Lee Jung-hyun stands at the Blue Dragon Awards for the first time in 20 years since 'Flowerpetal'

An actor's name is sometimes preserved through a single film. For Lee Jung-hyun, that was the 1996 film 'The Petal,' and for Song Sun-mi, it is director Hong Sang-soo's 'The Day She Returned,' released this year. These three recently revisited films go a step beyond mere programming information, showing how Korean cinema has remembered the faces of its actresses.

Lee Jung-hyun's long journey that began with 'The Petal'

'The Petal' is a 1996 work by director Jang Sun-woo that overlays the wounds of the May 18 Democratization Movement onto the body and memories of a young girl. Lee Jung-hyun won the Best New Actress award at the 17th Blue Dragon Film Awards for this film, and nearly 20 years later, she stood on the stage for Best Actress at the 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards for 'Alice in Wonderland.' At the time, she mentioned that it was her first time returning to the Blue Dragon Film Awards since 'The Petal,' and she attributed the meaning of the award received by a small film to support for diverse cinema. Thus, this award is more than just a trophy for one actor. It was the moment Lee Jung-hyun, who moved between her image as a pop singer and genre acting, was finally recognized again within film, and it remains an example of how even small-scale productions can reach audiences through the power of an actor.

Song Sun-mi's return intertwines with the story of her new work

'The Day She Returned' is director Hong Sang-soo's 34th feature film, released on May 6, 2026. Starring Song Sun-mi, Cho Yoon-hee, Park Mi-so, Kang So-yi, and others, it follows a day in the life of an actress who had stopped acting after a divorce and returns through an independent film, undergoing interviews and acting classes. This is a special texture for Song Sun-mi even outside the work. Since 'Woman on the Beach' in 2006, she has collaborated with Hong Sang-soo's films several times, and this time, she stands at the center as the lead. In a recent interview, she candidly expressed her feelings about becoming the protagonist in the director's film. It is striking how the character in the film stands before the camera again, just as actress Song Sun-mi has moved to a more prominent position within the familiar world of the director.

The utility of a genre actor shown by Kang Ye-won

'The Shamans' is a comedy-horror film by director Shin Jung-won released in 2012. It tells the story of Kim Soo-ro, Kang Ye-won, Lee Je-hoon, Kwak Do-won, and Kim Yoon-hye coming together to solve incidents in a strange village, with Kang Ye-won playing Chan-young, a reporter chasing the case. The reason this film is drawing attention again is not because of its box office performance, but because of the function the actor performs within the genre. In a work that mixes comedy and horror, a realistic character is needed to accept the exaggerated situations, and Kang Ye-won's character becomes the gateway through which the audience follows the bizarre events. Afterwards, she moved between film and drama, winning the KBS Drama Awards for the series/special drama category for 'Baek Hee Returns.'

The records of these three actresses are difficult to read through a single line of filmography alone. Lee Jung-hyun re-proved the strong impression of her debut work through a Best Actress award much later, Song Sun-mi moved beyond the familiarity of supporting roles in Hong Sang-soo's films to take on the weight of a lead, and Kang Ye-won expanded her role in positions with distinct genre textures, such as comedy-horror and special dramas. The point to check next is simple: when old films are called upon again, more can be seen if the actors within them are read alongside their current works.