Lost Director Hyunmok Yoo's "Im Kkeol Jeong," Resurfaces After 60 Years... 35mm Film from United States Library of Congress Unearthed, 4K Restoration Completed
The Korean Film Archive (Director Kim Hong-jun, hereinafter referred to as 'the Archive') has restored "Im Kyeong-jung," a lost work by Director Hyun-mok Oh, which was discovered at the Library of Congress in the United States. "Im Kyeong-jung," produced in the same year as "Obaltan," one of Korea's representative masterpieces of cinema from 1961, was a hit film of its time and one of the few action-entertainment films directed by Hyun-mok Oh, ranking second in long-run screenings in 1962.
The video archive discovered the sole remaining 35mm film of this work at the Library of Congress in 2022. Following this discovery, the archive collaborated with the Library of Congress to restore the film in 4K resolution. The restored "Im Geuk-jung" will be publicly unveiled for the first time on June 26th at the CinemaTech KOFA in Seosomun-dong as part of the exhibition "100th Anniversary of Yu Hyun-mok: Era, Genre, Practice" commemorating the 100th anniversary of director Yu Hyun-mok's birth.
■ Background and Circumstances of Excavation
'Im Kyeong-jung' is the first fruit of this strategy, achieved through the North American material collection research in 2021 and two on-site investigations at the Library of Congress in 2022-2023. The Library of Congress, located in Washington D.C., is one of the largest and oldest national public libraries in the world in terms of its book collection and holdings. Through the 2021 North American investigation, the Moving Image Archive organized a list of over 1,800 Korean-related video materials held by the Library of Congress, and from this list, they selected key works to review nitrate films, 16mm and 35mm films, as well as numerous video materials during two on-site visits in 2022-23. As a result, they discovered major feature and documentary films that were not previously available in Korea. Consequently, the Moving Image Archive not only found 'Im Kyeong-jung,' but also unearthed lost works such as Sim Woo-bub's 'Yeonsan City Opera' (1971), and 22 important documentary films from the Japanese colonial period and the period before and after the Korean War.
■ Collection and Restoration Process
The film 'Im Kyeong-jung' was discovered at the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, located in Culpeper, Virginia, which is part of the Library of Congress. This facility is one of the world's largest conservation institutions, preserving over 10 million audiovisual materials, and while access is strictly controlled, visits and inspections were permitted through a trust relationship with the video library.
The film discovered this time is a 35mm print made for screening in the United States up until the early 1970s. It was confirmed that this film was collected by the Korean Film Council's LA office and donated to the Library of Congress. This print discovered this time is the only known copy both domestically and internationally, and as such, was prioritized for collection and restoration. The Film Archive has carried out digital restoration work based on a 4K scan provided by the Library of Congress in 2025.
Director Byun Hyun-mok's "Im Geom-jeong" was a commercial success, recording the second-longest run of 1962 and attracting approximately 100,000 viewers. It was also actively exported to places like the Philippines and was one of the most talked-about works of its time. However, due to the loss of the film, the reality of the work remained unverifiable for a long time. More importantly, this work, produced in the same year as "Obaltan," which is considered one of the best masterpieces in Korean film history, is a rare action thriller by Director Byun Hyun-mok. It offers a glimpse into the director's early work experimenting with various genres.
The film 'Im Kkeol-jung,' based on Hong Myung-hee's novel of the same name, features some of the era's top actors including Shin Young-kyun as Im Kkeol-jung, Park No-sik as the bandit, Eom Ang-ran, Heo Chang-gang, Choi Moo-ryong, and Mun Jung-suk, adding to the viewing pleasure. In particular, this film, which shows a different side compared to director Yu Hyun-mok's previous works known for their social critical realism, is evaluated as an unusual work that stands out for its entertainment and action elements.
2025 will mark the 100th anniversary of director Hyunmok Yu's birth. The restoration and unveiling of the lost and even unverified "Im Geomjeong" will be a significant opportunity to re-examine the director's film world and highlight the importance of archiving Korean classic films.
The movie 'Im Kyeong-jung'
Director: Yoon Hyun-mok | Production Year: 1961 | Running Time: 120 minutes
Cast: Shin Young-kyun, Moon Jung-suk, Choi Moo-ryong, Um Ang-ran
In the late Joseon period, Im Geom-gyeong (Shin Young-kyun), born as the son of a baegjeok (a member of the lower class), is depicted as a figure leading a popular uprising against the corrupt yangban (aristocratic) society. Suffering alongside the oppressed commoners, he organizes a band of outlaws in Chongsogol and takes action against corrupt officials, standing on the side of the suffering people.
Im Kyeong-jung's younger sister Tan-sil (Moon Jung-Sook) and her lover Yong (Choi Moo-Lyong) are captured by government forces, Im Kyeong-jung attempts to rescue them by attacking the government office but ultimately loses Tan-sil. Instead, he kidnaps Sulryeon (Eom Ang-Ran), the daughter of Yangju Prefect, but chooses forgiveness over personal revenge and returns her. As the grape captain prepares to raid Im Kyeong-jung's hideout, to capture him, his relatives are taken in. Sulryeon decides to marry the grape captain to prevent her father from issuing unjust orders. Meanwhile, the grape captain, having discovered Im Kyeong-jung's hideout, prepares for a raid.
Jeong Yoon-wook's 'Im Kkeung-jung,' produced in the same year as 'Failured Bomb' in 1961, is a rare action entertainment film by him, showcasing his genre experimentation and popular touch. In particular, this film, chosen by director Jeong Yoon-wook to overcome preconceptions about period drama direction, is also well known for an incident where a strong wind nearly caused an accident during the filming of a burning scene.
This work was lost for a while and its existence could not be confirmed. In 2022, the only 35mm print was discovered at the Library of Congress in the United States. After a digital 4K restoration in 2024, it will be publicly released to the general audience for the first time in 2025.
Seon Bong-seok reporter paulsohn@kyunghyang.comⓒSports Kyunghyang ( https://sports.khan.co.kr ) No unauthorized reproduction or redistribution
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