Yeon Sang-ho Biography

Yeon Sang-ho is a South Korean filmmaker, screenwriter and animator best known for reinventing the zombie genre with the international hit Train to Busan (2016). Blending action, horror and social commentary, the film became a worldwide success and established him as one of South Korea's leading genre directors.

Born in Seoul, Yeon studied Western painting at Sangmyung University before turning to animation. He first gained critical acclaim with the animated features The King of Pigs (2011) and The Fake (2013), both of which explored themes of violence, corruption and social inequality. He later expanded the Train to Busan universe with the animated prequel Seoul Station (2016) and the live-action sequel Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020).

Yeon has since continued to blend horror, science fiction and psychological drama in projects including Psychokinesis (2018), Jung_E (2023), Netflix's Hellbound (2021–present) and Revelations (2025). In 2026, he returned to the zombie genre with Colony, a sci-fi horror thriller that further cemented his reputation as one of Korea's most distinctive genre filmmakers.

Filmography:

Colony (2026)
The Ugly (2025)
Revelations (Netflix) (2025)
Parasyte: The Grey (Netflix) (2024)
Jung_E (Netflix) (2023)
Hellbound (Netflix) (2021–2024)
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020)
Psychokinesis (2018)
Train to Busan (2016)
Seoul Station (2016)
The Fake (2013)
The King of Pigs (2011)