CHAN-WOOK PARK - CHAN-WOOK: 'VIOLENT MOVIES HAVE POISONED ME'

South Korean director CHAN-WOOK PARK insists making violent movies has "poisoned" his soul - and he had to make 2005 film LADY VENGEANCE to create a softer kind of hatred.

The OLDBOY film-maker became increasingly disturbed by the darkness in his work, but producing a more feminine thriller with actress YEONG-AE LEE balanced the brutality.

The director says, "After making two revenge movies one after another (SYMPATHY FOR MR VENGEANCE and OLDBOY), I realised the overload of rage, hatred and violence became poison and made my soul into a barren land.

"So I wanted to say that I've discarded rage, hatred and violence. Instead I came to the conclusion that I need to adopt a more graceful rage, classy hatred and delicate violence."