Bong Joon-ho (South Korean Film Director) Biography

Quick Info

Profession	Film Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Nationality	South Korean
Date of Birth	14/09/1969
Age	56 years
Birthplace	Daegu, South Korea

Latest News about Bong Joon-ho

11/05/2025

Bong Joon-ho announced the official title of his upcoming horror film 'M2' during a press conference in Seoul. The film, which he has been developing for several years, is set to begin production in late 2025 with a planned release in 2026. The director described the project as a return to the psychological horror roots of his earlier work 'Barking Dogs Never Bite'.

20/02/2025

Bong Joon-ho was appointed as the Honorary President of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) for a three-year term, recognizing his global impact on cinema following the historic success of 'Parasite'. In his inaugural address, he emphasized the need for increased international collaboration and support for emerging Korean filmmakers to maintain the country's growing reputation in the global film industry.

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Bio/Wiki

Nickname(s)	Bong Tael-il
Full Name	Bong Joon-ho
Native Name	봉준호

Physical Stats & More

Height	183 cm
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black

Educational Qualification(s)

School	Jamsil High School, Songpa-gu, Seoul
College/University	Yonsei University, Seoul Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), Busan
Educational Qualification	Major in Sociology from Yonsei University, Seoul A Two-Year Course in Filmmaking from Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), Busan

Personal Life

Religion	Catholicism
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian
Political Inclination	New Progressive Party (South Korea; now, dysfunctional) Democratic Labour Party (South Korea)
Hobbies	Watching Film & Collecting Blu-rays

Relationships & More

Marital Status	Married
Marriage Year	1995

Family

Wife

Jung Sun-young

Children

Bong Hyo-min

Parents

Father	Bong Sang-kyun (Graphic Designer & Professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul)
Mother	Park So-young (Homemaker)

Siblings

Bong Joon-soo (English Professor at Seoul National University)
Bong Ji-hee (Fashion Designer & Professor of Fashion Designing at Hanyang University)
1 more (elder)

Maternal Grandfather

Park Taewon (Well-known Korean writer)

Career

Debut

Short Film

Baeksaekin (White Man)(1994)

Feature Films

As a Screenwriter	Motel Cactus (1997)
As a Director	Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)

Snowpiercer (as Executive Producer) (American; 2020)

Acting

In the short film 'Incoherence' (1994) as 'Delivery Boy'

Major Works

Memories of Murder (2003)
The Host (2006)
Mother (2009)
Snowpiercer (2013)
Okja (2017)
Parasite (2019)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Picture (Parasite, 2020)
Academy Award for Best Director (Parasite, 2020)
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (Parasite, 2020)
Palme d'Or for Best Film (Parasite, 2019)
BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language (Parasite, 2020)
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film (Parasite, 2020)

Cannes Role

President of the Caméra d'Or Jury (2011, 64th Cannes Film Festival)

Favourites

Food	Ramen Jjapaguri
Filmmaker(s)	Edward Yang Hou Hsiao-Hsien Shohei Imamura John Frankenheimer Sidney Lumet John Schlesinger
Film	The Wages of Fear (1953)

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Bong Joon-ho's artistic influence stems from his family background. His father worked as a graphic designer, and his maternal grandfather, Park Taewon, was a well-known Korean writer.
2. Due to his family's separation after the Korean War in 1950, Joon-ho never had the opportunity to meet his grandparents. His grandfather, Taewon, resided in Pyongyang, North Korea for the remainder of his life.
3. In his college years, Joon-ho provided tutoring for affluent children in his community.
4. Bong Joon-ho is the youngest of four children in his family.
5. He began his career in 1994 after creating short films 'White Man', 'Memories in My Frame', and 'Incoherence'.

Bong Joon-ho Film Director, Producer, Screenwriter South Korean Daegu, South Korea