Park Nam-ok (; February 24, 1923 – April 8, 2017) was a

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n film director. Park was considered to be the first Korean woman to direct a domestic film in her country. She is best known for her first film, ''The Widow'' (Mimang-in), released in March 1955. Park lived in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Biography

As a young person, Park loved movies and was a fan of actor, Kim Shin-jae. Park attended the Ewha Women's Professional School starting 1943, but dropped out before graduation to work as a reporter in

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

. Park worked for the Chosun Film Company, starting in 1945 after Korea's liberation from Japan. She was introduced into the studios by the director, Yoon Yong-kyu, who she knew through a friend. Park was involved as a scripter on the 1947 film, ''A New Oath'', directed by Shin Kyeong-gyun. During the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, she worked on a war film where she met her husband, Lee Bo-ra. Park shot her film, ''The Widow'', in the winter of 1954 and with her infant child carried on her back. She provided meals for her staff during the shooting of the film. The script was written by her husband, and her sister helped set up a production company, called "Sister Productions" for the film. ''The Widow'', however did not attain commercial success and her directing career was over. An award, given by the Seoul International Women's Film Festival, is named after her and the first time it was given out was in 2008 to

Yim Soon-rye Yim Soon-rye (born January 1, 1961) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. She is considered one of the few leading female auteurs of Korean New Wave cinema. Career Education Born in 1961 in Incheon, Yim Soon-rye graduated from Han ...

. Park died on April 8, 2017 at the age of 94 of

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

at her home in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

.Korea's First Female Director Park Nam Ok Passes Away
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Notes

References

External links

*
The Widow
' (video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Nam-ok Korean film directors 1923 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Korean women