Director Jeong Jin-woo died on the 8th. He was 88.
According to the film community and the bereaved family, Director Jeong closed his eyes at about 8 p.m. that day at a nursing hospital in Gangnam District, Seoul. The deceased had been hospitalized at a university hospital for treatment after a fall while walking his pet dog about two months earlier, and was reported to have not recovered his health after being infected with COVID-19. Shortly before his death, longtime friend director Im Kwon-taek and Dong-A Export Corporation chairman Lee Woo-seok visited to say their last goodbyes.
Director Jeong Jin-woo debuted in 1962 at the age of 24 with the film 'Only Son' starring Choi Moo-ryong and Kim Ji-mi. The following year he directed 'Betrayal' (1963) starring Shin Seong-il and Um Aeng-ran, quickly making his presence felt. He went on to leave many representative works such as 'Do cuckoos also cry at night' and 'The hibiscus has bloomed', leading an era of Korean cinema.
Having swept various film awards with direction that combined artistic merit and box office success, he won the Best Director and Best Film awards at the 23rd Daejong Film Awards for 'Janyeomok' and also received the Daejong Film Award for best anti-communist film, the Blue Dragon Film Award for best director, among others. In 1984 he gained international renown by being named one of the "world's top 10 directors" by the Venice Film Festival.
Active in the 1960s through the 1980s, Director Jeong was also a pioneer in introducing Korean films abroad. In 1972, Samgaegurimanse advanced to the main competition at the Berlin Film Festival, and 'Janyeomok' (1984) was specially invited to the 42nd Venice Film Festival. He directed a total of 54 films up to the 1995 work 'The hibiscus has bloomed' and produced up to 135 films through the company he founded, WOOJIN Film.
Called the "big brother" of the film world, he devoted himself to the welfare of younger filmmakers and the development of Korean cinema. He participated in the founding of the Korean Film Directors Association in 1967 and established the Film Welfare Foundation in 1984. In 1985 he served as chairman of the Filmmakers Association, and in 1989 he engaged in various activities such as founding the multiplex theater Cine House. In 1993 he received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government.
He is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters. The wake will be held at Samsung Medical Center in Gangnam District, Seoul.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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