South Korea's film community has been left in shock following the recent confirmation of the death of director Shin Sung-Hoon. The 40-year-old filmmaker died earlier this year, but news of his death has only come to light months later.
As reported by OSEN, Shin died in May, and his funeral was conducted as a no-relative burial because no immediate family was identified.
Police stated that there were no signs of chronic illness, and no suicide note was discovered.
A friend had alerted authorities after being unable to contact him and later found him at his residence.
Background
Shin's personal history had long been marked by adversity. Born in an orphanage, he was later adopted, but his adoptive mother's gambling addiction reportedly led to significant debt. Shin is said to have repaid the entire amount, around 160 million Korean won, before legally ending the adoption. He had spoken publicly about his past, recounting the hardships without bitterness.
Shin had also been open about the instability faced by filmmakers.
In a 2022 broadcast, he said, "If you don't keep making commercial films, it's hard to continue as a director. 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."
During periods without film work, Shin supported himself with part-time labour, including loading and unloading parcels. He had reflected on that experience, saying, "After a day of that, I realised how hard it is. My whole body hurt like it was breaking down Coming home, I wondered, 'Maybe I shouldn't keep walking the director's path,'" though he continued to pursue filmmaking.
Shin's journey in the entertainment industry began as a singer in 2002 before taking on small acting roles and later transitioning to directing.
His 2022 film Jajangmyeon Thank You received recognition at international festivals, winning Best Director and Best Picture at the 7th Hollywood Bluebird Film Festival, along with more than 80 awards worldwide.
His later projects, including Underage (2024) and God's Choice (2025), were also screened at international festivals. At the time of his death, he had been developing Underage 2, which was planned for release in 2025.