Will JYJ singer and actor Park Yoochun be going to the Academy Awards next year? His first film "Sea Fog" might. On Sept. 19, the Korea Film Council selected "Sea Fog" as the nation's entry for best foreign language film for the 87th Academy Awards.
"Out of 10 competitive films, 'Sea Fog' was selected because the film had already received high acclaim at the recent Toronto Film Festival's gala presentation," said a Korean Film Council representative. "Also, as the film is based on a real-life event, it will be of great interest to the members of the Academy Awards."
The film concerns a real-life tragedy that took place in 2001. After suffering financial losses, the crew of the Korean fishing ship Taechangho, decided to smuggle Korean-Chinese immigrants into Korea. The ship's captain decided to hide the immigrants when the ship was searched, so the crew locked them in the ship's storage department. But the storage department was not adequately ventilated and the immigrants suffocated while trapped inside. The crew then allegedly threw their bodies overboard.
The tragic story became the inspiration for a theater play and then the film.
Kim Yoon Shik plays the captain of the ill-fated ship in "Sea Fog." Singer-turned-actor Park Yoochun plays Dong Sik, the youngest crewmember on the ship. Shim Sung Bo directed the film. "Snowpiercer" director Bong Joon Ho was the executive producer.
Park Yoochun has described his character as being very naive and yet he admires his idealism.
In an interview with Asia Economy, he said that he envied those qualities.
"I think our era needs people like him," he said.
Dong Sik tries to protect a female immigrant, played by Han Ye Ri, and he falls in love with her. It's the character's love that Park Yoochun envies most. He called Dong Sik's love "pure and selfless."
The film made its international premiere at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival in August. "Sea Fog" was released in Korea during the same month. It sold one million tickets within a week of its release.
Fans can find out whether the film will go to the Academy Awards on Jan. 15, 2015 when the 87th Academy Awards nominations are announced. The awards ceremony will take place on Feb. 22, 2015. Since 1962, Korea has submitted more than 20 films for consideration in the foreign language film category. Korean films have not yet received a single nomination during the more than 50 years of submissions.
