Hwang Choon-soo 황춘수

[J.J. Hayden]

Hwang Choon-soo 황춘수

Born on 18th January 1956, in Hamyang County county (South Gyeongsang Province) South Korea, he attended Masan High School and eventually moved to Seoul.

 

Hwang Choon-soo entered the film industry in 1972 and his official debut was in 1974's Return Of Single-Legged Man alongside fellow industry stalwart Park Hui-jin and his own older brother, “King Of The Leg Fighters” Hwang Jeong-ri (real name Hwang Tae-soo). He went on to become a regular in the Korean martial arts movies of the 70's through to the late 90's, working with many of the era's top director's such as: Lee Doo-yong; Kim Shi-hyeon; Lee Hyeok-soo; and Richard Park Woo-sang. His distinctive face will no doubt be familiar to fans of the Korean action genre.

 

Although never reached the level of stardom his brother attained, he was held in high regard by many in the Korean film and TV industries not only due to his martial arts skills with both weapons and his feet, but also his screen presence. He was often employed to play fighting villains and henchmen, giving him plenty of opportunity to not only show off said martial arts skills, but also his acting chops, which can't be said for many of the other talented martial artists among his peers.

 

Hwang Choon-soo can be seen in several films alongside his brother including: his partial directorial debut Hitman In The Hand Of Buddha [1980]; and his official directorial debut Kwangdong Viper [1983]. Probably their most notable on screen collaboration was in Richard Park Woo-sang's Duel Of Ultimate Weapons [1983], where the two of them have a one-on-one showdown, brother vs. brother.

 

Another interesting situation that involves the two brothers is with Corey Yuen Kwai's directorial debut Ninja In The Dragon's Den [1982], that features Hwang Jeong-ri as the final villain of the film. However, in 1985 Korean director Nam Ki-nam filmed completely new scenes for a 1986 re-edit Korean version of the film. Hwang Jeong-ri's scenes have been cut from this version and the role of the main villain is taken up by his younger brother Hwang Choon-soo.

 

Whilst still making appearances in many films during the 90's, Hwang Choon-soo also had several opportunities to work as an action director, a role he took very seriously, he even pushed for higher safety standards within the industry as a whole. Probably the most notable project as action director was 1995's The Terrorist, one of the earliest of the 90's action thrillers in the vein of Shiri that finally brought Korean cinema to international attention. The Terrorist was also one of his final projects before leaving the film industry in 2000, and going on to do other business, such as his Utopia Club.

 

Sadly it was announced that Hwang Choon-soo passed away on 21st June 2020, but he left behind a great legacy as one of the most prolific players in Korean martial arts cinema.

For more pictures I've taken of one of martial arts cinema's unsung heroes, please check out the updated HKMDB page

https://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=54636&display_set=eng