[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] The film "Gyeongju Journey," starring actors Lee Jung-eun, Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, and Lee Yeon, promises to be a unique family revenge drama.

Set to open on the 26th, “Gyeongju Trip” is a family revenge drama about four women—a mother and her three daughters—who embark on a “deadly” journey after an eight-year wait, all for the sake of their youngest daughter, “Gyeongju,” who never returned from a school field trip.
“Gyeongju Trip” raises expectations by cleverly blending realistic humor and deep familial love within the chilling theme of “revenge.” Although the film tackles the heavy subject of personal revenge, it boldly breaks away from the conventional formula of revenge dramas centered on bloody retribution. The clumsy and awkward journey undertaken by a family that has never even killed a single bug to seek revenge creates an unpredictable plot and a peculiar sense of suspense.

Director Kim Mi-jo, who helmed the film, stated, “The core of the story is that four women—who would struggle to even kill a single fly—set out on a journey.” She added, “Since this journey was bound to be rocky from the start, I directed it to create a flow where tragedy and wit intertwine in a subtle way.” By defining the film as a family drama that goes beyond revenge to explore a profound love story, she broke free from genre stereotypes.
In particular, Director Kim focused on striking a delicate balance between the tension of a thriller and the realism of everyday life during the audiovisual production process. She explained, “I aimed to stay grounded in reality while maintaining a precarious balance—neither completely rooted on the ground nor floating in the air.” Regarding the music, he revealed, “We put a great deal of effort into this delicate balancing act—to the point where we communicated using specific figures, such as ‘30% tragedy and 70% comedy.’”
*A Trip to Gyeongju* is the first commercial film by director Kim Mi-jo, whose directing skills were recognized with her debut film *The Seagull*. Notably, the film received critical acclaim at the 24th Florence Korean Film Festival held last March and was honored with the Audience Award.