Before his directorial debut, Jang made a name for himself by writing film criticism and scripts.
His first film, Seoul Jesus (1986), based on one of his scripts, was noted for its "sarcasm and pronounced realism.
"[1] His 1993 film Hwa-Om-Kyung won the Alfred Bauer Prize at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.
[2] Jang attended Seoul National University and received a bachelor's degree in anthropology.
After the completion of his latest film, he has moved to live in Jeju Island.