“We’re All Headed Towards An Immigrant Mentality”: Steven Yeun, John Cho & Justin Chon On Why Korean Diaspora Stories Are Resonating – Busan

Liz Shackleton
·3 min read
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Actors and filmmakers Steven Yeun, John Cho, Justin Chon and Lee Isaac Chung shared their thoughts on the appeal of Korean Diaspora cinema – as well as how they see the current wave of content coming out of Korea – in a philosophical but relaxed press conference at Busan International Film Festival.

Lee, who directed Oscar-winning Korean immigrant story Minari, said he was amazed by the reaction to the film whenever it was screened as “people from all walks of life would want to talk about their own experiences, people who’d never emigrated, but they’d moved to some place new and found it stressful. I wonder if the immigrant story just speaks to many experiences.”

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Chon, an actor-director whose Jamojaya is screening at the festival, said: “It’s just an interesting dramatic situation – being in transition and also an underdog story. It was right there for the taking, to tell immigrant stories, and it makes sense that people would be interested in those lives.”

Minari star Yeun added: “It does feel like we’re living in a self-aware reality where the systems are not working for anyone. A lot of structures are being broken down and to move forward we need that ability to start from the ground up. I think that immigrant mentality is where we’re all headed.”

Busan has a special programme dedicated to Korean Diaspora cinema, which is screening six films and hosting a series of press conferences and public talk events.

When asked how Korean American audiences regard the current wave of Korean films and series, Yeun described it as “deeply healing for the diaspora to watch this content.”

“Even watching something like Physical: 100 – the ways in which we’re redefining the imagery of ourselves, and watching it come from the motherland, is really exciting,” Yeun said, referring to the Netflix Korea reality show. “We hope the art that we are putting out there does the same for Korea.”

Chon agreed that the K-wave is having a positive impact: “What’s amazing for me as a Korean American is that now my white counterparts finally have something they can relate to me on. There’s so much being consumed by Americans that has given a glimpse into what our culture and upbringing could be. That wasn’t the case when I was growing up.”

When asked about the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, Yeun described it as “a righteous act of making sure we protect artists, actors and writers – we live in a commerce driven world and sometimes the bottom line of money gets in the way of understanding the lives of individuals. Many people don’t have safeguards and the ability to weather the storms of how the business is changing.”

Cho, who has Columbus and Searching screening in Busan, talked about the potential impact of AI on the industry: “What we’re seeing in the entertainment industry is an echo of a lot of other industries where automation has put people out of work.

“For me, the point when I go to see a movie is to see people enacting a human drama, and to have an experience with an audience watching human expression. Behind the scenes, if we start taking out the people, then the art form is going to suffer”.

Busan International Film Festival is taking place October 4-13. The six films screening in  the Special Program in Focus: Korean Diasporic Cinema include Minari, Jamojaya, Burning, Columbus, Searching and Past Lives.

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