The Kim Ki-duk Page. More than any other Korean director, the films and reputation of Kim Ki-duk have been characterized by a sense of disconnect. Kim himself disavows any commonalities with other Korean filmmakers of his generation such as Hong Sang-soo or Lee Chang-dong, due to his lower-class upbringing and lack of formal training in film.
In terms of subject matter, Kim has focused on marginalized and disenfranchised characters who operate outside the main currents of middle and upper-class Korean society. Kim is also a rare case of a director who has won accolades and found box-office success overseas but -- with a few exceptions -- has largely failed to connect with Korean critics or audiences. In terms of his influences, his aesthetics, the stories he tells, and his local and international reception, Kim Ki-duk seems to inhabit a world all his own. Kim was born in 1960 in Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang Provice (south of Gangwon Province). Filmography Essays and Thoughts Awards and Honors References. Wong Kar-Wai.