The ‘South Korean Film of the Year’ on Teen Trauma

Yoon Ga-eun was not a name many would have recognized in South Korea.

Until his film about a teenage survivor of sexual violence became a resounding success.

“It hasn’t really been realized yet,” independent filmmaker Ms. Yoon told the Korean BBC at a studio in Seoul in late November. “Now I feel almost empty, just grateful and also a little scared.”

The World of Love was dubbed “film of the year” by Korean media for its touching and empathetic portrayal of life after trauma. Instead of recreating the crime, the film tells the story of what follows: high school student Joo-in’s daily life, from school to romance to family and friendships, and all the moments of conflict and joy that come with it.

It received praise from critics and audiences, and has generated more than $1.1 million in box office revenue since its debut in October. Viewers rated it 9 out of 10 on South Korea’s largest search portal Naver.

“Simply a masterpiece,” is how Bong Jun-ho, director of the world-famous film Parasite and the first Korean to win an Oscar, described it. He called himself “head of the South Korean branch of Yoon Ga-eun’s fan club.”

The film resonated in a deeply patriarchal country, where women say they fight hard just to be heard. And its surprising success is a sign of a growing desire to start conversations about sexual violence and how survivors are treated.

The World of Love may not seem like an obvious choice for moviegoers.

The Korean title, “Joo-in of the World”, says little about the plot. While it stars Parasite actor Jang Hye-jin and K-drama star Go Min-si, the lead role is played by Seo Su-bin, a new face on the big screen.

At its heart, it is the life story of 17-year-old Joo-in.

Everything is fine with her. She’s popular at school, has a devoted boyfriend, and lives with a caring mother and adorable little brother.

The tension begins because of his refusal to sign a petition at school. A man who molested a 10-year-old child is set to be released from jail in his neighborhood. A classmate then launched a petition asking for his release to be suspended. Joo-in is the only one who refuses to sign.

She objects to just one line in the petition: “Sexual violence leaves deep wounds that never heal and completely destroys a person’s life and soul.”

“I cannot agree with this statement,” Joo-in said to the student who wrote it.

The standoff ends up revealing her secret: she was raped by a relative when she was younger.

Despite the poignant theme, Ms. Yoon is determined to explore the fullness of the life of Joo-in, whose name means “owner” or “master” in Korean, hinting at the autonomy Ms. Yoon envisioned for her character.

Journalists who attended the media screening received a handwritten letter from Ms. Yoon asking them to avoid mentioning sexual violence when covering the film.

“The story is more about how we look at it,” Yoon told the BBC, adding that she did not want to label her protagonist as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

“Because Joo-in herself refuses that. It’s part of her identity and it shakes her, but she insists: ‘That’s not all I am’.”

When she decided to make a film about sexual violence, Ms. Yoon was clear about one thing. She didn’t want it to be predictable.

During her research, she said she “watched pretty much everything that was out there” on the topic. She spoke with survivors and consulted with activists. These conversations broke down the “prejudices” she carried, an ignorance that “reduces man entirely to his wound.”

“We spent so much time talking about very ordinary concerns,” she said. “Worries about work, family, friendships and relationships, the need to lose or gain weight or exercise more. I think those moments dissolved even the last little prejudice I still had.”

This touched the public.

Those who liked the film say it challenges the stereotypes we project onto sex crime survivors, encouraging audiences to see them differently: people who are part of society and trying to live their lives like everyone else.

When Seo Jinwon, a children’s book editor, watched the film in Seoul, she said, the theater “went completely silent” when the film ended.

“No one rushed to leave. I stayed and watched the end credits. I left the theater thinking, ‘I want to be a good adult who can stand alongside all the children and teenagers who are striving to grow up.'”

One survivor of sexual violence who wished to remain anonymous said she felt like “putting my arms out and clapping” as she walked out of the cinema.

“Joo-in gave me so much. At the end, I felt like she was smiling at me and saying, ‘I’m living well, so let’s continue to live well together’.”

The World of Love does what activists have long worked for, according to Cho Eunhee, director of the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center who worked as a consultant on the film.

The timing, she added, “is incredibly timely.”

After the MeToo movement of 2017-2018, it became easier for survivors to share their stories, and the country became more protective and understanding of them. In 2025, when Ms. Yoon’s film was released, “people were more willing to empathize with a story like this,” Ms. Cho said.

She wonders if, even a few years earlier, the film would have “found this level of audience understanding.”

While the MeToo movement has sparked conversations about harassment and assault in workplaces and outside the home, speaking out about abuse within families, she said, is still largely seen as “spitting in your face” — but this film made more room to talk about it.

The World of Love is not without its critics. Some viewers, including survivors, said the film did not seem representative of their reality because it downplayed the fear and lasting damage caused by abuse, portraying families as more supportive than they often were.

But the criticism doesn’t overshadow the film’s value, said critic Min Youngjun, adding that The World of Love created a healthy space to talk about sexual violence and its victims.

“The mark of a good film isn’t how many people liked it or didn’t like it. What matters is whether it creates a space in which we can talk about what it brought to the table.”