Lee Chang-dong

Lee Chang-dong (born July 4, 1954) is a South Korean movie director, screenwriter and novelist. He won the 2008 Special Director's Prize at the Asian Film Awards and has been nominated for the Golden Lion and Palme d'Or. Lee was South Korea's Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2003 to 2004.
He graduated in 1981 with a degree in Korean Literature from Kyungpook National University in Daegu. After a teaching Korean Language in high school using his major, he established himself as a renowned novelist. Later in his career, to the surprise of many, he turned to movie making.
Lee did not study movie making before starting movie making. He penned two screenplays, Park Kwang-su's "To the Starry Island" in 1993 and "A Single Spark" in 1995. Lee then directed "Green Fish" in 1997.
In 2000, Lee made "Peppermint Candy". It is a story following a single man in reverse chronology through 20 years of South Korean history. All of his movies have received critical acclaim and awards. "Oasis", a story involving a mentally ill man and a woman with cerebral palsy, won the prestigious Director's Award at the 2003 Venice Film Festival.
He is very good at expressing the plain life of ordinary people on the screen. He also maintains popularity even though sometimes he makes stories about serious social problems.
He served as the minister of Culture and Tourism in the South Korean Government from 2003 to 2004.