{
  "id": 769145,
  "title": "'The Journey to Gyeong-ju' balances tragedy, humor in grief-driven road trip",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/the-journey-to-gyeong-ju-balances-tragedy-humor-in-grief-driven-road-769145",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-13T13:32:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20260813/the-journey-to-gyeong-ju-balances-tragedy-humor-in-grief-driven-road-trip"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eight years ago, a mother's youngest daughter disappeared during a school excursion. Driven by grief, she now embarks on a road trip with her remaining daughters to seek retribution against the murderer, who has since been released from prison. This is the premise of director Kim Mi-jo's feature film debut, \"The Journey to Gyeongju.\" Kim previously garnered critical acclaim for her indie drama \"Gull\" (2021), which centered on an elderly woman seeking justice.\n\nThe film follows Ok-sil (played by Lee Jeong-eun) and her three daughters - Jang-ju (Kong Hyo-jin), Young-ju (Park So-dam), and Dong-ju (Lee Yeon) - as they travel to the southwestern city of Gyeongju to mete out their own form of justice to Baek Sang-hyun (Byun Yo-han), the killer who received a lenient sentence for the tragedy. Their quest for vengeance is fraught with comedic mishaps and awkward situations, but Ok-sil's determination to avenge her daughter imbues the story with an emotional depth that resonates strongly.\n\nThe city of Gyeongju holds a bittersweet significance for the family, as it is where their youngest daughter, also named Gyeong-ju, tragically lost her life on a school trip. Hence, their road trip can be seen as a painful journey of return to that once joyful place.",
  "summary": "Eight years after her youngest daughter went missing during a school trip, a grieving mother sets out on a road trip with her remaining three daughters to get revenge on the killer, recently released from prison. This premise drives \"The Journey to Gyeong-ju,\" the commercial debut by director Kim Mi-jo, who previously won the Grand Prize at the Jeonju International Film Festival with \"Gull\"…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "'The Journey to Gyeong-ju' balances tragedy, humor in grief-driven road trip",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/the-journey-to-gyeong-ju-balances-tragedy-humor-in-grief-driven-road",
        "published": "2026-08-13T13:22:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}