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Actress Kim Min-ha will serve as the sole host of the opening ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), set to take place on October 6. / Courtesy of BIFF

Actress Kim Min-ha will serve as the sole host of this year's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) opening ceremony.

On the 31st, the 31st BIFF announced, "We have selected Kim Min-ha, who is currently the most visibly rising star, as the sole host to join the festival — which further solidified its international standing last year by introducing a competition section — on its journey toward a new leap forward."

Kim, who debuted in 2016, first earned recognition abroad for her delicate and nuanced portrayal of the young version of the main character Sunja (played by Youn Yuh-jung) in Apple TV's "Pachinko" seasons 1 and 2, released in 2022 and 2024 respectively, winning the Best Newcomer award in the TV category at the 2022 Asian American Awards.

Since then, she has been actively working across both television and film, appearing in dramas such as "Light Shop," "A Week Before I Die," and "Typhoon Trading," as well as the film "Hana Korea." Last year, she won the Best Actress award at the Seoul Drama Awards' international competition section and the Best New Actress award at the Blue Dragon Series Awards. She also recently drew attention after revealing she had lost nearly 17 kg through diet and exercise alone.

Meanwhile, the 31st BIFF will run for ten days, from October 6 to 15, in the area around the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan.

                                                                                                         Cho Seong-jun