Passed away on the morning of the 2nd at a nursing home due to illness
A creator known for expertise in historical and action film scripts
'Pimak', 'Ppong', 'Naeshi', 'Up'... deeply reflecting Korean han and humor
Directed 'Sareoritta' and entered the Moscow Film Festival
Yoon Sam-yuk (real name Yoon Tae-young), a writer who penned over 180 film scripts including ‘Jangma (1979)’, ‘Dola-i (1985)’, ‘Ppong (1985)’, and ‘Janggun-ui Adeul (1990)’, passed away due to an illness at the age of 83.
Yoon collapsed from a stroke in 2012 and had been battling illness at home before passing away on the morning of the 2nd at a nursing home. He also suffered a stroke during filming in 1999 but continued working on scripts and showed great dedication to film production.
Yoon was a creator known for his expertise in period pieces and action film scripts. Especially in the 1980s, he collaborated with director Lee Doo-yong to usher in an era of auteur-driven historical films. His representative works include ‘Pimak (1980)’, ‘Ppong’, ‘Naeshi (1986)’, and ‘Eop (1988)’. All of these works strongly reflect Korean sentiments of han and humor.
In a 2008 interview with Cine21, director Lee recalled Yoon’s scripts as “not sharp or sleek, but stubbornly earnest with a scent of earthiness in the writing.” He said, “Like meju (fermented soybean blocks), they were tenacious and slow, with every word and gesture quaintly awkward, but that had a strange power.” He added, “He didn’t write elegantly to show off his writing skills but rather exuded a rich, lingering aroma that I liked.”
Yoon was the eldest son of the late Yoon Bong-chun, a film director and actor active during the Japanese colonial period. Following his father, he worked as a theater actor in Chungmuro before dedicating himself to creative work starting with ‘Geuneuljin Samnammae (1963)’.
His most widely known work is director Im Kwon-taek’s ‘Janggun-ui Adeul’. He portrayed the violent world of heroes, honed through works like ‘Shinpunggaek (176)’ and ‘Muheopgeompoong (1980)’, in a more refined manner, earning much love.
Yoon also took the director’s chair himself. Starting with ‘Chamsae wa Heosuabi (1983)’, he directed films such as ‘Itaewon Bam Haneul-en Miguk Dari Tteuneunga (1991)’, ‘Sareoritda (1993)’, and ‘Pyojeol (1999)’. Lee Deok-hwa, who played a rogue in ‘Sareoritda’, won the Best Actor award at the 1993 Moscow International Film Festival. Yoon received a Lifetime Achievement Award for film development at the 2016 Grand Bell Awards.
Surviving family members include his eldest daughter Yoon Sun-hee (screenwriter), second daughter Yoon So-young (drama writer), eldest son Yoon Dae-geun (choreographer), and sons-in-law Seok Beom-su (office worker) and Kim Seung-yong (programmer). His younger sister, actress Yoon So-jung, passed away from sepsis in 2017. The funeral is being held at Seoul St. Mary’s Funeral Hall, Room 14. The funeral procession will depart at 6:50 a.m. on the 4th, with the burial site at Anseong Utopia Memorial Hall.
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