Frederik Sølberg is a Danish filmmaker whose work connects the worlds of documentary and narrative cinema, exploring stories that illuminate human identity and belonging. He is known for his careful attention to detail and for bringing real-life experiences to the screen.

Fifteen years ago, a first visit to South Korea left an impression on Sølberg. A chance encounter with Koreans reflecting on the country’s division sparked his curiosity about the lives of North Korean defectors adapting to a new world. That experience, combined with years of research and immersive storytelling, laid the foundation for Hana Korea, a project that evolved over six years through collaboration between Danish and Korean filmmakers.

Throughout his career, Sølberg has been drawn to stories of personal growth set against social and cultural contexts, mixing observational insight with cinematic imagination. In Hana Korea, this approach is reflected in a narrative built on real experiences and enhanced by carefully considered visual and emotional storytelling. By cultivating close relationships with the people whose stories inspire the film, Sølberg ensures the work feels genuine and human. During the 30th Busan International Film Festival, we had the chance to sit down with the director for a conversation about the creative process behind this superb film.

View of the Arts: First of all, I would like to say that I loved the film so much. I would love to know how you approached translating real-life stories of North Korean defectors into a cinematic narrative without losing their authenticity.

Frederik Sølberg: Thank you. I’m happy that you like the film. Hana Korea is the result of a collaborative process between a small but dedicated team from Korea and Denmark. It’s a project that has evolved over six years, shaped by a shared commitment to telling this story with care and respect. Our team includes our Korean producer, our Danish producer, and me, and we’ve approached this project much like we would a documentary – always striving for authenticity.

From the very beginning, our goal was to create a film that comes across as truthful and emotionally resonant as possible – both for a Korean and international audience. In 2019, we met Hyorin, a young North Korean woman living in Seoul, who generously shared her story with us. Her openness and sincerity had a huge impact on us, and she quickly became the inspiration for the film. Since then, she has remained closely involved in the project.

Over the years, she and I have spent a lot of time together – often just the two of us, communicating through a translation app. We would go for walks, visit her old neighbourhood in Seoul, look at flowers and trees, and eat lamb skewers. The relationship we built with her grounded us in reality, constantly reminding us that we were working with real lives – not just abstract ideas.

At the same time, we developed a cinematic concept that would support this sense of authenticity. We chose to shoot entirely on location, we worked with costumes inspired by Hyorin’s own wardrobe, and our cast learned to talk with a North Korean accent, carefully trying to capture a visual and emotional atmosphere that felt real and grounded in lived experience.

VOA: The film captures both the overwhelming scale of Seoul and intimate personal moments. How did you decide which visual contrasts would best serve the story?

FS: Hyesun is going through a transformation while being split between her past and the present. To reflect that cinematically, we developed a visual language with a few specific principles.

From the beginning, I made a rule: we would use fixed, static frames when Hyesun was feeling constrained or out of control. In contrast, as she begins to adapt and gain a sense of freedom, we would shift to more vibrant, hand-held camerawork (that said, I also enjoy breaking my own rules, so the film is full of intentional exceptions).

On top of that, we developed a simple visual metaphor: nature represents North Korea, while the city and built environments represent South Korea. This is most clearly expressed in the voiceover sequences, where Hyesun is either seeking nature, walking through it, or being confronted by it.  Overall, it was important for us to create a cinematic language that supports and elevates Hyesun’s emancipation while underlining her alienation, longing, and loneliness. Our intention was that she, in the end, is not only breaking free from the circumstances she finds herself in – she’s also breaking free from the gaze of the camera and, in that sense, takes control of her own narrative. 

VOA: Working with Kim Minha, portraying such a complex role in some ways, how did you create a safe environment for her to explore vulnerability on set?

FS: Before we began shooting, we invited Minha to Copenhagen for an acting workshop with me and my co-writer, Sharon Choi. During the workshop, we rehearsed and explored how to shape the character of Hyesun together. This process was a huge advantage on set, as we already had a shared understanding of the character and were able to give Minha the time and space she needed. Minha is incredibly talented and thoroughly prepared – it was a pleasure to watch her bring Hyesun to life.

VOA: As both co-writer and director of Hana Korea, what first inspired you to tell this story? The subject is complex and sensitive, and it’s not common for a Western filmmaker to explore it.

FS: Fifteen years ago, I traveled to South Korea for the first time. On my first evening in Seoul, I walked into a restaurant and struck up a conversation with two Korean men who had just taken part in a war memorial event. Their English was limited, but they managed to convey how deeply the division of Korea affected them. I was genuinely moved by their sincerity. I still remember one of them saying: “All we want is hana Korea” – meaning “one Korea.”

A few years later, during my research, I came across Hanawon – South Korea’s integration center for newly arrived North Koreans. It’s a place where they learn how to live in a democracy, how to use a credit card, and how to “become” South Korean. I found that deeply fascinating. I returned to Korea and produced a radio documentary about Hanawon, interviewing both North Koreans and staff. That experience planted the seed for a film – not about North Korea itself, but about what it means to be North Korean in South Korea.

For the following years, I travelled back and forth to Korea and continued my research before reaching out to our producer in Sara Stockmann, in 2019. We agreed from the beginning that we needed a Korean partner and teammate, so we reached out to Heejung Oh from Seesaw Pictures, who gladly said yes to join us. 

VOA: How did collaborating with Sharon Choi and defector Choi Hyorin shape the direction and emotional core of the film?

FS: Sharon joined our project in 2022, by which point we had already spent three years developing it and had conducted several in-depth interviews with Hyorin. So there was a lot of research material for Sharon to dig into.

What Sharon brought to the process was invaluable. She has a deep understanding of the female experience and life as a young Korean woman, combined with a thoughtful perspective on identity and belonging. Her sharp sense of drama and dialogue, paired with her critical eye, played a crucial role in shaping the script. Her contributions were, in that sense, not only creative but also cultural, highlighting the strength and need of the collaboration between our Korean and Danish teams.

VOA: You come from a documentary filmmaking background, and Hana Korea is your first narrative feature. How did your experience in documentaries influence your approach to telling this story, and were there any challenges in shifting to a scripted format?

FS: Although my background is primarily in documentary filmmaking, I’ve also directed short films, music videos, and other narrative projects – so fiction isn’t entirely new to me. With Hana Korea, I feel we were able to bring together the best of both worlds. The project began with years of research and a close, ongoing relationship with the woman whose story inspired the film. That documentary mindset helped ground the narrative in real-life experiences and some kind of emotional truth or authenticity. At the same time, working in a scripted format allowed us to creatively shape the characters and story, hoping to bring deeper emotional resonance and cinematic impact.

Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Sarah Brik

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}