Lee Mu-yeong

Song Chung-seop (Korean: 송충섭; born June 14, 1962), better known by the pen name Lee Mu-yeong (Korean: 이무영) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, novelist and theater critic.

He was born in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, and grew up in Seoul. The son of a pastor,^[1] their family emigrated to the United States while he was in high school. Later, he enrolled to School of Business at the Rutgers University. In 1983, while still in the U.S., he made his debut as a theater critic.^[2]

Song Chung-seop his professional career as a radio producer at joined Catholic Peace Broadcasting, a position he held until July 1991. In March 1992, he debuted as a theater director and adopted the pen name Lee Mu-young. He followed this shortly after with his debut as a music critic in June 1992.^[3]

In February 1993, Lee enrolled in the graduate program for Theater and Film Studies at Chung-Ang University. Throughout 1993, he established a wide range of professional credits: becoming a film critic in March, a poet in June, a theater actor in July, and a musical actor in October. He subsequently debuted as an essayist in May 1994. After graduating from Chung-Ang University in February 1995, Lee transitioned quickly into the film industry. He began working as a film critic that April, followed by his debuts as both an actor and a screenwriter in early 1996, the latter for the film Born to Kill.^[1]

Lee and Park Chan-wook first met in 1991 through an introduction by actor Song Seung-hwan. Their professional relationship strengthened as Park became a frequent guest on Lee's radio program. Reflecting on their partnership, Park noted that while Lee's early scripts seemed amateurish, their unconventional nature provided a creative freedom that allowed the pair to "hit it off" immediately. Lee has described their collaborative process as a seamless partnership without a formal division of labor; they often alternate between dictating and typing, a method Lee believes is significantly more efficient than writing alone.^[4]

In 2000, they established the collective pen name Park-Ri-Damae (Korean: 박리다매) a portmanteau of their surnames inspired by the production company Oeyu Naegang. Their first official credit under this name was for Yoo Young-sik's Anarchists (2000). Their collaboration continued through a prolific period that included Park's Joint Security Area (2000), Lee's The Humanist (2001), and the 2002 films A Bizarre Love Triangle (directed by Lee) and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (directed by Park).^[4][5]

In 2003, Lee returned to the United States to attend a graduate program in Theatre and Stage Production at Theatre and Stage Production at Kean University in New Jersey, earning his master's degree in 2005.^[6] That same year, he reunited with Park Chan-wook as Park-Ri-Damae, working with director Yoon Tae-yong to co-write the screenplay for the fantasy film Boy Goes to Heaven.^[7]

Lee's later career combined academic and literary pursuits. He served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Theater and Film at Seokyeong University from February 2009 to August 2009. In July 2011, he acted as a jury member for the competition section of the 7th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival in Chungcheongbuk-do. His debut as a novelist followed in September 2011.^[8] Since August 2015, he has served as an associate professor in the Department of Film Studies at Dongseo University.^[9][10][11]

Born into a religious household as the son of a pastor, Lee is a practicing Christian who maintains a daily morning prayer routine. He is married to former actress Jang Soo-young, the younger sister of actor Jang Se-jin. The couple met while attending the wedding of announcers Son Beom-soo and Jin Yang-hye as guests of the groom and bride, respectively.^[6]

Progressive New Party Standing Committee Member and Special Advisor for Cultural and Arts Administration (July 2008 - November 2008)

• Lee Mu-yeong at the Korean Movie Database
• Official website