but the American family experienced it for the first time," she said, smiling, "It is the vicarious satisfaction parents feel when their children do well, and if many family members can feel it, I seem to have grown much bigger. I feel more abundantly happy."
Meanwhile, 'The Journey to Gyeongju' opens on the 26th.
[Photo] provided by Lotte Entertainment, SNS
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