Park Seong-kwang, the cruel history of a comedian and film director

Comedian Park Seong-kwang, who shouted about “a dirty world that only remembers first place,” has transformed into a film director, a long-time dream. After directing a short film, he made his debut in a commercial film through 'Woongnam'. However, he became the next protagonist in the cruel death of a comedian and film director.

Park Seong-kwang directed the short film 'Swear' in early 2011. He then directed the short film 'Sad Because It's Not Sad' in 2017 and the film project 'Strong', which was part of 'Don Rix 2' in 2020. He received the Special Jury Award at the 11th World Seoul Short Film Festival, the New Director Award at the 2nd Korea-China Film Festival, and the Directing Award at the 1st Michuhol Film Festival for 'Sad Because It's Not Sad'.

Park Seong-kwang will debut as a commercial film director through the movie 'Woongnam', which will be released on the 22nd. 'Woongnam' is a comical action drama in which a man with a special secret called Asiatic Black Bear uses his unique beast-like abilities to cooperate in an investigation against an international criminal organization.

Park Seong-kwang, who majored in film arts, had the dream of becoming a 'film director' in his heart. He debuted as a comedian in KBS' 22nd open recruitment in 2007. Although he debuted as a comedian, he never gave up on his dream. Park Seong-kwang said, "I was originally going to direct, but I became a comedian first. I ended up becoming a movie director, which was my original dream. I was taking steps toward my dream of making movies. That's why I' m here now."

Park Seong-gwang used his friendship to complete the casting lineup for 'Woongnam'. He said, "There are people who casted me because I am a close friend. They gave me the script and gave it to me officially before giving permission, and there are people from the production company who helped me. It was my first time ( directing), and the actors were also unfamiliar with me, and I thought, 'Should I give it a try?', 'I'm a comedian.' “I think the secret is curiosity, ‘What would it be like to direct as a director?’” he said.

In some cases, comedians like Park Seong-kwang debuted as film directors. Lee Gyeong-gyu, Shim Hyeong-rae, Ahn Sang-tae, and Kim Young-hee directed the film one step ahead of Park Seong-gwang. The only ones who made commercial films were Lee Kyung-gyu and Shim Hyung-rae. However, Lee Gyeong-gyu and Shim Hyeong-rae received harsh criticism for producing works that did not live up to their name.

The movie directed by Lee Gyeong-gyu is 'Blood Vengeance'. Participated in planning and production of 'Masked Dalho' and 'National Singing Contest'. Lee Gyeong-gyu turned into a producer after experiencing the bitter taste of box office success with 'Blood Vengeance'. Shim Hyung-rae was harshly criticized in Hollywood for his roles in 'D-War' and 'The Last Godfather.' Sangtae Ahn and Younghee Kim directed short films and adult films.

Park Seong-gwang confessed, "I wonder what I'll do if people see me as prejudiced. To be honest, as a comedian, I'm not grateful to be a director, and it's a lot of pressure." He said, "I think that if I do this movie and it doesn't do well, I might be blocking the next opportunity for our juniors."

'Woongnam' was unveiled through a media preview on the 14th. Since it was directed by 'comedian' Park Seong-gwang, the expected part is laughter. Park Seong-kwang's choice was drama, not comedy. He explained, "I tried to focus on the drama and content and less on the comedy. I differentiated the comedy I did in plays from the comedy I did in movies."

The film industry was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and ticket prices rose. Accordingly, the standards by which audiences choose movies have increased. Dreaming is freedom. No one can stop you from dreaming. You probably know the hard work you put in to get one step closer to that dream.

The process is important, but the results are more noticeable in the film market. Although Park Seong-gwang's dream may have been grand, the audience may ignore his dream. It remains to be seen whether 'Woongnam', the culmination of Park Seong-gwang's dream, will give him the title of cruel history of a comedian film director, or whether it will revitalize the stagnant Korean film industry.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr