Director Choi Yang-il, a Zainichi Korean of 'Where is the Moon?', Passes Away at 73 Years Old

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Kim] Choi Yang-il, a director of Korean-Japanese descent who vividly portrayed the stories of Korean residents in Japan in films such as "Where is the Moon?" and "Blood and Bones," has passed away at the age of 73.

Japanese media including Kyodo News reported that Director Choi died at his home in Tokyo on the 27th due to bladder cancer.

Born in 1949 in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, to a Korean father residing in Japan and a Japanese mother, Director Choi graduated from Tokyo Korean Middle and High School and entered the film industry.

Director Choi gained on-site experience, including receiving directing training as an assistant director on "Empire of the Senses," directed by Nagisa Oshima, a pioneer of the Japanese New Wave, and debuted as a director in 1983 with "Mosquito on the 10th Floor." "Mosquito on the 10th Floor" was also featured at the Venice International Film Festival.

His representative work is the 1993 film "Where is the Moon?" based on the novel "Taxi Kwangjogok" by Yang Seok-il, also of Korean-Japanese descent. The film was praised for its serious yet comedic depiction of the lives of various lower-class people in Japanese society, focusing on a Korean-Japanese young man working as a taxi driver in Tokyo who falls in love with a Filipino woman.

The 2004 film "Blood and Bones" featured Takeshi Kitano, a national director and actor of Japan. In 2007, he also directed "Su," his first Korean film starring Ji Jin-hee and Kang Sung-yeon.

Director Choi served as chairman of the Directors Guild of Japan for 18 years starting in 2004.

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