A Glimpse into the World of a Master: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Yoo Hyun-mok with Unreleased Manuscripts and Original Storyboards

The Korean Film Archive is unveiling materials to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Yoo Hyun-mok's birth.

Director Yoo Hyun-mok is a master who left various works in the Korean film industry since the 1960s, directing films such as 〈Obaltan〉 (1961), 〈The Daughters of Kim's Pharmacy〉 (1963), 〈The Surplus Man〉 (1964), 〈The Martyr〉 (1965), and 〈Guests Who Came by Last Train〉 (1967). This year marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. In response, the Korean Film Archive will simultaneously unveil the "Director Yoo Hyun-mok's Directing Materials Collection" and an online exhibition on Google Art & Culture on December 15th.

This materials collection consists of a total of 165 items donated by Yoo Hyun-mok's wife, Park Geun-ja, including 67 screenplays, 25 storyboards, 69 production documents, and 4 work commentaries related to the films he directed. It includes records of 35 works from the 1957 film 〈Lost Youth〉 to the 1994 film 〈Sea Anemone〉. Even considering that 7 items are missing from the 42 feature films directed by Yoo Hyun-mok, including his debut film 〈Crossroads〉 (1956), this collection allows for a significant overview of his major directing works spanning approximately 40 years.

The online exhibition through Google Art & Culture is designed to allow viewers to explore the world of Yoo Hyun-mok's works and directing process based on the records held by the archive. It consists of three parts: "Yoo Hyun-mok's Film World through Posters: From Authorial Cinema to Genre Films, the Thousand Faces of Korean Cinema," "Yoo Hyun-mok Off-Screen: The Directing World of Yoo Hyun-mok Beyond the 'Screen' for a Perfect World 'On Screen'," and "The Times of 〈Obaltan〉: Records of Production, Prohibition, and Revival," providing insights into his cinematic world and representative works.

The "Director Yoo Hyun-mok's Directing Materials Collection" will be available for viewing through the Korean Film Database (kmdb.or.kr) starting December 15th, and the "100th Anniversary Online Exhibition of Yoo Hyun-mok" will be offered for free on the Korean Film Archive page of Google Art & Culture (artandculture.google.com) on the same day.