Late film maestro Kim Ki-young's posthumous work "An Experience to Die For: Be a Wicked Woman" (1990) will officially hit local theaters in July for the first time in 30 years, film distributor Blue Film Works said on Monday.

"An Experience to Die For: Be a Wicked Woman" was made in 1990 as Kim's last work but did not see the light of day because Kim is said to have been disappointed with the outcome of the film and chose not to release it.

It was later discovered in his garage and saw its first premiere in 1997 at the 2nd Busan International Film Festival during the "Kim Ki-young Retrospective," but did not get a local screening.

The film revolves around Yuh-jung, played by veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung, who joins forces with Myeong-ja, played by actor Lee Tam-mi, to take revenge on each other's husbands.

In Kim's works prior to "Wicked Woman," the two female characters usually fought over a man, but he decided to make the characters unite in his last film.

"An Experience to Die For: Be a Wicked Woman," marked Youn's third time to feature in one of Kim's films, following her appearance in "Woman of Fire" (1971) and "The Insect Woman" (1972).

Youn thanked Kim in her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards last month when she became the first Korean to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Minari."

"An Experience to Die For: Be a Wicked Woman" will undergo a 4K remastering process and hit theaters in July.


BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]