Justin H. Min’s first Korean feature film, Journey There, is set to reach audiences beyond South Korea after Seoul-based international sales company Finecut secured distribution deals across five markets. KDDI Corporation has acquired the film for Japan, Andrews Film for Taiwan, Izagur Media for Mongolia and Lev Cinema for Israel, while Kairos Distribution has secured its airline rights. The agreements were finalised around the Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan and TIFFCOM in Tokyo, extending the film’s international reach following its South Korean theatrical release on October 28, 2026.
The deals bring wider attention to a film that marks a significant personal milestone for Min. Best known internationally for his performances in Netflix’s Beef and The Umbrella Academy, as well as Kogonada’s After Yang, the Korean-American actor makes his debut in a Korean feature production with Journey There. He stars alongside veteran actress Kim Hye-ok, whose performance anchors the film’s intimate story.
Directed by Kim Jin-yu, Journey There is the filmmaker’s second feature following Bori, his acclaimed family drama. Kim has also produced the new film through his independent production company, Pado. Rather than building its narrative around a dramatic turning point, the film finds its emotional weight in the small encounters that gradually begin to change the rhythm of one woman’s life.
The story follows Chun-hee, a middle-aged woman grieving the sudden death of her husband. As she moves into a new apartment and prepares for a journey of her own, she finds herself drawn into unexpected relationships with people in the building. These encounters gradually bring new connections into a life that had become quiet and uncertain. The film’s focus on ordinary moments and the possibility of human connection gives its central journey a meaning that extends beyond simply travelling from one place to another.
For Min, the project offers a different connection to his Korean background. While his screen work has introduced him to international audiences through American productions, Journey There places him within a Korean-language independent feature led by a Korean cast and filmmaker. His presence gives the film an internationally recognised name, while the story remains rooted in the everyday experiences of its central characters.
Journey There has already travelled through the festival circuit ahead of its domestic release. Its screenings have included the Moscow International Film Festival and the New York Asian Film Festival, along with the Paris Korean Film Festival and the London Korean Film Festival. The film also premiered at the Busan International Film Festival, where it began its journey with audiences.
The South Korean theatrical release on October 28 marked the next stage for the independent drama, while the newly secured deals extend its reach to cinema audiences in Asia and Israel, as well as travellers through inflight entertainment. Each agreement provides the film with an entry point into a different market, broadening the potential audience for a story shaped by Korean characters and experiences.
The international sales also highlight Finecut’s efforts to bring Korean independent cinema to buyers beyond its home market. In this case, the film’s appeal is not built around a large-scale production or an established franchise, but a character-driven drama featuring an internationally recognised actor in his first Korean feature. Following its festival screenings and the securing of distribution partners across five markets, Journey There is now beginning a new chapter beyond South Korea.
At its centre, however, the film remains a story about what can happen when grief and an unexpected change of home bring people into one another’s lives. As audiences in the newly secured territories await their opportunity to see it, Kim Jin-yu’s second feature is taking its quiet, human story to a wider international audience.