# Han Jae-rim

Han Jae-rim (born July 14, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed Rules of Dating (2005), The Show Must Go On (2007), The Face Reader (2013), The King (2017), and Emergency Declaration (2021), as well as Netflix Original Series The 8 Show (2024).

## Early life and education

Han Jae-rim was born on July 14, 1975 in Jeju Province. Han graduated from Jeju National University of Education High School and majored in English Literature at Jeju National University, but dropped out and studied film directing at Seoul Institute of the Arts. Han graduated from Seoul Institute of the Arts in 1998.

## Career

He began his filmmaking career in 2003 as an assistant director and script editor for Min Byung-chun's film Natural City. Han was the runner-up for Best Screenplay at the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) Screenplay Contest in 2003 with To Do or Not to Do, which he had co-written with Go Yoon-hee. Retitled Rules of Dating, it became his directorial debut in 2005. Featuring sexually frank dialogue between teacher colleagues played by Park Hae-il and Kang Hye-jung, the film explored controversial gender politics, sexual harassment and moral relativism in a cynical and unsettling take on the romantic comedy. Rules of Dating drew critical praise and became a sleeper hit with 1.6 million admissions. Han won Best Screenplay at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, along with Best New Director at the Busan Film Critics Awards and the Grand Bell Awards.
Han, Kim Jee-woon and Yim Pil-sung then signed on to each shoot a short film for the omnibus Doomsday Book in 2006. Han's segment "The Christmas Gift" was supposed to have been a science-fiction musical retelling of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, but it was never shot after financing fell through. The film was later released in 2012, but without Han's involvement (Kim and Yim co-directed the third short with a completely new script).
In 2007, he wrote and directed his second film, The Show Must Go On. Starring Korea's top actor Song Kang-ho as a mid-level gangster dealing with family and work troubles, Han injected off-kilter comedy and pathos into the Korean film noir genre. The Show Must Go On won Best Film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.
Han entered pre-production for his purported third film, Trace in 2009. Based on the webtoon of the same title, it follows a young man who wakes up from a coma with superpowers after an assault that took his father's life. But despite winning the Kodak Award (with a cash prize of US$17,000) at the Busan International Film Festival's Pusan Promotion Plan, Han was unable to secure financing for the US$7.7 million blockbuster, and the project was shelved.
In 2010, Han established film production company Wooju Film Co., Ltd. Six years after his last completed film, Han returned to the big screen in 2013 with period drama The Face Reader. The film delved into the philosophical question whether character determines fate or vice versa, in a story about a Joseon fortuneteller skilled in physiognomy who becomes swept up in court intrigues and power struggles. Again starring Song Kang-ho as the titular character opposite Lee Jung-jae as the ambitious Grand Prince Suyang, The Face Reader scored 9.1 million admissions at the local box office, making it the 13th highest grossing Korean film of all time. It won six trophies at the 50th Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Han.
Han also produced Roh Deok's films Very Ordinary Couple (2013) and The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo (2015).
Han wrote the scenario of The King (2017) in just a month. He was preparing for a martial arts film that wasn't going well, so he wrote this story and it came out quickly. The previous investor wanted him to do a martial arts film, but Han decided to write a unique story that he thought would be easier to produce with a distinctive cast. He considered actor Zo In-sung for the lead role, despite initial doubts about his willingness to take on a risky role. However, after meeting Zo, who expressed a genuine desire to have fun with the project without any strategic calculations, Han was impressed by his flexibility and commitment on set. Collaborating with Zo helped Han overcome his prejudice towards good-looking actors.
In 2019, Han change his company name to Magnum Nine Co., Ltd. Magnum Nine was inspired by the photojournalism group Magnum, which established by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa. Han liked their spirit of documenting the world.
Han Jae-rim reunited with Song Kang-ho for the third time and Kim So-jin for the second time in the South Korean disaster film Emergency Declaration, which also stars Lee Byung-hun, Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Nam-gil, Im Si-wan, and Park Hae-joon. Filming resumed on September 12, 2020, after a postponement due to the COVID-19 resurgence in August 2020 and wrapped on October 24, 2020. The film premiered out of competition at the 74th Cannes Film Festival on July 16, 2021 before being released theatrically in South Korea on August 3, 2022. It was screened in various formats, including on a 4DX screen combining 4DX and ScreenX in addition to IMAX.

