Seo Yea-ji returns to films after 5 years with Korean vampire horror Geumwoldo

A centuries-old court record of cannibalism, an isolated island, and a mother’s summons: these are the pieces of Geumwoldo, an upcoming occult horror film that will bring Seo Yea-ji back to cinemas for the first time since 2021.

B.Wave Entertainment announced the casting on November 4. Yea-ji will lead the film as Kim Ji Hoo, a woman who travels to the secluded island of Geumwoldo after hearing from her mother. The island’s tight-knit, inward-looking community is hiding something. As unexplained events pile up, Ji Hoo’s search for answers leads her toward a destiny she may not be able to escape.

A vampire tale with Joseon roots

The film draws on a case documented in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and reshapes it into a distinctly Korean take on the vampire myth. Grounding the story in historical record sets Geumwoldo apart from Western bloodsucker films. It also gives the horror a sense of inherited dread, which fits a plot built around family and fate.

Unfamiliar territory for star and director

The project is a departure for both of its leading creatives. Director Baek Dong Hoon is best known for Le Grand Chef 2: Kimchi Battle, a food drama about as far from occult horror as Korean cinema gets. Seo is no stranger to darker material, with several mysteries and thrillers to her name. A period-rooted supernatural story, however, is new ground for her.

The road back

Geumwoldo is the latest step in a steady, low-key return. Yea-ji's most recent film was the 2021 thriller Recalled, and her last major TV role was in Eve in 2022. She then largely stepped back from the screen. In 2026 she tried something new and made her stage debut as Yun Sim Deok in The Hymn of Death at Seoul’s Sejong Center. In July she joined B.Wave Entertainment, signaling a new chapter.

Many global fans still picture her as Ko Moon Young, the sharp-tongued children’s author in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020). That role made her one of the year’s breakout names. Before that, she built her career through Save Me and Lawless Lawyer, after debuting in the 2013 sitcom Potato Star 2013QR3.

What’s next

Cameras are set to roll in mid-November, and the film is targeting a 2027 theatrical release. The rest of the cast has not been announced yet.