[Dispatch | Busan=Reporter Jeong Tae-yun] Actor Kim Min-ha has become virtually the face of the 31st Busan International Film Festival.

Starting with her sole hosting of the opening ceremony on the 6th, the opening film "Day and Night Are Each Other's," the Netflix series "Honey Part-Time" in the OnScreen section, and the Actors House.

This was where she first came to a film festival at twenty and dreamed her dreams. She even contacted her older sister, saying she felt like she was dreaming right now, somewhat bewildered.

For Kim Min-ha this year, the Busan International Film Festival was a stage where her dreams came true and a door that allowed her to dream yet another dream.

"I've always dreamed. You could say it's vague, but if I hadn't dreamed, I think I would have lived a bit more dryly. I really do think dreaming is very important."

Kim Min-ha participated in the Actors House held on the 8th at Shinsegae Department Store Centum City in Udong, Haeundae-gu, Busan. She spoke in depth about acting while tracing back through her filmography.

She is in her tenth year since debut. She built up her skills step by step through minor roles and independent films. The work that became a turning point in her acting career was Apple TV's "Pachinko" (2022·2024). She delicately expressed the growth process from a rural girl to becoming a mother.

For this work, she received the 2022 Asian American Awards TV category Newcomer Award and the 2025 Seoul Drama Awards International Competition Female Acting Award. She became known internationally as well.

Kim Min-ha recalled, "We shot it in 2020. In the industry, an unknown newcomer was cast, so my story was discussed quite a lot. I experienced unexpected attention and took a year off."

During that year, she did not join an agency or film any projects. Rather, she took another year to step back and objectify herself.

She said, "I was concerned about how to establish myself in Korea and consistently do work steadily," and added, "Four years have passed since 'Pachinko' was released, and because of that time, I was able to walk through those four years."

Kim Min-ha recalled the past four years as "a repetition of drawing lines and making decisions." "I repeatedly established my values, objectified them, and went back to work," she revealed.

Last year, she took on her first lead role in a 16-episode series for tvN's "Typhoon Company," set against the backdrop of the 1990s. Following Seonja in "Pachinko," she once again acted in an era she had not experienced.

She said, "My maternal grandmother lived in Seonja's era, and 'Typhoon Company' is the era my parents lived through. So I asked them so many things. We can't go back to that time, but in the process of conveying the story, I made that moment come back," she said.

She added, "While we can't go back to that time, we can restore our memories and senses. I felt that what we do is to give that to people."

She is steadily building her upcoming projects. At this year's Busan International Film Festival, she premiered director Kim Jong-gwan's "Day and Night Are Each Other's" and the Netflix series "Honey Part-Time."

Kim Min-ha explained, "In 'Day and Night Are Each Other's,' the character Yujin that I play is someone who gives to her friend the dream she had dreamed. (The film) felt like writing down the things that happen in a day in a diary."

"On set I could just speak comfortably. We shot for just two days, and I have the memory of filming without any fuss or commotion. It's still a set that remains in my memory for a long time."

Meanwhile, "Honey Part-Time" is a story with a contrasting feel. Kim Min-ha introduced it, saying, "It feels like it has fantasy, horror, thriller, and black comedy all mixed in," and added, "I plan to show you many raw aspects."

When asked about her bucket list as an actor, she said, "I really love a movie called 'Lucy,' and I want to try science fiction action," adding, "Actually, I just have a desire to do this for 50 to 60 years long and long."

Ten years into her debut, she has also developed a firm resolve to go the distance. She revealed, "When I started acting, other people's views were more important. I acted without knowing what my own self was at all."

She continued, "Since I moved according to what others said, I easily fell apart. There were times I didn't know why I was acting. Yet I didn't let go of acting despite that," she conveyed.

"By holding on that way, the first thing I gave up was other people's views. As my convictions grew stronger, listening to what others say became interesting and I developed tolerance. Now, the desire to show (others) doesn't seem to be that big."

She dreams of becoming an actor who goes steadily and slowly at her own pace, as she does now. Kim Min-ha said, "Rather than aiming for one big moment, if I keep doing it steadily for a long time, I think what I want will come to me."

She emphasized, "I'm not the type suited for an all-out sprint. I believe that by doing things consistently at my own pace, I can encounter good opportunities."

Finally, she said to the audience, "This time is my last schedule in Busan. Now I wake from the dream and return to the set tomorrow," and added, "While you are in Busan, I hope you continue to dream, think of unrealistic things, and escape a lot."

<Photo=Reporter Song Hyo-jin>