He was born in 1971 in Seoul. After graduating from the Seoul Institute of the Arts, Song continued his studies at the Polish National Film School in Lodz. His short films won several international awards, including, in 1999, the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival with "The Picnic". His debut film "Flower Island" won the Best First Film Award at the 58th Venice Film Festival in 2001 and the top awards at the Busan International Film Festival and Tokyo FILMeX.
