The late Kim Soo-mi's last gift, ‘Ghost Police,’ is coming to theaters during the Lunar New Year holiday.
On the afternoon of the 13th, a press screening for the movie ‘Ghost Police’ was held at CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall in Yongsan, Seoul, with director Kim Young-jun and actor Shin Hyun-joon in attendance.
‘Ghost Police,’ featuring Shin Hyun-joon and the late Kim Soo-mi, is a family comedy about a police officer who, after being struck by an unexpected disaster without ever hitting the jackpot, gains trivial abilities and becomes entangled in unexpected events with his family.
Before the press conference, the ‘Ghost Police’ team stated, “We still love and miss her, and our film team misses her a lot too. We wanted to commemorate her together, so we prepared a tribute video,” and unveiled a memorial video for the late Kim Soo-mi. The video included a message saying, “It was an honor to be together, and we love you,” along with letters from the cast expressing their feelings.
‘Ghost Police’ is the third and final film featuring the mother-son duo of Shin Hyun-joon and Kim Soo-mi, following ‘Barefoot Gi-bong’ and the ‘Family Honor’ series.
Shin Hyun-joon said, “Actually, today I was happily filming the MBC program ‘All-Seeing Assistant’ with Jung Joon-ho from the morning while promoting. Since it’s a follow-up program, I came to the theater laughing and talking about my mom, but when I saw the poster we took with my mom, I was momentarily overwhelmed.”
He continued, “In fact, my mother said, ‘Let’s do a lot of programs and promotions the day before the release,’ but there was only one chair in front of the poster, so I felt very heavy-hearted.”
He shared, “I met my mother through the movie, but I’ve treated her like my real mom until now. ‘Ghost Police’ was a movie my mom missed, just like ‘Barefoot Gi-bong,’ and she said she wanted to make another movie like that, which led to the birth of ‘Ghost Police.’ Even now, before coming on stage, I talked with the director, and it still doesn’t feel real that we are discussing the movie. I should have been talking about the movie with my mom. But just as my mother wished, such a movie came out, and I hoped it would be screened during the Lunar New Year so that the whole family could watch it, and it is being screened during that time. It’s a movie that feels like the last gift my mother gave us.”
When ‘Barefoot Gi-bong’ was released, the happiness that Shin Hyun-joon and Kim Soo-mi felt was deeply conveyed to the audience. Shin Hyun-joon said, “When I met my mother, she often reminisced about the time during ‘Barefoot Gi-bong.’ When we went on stage, the audience was sitting together, and my mother really liked it when families came to see it. She suggested we make such a movie, which is how ‘Ghost Police’ was planned. I wanted it to be a comfortable and funny film that evokes family love. I heard that some people gained superpowers after being struck by lightning, so I started writing a draft with that concept in mind, and the director began writing the script with my mom and me in mind,” explaining the reason behind the creation of ‘Ghost Police.’
In particular, ‘Ghost Police’ was also planned as a series. While discussing this, Shin Hyun-joon said, “My mother said she hoped we would make a good movie and turn it into a series. The director also debated until the end whether to include the scene where my mother gets struck by lightning, wondering if it should be removed since she is no longer with us. But Director Kim said he would prefer to keep it in. Originally, we thought of starting the sequel with my mother gaining superpowers, but then she passed away.” He wiped away tears.
He added, “So we had a lot of discussions. All of our staff agreed not to touch anything, so we decided to use the footage of my mother. It’s true that we started this as a franchise comedy film from the beginning.”
Through ‘Ghost Police,’ Shin Hyun-joon created warm memories with the late Kim Soo-mi, stating, “The score is hard to predict as the movie has been out for a while. I think of it as a gift from my mother to the staff and the audience, and I hope many viewers enjoy my mother’s last gift.”
Director Kim Young-jun expressed, “I hope you love ‘Ghost Police.’ In a reality where there isn’t much joy or happiness these days, I hope that just having a fun and enjoyable time can provide some comfort to the audience, even if just a little.”
Finally, Shin Hyun-joon said, “Thanks to my mother, I felt a lot of warmth while filming. I hope ‘Ghost Police’ becomes a film where many viewers can feel family love, even if just for a moment while watching, as my mother wished. I hope you remember her a lot.”
[Yongsan (Seoul) = Son Jin-a, MK Sports Reporter]
