The main cast of the upcoming film “HOPE” recently participated in a photoshoot with ELLE Korea!

“HOPE” follows Bum Seok (Hwang Jung Min), the chief of a police substation in Hopo Port, a village located near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). After local youths report a tiger sighting, Bum Seok and the entire village, including a young hunter named Sung Ki (Zo In Sung), are thrown into a state of emergency as they find themselves facing an unimaginable reality. The film, which has been invited to the main competition section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, is helmed by director Na Hong Jin, who has received rave reviews for masterpieces including “The Chaser,” “The Yellow Sea,” and “The Wailing.”

In an interview following the shoot, Hwang Jung Min, who plays Bum Seok, described “HOPE” as a very unique project unlike anything he has ever seen before. He shared, “It was very refreshing to see a familiar setting, like a rural Korean village, coexist with an unfamiliar extraterrestrial being.”

He continued, “The way the massive scale blends with characters who feel so ordinary is also fascinating,” adding, “‘HOPE’ is not simply about chasing and being chased. The way we view these alien life forms ultimately reflects how we view unfamiliar beings in our own world today.”

Zo In Sung, who plays Sung Ki, a young hunter tracking the creature that attacked the village, reflected on the filming process, saying, “To create something we’d never seen before, all the actors and crew mustered their courage and tried everything without regret. Under the clear direction of director Na Hong Jin, we only had to keep moving forward.”

He also explained the meaning of “HOPE” as portrayed in the film, saying, “Hope does not come to those who do nothing. It comes to those who give their best, those who desperately hold on, and those who strive until the very end.”

Jung Ho Yeon, who plays Sung Ae, a principled police officer, expressed her deep affection for the project. She remarked, “I still remember the day I first received the script. Right after reading it, I wrote my name under the title ‘HOPE.’ I truly wanted to be part of this project, and I was honored to ultimately become ‘Sung Ae.’”

She added, “Actors Hwang Jung Min and Zo In Sung showed me firsthand how an actor should behave on set. I was incredibly happy to be able to work alongside them on the set of my dreams.”

Hwang Jung Min, Zo In Sung, and Jung Ho Yeon’s full pictorial and interview can be found in the July issue of ELLE Korea, and “HOPE” is set to hit theaters on July 15.

In the meantime, watch Hwang Jung Min in “I, the Executioner”:

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Also check out Zo In Sung in “Escape from Mogadishu”:

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