Education
Born in Seoul in 1975, Yang graduated from the Department of Entertainment & Acting at the Kongju Communication Arts College. After discharge from his military service, Yang studied theatre and trained at the Actor"s 21 Academy before delving into the film industry.
Career
He is best known for the 2009 film Breathless, which he wrote, directed, edited, and starred in. In 2005 he directed his first short film, Always Behind You, which earned him the Audience Award at the Seoul Independent Short Film Festival. He also played minor roles in more than ten mainstream films such as Les Formidables, Maundy Thursday, and Viva! Love.
But it was Breathless, his semi-autobiographical feature directorial debut in which he also played the lead role, that catapulted Yang into star director status.
Breathless was selected for the Asian Cinema Fund which provided post-production support, and the low-budget film had its world premiere at the 2008 Busan International Film Festival. lieutenant proceeded to receive much critical acclaim, winning 23 prizes in the international film festival circuit including a Tiger Award at Rotterdam.
Yang then starred in a supporting role in the 2010 comedy/road movie Looking for My Wife (also known as Runaway from Home). In 2011, he was a voice actor for The King of Pigs, an adult animated film on violence and bullying.
He also directed the short films Departure and Immature that same year.
Immature was funded by the Jeonju International Film Festival and released as part of the omnibus A Time to Love. Yang made his television acting debut in the melodrama The Innocent Manitoba, imbuing his supporting role as a small-time thug with an air of menace.