[비즈한국] It is, without a doubt, the era of Youn Yuh-jung. Born in 1947, this actress, who is 75 in Korean age, was already "hip" long before she clinched the Best Supporting Actress trophy at the Academy Awards across the ocean. There are few people who have shown that one can be old yet still "hip" as naturally and wittily as Youn Yuh-jung. If the only news had been the "gukppong" (extreme nationalistic pride) of her being the first Korean to win an Oscar, the hype would have died down quietly after the storm of praise. While it is true that the current fervor is partly fueled by that national pride, the vast majority is made up of the unique philosophy and aura that Youn Yuh-jung has built while walking her own path over the decades.
When an acquaintance told her that the whole world was abuzz with talk of her, Youn Yuh-jung replied, "Sister, that's just popularity like a rice grain floating in sikhye (sweet rice punch)." Witness her wit and cold-headed sense of reality. Her popularity does not seem like it will fade away anytime soon. So, as the saying goes, "make hay while the sun shines," I’d like to take advantage of this atmosphere to introduce some of her works.
The filmography Youn Yuh-jung has built over the past several decades is incredibly long. Beyond movies and dramas, there are the reality shows she has appeared in since the 2010s with producer Na Young-seok. As for her films, like the independent movie 'Minari' which won her the Oscar, there are countless gems sparkling like jewels. You can find her work on any OTT platform you subscribe to.
Watcha has already acted quickly, bundling a filmography of seven movies under the catchphrase, "The Most Brilliant Youn Yuh-jung Right Now." They include 'Sannamul Virgin', 'Boomerang Family', 'The Taste of Money', 'Canola', 'Salut d'Amour', 'Behind the Camera', and 'Keys to the Heart'. Beyond this list, her drama credits include 'Ruler of Your Own World', 'Worlds Within', 'The King 2 Hearts', and 'Can You Hear My Heart?'. Netflix’s film list, which doesn't overlap with Watcha, includes 'The Bacchus Lady', 'Hahaha', 'In Another Country', 'A Muse', 'Lucky Chan-sil', 'Beasts Clawing at Straws', and 'A Good Lawyer's Wife'. You can also see a brief appearance by her alongside Bae Doona in the Netflix original series 'Sense8'.
On TVING, the CJ-affiliated OTT platform, you can find the reality shows that made Youn's "hip" side widely known to the younger generation. Starting with 'Sisters Over Flowers' with producer Na Young-seok, you can watch 'Youn's Kitchen', 'Youn's Kitchen 2', and 'Youn Stay', along with the tvN drama 'Dear My Friends'. Wavve, a joint venture between the three terrestrial broadcasters and SK Telecom017670, is characterized by its large collection of terrestrial dramas not found on other OTTs, such as 'Never Twice', 'What's Up Fox', 'The Queen's Classroom', 'My Too Perfect Sons', 'Home Sweet Home', 'Be Strong, Geum-soon!', and 'My Husband Got a Family'.
With her works available across Watcha, Netflix, TVING, Wavve, and even Coupang Play, you are bound to find something that suits your taste. Personally, I recommend 'Sannamul Virgin'. This 28-minute short film was directed by Kim Cho-hee, who also directed the 2020 film 'Lucky Chan-sil'. For those who don't often get the chance to watch short films, 'Sannamul Virgin' will be a fresh experience, and you will be surprised by the star-studded cast including Jung Yu-mi and Ahn Jae-hong alongside Youn Yuh-jung. The film tells the story of Soon-sim (Youn Yuh-jung), a 70-year-old spinster who comes to Earth from an unknown planet in search of a man, meets the wild vegetable-gathering virgin Dal-lae (Jung Yu-mi), and finds the man of her dreams with the advice of a deer being chased by a hunter. Mixing the traditional folktale 'The Woodcutter and the Fairy' with a B-movie sensibility, 'Sannamul Virgin' highlights Youn Yuh-jung's chic yet cute charm and the harmless, lovely nature of Jung Yu-mi and Ahn Jae-hong.
In particular, the charm of Soon-sim, who doesn't despair even after love ends, declaring, "What kind of outdated nonsense are you spouting?" and "Life begins at 70," resonates with Youn Yuh-jung's own personality. You might be a bit taken aback if the film's unique B-movie sensibility or its "byeong-mat" (absurd/bizarre) humor doesn't suit your taste, but it's only 28 minutes long, so there's no burden. I recommend watching 'Lucky Chan-sil' right after this. 'Sannamul Virgin' is available on Watcha and Wavve, and can also be purchased individually on TVING.
For dramas, I recommend 'Ruler of Your Own World', available on Watcha and Wavve, and 'My Husband Got a Family', which you can watch on Wavve and Coupang Play. In 'Ruler of Your Own World', she plays an immature mother who left her violent husband and lived apart from her son, while in 'My Husband Got a Family', she portrays a mother who lost her son, lived with that regret for decades, and then faced the dramatic reunion with a son who now feels like a stranger. What stands out in both works is that while she plays a mother in both, they are far from the stereotypical "mother" figure. Jung Yu-sun (Youn Yuh-jung) in 'Ruler of Your Own World' is a mother who accepts money from her son Go Bok-su (Yang Dong-geun) without asking where he got it, as he is a pickpocket. She is also a mother who, when her son asks to borrow money back, snaps sharply at him, "You give and then take back, are you trying to show off in front of me?" She is a mother who tries to erase her own guilt for not caring for her son for so long by acting shamelessly towards him, despite his hardships. Fans of the drama still can't forget the expression on Yoo-sun’s face after she finds out how her son makes his money.
On the other hand, Um Chung-ae (Youn Yuh-jung) in 'My Husband Got a Family' is a mother who harbored deep sorrow for decades after losing her son Gwi-nam (Yoo Jun-sang), and even after finding him, she cannot easily assert her role as a mother. The heroine of 'My Husband Got a Family' was certainly the daughter-in-law, Cha Yoon-hee (Kim Nam-joo), and the main plotline portrayed with a lively touch the stories of Yoon-hee dealing with her in-laws, the "Si-world." But even amidst that, Youn Yuh-jung was Youn Yuh-jung. In particular, the scene where she wails after discovering the truth about how she lost Gwi-nam is a legendary scene that still gives me goosebumps and makes me cry every time I watch it.
The "gukppong" brought on by 'Minari' made all Koreans feel pleasantly intoxicated. But if Youn Yuh-jung’s performance in 'Minari' didn't seem particularly surprising to Koreans, it’s only because we have already seen her amazing acting many times before. Because in almost all of her works, including those mentioned here, it was always a case of "Youn Yuh-jung being Youn Yuh-jung." So, let’s be grateful that we can enjoy her acting 100% without the need for translation. If you can, it would be even better to fry up some water dropwort pancakes and enjoy them with a bowl of makgeolli.
Who is the writer, Jung Su-jin?
She has worked at various magazines, reporting and writing about films, travel, and popular culture. While she doesn't want to fall behind the trends, she has become an "old soul" who predicts every obvious cliché in the next scene while watching the latest dramas. She is currently drifting through the vast OTT world, trying to regain her lost edge, and her only wish now is for an integrated OTT subscription plan.