Kang Hye-jung

Kang Hye-jung (; born 1970) is a South Korean filmmaker and entertainment executive. She is the CEO of the film production house company Filmmaker R&K, which was established in 2005 with director Ryoo Seung-wan. Her notable works are mostly directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, like Veteran, The Battleship Island (2017), Escape from Mogadishu (2021) and Smugglers (2023), as well as projects from other directors such as Exit (2019) and Hostage: Missing Celebrity (2021).

Early life Kang Hye-jung was born in 1970. Kang initially pursued a teaching career at her parents' request, enrolling in the Department of Home Economics Education at Korea University. After graduating in February 1993, she briefly worked as a teacher before realizing the profession was not her calling.

Career 1993 to 1994: Transitioning to film industry During her time as a student activist in Korea University, Kang found the constant filming of demonstrations by the "Stone Light" film club cumbersome and showed little interest in the film industry. However, following her decision to leave teaching, she enrolled in a three-month workshop with the Independent Film Council's 5th batch in May 1993, paying a 300,000 won tuition fee. It was during this program that she met Ryoo Seung-wan, a former student from the 3rd batch serving as an assistant instructor. The two collaborated on her workshop film project and subsequently began dating.

Following the workshop, Kang sought feedback from film critic Kim Young-jin, who criticized their work harshly. Undeterred, Kang and Ryoo committed to a ten-year trial period in the film industry, resolving to change careers if they did not find success. Kang started her career small, by writing film leaflets at Korea Art Hall, while supporting herself by tutoring students. During this time, she also mentored Ryoo's younger brother, Ryoo Seung-bum, while he was in middle school.

1995 to 2024: Career as film producer In 1995, she joined a film company in Chungmuro, called "Movie Room" under CEO Joo Pil-ho and started promoting foreign movies. In 2004, she served as the producer for Byun Young-joo's film Flying Boys, which marked her final project with the company. Kang resigned from her position in 2005 during her pregnancy with her third child. However, the film's box office failure led to severe financial instability for the company. After defaulting on rent and facing eviction from their office, Kang was forced to relocate. During this period, the Yangsu-ri filming studio provided her with an empty room to serve as a temporary workspace. To support the project, Kang successfully secured a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the city of Daejeon and the Daejeon Film Commission.

With an improved financial situation, Kang rented a new office for Filmmaking R&K. She and Ryoo returned to commercial success with The Unjust (2010), which sold over 2.7 million tickets and earned critical acclaim. She followed this with the high-budget espionage thriller The Berlin File (2013). Although it became a high-grossing action film, its narrow profit margin due to substantial production costs led Kang to prioritize more cost-effective projects and target younger demographics in future productions. In 2015, Kang produced the action film Veteran, which served as her career's milestone. With 13.3 million admissions, it remains one of the highest-grossing films in South Korean cinema history. The film's success established her reputation as one of the leading female film producers in the industry. In 2017, Filmmaker R&K established a joint production system with Film K starting with The Battleship Island, followed by On Your Wedding Day and Svaha: The Sixth Finger. This expansion continued with the 2019 action-comedy Exit, which became a massive commercial success with over 9.4 million admissions. For her work on Svaha: The Sixth Finger and Exit, Kang was honored as Female Filmmaker of the Year' at The 2019 Women's Film Festival, which was hosted by the Women Filmmakers Association.

Personal life In May 1993, Kang attended a three-month filmmaking workshop at the Independent Film Council, where she met Ryoo Seung-wan, who was working as a workshop assistant. Drawn to his passion for cinema, she began dating him after they collaborated on a project.

English Korean Investor Producer Planner

Sutda 섰다 - 디지털 단편 옴니버스 프로젝트 이공(異共) Kim Eui-suk

Kill the Love 그들만의 세상 Im Jong-jae

블랙잭 Chung Ji-young

투캅스 3 Kim Sang-jin Other crew

Too Tired to Die 투 타이어드 투 다이 Chin Won-suk Marketing

The Ring Virus 링 (링 바이러스) Kim Dong-bin Marketing

송어 Park Jong-won

종합병원 (천일동안) Choi Youn-seok Marketing

Last Present 선물 Marketing

Kick the Moon 신라의 달밤 Kim Sang-jin Marketing

Ardor 밀애 Byun Young-joo

No Blood No Tears 피도 눈물도 없이 Ryoo Seung-wan Marketing

재밌는 영화 Jang Kyu-sung Marketing

He Was Cool 그놈은 멋있었다 Lee Hwan-kyung Marketing

Flying Boys 발레교습소 Byun Young-joo Accolades Awards and nominations Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result 55th Baeksang Arts Awards 2019 Best Film Svaha: The Sixth Finger 56th Baeksang Arts Awards 2020 Best Film Exit Bechdel Day 2024 Bechdelian of the Year (Film Category) Smugglers 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards 2019 Best Picture Exit Cine21 Film Awards 2019 Best Producer Svaha: The Sixth Finger 22nd Far East Film Festival 2020 White Mulberry Award as Best First FilmExit 56th Grand Bell Awards Best Planning 39th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards 2019 Critics' Top 10 2019 Women's Filmmaker of the Year Award Filmmaker Award Kang Hye-jeongfor Svaha: The Sixth Finger and Exit

State honors + Name of country, year given, and name of honor Country Award Ceremony Year Honor South Korea 7th Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards2017 Prime Minister's Commendation