A graduate of
Sungkyunkwan University, Jang's first directing job was on the 1994
short film 2001 Imagine. His
feature-length debut was the
science fiction film Save the Green Planet! (2003), considered one of the most unique and original films in the history of Korean cinema. Jang won Best Director at the 4th
Busan Film Critics Awards, and the Special Silver St. George for Best Director at the
25th Moscow International Film Festival. He directed two more
short films
Hair (2004), and
Love for Sale (2010, as part of the
omnibus Camellia, about the past, present and future of the city
Busan). Then, in 2013, Jang's long-awaited second feature film was released, a revenge thriller titled
Hwayi: A Monster Boy. In 2017, he directed a political thriller film titled
1987: When the Day Comes. The film was a critical and commercial success, and won Best Director and Best Film at the 9th KOFRA Film Awards, as well as Best Film at the 39th
Blue Dragon Film Awards. In May 2020, Jang was set to direct an English-language remake of his film
Save the Green Planet!, with Will Tracy adapting the screenplay. However, Jang later stepped down as director due to health problems, although he remained an executive producer on the project. By February 2024, it was revealed that
Yorgos Lanthimos would replace Jang as director. By October 2024, the film was retitled
Bugonia, prior to being scheduled for a
limited release in the United States on October 24, 2025, before a wide release on October 31. ==Personal life==