Kim Min-joo, a former member of the group IZ*ONE, took on her first leading role on the big screen in the movie ‘Cheongseol’, and showed her deep affection for the IZ*ONE members.

The movie Cheongseol (directed by Cho Sun-ho) is a remake of the Taiwanese movie of the same name. It contains the refreshing and exciting love story of Yong-jun (played by Hong Kyung) and Yeoreum (played by Noh Yoon-seo).

Kim Min-joo played the role of Ga-eul, Yeoreum‘s younger sister who does not give up in the face of hardship for her dream. In this movie, Kim Min-joo did a great job expressing her running towards her dream without losing her smile even in difficult situations. Kim Min-joo is receiving praise as ‘Autumn itself’, meaning that she fits the role of Ga-eul very well.

Ahead of the release of “Cheongseol,” Kim Min-ju, whom we met on the 1st at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, talked about her experiences filming her first leading role in a movie.

She talked about how she prepared to play the role of swimmer Ga-eul, as well as her mindset and practice process for sign language, which is a bit difficult to approach.

Kim Min-ju also expressed her gratitude to Hong Kyung and Noh Yoon-seo, who played Yong-jun and Yeoreum. Kim Min-ju said she learned a lot from the two of them.

Kim Min-ju also expressed her special affection for the IZ*ONE members ahead of the release of her first leading role in a movie. That they still keep in touch with each other to this day.

When asked what IZ*ONE means to her, Kim Min-ju said, “They’re like family. In some ways, they‘re friends who I talk to more than my family and who really cheer me on from up close.”

She also said, “They’re friends I met when I first came out into society,” and “They‘re so precious because we’ve spent so many years together. We support each other that much,” he said.

She then talked about the members she meets most often, saying, “There are so many of us, so we meet up with the members who have schedules that work out for us, eat, watch movies, and chat.”

In fact, Kim Min-ju appeared on the entertainment program Point of Omniscient Interfere last year and had a party with Choi Ye-na at leader Kwon Eun-bi’s house.

She also said that the leader of the IZ*ONE member gathering was Kwon Eun-bi, who actually led the group, and showed her affection by saying, “Eun-bi is still our leader.”

Kim Min-ju, who is about to have her first lead film released, is also planning her first solo fan meeting at the end of this month.

Kim Min-ju said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on stage in front of my fans, so I’m nervous and excited,” adding, “This is my first solo fan meeting since IZ*ONE. I like this opportunity to talk directly with fans about things I wanted to communicate. I want to do well,” she said.

Kim Min-ju debuted as a member of IZ*ONE in 2018, and won the Best New Actress Award at the MBC Drama Awards that year for her role in the dramas Marriage Forbidden Order and Joseon Marriage Forbidden Order.

After that, Kim Min-ju appeared as the child version of Oh Yoon-jin, the character of Jeon Mi-do, in the SBS drama Connection, which aired in May, drawing much attention.

Now, Kim Min-ju has grown from IZ*ONE to her first leading role on the big screen. The film ‘Cheongsul’, in which Kim Min-ju plays Gaeul, will be released on the 6th.

Jo Sung-woon, Donga.com reporter madduxly@donga.com