KIM Ki-duk, the maverick South Korean filmmaker, is busy finishing his 15th film, the sleepwalking drama “Dream,” but he found time last week to jet from Seoul to New York for a 24-hour visit.

The occasion was the opening of a complete retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art. He also kindly agreed to chat with me, with the help of a translator.

I asked Kim about his reputation as an outsider among South Korean directors. “I’m not against being called a maverick,” the self-taught 47-year-old explained. “My upbringing was totally outside the system.”

He noted that South Korean films are often influenced by Hollywood, “but I try to make my own style movies and not be influenced by others.”

So would he make an English-language movie in the US? “Originality is very important to me, and I’m not sure if anybody [in the US] is going to offer me the kind of movie I want to make.”

The MoMA showcase, which runs until May 8, ranges chronologically from his debut, the low-budget “Crocodile” (1996), to “Breath” (2007), about a woman who falls for a convict awaiting execution.

Kim’s films aren’t for everyone. For the most part, they stress violence and unsavory characters (prostitution is a favorite topic), and have been criticized for their violence against females and animals.

Probably his most controversial film is “The Isle” (2000), in which fishing hooks serve as sex toys.

His most atypical work is “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring” (2003), which has a Buddhist serenity to it.

If you’re looking for something with a few laughs, try Kim’s “3-Iron” (2004).

It was only after the interview that I realized the woman accompanying Kim was actress Han Yeo-reum, who worked with him in “The Bow” (2005) and “Samaritan Girl” (2004).

I had lots of questions about “The Bow” and her portrayal of a 16-year-old living on an old boat with a 60-year-old gent she’s promised to marry.

But she doesn’t speak English and the translator had left, so the questions remain unasked.

For details on the retro, curated by Laurence Kardish, visitmoma.org

V.A. Musetto is film editor of

The Post; vam@nypost.com