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Park Chan-wook (; born 23 August 1963) is a South Korean filmmaker and former film critic. Widely regarded as a leading figure in South Korean and 21st-century world cinema, he is known for films that blend Crime film, Mystery film, and Thriller film elements with other genres. His films are noted for their cinematography, framing, Black comedy, and often brutal subject matter.
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 work following The Vengeance Trilogy was also commercially and critically successful both in South Korea and internationally, such as Thirst (2009), The Handmaiden (2016), which earned Park the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and Decision to Leave (2022), which won the Best Director award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. He directed the English-language miniseries The Little Drummer Girl (2018) and The Sympathizer (2024). His 2025 film No Other Choice was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
His passion for cinema developed in his youth, influenced by foreign films he watched on his family black-and-white TV, broadcast by AFKN (American Forces Korea Network). As these programs were intended for U.S. personnel, they were mostly aired without Korean subtitles, requiring him to interpret the films purely through their cinematic elements and narrative structure. Park also credits his early experiences watching the James Bond in theaters as an influence.
Aiming to become an art critic, Park enrolled in the Department of Philosophy at Sogang University. However, the university did not have a formal arts program, so he joined the campus photography and film clubs. In the film club, screenings of foreign films from VHS tapes became a significant turning point in his life. After watching Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958), Park decided to pursue a career in filmmaking.
This collaborative spirit continued with his third feature film, Joint Security Area, which tells the story of four soldiers from both North and South Korea who develop an unexpected friendship, leading to tragic consequences. During filming, Park and the actors formed strong bonds, often working late into the night and socializing afterward. Released in 2000, Joint Security Area became a major commercial and critical success, surpassing Kang Je-gyu Shiri as the most-watched film in South Korea at the time. Quentin Tarantino praised it of "the top twenty films made since 1992." In a 2017 interview, Park reflected on this, stating, "Many people think my directorial debut film is JSA, but I want to keep it that way".
The trilogy began with Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), a financial failure that polarized critics. However, the second film of the trilogy, Oldboy (2003), was a breakout success . American director Quentin Tarantino, an avowed fan of Park's work, served as the jury president at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Tarantino personally lobbied for Oldboy to be awarded the Palme d'Or, though the honor eventually went to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. Oldboy instead garnered the Grand Prix, the festival's second-highest honor. Completing the trilogy, Lady Vengeance was later distributed by Tartan Films for its United States theatrical release in April 2006.
In 2006, Park was a member of the official jury section 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, brothers Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyong collaborated under the creative brand PARKing CHANce to co-write, direct, and produce the fantasy-horror short film Paranmanjang (also known as Night Fishing). Featuring singer-actress Lee Jung-hyun, the film was entirely shot using iPhone 4.. This project emerged from a strategic partnership with KT Corporation, South Korea's exclusive iPhone distributor, which provided 150 million won (approximately $133,447) in funding. The film was presented to over 100 reporters on January 11, 2011, before its public release on January 27. It garnered a nomination for Berlinale Shorts at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival and won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film.
PARKing CHANce's second short film, Day Trip (2012), was released in late December 2012. In this film, Song portrayed a long-haired, immortal master while incorporating pansori, a traditional Korean musical genre, which created considerable anticipation. The film received praise for elevating the artistic quality of a short film initially intended for commercial advertisement.
In 2013, Park directed his first film in English-language, 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.
Following this, PARKing CHANce released a music video in late July 2013. Starring Lee Jung-hyun, a well-known singer-actress and a pioneer of Hallyu in China, the music video was described as cinematic and disrupted conventional music video norms. It was lauded for its artistic merit and commercial appeal, racking up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
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 Ryu Seong-hie won the Vulcain Prize for the Technical Arts, and the film was nominated for both the Palme d' Or and Queer Palm. 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 an adaptation of Donald E. Westlake's novel The Ax. Park had first discussed adapting the book in 2009, when he received approval from Costa-Gavras who owned the rights and directed a previous rendition of the novel.
In August 2024, Park began filming his adaptation of The Ax, titled No Other Choice (). Park wrote the screenplay with previous collaborators Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar and Lee Ja-hye. The film would also see Park reunite with actors Lee Byung-hun and Cha Seung-won.
In August 2025, Park and writing partner Don McKellar were expelled from the Writers Guild of America for work performed on The Sympathizer during the union's 2023 strike. According to Park, a jury of WGA members determined that the violations were unintentional and stemmed from a misunderstanding of their roles during post-production. He claims the jury recommended only issuing a confidential warning, but the WGA Board of Directors voted to expel the duo for unspecified reasons.
Park Chan-wook's filmography is characterized by a focus on precise cinematography, framing, black humor, and violent subject matter.
Park maintains consistent technical partnerships, most notably with editor Kim Sang-bum, who has edited nearly all of Park's features since Joint Security Area (2000). Park's debut film, The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream was edited by Kim's father, Kim Hee-soo. Park first met them as a college student, when he joined the production staff of a directing project under editor Kim Sang-bum . For his editing work in Park's latest film Decision to Leave, Kim Sang-bum won the José Salcedo Award for Best Editing at the Valladolid International Film Festival. Another notable collaborator of Park's is cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon. The pair first met during the production of Oldboy. The two have since worked on several other projects together, including 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 films.
He has frequently collaborated with screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyeong on several projects, such as Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, Thirst, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave.
Park has also maintained a close collaboration with art director Ryu Seong-hie, whom he recruited for Oldboy while she was working on Memories of Murder. Since then, Ryu has served as art director for several of Park's films, including I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, Thirst, The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave, and No Other Choice. Park has also collaborated with music director Jo Yeong-wook since Joint Security Area. The two have since worked on several other projects together, including Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave.
Park's casting choices frequently involve a recurring ensemble of prominent South Korean actors. Song Kang-ho has appeared in six of Park's feature length films. Other repeat performers include Shin Ha-kyun, who has appeared in four films, Park Hae-il, who has appeared in three films, and Lee Byung-hun, who has appeared in one short film and two feature films. These partnerships, along with the contributions of other lead actors like Choi Min-sik, Ha Jung-woo, as well as actresses Lee Young-ae, Moon So-ri, Son Ye-jin, and Kim Min-hee, have been central to the critical and commercial reception of Park's work within the global film industry.
PARKing CHANce is a collaborative production brand founded by Park Chan-wook and his younger brother, media artist Park Chan-kyong. The name "Parking Chance" is a clever play on words combining the sounds of the brothers' surname Park and the syllable in their given names Chan, and can also be interpreted in English as "parking opportunity," reflecting their desire to explore creative projects that are challenging to secure. The brand has created several short films, including Night Fishing (2011), Odalslow (2011), Day Trip (2012), V (2013), Decades Apart (2017), and Believe It or Not (2018).
Park met his wife, Kim Eun-hee, through a mutual friend while she was studying at Ewha Womans University. He has since disclosed that when proposing, he misled his in-laws regarding his career by claiming to be a university professor. Park has frequently cited his wife's support as a cornerstone of his career, including during a 2015 tribute at the 15th Marrakech International Film Festival. Their daughter, Park Seo-woo, has followed the family's artistic path, studying at the Korea National University of Arts and later joining the art department for Park's film The Handmaiden. The couple resides in Heyri Art Valley in a residence designed by architect Kim Young-joon. The house utilizes a modern-traditional aesthetic and is configured with separate living quarters to accommodate both Park's immediate family and his parents.
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