Korean director Yeon Sang-ho credits mother for inspiring new film 'Paradise Lost'

Korean film director Yeon Sang-ho, known for hits such as Colony (2026), The Ugly (2025), and the blockbuster Train to Busan (2016), announced on Friday that his latest project, Paradise Lost, was directly inspired by a three-page story penned by his own mother. The psychological thriller tells the unsettling tale of So-young (played by Kim Hyun-joo) and her son Sun-woo (played by Bae Hyun-sung), who reunite after nine years, believing the son had died in a school bus accident.

Director Yeon revealed at a press conference in Seoul that his mother had always been supportive of his screenwriting ambitions, even when he doubted his own abilities. During one visit, she presented him with a three-page story she had written, which became the foundation for Paradise Lost. Yeon playfully mentioned that he bought the story at a discounted price, stating, "I wasn't sure how it would work out, so I bought it from her at a discount."

The director's adaptation of his mother's narrative focuses on the third and final version of the screenplay he developed. Yeon, who previously explored a father-son relationship in his low-budget film, brings a personal touch to Paradise Lost.