‘Hana Korea,’ film about life after escaping North Korea, lends fact to fiction



Features ‘Hana Korea,’ film about life after escaping North Korea, lends fact to fiction The film largely captures the ups and downs of escapees’ new lives after fleeing to South Korea, defectors say Jooheon Kim \| Shreyas Reddy August 7, 2026 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Hyesun, the protagonist of the film "Hana Korea" \| Image: Courtesy of Triple Pictures and Seesaw Pictures Editor’s note: This story contains spoilers from the film. Movies about North Korean defectors often focus on the dangers of escaping the country. “Hana Korea” begins after the escape — with a young woman sitting alone on a plane that has just landed in South Korea, unsure of what awaits her. Released last month, the Danish-Korean production, directed by Frederik Solberg and co-written by Sharon Sung-jae Choi, showcases the early experiences of newly arrived defectors through the story of Hyesun, a young North Korean escapee played by actress Kim Min-ha, best known for the TV series Pachinko. Based largely on © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Features

‘Hana Korea,’ film about life after escaping North Korea, lends fact to fiction

The film largely captures the ups and downs of escapees’ new lives after fleeing to South Korea, defectors say

Jooheon Kim | Shreyas Reddy August 7, 2026

‘Hana Korea,’ film about life after escaping North Korea, lends fact to fiction

Hyesun, the protagonist of the film "Hana Korea" | Image: Courtesy of Triple Pictures and Seesaw Pictures

Editor’s note: This story contains spoilers from the film.

Movies about North Korean defectors often focus on the dangers of escaping the country. “Hana Korea” begins after the escape — with a young woman sitting alone on a plane that has just landed in South Korea, unsure of what awaits her.

Released last month, the Danish-Korean production, directed by Frederik Solberg and co-written by Sharon Sung-jae Choi, showcases the early experiences of newly arrived defectors through the story of Hyesun, a young North Korean escapee played by actress Kim Min-ha, best known for the TV series Pachinko.

Based largely on

About the Authors

Jooheon Kim

Jooheon Kim is a Correspondent at NK News. He previously worked at Aju News Corporation where he covered South Korea's economy and tech sectors, K-pop and inter-Korean relations.

View more articles by Jooheon Kim EMAIL Linkedin Got a news tip?Let us know!

Shreyas Reddy

Shreyas Reddy is the Lead Correspondent at NK News, based in Seoul. He previously worked as a researcher at BBC Monitoring, where his work focused on news and key people and organizations from the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Follow him on Twitter.

View more articles by Shreyas Reddy EMAIL Twitter Linkedin Got a news tip?Let us know!