Kim Kwang-sik (born March 6, 1972) is a South Korean

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He directed the

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

My Dear Desperado ''My Dear Desperado'' (; lit. ''My Gangster Lover'') is a 2010 South Korean romantic comedy film written and directed by Kim Kwang-sik, and starring Park Joong-hoon and Jung Yu-mi as two people who become semi-basement one-room neighbors: brave ye ...

'' (2010) and the

crime thriller Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

Tabloid Truth ''Tabloid Truth'' (; lit. "Leaflet: Dangerous Rumors") is a 2014 South Korean thriller film directed by Kim Kwang-sik, and starring Kim Kang-woo, Jung Jin-young, Ko Chang-seok and Park Sung-woong. In a story about a talent manager seeking the tr ...

'' (2014).

Career

Early works

Kim Kwang-sik first began working as a

in 1997, on the

television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms t ...

''Snail'' starring

Lee Jung-jae Lee Jung-jae (; born December 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor and filmmaker. Considered one of the most successful actors in South Korea, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cr ...

and

Lee Mi-sook Lee Mi-sook (born April 2, 1960) is a South Korean actress. One of the best-known actresses of 1980s Korean cinema, Lee's most famous films from this era include Bae Chang-ho's ''Whale Hunting'' and ''The Winter That Year Was Warm'', Lee Doo-yong ...

. He then wrote the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

s for ''Inner Circle'' (1999), ''Last Statement'' (2002), and

road movie A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienatio ...

''Off Road'' (2007), as well as being the co-writer of the 2009

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

series ''

The Return of Iljimae ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' starring

Jung Il-woo Jung Il-woo (; born 9 September 1987) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the sitcom '' Unstoppable High Kick'' (2006), and the television dramas ''The Return of Iljimae'' (2009), ''49 Days'' (2011), ''Cool Guys, Hot Ram ...

. Kim was also the first

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

on Lee Chang-dong's award-winning ''

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

'' (2002).

''My Dear Desperado''

For his 2010 directorial debut, Kim cast veteran actor

Park Joong-hoon Park Joong-hoon (born March 22, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Early life and family Park was born and raised in Seoul. He was classmates with retired basketball legend Hur Jae at Yongsan High School and attended Chung-Ang University toget ...

opposite ingenue Jung Yu-mi in ''

''. Titled "My Gangster Lover" in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

, the film is about a recent college graduate from a rural town who's having trouble finding a job in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, so she moves into a cheap basement apartment, which happens to be next door to a middle-aged, third-rate

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

. Critics called ''My Dear Desperado'' a "likeably offbeat" character-driven romance and "one of the discoveries of Korean cinema in 2010," praising it for Kim's "enjoyably unaffected" direction and "fluid handling" of his own script, the strong acting and chemistry between its two leads, the smooth transition from

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

pathos Pathos (, ; plural: ''pathea'' or ''pathê''; , for "suffering" or "experience") appeals to the emotions and ideals of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. Pathos is a term used most often in rhetoric (in which it is c ...

, and a casual

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

of setting and style that's evocative of ordinary, real people (despite fitting within the conventions of a

). With minimal marketing and no major stars, the film struggled to attract attention upon its theatrical release. But it gradually built up positive

word of mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...

, and managed to sell close to a modest 700,000 tickets, enough to ensure the filmmakers a healthy profit (it was produced by

Yoon Je-kyoon Yoon Je-kyun (born 1969) is a South Korean film director . His debut ''My Boss, My Hero'' is about a gangster who is sent back to school, while ''Sex Is Zero'' has been compared with ''American Pie (film), American Pie''. However, his disaster ...

). Kim won Best New Director at the

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

, and received New Director and Screenplay nominations from the

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

and

Korean Film Awards The Korean Film Awards was a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the broadcasting network MBC from 2002 to 2010. History Originally named the MBC Film Awards, the ceremony was first established in 2002. It was renamed the Korean Film Aw ...

. Kim would later make a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

in Park's first film as a director, ''

Top Star ''Top Star'' () is a 2013 South Korean film directed, co-written and produced by veteran actor Park Joong-hoon, in his directorial debut. It stars Uhm Tae-woong as the manager of a top actor who dreams of someday becoming famous like his client, bu ...

'' (2013).

