Born in 1972, LEE Mo-gae studied photography at Chung-Ang University and went on with a Master’s degree in film from the Korea National University of Arts. He started out as a member of the film crews of famous independent movies such as LEE Chang-dong’s <A Peppermint Candy> (2000) and HONG Sang-soo’s <Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors> (2000), but was also cutting his teeth in cinematography with several short films, until KIM Jee-woon put him in charg...More

Born in 1972, LEE Mo-gae studied photography at Chung-Ang University and went on with a Master’s degree in film from the Korea National University of Arts. He started out as a member of the film crews of famous independent movies such as LEE Chang-dong’s <A Peppermint Candy> (2000) and HONG Sang-soo’s <Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors> (2000), but was also cutting his teeth in cinematography with several short films, until KIM Jee-woon put him in charge of directing the photography of his horror film <A Tale Of Two Sisters> (2003). LEE’s talent was immediately acknowledged by the Korean Association of Film Critics with a Best Cinematography Award. He has since remained a frequent collaborator of KIM Jee-woon, with which he has signed some of his most remarkable works. <The Good, The Bad, And The Weird> (2008) earned him many awards in Korea and abroad, while <I Saw The Devil> (2010) was lauded for its striking images but also sparked a heated debate among critics and the audience over the aestheticization of violence. Over the time, he has become one of the most sought after cinematographers for Korean blockbusters, having contributed to the spectacular images seen in <Secret Reunion> (2010), <My Way> (2011), <The Tiger> (2015) and <The Battleship Island> (2017). He has most recently been praised for his depiction of a corrupted city in <Asura : The City of Madness> and received Best Cinematography from the Blue Dragon Awards.Less