Park Chan-Wook

He is considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of South Korean cinema as well as 21st-century world cinema. His films, which often blend crime, mystery and thriller with other genres, and have gained notoriety for their cinematography, framing, black humor and often brutal subject matters.

Park Chan-wook
박찬욱
Park in 2013
Born	(1963-08-23) 23 August 1963 (age 60) Seoul, South Korea
Other names	Bakridamae (박리다매)
Alma mater	Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea
Occupation(s)	Film director, screenwriter, producer
Years active	1992–present
Notable work	The Vengeance Trilogy Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Oldboy Lady Vengeance Thirst The Handmaiden Decision to Leave
Spouse	Kim Eun-hee ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	1
Relatives	Park Chan-kyong (brother)
Awards	Best Director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival
Honours	Eun-gwan Order of Cultural Merit (2022)
Korean name
Hangul	박찬욱
Hanja	朴贊郁
Revised Romanization	Bak Chanuk
McCune–Reischauer	Pak Ch'anuk

After two unsuccessful films in the 1990s which he has since largely disowned, Park came to prominence with his acclaimed third directorial effort, Joint Security Area (2000), which became the highest-grossing film in South Korean history at the time and which Park himself prefers to be regarded as his directorial debut. Using his newfound creative freedom, he would go on to direct the films forming his unofficial The Vengeance Trilogy: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), a financial failure that polarized critics, followed by Oldboy (2003) and Lady Vengeance (2005), both of which received critical acclaim and were financially successful. Oldboy in particular is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, and helped establish Park as a well-known director outside his native country.

Most of Park's works following The Vengeance Trilogy were also commercial and critical successes both in South Korea and internationally, such as the horror film Thirst (2009), the psychological thriller The Handmaiden (2016), which earned Park the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language and the Cannes Film Festival's Vulcain Prize for the Technical Arts, and the romantic mystery film Decision to Leave (2022), which won the Best Director award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Conversely, I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006) was a financial disappointment while his sole English-language film Stoker (2013) received positive reviews but was seen as inferior to his works in Korean. The English-language miniseries The Little Drummer Girl (2018), which he directed all episodes of, was lauded by critics. In 2024, he co-created and directed episodes of the historical drama miniseries The Sympathizer.

Park Chan-wook was born 23 August 1963 in Seoul. Both of his parents were native Seoul residents who have lived in Seoul for five generations. His father, Park Don-seo, was a professor of architecture and former dean of Ajou University's College of Engineering. Meanwhile, his grandfather, Park Seung-seo, was the former president of the Korean Bar Association. His brother, Park Chan-kyong is also a filmmaker.

Park studied philosophy at Sogang University, where, disappointed with the analytic orientation of the department and consequent scant offerings in aesthetics, he started a cinema club, the 'Sogang Film Community', and published a number of articles on contemporary cinema. Originally intending to be an art critic, Park, upon seeing Vertigo, resolved to become a filmmaker. After graduation, he wrote articles on film for journals and soon became an assistant director of films like Kkamdong, directed by Yu Yeong-jin, and Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day, directed by Kwak Jae-yong (My Sassy Girl).

Park's debut feature film was The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream (1992). After five years, he made his second film, Trio. Park's early films were not successful at the box office, and he pursued a career as a film critic to make a living. In an interview in 2017, he said "Many people think my directorial debut film is JSA, but I want to keep it that way".

In 2000, Park directed Joint Security Area, which was a great success both commercially and critically, even surpassing Kang Je-gyu's Shiri as the then most-watched film ever made in South Korea. This success made it possible for Park to make his next film more independently. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is the result of this creative freedom.

Park's unofficially-titled Vengeance Trilogy consists of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003) and Lady Vengeance (2005). It was not originally intended to be a trilogy. Park won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for Oldboy. The films concern the utter futility of vengeance and how it wreaks havoc on the lives of those involved. Lady Vengeance was distributed by Tartan Films for the United States theatrical release in April 2006.

