My Take
Na Hong-jin is one of those directors who makes you question your own sanity in the best possible way — his films don't just unsettle you, they burrow under your skin and stay there for days. The Chaser announced him as a major force in Korean cinema back in 2008, a raw, relentless thriller that felt like it was sprinting straight at you from frame one. The Yellow Sea doubled down on that intensity, and then The Wailing arrived in 2016 and genuinely broke my brain — equal parts folk horror, grief, and cosmic dread, with no tidy resolution because life doesn't offer one. That Sitges Best Director win in 2011 feels almost understated for a filmmaker this singular. He's meticulous, slow between projects, and clearly not interested in compromising his vision for anyone. Every film feels like a personal reckoning.
Overview
Na Hong-jin (Korean: 나홍진, born 20 July 1974) is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. His filmography is characterized by the incorporation of violent thriller and horror elements. Na's emergence in the film industry began with his feature film debut, The Chaser (2008), which achieved both critical and commercial success, ranking as the third-highest-grossing film in South Korea for its release yea…
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Na Hong-jin
- Name (Japanese)
- ナ・ホンジン
- Reading
- な・ほんじん
- Born
- January 1, 1974 (age 52)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Tiger
- Origin
- Seoul, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / film producer / director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Hanyang University
Awards & achievements
- 2011 Sitges Film Festival Best Director award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
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.