Yim Pil-sung (born May 13, 1972) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed Antarctic Journal (2005), Hansel and Gretel (2007), and Scarlet Innocence (2014). Yim Pil-sung began directing short films in 1997, with Souvenir as his first. Brushing (1998), about an overweight teenage boy who is left home alone with his senile grandfather, was invited to the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. Baby (1999) screened at the Venice Film Festival and Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Mobile (starring Park Hae-il, Yoon Jin-seo, and Yoon Je-moon) was included in the 2003 omnibus Show Me.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 13, 1972 (54)
- Seoul, South Korea
- Director, writer and actor
- 9 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
What are Yim Pil-sung's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 3
A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 2 · Dark 3
Grounded 0 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2
Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 3
Steady 0 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Heraldas Director Yim Pil-Sung in Playboy Bong (2013)
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet2
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Yim Pil-sung's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Yim Pil-sung's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
22 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Mad Concrete Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Dark Nuns(2025)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Dear Jinri (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
NCT 127: The Lost Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Catacomb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Departure, Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
The Larva Island Movie(2020)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Persona(2019)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows
The Nest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Three Summer Nights(2015)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Scarlet Innocence(2014)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Playboy Bong(2013)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Doomsday Book(2012)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
A Brave New World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Happy Birthday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Hansel and Gretel(2007)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
The Host(2006)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Sunday Seoul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Antarctic Journal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Brushing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
The Tomb of Fog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 21 titles, 20 of them dated from 1998 to 2026.
Film career
- 2006Screen debut· The Host
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Yim Pil-sung's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 38th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th6
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 9 titles are Mixed.
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the atmosphere 76/100 and the pacing 45/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Yim Pil-sung's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Yim Pil-sung work with?
People who share at least 2 of Yim Pil-sung's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bae Doona shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Bae DoonaShared titles: Persona (2019), Doomsday Book (2012), The Host (2006)See all 3 shared titles with Bae Doona
- Jin Ji-heeShared titles: Doomsday Book (2012), Hansel and Gretel (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Jin Ji-hee
- Ko Jun-heeShared titles: Doomsday Book (2012), Hansel and Gretel (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Ko Jun-hee
- Park Hae-ilShared titles: Doomsday Book (2012), The Host (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Park Hae-il
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- MowgShared titles: Persona (2019), Scarlet Innocence (2014), Doomsday Book (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Mowg
- Kim Ji-yongShared titles: Doomsday Book (2012), Hansel and Gretel (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Kim Ji-yong
- Byung-woo LeeShared titles: Hansel and Gretel (2007), The Host (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Byung-woo Lee
- Sun-Min KimShared titles: Hansel and Gretel (2007), The Host (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Sun-Min Kim
Producers
- Jeong Tae-sungShared titles: Scarlet Innocence (2014), The Host (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Jeong Tae-sung
- Young-mo KangShared titles: Doomsday Book (2012), Hansel and Gretel (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Young-mo Kang
Mixed roles
- Bong Joon HoShared titles: Doomsday Book (2012), The Host (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Bong Joon Ho
