Song Jong-hee

Widely recognized as a frequent collaborator of Park Chan-wook, she has worked with him since Joint Security Area, with credits including Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005), The Handmaiden (2016), Decision to Leave (2022), and No Other Choice (2025). She has also partnered with other acclaimed directors such as Bong Joon Ho, Kim Jee-woon, Lee Chang-dong, Hur Jin-ho, and Um Tae-hwa.

Career

1995 to 1999: Beginning as makeup artist In her mid-twenties, Song left her job and secretly enrolled in an art academy to study for college entrance exams. Her life took an unexpected turn on a day she skipped her classes to visit Sinchon with a friend who was modeling for a single day. Captivated by the makeup artist's technique, she tagged along for the next three sessions, realizing that a human face could truly serve as a canvas.

Diving into the professional makeup world, she trained for three months before entering the field. From video shoots and theater productions to bridal styling, fashion layouts, and print advertising, she experienced every corner of the industry. Even so, she felt disconnected from commercial beauty work focused on producing identical, cookie-cutter looks with heavy eye makeup and flushed cheeks. With so many talented artists already doing that work, she doubted her talent. She subsequently worked with Park's other films. Most notably the neo-noir thrillers of The Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance). Song spent five hours crafting Oh Dae-su's (Choi Min-sik) wild, explosion-surviving hair in Park Chan-wook's Old Boy (2003) to symbolize his pent-up wrath and captivity-driven desire for retribution. Song Jong-hee crafted Geum-ja's (Lee Young-ae) iconic look in Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005) with flowing dark hair and crimson-fading smoky eyes. This striking aesthetic captured her contradictory emotions of vengeance and grief, portraying her complex inner turmoil as she executed her plan. Her first major project after that was director Jung Ji-woo's A Muse, for which Jung recruited her while she was still studying special effects makeup at the Vancouver Film School. Although Song initially thought the director's vision of aging the young actor Park Hae-il was a crazy challenge, she was persuaded by his goal to create an intelligent, unconventional elderly character and joined the production.

Filmography

Films +Films credit YearTitleDirectorCredited asRef English Korean 1995 Affliction of Man Lee Myung-se Makeup/Hair Team Oldboy Park Chan-wook 2004The Little Mermaid Park Heung-sik 2006 Like a Virgin Lee Hae-jun, Lee Hae-young 2006 No Regret Lee Song-hee-il Castaway on the Moon Lee Hae-jun 2012 A Muse Jung Ji-woo 2013 Days of Wrath Shin Jai-ho 2014 Big Match Choi Ho 2015 4th Place Jung Ji-woo 2016 Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned Um Tae-hwa 2017 Heart Blackened Jung Ji-woo Makeup/Hair 2023 Concrete Utopia Um Tae-hwa Makeup/Hair 2023 Rebound Jang Hang-jun Special effects makeup 2026 The King's Warden Jang Hang-jun 2026 Pavane Lee Jong-pil 2012 Footsteps Kim Hyung-kyun 2018 Believe it or not 2022 Life Is But a Dream Park Chan-wook for Apple Inc.

Series +Series' creditYearTitleNetworkDirectorRoleEnglishKorean 2020 The School Nurse Files Netflix Lee Kyoung-mi Makeup/Hair 2022 Somebody Jung Ji-woo 2026 Can This Love Be Translated? Yoo Young-eun

Accolades

Awards and nominations +Awards and nominations received by SongAwardYear CategoryRecipientResult Blue Dragon Film Awards 2012 Technical Award A Muse 2014 My Dictator International Makeup Artist Trade Show 2011 Best Makeup Artist Song Jong-hee Woman in Film Korea Festival 2001 Woman Filmmaker of the Year Award I Wish I Had a WifeOne Fine Spring DayJoint Security Area Technical award

Listicles +Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placementPublisherYearListiclePlacement Hankook Ilbo 2024 A veteran's edge