## Recurring cast

Recurring casts in Han's works :
| ActorWork | Bae Seong-woo | Jo Jung-suk | Kim So-jin | Lee Yul-eum | Ryu Jun-yeol | Song Kang-ho | Tae In-ho |
| Rules of Dating | | | | | | | |
| The Show Must Go On | | | | | | Y | |
| Very Ordinary Couple | | | | | | | Y |
| The Face Reader | | Y | | | Y | Y | |
| The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo | Y | Y | | | | | Y |
| The King | Y | | Y | | Y | | |
| Emergency Declaration | | | Y | Y | | Y | |
| The 8 Show | Y | | | Y | Y | | |

## Filmography
### Film

Film credits :
| Year | Title | Title | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Ref. |
| Year | English | Korean | Director | Screenplay | Producer | Ref. |
| 2003 | Natural City | 내츄럴 시티 | assistant director | script editor | No | |
| 2005 | Rules of Dating | 연애의 목적 | Yes | script editor | No | |
| 2007 | The Show Must Go On | 우아한 세계 | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | Very Ordinary Couple | 연애의 온도 | No | No | Yes | |
| 2013 | The Face Reader | 관상 | Yes | script editor | No | |
| 2015 | The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo | 특종: 량첸살인기 | No | No | Yes | |
| 2017 | The King | 더킹 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | Emergency Declaration | 비상선언 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Title | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Ref. |
| Year | English | Korean | Director | Screenplay | Producer | Ref. |
| 2024 | The 8 Show | 머니게임 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| TBA | Delusion | 현혹 | Yes | Yes | No | |
| TBA | Exorcism | 퇴마록 | Yes | Yes | No | |

### Television commercial

| Year | Title | Title | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Ref. |
| Year | English | Korean | Director | Screenplay | Producer | Ref. |
| 2018 | 70th anniversary of the Jeju 4.3 Incident | 4.3사건 70주년 | Co-director | Yes | Yes | |

## Accolades

Emergency Declaration premiered in out of competition at the 74th Cannes Film Festival on July 16, 2021.

### Awards and nominations

Awards and nomination :
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | 2014 | Best Film | The Face Reader | Nominated |
| 6th Busan Film Critics Association Awards | 2005 | Best Film | Rules of Dating | Won |
| 6th Busan Film Critics Association Awards | 2005 | Best New Director | Rules of Dating | Won |
| 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2006 | Best Screenplay | Rules of Dating | Won |
| 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2006 | Best New Director | Rules of Dating | Nominated |
| 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2008 | Best Film | The Show Must Go On | Won |
| 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2013 | Best Film | The Face Reader | Nominated |
| 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2013 | Best Director | The Face Reader | Nominated |
| 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2017 | Best Film | The King | Nominated |
| 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2022 | Best Director | Emergency Declaration | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | 2022 | Best Film | Emergency Declaration | Nominated |
| 19th Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2014 | Best Director | The Face Reader | Nominated |
| 17th Director's Cut Awards | 2017 | Special Mention of the Year | The King | Won |
| 11th Fantasia Film Festival | 2007 | Screenplay Award | The Show Must Go On | Won |
| 43rd Grand Bell Awards | 2006 | Best New Director | Rules of Dating | Won |
| 50th Grand Bell Awards | 2013 | Best Film | The Face Reader | Won |
| 50th Grand Bell Awards | 2013 | Best Director | The Face Reader | Won |
| 54th Grand Bell Awards | 2017 | Best Film | The King | Nominated |
| 54th Grand Bell Awards | 2017 | Best Director | The King | Nominated |
| 54th Grand Bell Awards | 2017 | Best Screenplay | The King | Won |
| Kodak Award at the 12th Busan Promotion Plan (PPP) | 2009 | Film support | Trace | Won |
| Korean Film Awards | 2006 | Best New Director | Rules of Dating | Nominated |
| 27th Korean Film Critics Association Awards | 2007 | Best Picture Award | The Show Must Go On | Won |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 2022 | Korean Association of Film 10 selections of Kim Hyun-seung | Emergency Declaration | Won |
| Korean Film Council (KOFIC) Screenplay Contest | 2003 | Excellence Award | To Do or Not to Do | Won |
| 9th Max Movie Awards | 2014 | Best Poster | The Face Reader | Won |
| 9th Max Movie Awards | 2014 | Best Preview | The Face Reader | Nominated |
| 1st The Seoul Awards | 2017 | Best Film | The King | Nominated |
| Tokyo International Film Festival | 2005 | Tokyo Grand Prix | Rules of Dating | Nominated |

## Personal Life

On August 21, 2023, a dating rumor with actress Lee Yul-eum broke out. A year later, they denied the dating rumors at the press conference for the drama The 8 Show.