Kim Seong-hun — Director | Biography, Movies & Career

Biography

Kim Seong-hun 김성훈 (born February 20, 1971 in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, South Korea) is a South Korean film and television director. He attended Hankuk University of Foreign Studies for his upper division studies.

Kim Seong-hun began his filmmaking career as an assistant director on the romantic comedies 'Oh! Happy Day' (2003; starring Jang Na-ra and Park Jung-chul) and 'He Was Cool' (2004; starring Jeong Da-bin and Song Seung-heon). In 2006, he directed his first feature film 'How the Lack of Love Affects Two Men' (2006; starring Baek Yoon-sik, Bong Tae-gyu and Lee Hye-young), which follows a widower and his son who both fall for and fight over their new basement tenant. Following the films mediocre reception, Kim had trouble setting up his next project but after years of honing his sophomore script, he eventually released the dark action comedy/thriller 'A Hard Day (2014; starring Lee Sun-kyun and Cho Jin-woong). The film follows the present life of a corrupt homicide detective who hides the body of a hit-and-run victim in his mother's coffin only to find himself terrorized by a mysterious yet formidable blackmailer.

The film received numerous awards and nominations, and Kim won Best Director at the 51st Grand Bell Awards, the 1st Korean Film Producers Association Awards, the 6th KOFRA Film Awards, the 20th Chunsa Film Art Awards and 51st Baeksang Arts Awards, as well as Best Screenplay at the 15th Busan Film Critics Awards and 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards. After a heading a few more films, Kim was brought on board to direct the first Netflix original Korean series Kingdom (Korean: 킹덤; 2019; starring Ju Ji-hoon, Ryu Seung-ryong and Bae Doona), the show set a high bar by balancing its appeal for a wider audience and combining Eastern and Western concepts: the Joseon Dynasty and the zombie horror genre.