Director Shin Sung Hoon was found dead in May at age 40
Film director Shin Sung Hoon’s death in late May became known only now. According to an Oct. 26 report, Shin Sung Hoon was found at his home in late May and pronounced dead at age 40. A friend, unable to reach him, visited the residence and discovered him, then notified police. No note was found at the scene, and he was not known to have a chronic illness.
In June last year, Shin Sung Hoon posted what read like a farewell, went missing for two days, and was located at his apartment in Hwagok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, after assistant director Park Jae Seon filed a report. In a subsequent phone interview, Shin Sung Hoon spoke candidly about the grind of the industry and his own despair. “If you don’t keep making commercial films, it’s hard to continue as a director,” he said. “Many short-film and independent directors have it worse than I do—they just don’t say it out loud. Until you make your commercial debut, every day is like a war. If we can’t keep producing films, we can’t make a living.”
He also revealed he had recently taken part-time work loading and unloading parcels to make ends meet: “After a day of that, I realized how hard it is. My whole body hurt like it was breaking down. Every time I went to the restroom, I felt crushed. Coming home, I wondered, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t keep walking the director’s path.’” Reflecting on people dynamics, he added, “Everyone has the same worries in the same environment. Beyond the work itself, because everything is done by people, the wounds and sense of betrayal can be big. Maybe it sounds like I’m seeking credit, but I treated people like family—sometimes that doesn’t get across. People left, and a lot of emotions swirled in just a few days.”
Shin Sung Hoon debuted in entertainment as a singer in 2002 and appeared in small film roles before moving behind the camera. His 2022 film ‘Jajangmyeon Thank you’ won Best Director and Best Picture at the 7th Hollywood Bluebird Film Festival. Starring Kim Tae Seong, Lee Hye In, Lee Tae Seong, Hyun Young, and Lim Ho, ‘Jajangmyeon Thank you’ accumulated a reported 81 festival awards; Hyun Young appeared pro bono and later won Best Supporting Actress (short film) at France’s ‘3rd Luis Buñuel Memorial Awards’.
He followed with ‘Underage’ (2024 release) and ‘God’s Choice’ (released Feb. 2025 KST), both recognized at international festivals. Earlier this year, he met audiences again with ‘God’s Choice’. His final work is ‘Underage 2’, which had been in post-production and slated for a late-2025 release.
