A Japanese herb called 'shiso' looks like a perilla leaf but has a unique fragrance. It's like how I have a Korean name and nationality but still feel a sense of alienation in Korean society. The death of my grandmother, a first-generation Zainichi, raises a question for me: Does death also mark the end of the life of an outsider? In the end, where do we return to?

In recent years, a growing number of documentaries by second- and third-generation Zainichi Korean filmmakers have emerged, many addressing themes of ...

In recent years, a growing number of documentaries by second- and third-generation Zainichi Korean filmmakers have emerged, many addressing themes of discrimination and the struggle to preserve Korean identity in Japan. Yet a new wave of more introspective, personal works has begun to surface—films that explore private experiences and the nuances of individual identity, such as Shiso by third-generation Zainichi Korean director Kim Rihyang. Born in Tokyo, Kim has spent the past eight years living in Korea. She grows shiso in her garden, a Japanese herb that resembles Korean perilla leaves in appearance but carries a distinctly different fragrance. For Kim, shiso becomes a metaphor for her own experience of isolation in Korean society despite having her Korean name and nationality. The film captures the director's perspective regarding questions about identity, conflict with her mother, and the uncertainty of living in the hyphen as neither foreign nor Korean. (CHUN Jinsu)