Kim Hye-yoon's name: The meaning of '' is 'to imprison a person'... A terrifying trivia about 'Sal Mok Ji'

*This content was translated by AI.

As the film 'Sal Mok Ji' continues to perform well at the box office, even scarier trivia has been revealed. Hidden details and various interpretations have drawn attention to the behind-the-scenes content.

Details in the character names in 'Sal Mok Ji'

'Sal Mok Ji' is a horror film in which an unidentified figure is captured on a road view, and a film crew heading to a reservoir to re-shoot encounters something in the dark, deep water.

The first piece of trivia lies in the names of each character. Director Lee Sang-min assigned Hanja meanings to all the protagonists' names, embedding their individual characteristics and narratives. The Hanja name for Su-in (Kim Hye-yoon) is (to imprison, person), which carries the dual meaning of being a character trapped within 'Sal Mok Ji' and simultaneously imprisoned by her own guilt toward her senior, Gyosik. The Hanja name for Ki-tae (Lee Jong-won) is (happiness, great), meaning 'a person who will be happy when they have a big heart and are together.' Director Lee Sang-min revealed that he chose this name with the wish that Ki-tae would become someone Su-in could rely on. The Hanja name for Gyosik (Kim Jun-han) is (to teach, to plant), which also means team leader of a company; however, if 'gyo' (teach) is interpreted as 'gyo' (cunning, ), the name can also be seen as reflecting the attributes of a water ghost who deceives others. Additionally, Kyung-tae carries the meaning (boundary, to eliminate), Kyung-jun (boundary, to burn), Seong-bin (sincere, waterside), and Se-jeong (human world, well), embedding each character's personality and fate into their names.

Protagonists who violated taboos in a forbidden place

The second piece of trivia is that the characters' actions are connected to their fates. Kyung-tae (played by Kim Young-seong), who recklessly enters a forest path for road view filming, gets caught on tree branches. Kyung-jun (played by Oh Dong-min), who did not believe in water ghosts, cannot escape from the water. Seong-bin (played by Yoon Jae-chan), who drove to 'Sal Mok Ji' with team members, encounters a ghost inside the car. Se-jeong (played by Jang Da-a), who stepped on someone's grave with her foot, experiences a horrific event while lying on the ground. Moreover, after stepping into 'Sal Mok Ji,' the protagonists unknowingly commit forbidden acts that provoke the anger of the ghosts. Kyung-tae and Kyung-jun urinate in public within 'Sal Mok Ji,' while Se-jeong and Seong-bin engage in affectionate acts by the water, all of which are considered impure actions in shamanistic beliefs. Thus, the characters' actions of violating taboos in a place they should not enter, leading them to face unforeseen fates, deliver a sense of horror.

Why did the film crew's time stop at 1:30 AM?

There is a hidden meaning intended by Director Lee Sang-min even at 1:30 AM, the time when the characters attempt to escape from 'Sal Mok Ji.' The period between 1 AM and 3 AM corresponds to 'Chuksi' () in the traditional Korean twelve-hour system. 'Chu' () signifies the northeast direction, which has long been considered ominous because it is believed to be the direction through which ghosts enter and exit. When Su-in, Seong-bin, and Se-jeong attempt to drive out of 'Sal Mok Ji,' their time stops at 1:30 AM and does not flow forward. During the 'Sal Mok Ji Pamyo-hagi' GV held on the 17th with director Jang Jae-hyun, Director Lee Sang-min stated, "The period from 1 AM to 3 AM is called Chuksi, the time when the power of ghosts is strongest. I set it at 1:30 AM because I believed it is the easiest time for ghosts to manipulate the characters."

In this way, 'Sal Mok Ji' delivers even more fun through its hidden details.

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*This content was translated by AI.