프로그램 노트

Program Note​

Route 7 in both Korea and Japan leads to North Korea. In Korea, Route 7 starts from Busan, passes through the Goseong and Geumgang Mountains in Gangwon Province, and heads toward Hamhung. In Japan, Route 7 stretches from Aomori Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture. The Niigata port was the gateway for ships traveling to North Korea during the repatriation of Zainichi Koreans. Route 7 crosses both the Korean and Japanese Route 7s and questions the history of Joseon-Korea-Japan, the relationship between South and North Korea, and the identities of Zainichi Koreans and Japanese.

Director Chun Jinrung, a Zainichi Korean, has long pondered nationality, language, and identity through his works, including Homecoming Love and Minwoo and Rie. The production of Route 7, with its multinational crew, embodies the very essence of diaspora. This sensibility is deeply embedded in Chun's artistic filmography. The core of his reflections can be found in Route 7. With subtle details and the spaces between emotions, the film doesn't preach about the discrimination Zainichi Koreans face in Japan but instead leads the audience into profound emotional contemplation. Route 7 marks a milestone in Chun Jinrung's career while also being the start of a new leap forward. (Hyuksang Kinsman)