Jeon Jae-hong

Juhn Jai-hong (; born 1977) is a South Korean film director. He directed Beautiful and Poongsan (2011).

Career

Early life Juhn Jai-hong was born in Seoul, and began receiving vocal lessons in the third grade. He moved to the United States at the age of 15 and after graduating from the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, he continued studying the art of singing in Vienna, Austria. Juhn said, "I pursued the path of an opera singer for more than 20 years. I had completed my studies, but felt that classical music limited my expression. I also studied drawing as well, and I felt that cinema was the perfect way to express all these things together." He then studied business management at Webster University Vienna, because he thought it was related to directing, "A director must lead the entire project and all of his cast and crew — it's all about management."

Kim Ki-duk protégé Juhn wanted to direct an array of movie genres and styles, like his favorite directors Ang Lee and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. And after being "completely enraptured" by 3-Iron, Juhn called South Korean director Kim Ki-duk his "idol," saying, "He changed my life." He met Kim by chance at the Cannes Film Festival, and told him how he wanted to learn filmmaking from Kim, that it would be better than attending a film school. Kim agreed, so Juhn went back to New York, packed his belongings in eight hours and headed to Seoul. It was his first time in his native country in 14 years. In between, Juhn worked on his short film Fish , which was later invited to compete in the short film section of the 64th Venice International Film Festival.

Beautiful During the post-production for Fish, Kim handed him a synopsis and gave him two months to write the script. Kim, who produced the film, said "it was good." Beautiful displayed artistic sensibilities and thematic trappings that are automatically identified with Kim, such as explicit expressions of fascination and loathing with the human body, and an examination of ethics and morality through violence. Local critics gave Juhn the nickname "Little Kim Ki-duk" or "Kim Ki-duk Two," but he said the comparisons to his mentor didn't bother him, since he was "still young and have much to learn."

In 2011, Kim handed him another story idea, because Juhn said Kim "wanted a young director to bring a fresh perspective to inter-Korean issues." Poongsan follows a mysterious messenger (played Yoon Kye-sang) who delivers letters and cherished memorabilia to separated families in North and South Korea. Things take an unexpected turn when the taciturn young man is commissioned with the task of transporting the beautiful lover (Kim Gyu-ri) of a high-ranking Northern official who escaped to the South.

Again produced by Kim, Juhn's sophomore film received critical acclaim and mostly positive audience feedback. Despite competition from Hollywood film Transformers: Dark of the Moon (which occupied 70% of Korean movie theaters), Poongsan was successful at the box office. It came in third on its opening weekend, drawing over 280,000 viewers,

According to Juhn, "Kim Ki-duk always says that I must transcend him. It's an extremely burdensome task, but what can I do? All I can do is just to strive forward." But Juhn later had creative differences with production company Yong Film regarding The Target, and in September 2013, a press release from distributor CJ E&M stated that he had been replaced by Death Bell director Chang.

Four years after Poongsan, Juhn returned with his third feature film, which he wrote, directed, shot and scored. In Gifted, Kim Beom-joon played a jobless man who develops an appetite for serial killing.

His next project will be a horror film based on the webtoon .

Filmography Color (short film, 2005) Fish (short film, 2007) Beautiful (2008) Poongsan (2011) Gifted (2014) One Step''' (2017) The Cursed Lesson'' (2020)