3670 is a 2025 South Korean drama film directed by Park Joon-ho and released in 2025.[1] The film stars Cho Yoo-hyun as Cheol-jun, a North Korean defector living in Seoul who is attempting to find his place in the city's gay community with the help of his new friend Yeong-jun (Kim Hyun-mok).[2]
| 3670 | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Park Joon-ho |
| Screenplay by | Park Joon-ho |
| Produced by | Hyein Lee |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Sang Kil Han |
| Edited by | Park Joon-ho |
| Music by | Soobin Lee |
Production company | Orot Film |
| Distributed by | Atnine Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
The film premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival in April 2025,[3] and had its Korean premiere at the Jeonju International Film Festival in May.[4] It went into commercial release in September 2025.[5]
Synopsis
editCheol-jun, a young North Korean defector, has close friends who are like brothers to him but he lives with a deep loneliness, hiding his identity as a gay man. For the first time in his life, he gathers the courage to step into South Korea's gay community. With the help of Young-jun, a local friend he meets at a casual drinking meetup, Cheol-jun quickly begins to find his place. He grows close to others his age, and his relationship with Hyun-taek, whom he had quietly admired, begins to progress rapidly. However, a small misunderstanding threatens to shake everything Cheol-jun has built within the community. Having crossed to the South in search of freedom, Cheol-jun carries a secret he cannot even share with the friends who are like family to him.
Cast
edit- Cho Yoo-hyun as Cheol-jun
- Kim Hyun-mok as Yeong-jun
- Cho Dae-hee as Hyeon-taek
Critical response
editPat Mullen of That Shelf wrote that "Joonho Park offers an authentic coming-of-age story in Korea's underground queer community as Cheol-jun navigates love and friendship. This tender portrait intimately explores queer friendships in ways that few films do. It's not a tale of hot hook-ups, lusty encounters, and scenes of finding love through recreational sex. Instead, Park considers the bravery it takes to put oneself out there. The journey towards self-acceptance and self-love entailed before giving, or inspiring, that fateful swipe."[1]
Pierce Conran of Screen Anarchy wrote that "for most of its running time, 3670 offers a very engaging look at its characters and their environment, but once it tries to wrap its story in the final third, a few unfortunate cracks begin to appear. The plotting gets a little scattered as story beats begin to feel overly engineered with several instances of characters overhearing things at the wrong moment or reaching out to someone at exactly the right time despite weeks of no communication."[4]
Awards and nominations
edit| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2026 | Best New Director | Park Joon-ho | Won | [6][7] |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Actor | Cho Yoo-hyun | Nominated | |||
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2025 | Best New Director | Park Joon-ho | Nominated | [8] |
| Best New Actor | Cho Yoo-hyun | Nominated | |||
| Director's Cut Awards | 2026 | Best New Director (Film) | Park Joon-ho | Nominated | [9] |
| Best Vision (Film) | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Actor (Film) | Cho Yoo-hyun | Nominated | |||
| Jeonju International Film Festival | 2025 | Best Actor | Kim Hyun-mok | Won | [10] |
| CGV Award | Won | ||||
| Watcha's Award | Won | ||||
| Distribution Support Prize | Won | ||||
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 2025 | Best New Director | Park Joon-ho | Nominated | [11] |
| Best New Actor | Cho Yoo-hyun | Nominated | |||
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | 2026 | New Voices New Visions | Park Joon-ho | Won | [12] |
| Vancouver International Film Festival | 2025 | Audience Award, Spotlight on Korea | Won | ||
| Wildflower Film Awards | 2026 | Best New Director | Won | [13] |
References
edit- 1 2 Pat Mullen, "3670 Review: Korean Defector Tale Is a Queer Film Landmark". That Shelf, January 9, 2026.
- ↑ Baek Byung-yeul, "Queer N. Korean defector searches for belonging in Seoul in '3670'". The Korea Times, August 28, 2025.
- ↑ Samantha Bergeson, "SFFILM Festival 2025 to Open with 'Rebuilding': Get the Full Lineup". IndieWire, March 26, 2025.
- 1 2 Pierce Conran, "Jeonju 2025 Review: 3670, Fresh and Vibrant Drama Dives Into Life of Gay NK Defector". Screen Anarchy, May 6, 2025.
- ↑ Joan MacDonald, "A North Korean Defector Explores His Sexual Identity In '3670'". Forbes, November 7, 2025.
- ↑ Lee, Da-gyeom (April 13, 2026). '제62회 백상예술대상' 후보 발표...'왕과 사는 남자' 7개 부문 노미네이트 ['62nd Baeksang Arts Awards' Nominees Announced...The King's Warden Nominated in 7 Categories]. Star Today (in Korean). Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ McCarthy, Thomas; Jin, Eun-soo; Kim, Ju-yeon; Shin, Han-nee (May 8, 2026). "Veteran actors Yoo Hae-jin, Ryu Seung-ryong win Baeksang Grand Prizes — as it happened". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ Moon Ki-hoon, "'No Other Choice,' 'The Ugly' lead Blue Dragon Film Awards nominations". The Korea Herald, October 22, 2025.
- ↑ Lee, Seung-mi (May 11, 2026). 박지훈, 영화·시리즈 동시 노미...제24회 디렉터스컷 어워즈, 후보 공개. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ Moon Ki-hoon, "Jeonju film fest announces 2025 award winners". The Korea Herald, May 7, 2025.
- ↑ Yang Soyeong, "Park Jeong-min and Jang Sun to Receive Best Actor Awards at KAFC Awards... 'The Final Semester' Wins Best Picture". Maeil Business Newspaper, November 6, 2025.
- ↑ Jazz Tangcay, Payton Turkeltaub and Andrew McGowan, "'Sirât' and 'Sentimental Value' Win Jury Awards at Palm Springs International Film Festival – Film News in Brief". Variety, January 11, 2026.
- ↑ Jeong, Yu-cheol (May 28, 2026). 영화 '3670' 박준호 감독, 백상예술대상에 이어 들꽃영화상에서도 신인감독상. K-Spirit (in Korean). Retrieved May 29, 2026.