E J-yong, a distinguished and celebrated South Korean film director and screenwriter, came into this world on September 5, 1966, in the bustling city of Daejeon, which is strategically located within the South Chungcheong Province, a region renowned for its rich cultural heritage and breathtaking natural beauty.
Lee Jae-yong, a prominent individual, has a unique preference when it comes to the stylized, phonetic spelling of his name. He has chosen to romanize it as E J-yong, which differs from the more conventional romanization of his name as Lee Jae-yong.
As he concluded his academic tenure at the esteemed Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, a prestigious institution renowned for its rigorous programs in international studies, E J-yong set his sights on a grand adventure, opting to embark on a thrilling backpacking journey that would take him to numerous corners of the globe in the late 1980s.
As he traversed the globe, he discovered a profound affinity for the cinematic art form, which was initially ignited by his exposure to the groundbreaking 1988 film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" during a visit to Germany. This initial spark was subsequently fanned into a full-blown passion as he continued his travels, taking in the poignant and thought-provoking "Au revoir les enfants" in London, as well as the visually stunning and meticulously crafted "Barry Lyndon" and the powerful and emotionally charged "Pelle the Conqueror" during his time in Australia.
As E J-yong stepped foot back in his native Korea, he felt an inexplicable pull towards the world of cinema, his creative juices stirring with an unrelenting fervor. The prospect of donning a suit and tie, trudging into a bank every day, and staring blankly at spreadsheets for hours on end, seemed utterly anathema to his artistic soul.
In the year 1990, a pivotal moment in his life occurred when he made the deliberate decision to enroll in the prestigious Korean Academy of Film Arts, thereby embarking on a journey to realize his long-held aspiration of becoming a skilled and accomplished filmmaker.
