Bong Joon Ho facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bong Joon Ho
Bong in 2017
Born	(1969-09-14) September 14, 1969 (age 55) Daegu, South Korea
Alma mater	Yonsei University
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer
Years active	1994–present
Works	Full list
Political party	Democratic Labor Party (2003–2008) New Progressive Party (2008–2012)
Spouse(s)	Jung Sun-young ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	1
Parent(s)	Bong Sang-gyun [ko] (father)
Relatives	Park Taewon (grandfather)
Awards	Full list
Korean name
Hangul	봉준호
Hanja	奉俊昊
RR	Bong Junho
MR	Pong Chunho
Signature

Bong Joon Ho (born September 14, 1969) is a famous film director, screenwriter, and producer from South Korea. He is known for making movies that mix different styles, like comedy, drama, and thrillers. His films often explore important ideas about society, family, and the differences between rich and poor people.

Bong has won many major awards for his work, including three Academy Awards. In 2017, the website Metacritic named him one of the 25 best film directors of the 21st century. In 2020, Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

He first became well-known for his dark comedy film Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000). He gained more fame with movies like the crime thriller Memories of Murder (2003) and the monster movie The Host (2006). He also directed the science fiction film Snowpiercer (2013), which was his first movie mostly in English.

His most famous film is Parasite (2019). It became the highest-grossing South Korean film ever. Parasite made history by becoming the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Early life and education

Bong Joon Ho was born in Daegu, South Korea. His father was a graphic designer and art professor, and his grandfather was a famous author. When he was in elementary school, his family moved to Seoul.

He grew up wanting to be a film director. One day, he looked out his window and thought he saw a monster climbing on a bridge over the Han River. This experience later inspired him to create his monster movie, The Host.

In 1988, Bong started studying sociology at Yonsei University. During college, he was active in student protests for democracy in South Korea. After serving two years in the military, as required in South Korea, he returned to college. He started a film club called "Yellow Door" and made his first short films. He graduated in 1995.

Career

Early career

After college, Bong studied at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. He made several short films and worked on other students' projects. He worked as a writer and assistant director on a few films before making his own.

His first full-length movie was Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000). It was a dark comedy about a man who gets annoyed by a neighbor's dog. The film didn't make much money at first but won awards at film festivals and gained fans over time.

His second film, Memories of Murder (2003), was a major success. It was based on the true story of a serial killer in a small town. The movie was a huge hit in South Korea and won many awards, including Best Director at the Grand Bell Awards.

International success

Bong at a Q&A session for The Host in September 2006.

Bong's next film, The Host (2006), was a big-budget monster movie. It was about a creature that comes out of the Han River in Seoul. The film was a massive success and broke box office records in South Korea, selling 13 million tickets.

In 2008, he directed a part of the film Tokyo!, which told three different stories set in the city. His part was about a man who never leaves his home.

His 2009 film, Mother, is a thriller about a mother trying to prove her son is innocent of a crime. The film was praised by critics, especially for the performance of actress Kim Hye-ja.

Working in Hollywood

Bong at the Deauville American Film Festival in 2013.

Bong's first English-language film was Snowpiercer (2013). It is based on a French graphic novel and is set on a train that travels through a frozen world. The people on the train are separated by their social class. The film was a hit with both critics and audiences around the world.

Bong (far right) at the Japanese premiere of Okja in 2017.

In 2017, he directed Okja for Netflix. The film is about a young girl who tries to save her giant, genetically modified pig named Okja. The movie was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and received positive reviews for its imagination and story.

Parasite and recent work

Bong and the cast of Parasite in 2019.

In 2019, Bong directed Parasite. The film is a dark comedy thriller about a poor family that tricks a wealthy family into hiring them. It won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It was the first Korean film to ever win this award.

Parasite was a huge success worldwide. It won four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. It was the first non-English movie to win Best Picture, a historic moment for the Oscars.

Bong at the Munich International Film Festival in July 2019.

When accepting his award for Best Director, Bong thanked fellow directors Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino for inspiring him.

Bong with actor Robert Pattinson in South Korea in 2025.

Bong's next film, Mickey 17, was released in 2025. It is a science fiction film starring Robert Pattinson and is based on the novel Mickey7. He is also working on an animated film about deep-sea creatures.

Filmmaking style

Bong Joon Ho is known for mixing genres in his films. A movie might be funny one moment and then suddenly become serious or scary. He says he doesn't plan these changes, they just happen naturally as he writes.

He prefers to film in real locations instead of using green screens. For The Host, he even filmed in the real sewers of Seoul. This makes his movies feel more realistic.

When working with actors, he gives them a lot of freedom to be creative. He is known for being very precise and planning his shots carefully. He often edits the film as he is shooting it, which is unusual for directors.

Personal life

Bong married screenwriter Jung Sun-young in 1995. They have one son, Bong Hyo-min, who is also a filmmaker.

Bong has been involved in politics. He was a member of the Democratic Labor Party and later the New Progressive Party. In 2024, he joined other film industry workers in calling for the impeachment of South Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, after the president declared martial law.

Filmography

Recurring collaborators

Work Actor	2000	2003	2006	2009	2013	2017	2019	2025
	Barking Dogs Never Bite	Memories of Murder	The Host	Mother	Snowpiercer	Okja	Parasite	Mickey 17
Byun Hee-bong
Kim Roi-ha
Song Kang-ho
Park Hae-il
Go Ah-sung
Tilda Swinton
Choi Woo-shik
Steven Yeun

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Bong Joon-ho para niños