DOES LOVE last forever? Does love always end happily? These questions are the ones that never stop crossing peoples’ minds. The film director, Hur Jin-ho (‘82, Dept. of Phil.) provides hints for all those who have pondered these neverending questions. When you see his movies, he will touch your heart with his extraordinary insight into people’s daily lives, and you will realize the reason why he is called the “Romance King.”

  Scene #1: Late start

   Unlike others, being a film director was never an option for me until I graduated Yonsei Univ. and got a job. After years quite interestingly spent in a company as a normal office worker, I realized that I wasn’t satisfied. So I quit the job without deciding what exactly I wanted to do and started looking for something creative. This is a somewhat unique start compared to most of the other directors who were madly indulged in movies since their youth. I regret the late start, but I have no regrets for getting my foot into the movie industry. I am very grateful that I had courage to step out of my safety zone and plunge into an uncertain area, because I believe that movies are my destiny. I would like to tell youngsters that a little courage is all it requires to take a dare and fulfill what they really desire.

 Scene #2: His restless radar

As a student in the Dept. of Phil. at Yonsei, I pondered how I was going to perceive the world. I loved sitting in front of the Underwood statue with my friends and chatting about philosophy, social problems, and episodes on a blind date. Since then, I’ve liked thinking about all the little things in daily life, especially about what people’s trivial habits might mean. Eventually, observing people’s behaviors, habits, and emotional expressions as well as thinking about their meaning became my research method for movies. This habit of mine always helps me when portraying scenarios in movies.

 Scene #3: Unusual interest in the feeling of sadness

From my school days, I was especially interested in the feeling of sadness, both philosophically and literarily. I am still very curious about what sadness does to people and how they react to it. This is probably why I hear comments stating that my movie style is the sad romance. People may feel that way because I like to focus on portraying the way people deal with sadness. However, I try not to make the way I show the sadness too dramatic. Movies are about portraying lives of people and many of us do not live dramatic lives.

To Yonseians:

While in Yonsei Univ., I learned many things outside of the classroom such as the sentiments I felt from things, the books I read, and my newly-formed perspective of the world, which still occupies a big part of my life. I suggest to Yonseians that they learn to see the world broadly rather than study only specific and narrow topics. Just as the motto of Yonsei Univ., “the truth will set you free,” implies, explore truth and try to be free. This mindset will help you throughout your life.