Shin Sang-ok

Shin Sang-ok
Shin Sang-ok
신상옥
	Shin in 1964
Born	Shin Tae-seo; October 11, 1926; Seishin, Korea, Empire of Japan
Died	April 11, 2006 (aged 79); Seoul, South Korea
Other names	Simon Sheen
Citizenship	Empire of Japan (1926–1945); South Korea (1945–2006);
Occupations	Film director; producer;
Years active	1946–2002
Spouses	; Choi Eun-hee (m. 1954; div. 1976) ; (m. 1983⁠–⁠2006)
Children	4
Korean name
Hangul	신상옥
Hanja	申相玉
Revised Romanization	Sin Sangok
McCune–Reischauer	Sin Sangok

Shin Sang-ok (Korean: 신상옥; Hanja: 申相玉; born Shin Tae-seo; October 11, 1926 – April 11, 2006) was a South Korean filmmaker with more than 100 producer and 70 director credits to his name. While renowned internationally for directing Pulgasari (1985), Shin is best known in South Korea for his efforts during the 1950s and 60s, many of them collaborations with his wife Choi Eun-hee, when he was known as "The Prince of South Korean Cinema". He posthumously received the Gold Crown Cultural Medal, the country's top honor for an artist.

In 1978, Shin and Choi were kidnapped by order of Kim Jong Il to produce critically-acclaimed films. The two remained in captivity for 8 years until 1986, when they escaped and sought asylum in the United States. Shin continued to produce and direct films in the United States, now under the pseudonym "Simon Sheen", before eventually returning to South Korea for his final years.