Park So Dam transforms into a cold strategist in 'The Journey to Gyeong-ju'

Actress Park So Dam is set to showcase another intense transformation through her return to the big screen in 'The Journey to Gyeong-ju,' her first film in three years. This time, she returns not as a character swayed by emotions, but as a cold-blooded strategist who designs a family revenge with icy logic and meticulous planning.

The film 'The Journey to Gyeong-ju' is a family revenge drama about a mother and her three daughters who have endured eight long years for their youngest daughter, Gyeong-ju, who never returned after a school trip. Starting from the deep sorrow of loss, the story leads to the dramatic choice of revenge, and Park takes on the role of the second daughter, Yeong-ju, who serves as the central axis of the plot.

Park has built a unique reputation through acting skills that cross genre boundaries. Not only did she show a powerful presence in the film 'Parasite,' but she also proved her versatility in various works such as 'The Priests,' 'Record of Youth,' 'Phantom,' and 'Death's Game.'

In this work, the character Yeong-ju, whom she portrays, is a departure from Park's previous image.

Yeong-ju is the second of four children and an elite law school graduate who was once the center of her family's expectations. However, she is currently struggling after giving up on the bar exam and turning to unstable investments. Although she appears to be a social failure, she possesses sharper judgment and analytical skills than anyone else, making her the key figure in turning the family's revenge plan into reality.

In particular, Yeong-ju does not unconditionally agree with her mother Oksil's (Lee Jung-eun) emotional revenge plan. Instead, she is a realist who first questions "if it is possible" and designs a perfect alibi by calculating police investigations and surrounding circumstances.

As a character where intense emotions toward revenge and the cold reason that controls them coexist, Park's signature delicate internal acting plays a crucial role. Through sharp dialogue, restrained expressions, and cynical humor, she completes Yeong-ju as a complex human being harboring wounds and helplessness, rather than a simple avenger.

Director Kim Mi-jo also showered Park's acting with high praise.

Kim stated, "Yeong-ju is a lonely character with a lone-wolf temperament. I thought Park So Dam was the only actor who could perfectly pull this off," adding, "I felt a thrill seeing her overwhelm the set with thorough analysis." >

Park also expressed deep affection for the project. She shared, "After having countless conversations with the director and the actors, I wondered if we were truly a family in a past life. Every moment of acting felt as joyful as if I had returned to my debut days." >

In particular, 'The Journey to Gyeong-ju' is a work where the chemistry between the actors is vital, as it centers on the unique family narrative of a mother and her three daughters. Within the ensemble created with actors including Lee Jung-eun, Park is expected to persuasively express the duality of Yeong-ju, who is cold-blooded yet loves her family more than anyone.

For Park, revenge is not a simple expression of anger. It is the final choice to endure loss and a desperate struggle to reclaim a collapsed life. Yeong-ju, who completes her revenge through cold calculation rather than emotional outbursts, is born as an even more three-dimensional character through her meeting with Park So Dam.

Park is set to prove her acting spectrum once again with her return to the screen. Her new face, oscillating between a cold strategist and a wounded family member, can be seen in 'The Journey to Gyeong-ju,' which opens on the 26th.