Photo: Photo by Tania Volobueva (tanka v) Cropped by RanZag / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Kim Ki-duk is one of those filmmakers I find impossible to watch passively. A self-taught director who clawed his way up from rural North Gyeongsang, he carried that hardscrabble grit into everything he shot. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring is serene, Pieta is brutal, yet both stare unflinchingly at human cruelty and grace. Winning both the Berlin Silver Bear and the Venice Golden Lion put him among Asia's most decorated directors, but he never sanded off his rough, outsider edge. His work is genuinely divisive, and I respect that. Losing him in 2020 felt like losing a singular, uncompromising voice.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kim Ki-duk
- Name (Japanese)
- キム・ギドク
- Reading
- きむ・ぎどく
- Born
- December 20, 1960 – December 11, 2020
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rat
- Origin
- Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- screenwriter / film producer / film director / film editor / film actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Order of Cultural Merit
- 2004 Silver Bear for Best Director
- 2012 Golden Lion
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring | — | |
| Notable work | Pietà | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Kim Ki-duk born?
December 20, 1960 – December 11, 2020.
Where is Kim Ki-duk from?
Kim Ki-duk is from Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang, South Korea.
What does Kim Ki-duk do?
Kim Ki-duk works as screenwriter, film producer, film director, film editor, film actor.
What is Kim Ki-duk known for?
Notable works include Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, Pietà.
Screenwriter — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from South Korea →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.