American director Quentin Tarantino is an avowed fan of Park. As the head judge at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, he personally pushed for Park's Oldboy to be awarded the Palme d'Or (the honour eventually went to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11). Oldboy garnered the Grand Prix, Cannes's second-highest honour. Tarantino also regards Park's Joint Security Area to be one of "the top twenty films made since 1992."

Since 2004, Park has been an owner of the filmmaking company Moho Film, which participated in the production of Snowpiercer (2013) and The Handmaiden (2016).

In 2006, Park was the member of official section jury at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival.

In February 2007, Park won the Alfred Bauer Prize at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival. The award, named after the festival's founder and in praise of works that introduce new perspectives, went to Park for his film, I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK.

 

In 2009, Park directed the vampire film Thirst, starring Song Kang-ho, which won the Prix du Jury (alongside Fish Tank, directed by Andrea Arnold) at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. He considered directing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but ultimately turned it down.

In 2011, Park said his new fantasy-horror film Paranmanjang (Night Fishing) was shot entirely on the iPhone. The film was co-directed with Park's younger brother, Park Chan-kyong, who had no prior directing experience. It was nominated for Berlinale Shorts during the 2011 Berlin Film Festival and won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film.

In 2013, Park directed his first English-language film, Stoker. He said he learned to accelerate the production process and completed filming in 480 hours. Although Park does speak English, he used an interpreter on set. On why the script attracted his attention, Park said: "It wasn't a script that tried to explain everything and left many things as questions, so it leads the audience to find answers for themselves, and that's what I liked about the script... I like telling big stories through small, artificially created worlds". On 2 March 2013, Park appeared on a panel discussion about the film Stoker held at the Freer Gallery of Art in the Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art.

In 2014, Park directed a short film commissioned by luxury brand Ermenegildo Zegna, co-written by himself, Ayako Fujitani, Chung Chung-hoon and Michael Werwie, scored by Clint Mansell, and starring Jack Huston and Daniel Wu. It screened at the Rome International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival.

 

In September 2014, it was announced that Park would adapt Fingersmith, a historical crime novel by Sarah Waters. The film entered production in mid-2015 and ended on 31 October 2015. That film ended up becoming The Handmaiden and premiered in competition to rave reviews at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where Artistic Director Seong-hie Ryu won the Vulcain Prize for the Technical Arts, and the film was nominated for both the Palme d' Or and Queer Palm. At the 2016 Buil Film Awards, The Handmaiden won for Best New Actress (Tae-ri Kim), The Buil Readers' Jury Award and Best Art Direction (Seong-hie Ryu). The film holds a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and saw box office success in several countries, including South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom.

In October 2014, it was announced that Park had signed on to direct the sci-fi body-swap film, Second Born.

In January 2018, it was stated that Park would direct a TV miniseries adaptation of The Little Drummer Girl, a novel by John le Carré. It aired on BBC One in October of that year and stars Michael Shannon, Florence Pugh and Alexander Skarsgård.

At the 24th Busan International Film Festival, Park said that he is writing scripts for feature films, for theater and for TV, including a new installment in the Vengeance Trilogy, and a second adaptation of Donald E. Westlake's novel The Axe.

In May 2020, it was announced that he was working on his next film's screenplay, tentatively titled Heeojil gyeolsim (The Decision to Break Up). It is described as a melodrama and will star Tang Wei and Park Hae-il. In October 2020, the title of the film was revealed as Decision to Leave, with the story described as a murder mystery romance. The film was set to begin shooting later that month. In April 2021, A24 optioned Viet Thanh Nguyen's 2015 novel The Sympathizer for a TV adaptation, with Park Chan-wook directing. He was awarded Best Director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival for his work on Decision to Leave.

Park Chan-wook's films have gained notoriety for their cinematography and framing, black humor and often brutal subject matter.