''Tabloid Truth''

In 2014, Kim directed ''

'', starring

Kim Kang-woo Kim Kang-woo (born July 11, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He is best known from his roles in '' The Taste of Money'' and '' The Missing''. Career Kim Kang-woo majored in Theater and Film at Chung-Ang University. In early, Kim work as singer in ...

Jung Jin-young Jung Jin-young may refer to: * Jung Jin-young (actor) (born 1964), South Korean actor * Jung Jin-young (singer) Jung Jin-young (; born November 18, 1991), professionally known as Jinyoung, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, record producer ...

Ko Chang-seok Ko Chang-seok (born October 13, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Ko began his career on stage, performing in plays and musicals for many years before moving on to bit parts in films. He once earned his living by working on farms and in iron foundri ...

and

Park Sung-woong Park Sung-woong (born January 9, 1973) is a South Korean actor. Following his acting debut in '' No. 3'' in 1997, Park has starred in several movies and television series, notably as a gangster in ''New World'' (2013) and a serial killer in '' T ...

. The

begins with the apparent suicide of a promising actress due to false, malicious rumors, and as her manager risks his life by seeking the truth behind them, he uncovers a vast conspiracy of power, money and sex, where faceless people from every field of society, such as financial firms,

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

agencies, and government organizations, are authors of ''jjirasi'' (from the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

word ''chirashi'', meaning "leaflet"). ''Jjirasi'' are secretive online newsletters that navigate the sketchy underbellies of politics, business and showbiz, read voraciously by

stock investors A stock trader or equity trader or share trader, also called a stock investor, is a person or company involved in trading equity securities and attempting to profit from the purchase and sale of those securities. Stock traders may be an invest ...

and tabloid journalists who pay for them; fact and fiction are selectively picked, processed and published to shape

public opinion Public opinion is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to a society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them. Etymology The term "public opinion" was derived from the French ', which was first use ...

and further particular agendas. Fascinated by the subject of ''jjirasi''—what it is, how it came about, and who circulates it—Kim chased sources, but doing his research was difficult because the "rumor makers behind the scenes" refused to reveal their identities. He eventually found a "distributor" and an "information collector" who were willing to be interviewed, and coupled with an in-depth look into timely scandals such as the

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

s of

Jang Ja-yeon Jang Ja-yeon (; 25 January 1980 – 7 March 2009) was a South Korean actress. She was born in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, South Korea. She debuted in the entertainment industry when she appeared in a television commercial in 2006. She was k ...

and

Choi Jin-sil Choi Jin-Sil (December 24, 1968 – October 2, 2008) was a South Korean actress. She was considered one of the best actresses in South Korea, nicknamed "The Nation's Actress". She played leading roles in 18 films and 20 television dramas, appea ...

, Kim used the information to make the movie more realistic despite the backdrop of fictional events. Reviews praised Kim for the slow-building intensity in his directorial approach, his "deft" rendering of fight and chase scenes, and for "convincingly dramatizing" the ruthless competition between ''jjirasi'' writers and the destructive nature of their information. But some critics also pointed out the limitations of ''Tabloid Truth'' as merely a predictable

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

thriller, though Kim said he intended to make an "entertaining film rather than a serious one with

social commentary Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...

Filmography

*'' The Great Battle'' (2018) - director *''

'' (2014) - director, script editor *''

'' (2013) - cameo as DP *''

The Suicide Forecast ''The Suicide Forecast'' (; lit. "Suspicious Customers") is a 2011 South Korean comedy-drama film. It is Jo Jin-mo's directorial debut. Plot Baseball player-turned-insurance salesman Byung-woo (Ryoo Seung-bum) is seen as the cocky ace of his comp ...

'' (2011) - cameo as dead body 2 *''

'' (2010) - director, screenplay *''Off Road'' (2007) - screenplay *''

'' (2002) - 1st

*''Last Statement'' (2002) - screenplay *''Inner Circle'' (1999) - screenplay *''3PM Paradise Bath House'' (1997) - script editor

Television

*''

'' ( MBC, 2009) - screenplay *''Snail'' ( SBS, 1997) - screenplay

Awards

*2010 31st

: Best New Director (''

'')

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Kwang-sik South Korean film directors South Korean screenwriters 1972 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people)