'The Journey to Gyeongju' Park So-dam: "I Always Pretended I Was Okay... But I Learned to Accept the Parts of Myself That Weren’t" [Interview]

[Financial News] They say people mature through hardship. After being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in 2021 and taking time off to recover from surgery, actress Park So-dam has returned with a new film, 'The Journey to Gyeongju,' her first project in a long time since 'Phantom' (2023). Looking back on the years since her diagnosis, she said, "I learned to accept the parts of myself that weren’t okay."

Ahead of the recent release of 'The Journey to Gyeongju,' Park So-dam met with reporters at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. "Right after graduating, I went through several auditions and was fortunate enough to work on one good project after another, including 'The Throne,' 'The Silenced,' and 'The Priests,'" she recalled. "I’ve always had good stamina, so I lived by constantly pouring out all the energy I had."
Because her profession requires her to constantly put herself on display, she had little time to care for Park So-dam the person. "I kept sending energy outward, and at some point my input ran dry, so I could no longer produce output," she said. "I felt empty as an actress, and I realized I didn’t really know what to do during the time I wasn’t acting."
When she was diagnosed with cancer, she fell into what could be called a state of quiet shock. Promotional events for her starring film 'Special Delivery' (2022) had already been scheduled when she was told, "You could lose your voice, so you need surgery immediately." She recalled, "I was shocked, but I tried not to show it. I sent a group text to the people around me saying, ‘I’ll have the surgery and come back safely,’ and then underwent the operation."
Park So-dam said, "If I struggled to get better as quickly as possible right after the surgery, I spent the past two years taking a proper break. I turned my gaze inward, instead of always looking outward, and spent time examining Park So-dam the person."
Her physical condition has not completely returned to what it was before. Some days, her energy suddenly drops. She also has to take medication every day and have her condition checked every six months. However, her attitude toward her body’s signals has changed.
"I think I have to accept the parts of myself that aren’t okay. I always pretended I was fine, but people around me told me not to do that. Of course, I sleep well, eat well, and exercise now. Still, I’m continuing to take care of myself while acknowledging that recovery can take time."
Perhaps it was because she had finally gotten plenty of rest. Park So-dam looked especially beautiful that day.

Before she fell ill, Park So-dam was a hardcore planner who would not make a move without meticulously mapping everything out. Now, however, she has let go of that need for control. These days, she sometimes travels with nothing more than a carry-on bag. Buying a large bundle of flowers at a flower market, playing music, and trimming the stems one by one has also become a new source of joy.
Above all, her feelings about acting have become clear. "When I couldn’t act, the words ‘I want to act’ came out of my mouth naturally," Park So-dam said. "When I finally acted with other actors again after such a long time, I realized how much fun being on set was."
The film that helped her rediscover that joy was director Kim Mi-zo’s 'The Journey to Gyeongju.' It follows Ok-sil (Lee Jung-eun), who lost her youngest daughter Gyeongju on a school trip eight years earlier, and her three daughters—Jang-ju (Gong Hyo-jin), Young-ju (Park So-dam), and Dong-ju (Lee Yeon)—as they travel to Gyeongju to take revenge themselves.
Park So-dam said, "I chose it because the screenplay was so good. As I turned the pages, I hoped that this family, which had embarked on this journey, would be okay regardless of whether their plan succeeded or failed."


With Lee Jung-eun, her co-star in the film "Parasite," joined by Gong Hyo-jin and Lee Yeon, the family in the film naturally grew close off set as well. Although the four women had different personalities and temperaments, they said being together felt so comfortable that it required no special effort.
"When we gathered at someone’s accommodation, Hyo-jin and Yeon would play games, while I would lie down and watch them. We were comfortable even sitting quietly without saying anything. When we went out for a walk together, Mom would stay behind in the room, saying, ‘I’ll rest.’ Even those moments felt like a real family."
Even after filming ended, the group chat among the four actresses remains active. Park So-dam calls Lee Jung-eun, who is 20 years older than her, “unnie,” but she also naturally calls her “Mom” or “Mother.”

Young-ju, played by Park So-dam, appears cold and meticulous, but she is more anxious than anyone else. Park So-dam explained, "I saw Young-ju’s careful planning as a result of her fear. She is the kind of person who has to calculate even how she would escape if something went wrong before she can feel at ease."
Young-ju’s inner world is tangled with compassion for her father and youngest sister Gyeongju, anxiety over failing to stop her mother, and doubts about whether her family’s choice is the right one. The emotions she has suppressed eventually burst out in words she should not have said to the youngest daughter, Dong-ju.
"You know how sometimes we say the things our family members hate hearing most, only to regret it later? Young-ju must have hated herself for blaming Dong-ju. It hurt even more because she knew about the guilt Dong-ju had carried with her."
Park So-dam is actually the eldest daughter in her family, but she looked into the mindset of a second daughter through her younger sister. She viewed the second child as someone caught between the eldest and youngest, like the filling in a sandwich. At the same time, she said she and Young-ju were alike in making their words and manner more firm to conceal their tender hearts.
Actress Go Ah-sung, who watched the film, reportedly told her, "You’re the eldest in real life, but even just by breathing, you looked like a second daughter." Park So-dam was delighted, calling it "the greatest compliment an actress who played the second daughter, Young-ju, could receive." She added with a laugh, "I want to ask my own younger sister how my acting looked to her, too."
"'The Journey to Gyeongju' is a film that gives audiences plenty to talk about even after they leave the theater. I hope viewers follow this family’s journey and experience a range of emotions."
[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter