Jung Doo-hong (; born December 14, 1966) is a South Korean action director, martial arts choreographer,

stunt coordinator A stunt coordinator, usually an experienced stunt performer, is hired by a TV, film or theatre director or production company for casting stunt performers. Their job is to arrange the casting (stunt players and stunt doubles) and performance of s ...

, and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Early life

Jung Doo-hong was born in 1966 in Chilsan-ri, Imcheon-myeon,

Buyeo County Buyeo County () is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Buyeo-eup, the county's capital, was the site of the capital of Baekje from 538-660 AD, during which it was called Sabi Fortress. Famous people associated with Buyeo County ...

South Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province (), informally called Chungnam, is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, province of South Korea in the Hoseo region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. South Chungcheong borders the provinces of Gyeonggi to ...

, the youngest of seven siblings. As a child, he was small for his age and had an unusually shy and introspective personality. His life changed dramatically when a private

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

institute opened near his high school when he was a freshman student, and he became engrossed in the traditional

Korean martial art Korean martial arts ( or ) are fighting practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and non-military personnel as a method of personal growth or recreation. The history of K ...

, practicing taekwondo every day. Because he was so poor, he could not afford to pay his training fees; the master of the institute, Lee Gak-soo, taught him taekwondo for free because he recognized Jung's passion and talent. In 1985, he entered

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

Junior College as an athletics/physical education major. He was also selected as a member of a performing team that promoted taekwondo and Korean culture around the world, and spent much of his college years overseas, teaching taekwondo in the United States, Japan and Mexico. During his mandatory military service, he served as a martial arts trainer of a frontline elite unit, followed by a brief stint as a

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...

for a parliamentarian after his discharge from the military.

Career

Debut as stuntman

A friend on his bodyguard team recommended Jung as a

stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

. But in 1990, the compensation and benefits that Korean stuntmen received were meager at best, and Jung was hired only to carry heavy equipment for the stunt acting team on a

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

film he applied for. Deeply disappointed, he temporarily quit stunt work; instead, every day he underwent intensive exercise at Boramae Park to improve his physical strength, and continued learning various martial arts such as

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

hapkido Hapkido ( , , ), also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do'' is a Korean martial art. It is a hybrid form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, chokeholds, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. ...

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

and

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

under Kim Young-mo at a nearby training center from 11 p.m. until dawn. Three months later, he was hired as a stuntman for actor Lee Il-jae on

Im Kwon-taek Im Kwon-taek (; born December 8, 1934) is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards, as well as considerable box-office success, ...

's hit movie ''

General's Son ''General's Son'' () is a 1990 South Korean crime film directed by Im Kwon-taek Im Kwon-taek (; born December 8, 1934) is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and ...

'' (1990).

Action director

He quickly rose up the ranks to become the action director (also called

, martial arts director, or fight director) on the 1992 film ''Sirasoni'' ("Bobcat"), making him, at age 25, the youngest to hold that job in Korean film history. In the succeeding years, Jung undisputedly became the country's most important and influential action director, remaining in the center of Korean movie action by directing/choreographing action for 4 to 6 movies per year. He was responsible for designing the street shooting in '' Shiri'' (1999), the

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

in '' The Foul King'' (2000), the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

spectacle in '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008), and the

hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons.Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills in ...

and wire work in ''

The Berlin File ''The Berlin File'' (; lit. "Berlin") is a 2013 South Korean action spy film written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan. Ha Jung-woo stars as a North Korean agent in Berlin who is betrayed and cut loose when a weapons deal is exposed. Together with ...

'' (2013). Constantly innovating, Jung is the acknowledged creator of "Koreanized" action, the rough-and-realistic Korean style of action and fight choreography.

Seoul Action School

Jung listed

Park No-sik Park Noh-sik (; February 4, 1930 – April 3, 1995) was a South Korean actor. Park was born in Suncheon, Zenranan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japane ...

and Jang Dong-hwi among the Korean action film actors that he respects, saying, "I thought it was very cool to wear a formal hat and throw blows at the enemy and rescue women. But when I debuted s a stuntman it was during the days when stuntmen were treated as less than human." Things have changed since then, but Jung believes working conditions for present-day stuntmen can still be improved further. This, and his commitment, passion and pride regarding the action/martial arts filmmaking in Korea are part of the reason he founded the Seoul Action School at a gymnasium in Boramae Park on July 1, 1998. He jointly established the facility with four of his younger colleagues with the aim of producing and nurturing martial arts directors and stuntmen. As of 2006, the school had 25 key members, and recruits new members every six months offering them free martial arts training. It later expanded and moved to

Paju Paju (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county (''gun''). The city area of Paju is ,"Paju (Gyeonggi-do Province)." ''Naver Encyclopedi ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

in 2009. Jung has spoken with candor about the difficulties of maintaining a stunt company in a country that he believes does not appreciate the action genre at all, but he is glad that young prospective actors at the Seoul Action School now seem to be proud to get into the action genre. Jung continues to be an advocate for safe working conditions and adequate compensation for stuntmen in Korea.

International projects

Besides Korean cinema, Jung was the action director for the 2002 Japanese film ''Seoul'' (ソウル) by Masahiko Nagasawa, and the 2007 Russian blockbuster '' Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan'' (лНМЦНК) by Sergei Bodrov. He was also the

stunt double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes for another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

for actor

Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably '' Joint Security Area'' (2000); '' A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) ...

in Lee's Hollywood films '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' and '' Red 2'' (both in 2013).

Acting

Longtime friend and collaborator,

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Ryoo Seung-wan Ryoo Seung-wan (; born December 15, 1973) is a South Korean filmmaker. He made his debut in 1996 with the short film ''Dangerous Head'', then worked as a director under director Park Chan-wook, took film lessons, and made his feature film debut ...

has spoken of how he greatly appreciates Jung's stubbornness when providing creative input in his films' action scenes. Jung, who has appeared onscreen in minor and supporting parts throughout his career, has had his most significant acting roles in Ryoo's movies, particularly as the villain in action-comedy-fantasy '' Arahan'' (2004). In 2006, Ryoo cast Jung and himself in the leading roles in '' The City of Violence'', about two friends who reunite in their hometown and go after the bad guys who killed their friend. Jung said he had wanted to be in a film that was "simply action" (without romance or suspense) and thought, "This was my last chance o appear in an action movie So I wanted to show everything I had."

Boxing

In 2005 Jung (by then already in his forties) made his debut as a

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

in the

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division. He also opened a fitness center with TV host Lee Hoon, called "Double H Multi Gym."

Personal life

Jung married

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

and former ''

MTV Asia MTV was a pan-Asian music pay television channel that was launched on 5 May 1995 as a standalone pay television service. The channel was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA. History Pre-launch The first incarnation of MTV Asia was launched on ...

'' VJ Nadya Hutagalung in 1998, but the union ended within a year; Hutagalung later said the marriage wasn't officially registered.

Filmography

Action/Stunts

*''

Veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

'' (2015) *'' Last Knights'' (2015) *''Finale'' *'' Haemoo'' (2014) *'' Kundo: Age of the Rampant'' (2014) *''Mad Sad Bad'' (2014) *''The X'' (

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

, 2013) *'' Hwayi: A Monster Boy'' (2013) *'' Red 2'' (2013) *'' Fists of Legend'' (2013) (also credited as investor) *'' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' (2013) (uncredited) *''

'' (2013) *''

Hindsight Hindsight bias, also known as the knew-it-all-along phenomenon or creeping determinism, is the common tendency for people to perceive past events as having been more predictable than they were. After an event has occurred, people often believe ...

'' (2011) *'' The King of Legend'' (TV, 2010) *'' The Unjust'' (2010) *'' The Fugitive: Plan B'' (TV, 2010) *''Troubleshooter'' (2010) *'' I Saw the Devil'' (2010) *''

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

'' (2010) *'' Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard'' (2009) *'' Swallow the Sun'' (TV, 2009) *''

Mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

'' (2009) *'' The Iron Empress'' (TV, 2009) *'' The Divine Weapon'' (2008) *'' Dachimawa Lee'' (2008) *'' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) *'' Public Enemy Returns'' (2008) *'' The Great King, Sejong'' (TV, 2008) *'' Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan'' (2007) (also credited as

second unit A second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming s ...

director) *'' Hwang Jin Yi'' (2007) *'' H.I.T'' (TV, 2007) *'' Miracle on 1st Street'' (2007) *'' The Restless'' (2006) *''Three Fellas'' (2006) *'' Hanbando'' (2006) *'' The City of Violence'' (2006) (also credited as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

) *''Hey Man'' (

from ''If You Were Me 2'', 2006) *'' Blood Rain'' (2005) *'' Crying Fist'' (2005) *'' A Bittersweet Life'' (2005) *'' Another Public Enemy'' (2005) *'' Rikidōzan: A Hero Extraordinary'' (2004) *'' Arahan'' (2004) *''

Taegukgi The national flag of South Korea, also known as the ''Taegeukgi'' (), consists of three components: a white rectangular background, a red and blue ''taegeuk'' in its center, accompanied by four black Bagua, trigrams, one in each corner. The p ...

'' (2004) *'' Silmido'' (2003) *'' Please Teach Me English'' (2003) *'' Natural City'' (2003) *'' Damo'' (TV, 2003) *''

Tube Tube or tubes may refer to: * ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film * "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM television show * Tube (band), a Japanese rock band * Tube & Berger, the alias of dance/electronica producers Arndt Rör ...

'' (2003) *'' YMCA Baseball Team'' (2002) *''Family'' (2002) *'' Resurrection of the Little Match Girl'' (2002) *''

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

'' (2002) *''

Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...

'' (2002) *'' No Blood No Tears'' (2002) *''Seoul'' (2002) *''

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

'' (2002) *''Out of Justice'' (2001) *'' The Last Witness'' (2001) *'' Musa: The Warrior'' (2001) *''The Legend Of Gingko'' (2000) *'' Libera Me'' (2000) *'' Il Mare'' (2000) *''Kilimanjaro'' (2000) *'' The Foul King'' (2000) *'' Chunhyang'' (2000) *''Phantom: The Submarine'' (1999) *'' Shiri'' (1999) *'' City of the Rising Sun'' (1999) *''Scent of a Man'' (1998) *''The Soul Guardians'' (1998) *''Seventeen'' (1998) *''Saturday, 2 p.m.'' (1998) *''Hallelujah'' (1997) *''

Beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...

'' (1997) *''Fire Bird'' (1997) *''Kill the Love'' (1996) *'' Born to Kill'' (1996) *''Come to Me'' (1996) *''Run Away'' (1995) *''Rehearsal'' (1995) *'' The Terrorist'' (1995) *''The Rules of the Game'' (1994) *'' General's Son III'' (1992) *''Sirasoni'' (1992) *''Kim's War'' (1992) *'' General's Son II'' (1991) *''

'' (1990)

Actor

* ''

Ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...

'' (2025) *'' The Emperor: Owner of the Mask'' (TV, 2017) *''

Six Flying Dragons ''Six Flying Dragons'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Ah-in, Kim Myung-min, Shin Se-kyung, Byun Yo-han, Yoon Kyun-sang and Chun Ho-jin. It aired on SBS on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 50 episodes beginning on Oc ...

'' (TV, 2015) *''

Sense8 ''Sense8'' () is an American science fiction drama television series created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski for Netflix. The production companies behind ''Sense8'' included the Wachowskis' Anarchos Productions (replac ...

'' (TV, 2015) ( cameo, ep 3) *'' The Greatest Love'' (TV, 2011) ( cameo, ep 1) *'' The Fugitive: Plan B'' (TV, 2010) ( cameo) *'' Action Boys'' (

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

, 2008) (uncredited, as himself) *'' Dachimawa Lee'' (2008) ( cameo) *''The Man called 'Tiger (

, 2007) *''Femme Fatale'' (2007) ( cameo) *'' H.I.T'' (TV, 2007) ( cameo) *'' Miracle on 1st Street'' (2007) *'' The City of Violence'' (2006) *''Hey Man'' (

in ''If You Were Me 2'', 2006) *'' Fighter in the Wind'' (2004) *'' Arahan'' (2004) *''

'' (2004) *'' Please Teach Me English'' (2003) *''Kick Your Bottom!'' (

, 2003) *'' Natural City'' (2003) *'' Resurrection of the Little Match Girl'' (2002) *'' Ruler of Your Own World'' (TV, 2002) *''

'' (2002) *'' No Blood No Tears'' (2002) *'' The Foul King'' (2000) *''Timeless Obsession'' (1996) *'' Born to Kill'' (1996) *''Run Away'' (1995) *'' A Bloody Battle for Revenge'' (1992) *''The Continent of Ambition'' (1992) *''I Have Nothing'' (1992) *'' General's Son II'' (1991) *''Ggok-ji-dan'' (1990)

Variety show

*'' Law of the Jungle in Solomon Islands'' (TV, 2014)

Awards

*2013 14th

Busan Film Critics Awards Established in 2000, the Busan Film Critics Awards is run by the Busan Film Critics Association (BCFA), a small but independent-minded group of critics based in Busan, South Korea. Each year they announce their choices shortly before the opening of ...

: Technical Award (''

'') *2013

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

APAN Star Awards The APAN Star Awards is an awards ceremony for excellence in television in South Korea and contribution to Korean Wave, organized by the Korea Entertainment Management Association (CEMA). Nominees for the awards are selected from Korean drama ...

: Achievement Award (''

'') *2008 7th Korean Film Awards: Best Visual Effects ('' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'') *2005 28th Golden Cinematography Awards: Special Jury Prize ('' Arahan'') *2004 12th

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the earl ...

: Best Supporting Actor ('' Fighter in the Wind'')

References

External links

Jung Doo-hong Fan Cafe
at Daum * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jung, Doo-hong South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors South Korean film directors People from Buyeo County Male actors from South Chungcheong Province 1966 births Living people South Korean male taekwondo practitioners 20th-century South Korean sportsmen