In a May 2004 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Park listed Sophocles, Shakespeare, Kafka, Dostoevsky, Balzac and Kurt Vonnegut as influences on his career.

Park has a history of successful collaborations with various talented individuals in the film industry. Among these collaborations, the longest-standing partnership is with Editor Kim Sang-bum. Their relationship dates back to when Park, then a college student, joined the directing department led by editor-in-chief Kim Sang-bum. It is worth noting that Editor Kim Sang-bum's late father, Editor Kim Hee-soo, was involved in Park Chan-wook's debut film, The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream as editor. Since the film Joint Security Area (1998), Editor Kim Sang-bum has edited all of Park Chan-wook's works, except for Stoker (2013), up until The Handmaiden. For his editing work in Park's latest film Decision to Leave, Kim Sang-bum won José Salcedo Award for Best Editing in Valladolid International Film Festival.

Park has also collaborated with music director Jo Yeong-wook since Joint Security Area (1998). The two have since worked on several other projects together, including Oldboy, Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave.

Park has also worked closely with art director Ryu Seong-hie, who was filming Memories of Murder when Park asked her to work on Oldboy. She has since worked with Park on I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, Thirst, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave.

Another notable collaborator of Park's is cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon. The pair first met during the production of Old Boy. The two have since worked on several other projects together, including Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, Thirst, and The Handmaiden. Chung is known for his exceptional use of lighting and camera work, and his visual style has been a strong match for Park's atmospheric and visually stunning films.

He has frequently collaborated with screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyeong on several projects, such as Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, Thirst, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave.

Park has a talent for attracting top-tier acting talents. Some of Korea's most well-known stars, such as Choi Min-sik and Song Kang-ho, have been integral parts of his casting selection. Song Kang-ho, in particular, has appeared in six of Park's feature length films. Park Hae-il and Shin Ha-kyun have also worked with Park on multiple occasions, three and four, respectively. Their collaborations have been highly regarded by audiences and critics alike.

Recurring cast members in Park Chan-wook's works

Actor Work	Choi Min-shik	Gong Hyo-jin	Kang Hye-jung	Kim Byeong-ok	Kim Hae-sook	Lee Young-ae	Lee Byung-hun	Park Hae-il	Shin Ha-kyun	Song Kang-ho	Yum Jung-ah	Yoo Ji-tae	Oh Kwang-rok
Three... Extremes			Y				Y				Y
Day Trip											Y
Anarchists
Joint Security Area						Y	Y		Y	Y
The Humanist
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance									Y	Y			Y
A Bizarre Love Triangle		Y
Oldboy	Y		Y	Y								Y	Y
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance	Y		Y	Y		Y			Y	Y		Y	Y
Boy Goes to Heaven								Y			Y		Y
I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK				Y
Crush and Blush		Y
Thirst					Y				Y	Y
Stoker
The Handmaiden					Y
The Truth Beneath
Decision to Leave								Y

Park was raised in a devout Catholic family in Korea, and describes himself as an atheist. Park was raised in an environment that fostered culture and intellectual pursuits. His father, Park Don-seo, served as a professor of architecture and former dean of Ajou University's College of Engineering, while his grandfather, Park Seung-seo, held the esteemed position of former president of the Korean Bar Association. Additionally, Park's younger brother, Park Chan-kyong, is active as painter and art critic.

Park was introduced to his future wife, Kim Eun-hee, by a mutual friend when she was a student at Ewha Womans University. At the 15th Marrakech International Film Festival, Park paid tribute to his wife Kim Eun-hee for her support throughout his career. Park's daughter, Park Seo-woo, studied at the Korea National University of Arts, and worked as a member of the art team for The Handmaiden.

He voiced support for the Democratic Labor Party and was also a member of its successor, the New Progressive Party. He supported Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung in the 2017 South Korean presidential election.

Feature films

Short films

Television

State honors

Listicles

• List of Korean-language films
• Cinema of South Korea
• Contemporary culture of South Korea