Kim Ki-young (Korean: 김기영; October 10, 1919 – February 5, 1998) was a South Korean film director known for intensely psychosexual, melodramatic, and grotesque films, often centred on female characters. Born in Seoul and raised in Pyongyang, he developed an interest in theatre before moving south after World War II, where he studied dentistry while continuing to work in theatre. During the Korean War, he made propaganda films for the United States Information Service, and in 1955 used discarded equipment to produce his first two features, whose success led him to establish his own production company. Kim established himself with The Housemaid (1960), now regarded as one of the greatest Korean films. Despite South Korea's heavy censorship and depressed market of the 1970s, Kim produced some of his most significant work, including Insect Woman (1972) and Iodo (1977). His career waned in the 1980s, but he became a cult figure in the early 1990s, and a retrospective at the 1997 Pusan International Film Festival brought renewed attention to his work. He and his wife died in a house fire in 1998 while he was preparing a comeback film. Directors including Im Sang-soo, Bong Joon-ho, and Park Chan-wook have cited Kim as a formative influence.