''Snowy Road'' () is a 2015 South Korean

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction such as c ...

directed by Lee Na-jeong which narrates the story of two teenage girls' fate as

comfort women Comfort women were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term ''comfort women'' is a translation of the Japanese , a euphemism ...

during the

Japanese occupation of Korea From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

. It originally aired on

KBS1 KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials. Hi ...

in 2015 as a two-part television special, and then was re-edited for theatrical screening. The theatrical cut was first showcased at the 16th

Jeonju International Film Festival Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF, ) is an Asian film festival based in South Korea. It was launched in 2000 as a non-competitive film festival seeking to introduce independent and experimental films to the general public and focusing ...

. The film was theatrically released on March 1, 2017, also known as the Independence Movement Day in South Korea, which commemorates the 1919

March First Movement The March First Movement was a series of protests against Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese colonial rule that was held throughout Korea and internationally by the Korean diaspora beginning on March 1, 1919. Protests were largely concentrated in ...

Plot

In 1944, during the final years of the Japanese occupation, two girls are born in the same village but destined for completely different fates. Jong-boon, poor yet full of spirit, and Young-ae, the youngest daughter of a wealthy family who excels in her studies. Jong-boon admires the intelligent and beautiful Young-ae and envies her when she is sent away to Japan. Wishing for a better life, Jong-boon begs her mother to send her to Japan as well. One day, while her mother is away, Jong-boon is left alone at home with her younger brother. Suddenly, Japanese soldiers storm into their house, forcibly dragging her away onto a train bound for an unknown destination. Confused and terrified, Jong-boon finds herself surrounded by other girls her age, all trembling in fear. Just then, Young-ae, whom she had believed to be studying abroad in Japan, is thrown into the same train car. Now sharing the same tragic fate, the two girls are thrust into the horrors of war. While Jong-boon clings to the desperate hope of returning home, Young-ae, resigned to the cruel reality, makes a dangerous decision to bring an end to their nightmare.

Cast

Kim Hyang-gi Kim Hyang-gi (; born August 9, 2000) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a child actress and was best known for her role in the television series '' The Queen's Classroom'' (2013), as well as the films '' Along with the Gods: The Two Wor ...

as Choi Jong-boon (past) **

Kim Young-ok Kim Young-ok (; born January 6, 1938) is a South Korean actress who debuted in 1957. She is known as South Korea's "National Grandma" for her many portrayals of grandmothers in film and television. Career In 1959, Kim joined the Chuncheon B ...

as Choi Jong-boon (present) *

Kim Sae-ron Kim Sae-ron (; July 31, 2000 – February 16, 2025) was a South Korean actress. Kim began her career in 2001 as a child model and transitioned to acting in 2009 with the film '' A Brand New Life'' (2009). She gained recognition through '' The ...

as Kang Young-ae *

Cho Soo-hyang Cho Soo-hyang (; born January 21, 1991) is a South Korean actress. Career Cho Soo-hyang won Actress of the Year Award for her role in the film ''Wild Flowers'' (2015) at the 19th Busan International Film Festival in 2014. She is noted for ...

as Jang Eun-soo *

Jang Young-nam Jang Young-nam (; born November 25, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She began her career as an acclaimed actress in theater, then transitioned to supporting roles on television and film, notably in works by director Jang Jin. A member of Jang J ...

as Choi Jong-boon's mother *

Seo Young-joo Seo Young-joo (born February 16, 1998) is a South Korean actor. He won Best Actor at the Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Ac ...

as Kang Young-joo * Lee Seung-yeon as Yoon Ok * Jang Dae-woong as Choi Jong-gil *

Lee Joo-woo Lee Joo-woo (; born September 3, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her Supporting character, supporting role in the MBC TV (South Korean TV channel), MBC's television series ' (2017), which earned her a MBC Drama Awards, MBC Dr ...

as Ayako *

Lee Kan-hee Lee Kan-hee (born February 3, 1969) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Film Television series Awards and nominations References External links * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Kan-hee 1969 births Living people South Korean telev ...

as Kang Young-ae's mother * Seo Jin-won as Kang Young-ae's school teacher *

Choi Dae-chul Choi Dae-chul (born Choi Won-chul on October 16, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He has been active in musical theatre since 2002, but has also played supporting roles in television dramas such as '' Wang's Family'' (2013), '' Jang Bo-ri Is Here!' ...

as ( cameo) *

Lee Hak-joo Lee Hak-joo (born January 9, 1989) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''The World of the Married ''The World of the Married'' () is a South Korean television series starring Kim Hee-ae, Park Ha ...

as Child soldier

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * *
Snowy Road
' at Naver Movies South Korean historical drama films 2015 films 2010s historical drama films Films set in Korea under Japanese rule 2015 drama films 2010s South Korean films Films about comfort women 2010s Korean-language films {{2010s-SouthKorea-film-stub