Yu Hyun-mok, a renowned South Korean film director, was born on July 2, 1925, in Sariwon, Hwanghae, Korea, which is now part of North Korea.
Yu made his film debut in 1956 with the release of Gyocharo, also known as Crossroads.
His 1961 film Obaltan has been repeatedly voted the best Korean film of all time by local critics, and it received widespread critical acclaim.
Yu's film Obaltan was showcased at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1963, where it received praise from Variety for its "remarkable" storytelling, "brilliantly detailed camera work," and "probing sympathy and rich characterizations."
Yu's dedication to the intellectual side of filmmaking and his interest in using film to address social and political issues led to difficulties with both box-office-oriented producers and the military government of Korea during the 1960s and 1970s.
Yu's directing style has been compared to that of the Italian Neorealists, and his films have also been described as modernist and expressionistic.
In addition to his directing work, Yu was also a professor who taught film, and he made a significant contribution to Korean animation by producing the 1976 animated film Robot Taekwon V.
A retrospective of Yu's career was held at the 4th Pusan International Film Festival in 1999.
Yu passed away on June 28, 2009, due to complications from a stroke.
