Quotes

[on his film Moebius (2013)] We are not free from physical desire for our entire life. And because of it, we either self-torture, maltreat or become maltreated. And in the middle of all this lies our genitals. The question 'what is a genital? is the initiating point of this film. The film is personal to me in a way. For instance, in the film the character experiences orgasm by rubbing a rough stone against his skin. During my military service I had severe athlete's foot, and had rubbed the skin with a stone until it bled. It was painful, but at the same time I felt a strange pleasure from it and, just like in the film, I felt an awful pain after it. I realized that our entire body is a sexual organ...I consider 'Moebius' as a penis journey.

It's a massive loss for the Korean society that even students who are talented in non-academic fields go to university. Students should focus on developing their own talents instead of wasting their time at university.[2012]

Good films are not produced by money, but by passion.[2012]

[if he was ever tempted to work within the mainstream system like Park Chan-wook or Bong Joon Ho] Strictly speaking, no. I think I'm a different element than those directors. If they are more like wood or metal, I'm more like soil. They could be transformed into something else, but I can't. I don't have the ability to find a middle ground with my audiences, and I know this too well. I've shot 18 films, and none of them had a middle ground. I think this is mainly because I didn't study filmmaking, and I don't know as much about the process as they do. I don't know any way other than how I shoot. So audiences have the choice of following me or not following me, and I don't blame them if they choose not to watch.[2012]

To create great films, what is more important is to understand people and their life, not to study film history or practical techniques at university.[2012]