Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Jang Hang-jun, Yoon Ga-eun and 27 other film directors publish debut essay 『My First Action』!

A nonfiction essay vividly recounting the hard-fought debut journeys of 31 leading directors shaping South Korean cinema, 『My First Action』 (jointly planned by the Directors Guild of Korea and CinePlay), has been published. It tells the stories of the anxious, fiercely competitive years these directors spent as aspiring filmmakers before barely making it to the starting line — including Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Jang Hang-jun, Kang Yoon-sung and Yoon Ga-eun, all of whom now move freely between theatrical screens and streaming platforms. Directors who are celebrated around the world and those whose films have drawn 10 million viewers once had to walk over hills because they could not afford transportation and endured rejection after rejection for their screenplays. Their candid confessions about holding on and moving forward toward the “next scene,” without knowing whether it would work out, are preserved in the book.

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The early years of these now-renowned filmmakers were marked by one tense mistake after another. Bong Joon-ho, director of 〈Parasite〉, recalls that when he was the youngest member of a film set’s directing department, he became so nervous while clapping the slate for the first time that he caught his little finger in it, producing a bizarre sound and earning a reprimand. Park Chan-wook, who has said there was nothing he knew how to do besides make movies, survived in a more unusual way. He endured his brutal years as an unknown through what he calls the “power of delusion,” directing scathing gossip at successful filmmakers: “That’s all they can make?” and “If they gave me just one-tenth of that money ...”

The paths to a debut varied widely. Yoon Je-kyoon, the “10 million-viewer director” behind 〈Ode to My Father〉, wrote his screenplay while on leave during the Asian financial crisis. Kim Han-min, another “10 million-viewer director,” known for 〈The Admiral: Roaring Currents〉, changed course and entered graduate school after leaving a major corporation. The awkwardness of a first set was no exception: Yoon once created a farce by shouting “Ready” and “Action” in such rapid succession that the cinematographer had to stop him. The road to a debut could also be devastating. Woo Min-ho, director of 〈Inside Men〉, survived until around age 40 on 10,000 won a day from his mother. Kim Seong-hun, director of the Netflix series 〈Kingdom〉, had to rely on his wife’s income for seven years after his first film failed at the box office. A wry remark by Lee Cheol-ha, director of 〈Okay Madam〉, that “debuting as a film director is more difficult than debuting as an idol” is no exaggeration. Im Soon-rye, director of 〈Forever the Moment〉, carried bags of rice onto the subway while studying in France yet watched 1,000 films at a cinémathèque. The story of Byun Young-joo, director of 〈Helpless〉, giving up tennis and new clothes without hesitation in pursuit of her goal shows the depth of their devotion to film.

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Kang Yoon-sung’s journey has been defined by persistence. He had dreamed of becoming a film director for 21 years. At 26, while in college, he went to the United States to study after directing a short film, but the reality he encountered when he returned to South Korea at 30 was grim. Well into his 40s, he endured the bitter disappointment of project after project falling apart and supported himself by working at shoe and clothing stores. But he never put down his pen. After revising a screenplay 30 times over more than three years, he finally made 〈The Outlaws〉 at age 47, making a splashy debut.

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『My First Action』 is a new book revising and expanding 『The Moment of Debut』, published in 2014 with the voices of directors affiliated with the Directors Guild of Korea (DGK). Twelve years after its 2014 publication, which resonated widely, 『The Moment of Debut』 has been revised and expanded to twice its original length and published in two volumes. The project was jointly planned by the Directors Guild of Korea and CinePlay, a web magazine specializing in film, whose journalists, including editor in chief Joo Sung-chul, conducted in-depth interviews with the directors. The stories of filmmakers who had to endure uncertainty without a set gateway or exam also offer weighty advice on how to pass through the period of being “nothing” before becoming something. Hani Publishing, the book’s publisher, said it would be “a story for everyone living with anxiety and happiness at the same time in front of the dream they want to achieve, as well as a warm consolation and realistic encouragement for all young people absorbed in their own ‘first action.’”

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As the directors open up and share stories they are telling for the first time, readers encounter vivid “now I can tell it” accounts unavailable anywhere else. Park Chan-wook recalls that he and the entire directing department quit together as a group action, only for him to secretly return alone, effectively stabbing a senior director in the back. Bong Joon-ho confesses that before 〈White Man〉, the short film known publicly as his first, he had made a puppet animation he could not tell anyone about. The story of 〈Looking for Paradise〉, Bong’s unreleased first short and a stop-motion animation, also led to director Lee Hyuk-rae’s production of the 2023 Netflix documentary 〈Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-fi Film Club〉.

There is no formula for the 31 directors. How did they overcome the self-pity of wondering whether this path was truly theirs? Did they really never once want to give up? What gave them the strength to endure all those moments of trial and frustration? They share stories from old drawers with young people who still quietly dream of a life in film. Some happened to make their debuts, while others did so after turning 40. One filmmaker’s debut was dazzling; another had to endure an even darker period afterward. Ultimately, this book is also a story for everyone living with anxiety and happiness at the same time in front of the dream they want to achieve, and a book about how to endure the period of being “nothing” before becoming something. Can you keep going when you have no idea whether it will work out? Among the 31 people who have answered that question first, readers may find someone who closely resembles them.

Planning

Directors Guild of Korea (DGK)

The guild protects the creative freedom and rights of South Korean film directors, cooperates with related organizations at home and abroad, and represents directors in policy discussions on issues facing the film industry and improvements on film sets. The Directors Cut Awards, in which member directors directly select the winners and present the awards through a one-member, one-vote system, has become a distinctive DGK ceremony. Since 2020, the guild has also held Bechdel Day, inspired by American cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s Bechdel test, to reflect on gender equality in film and video content and promote greater cultural diversity. Directors Min Kyu-dong and Yoon Je-kyoon currently lead the DGK as co-presidents.

CinePlay

A digital magazine established in 2016 as a joint venture between 〈Hankyoreh〉 and Naver. It offers a range of content, including introductions to and ratings of new films and OTT releases, as well as interviews. In 2026, it launched the Korea Short Drama Awards with the Korean Film Archive.

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