Long more popular abroad than in South Korea, Song was the first Korean filmmaker to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival.

His visa application was rejected by that country, and Song instead attended the National Academy of Film in Łódź, Poland.

Even though Song had shown the screenplay to the government before filming, the authorities censored and removed the short after one day for its taboo subject.

[5] Spider Forest (2004), Song's second feature film, was not successful in the South Korean domestic market, either with audiences or critics.

[9] However in January 2008, Song was reportedly in pre-production for a period horror film set during the Joseon Dynasty entitled Sahwa ("Royal Massacre").

[10] Celebrated 1990s actor Moon Sung-keun was reported to be playing the lead role as a king dealing with murder as well as problems of a supernatural nature.

"[18][19][20] Song shot the documentary Forest of Time in Yakushima, Japan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is said to have inspired Hayao Miyazaki's animated film Princess Mononoke.