Park Chan-wook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Park Chan-wook
박찬욱
Park in 2013
Born	(1963-08-23) 23 August 1963 (age 61) Seoul, South Korea
Other names	Bakridamae (박리다매)
Alma mater	Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea
Occupation	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(s)	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

Park Chan-wook (Hangul: 박찬욱; born 23 August 1963) is a famous South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known as one of the most important filmmakers in South Korea and around the world in the 21st century. His movies often mix crime, mystery, and thriller stories. They are known for their amazing camera work, unique shots, dark humor, and often intense themes.

Park's first two films in the 1990s were not very successful. But he became well-known with his third movie, Joint Security Area (2000). This film became the biggest movie in South Korean history at that time. Park himself considers this his real start as a director. With his new freedom, he made a series of films called The Vengeance Trilogy. These include Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), and Lady Vengeance (2005). Oldboy especially is seen as one of the greatest films ever made. It helped Park become famous outside of South Korea.

Many of Park's films after The Vengeance Trilogy were also very successful. These include Thirst (2009) and The Handmaiden (2016). The Handmaiden won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. His film Decision to Leave (2022) won the Best Director award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. He has also directed TV shows like The Little Drummer Girl (2018) and The Sympathizer (2024).

Early Life and Education

Park was born on August 23, 1963, in Seoul, South Korea. His parents were from Seoul, and his family had lived there for many generations. His father, Park Don-seo, was a professor of architecture. His grandfather, Park Seung-seo, was a former president of the Korean Bar Association.

Park studied philosophy at Sogang University. There, he joined the photography and film clubs. He first wanted to be an art critic. But after watching the movie Vertigo, he decided to become a filmmaker. After college, he wrote articles about films for magazines. He then became an assistant director for movies like Kkamdong and Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day.

Filmmaking Career

Park's first full-length movie was The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream (1992). Five years later, he made his second film, Trio. These early movies did not do well in theaters. So, Park worked as a film critic to earn a living. He has said that he prefers people to think of Joint Security Area as his first film.

In 2000, Park directed Joint Security Area. This movie was a huge hit with both audiences and critics. It even became the most-watched film in South Korea at that time. This success gave Park more freedom to make his next film, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, exactly how he wanted.

The Vengeance Trilogy

Park's famous "Vengeance Trilogy" includes Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), and Lady Vengeance (2005). He didn't plan for them to be a trilogy at first. These films explore how seeking revenge can cause a lot of problems for everyone involved. Park won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for Oldboy. This is the second-highest award at the festival.

Famous American director Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of Park's work. As the head judge at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, he strongly supported Oldboy for the top award, the Palme d'Or. Tarantino also thinks Park's Joint Security Area is one of the best films made since 1992.

Later Works and International Recognition

Since 2004, Park has been an owner of the film company Moho Film. This company helped produce movies like Snowpiercer (2013) and The Handmaiden (2016).

In 2006, Park was a judge at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival. In 2007, he won the Alfred Bauer Prize at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival for his film I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK. This award celebrates films that offer new ways of looking at things.

Park at the Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya 2009

In 2009, Park directed the vampire film Thirst, starring Song Kang-ho. It won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2011, Park made a fantasy-horror film called Paranmanjang (also known as Night Fishing). What's special about this film is that it was shot entirely on an iPhone. Park directed it with his younger brother, Park Chan-kyong. The film won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival.

In 2013, Park directed his first English-language film, Stoker. He said he liked the script because it didn't explain everything. It let the audience find answers for themselves.

Park presenting The Handmaiden at the 2016 Lumière Film Festival

In 2014, Park announced he would adapt Fingersmith, a crime novel. This film became The Handmaiden. It was praised by critics at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. The film did very well in theaters in South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

In 2018, Park directed a TV miniseries based on the novel The Little Drummer Girl. It starred Florence Pugh.

Park continues to work on new projects. In 2022, he won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for Decision to Leave. In 2024, he started filming his adaptation of The Ax, titled No Other Choice.

Filmmaking Style and Collaborations

Park Chan-wook's films are known for their unique camera work, interesting shots, dark humor, and often intense stories.

He has mentioned authors like Sophocles, Shakespeare, Kafka, and Kurt Vonnegut as influences on his work. He also admires films by directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese.

Park often works with the same talented people on his films. His longest partnership is with editor Kim Sang-bum. Kim has edited almost all of Park's films since Joint Security Area (1998). For his work on Decision to Leave, Kim Sang-bum won an award for Best Editing.

He also frequently works with music director Jo Yeong-wook, art director Ryu Seong-hie, cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon, and screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyeong. These collaborations help create the distinct look and feel of Park's movies.

Park is also great at finding talented actors. Many well-known Korean stars, like Choi Min-sik and Song Kang-ho, have worked with him. Song Kang-ho has appeared in six of Park's movies. Park Hae-il and Shin Ha-kyun have also worked with him multiple times.

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

Personal Life

Park was raised in a Catholic family in Korea, but he describes himself as an atheist. His family encouraged culture and learning. His father was a professor, and his grandfather was a former president of the Korean Bar Association. Park's younger brother, Park Chan-kyong, is also an artist who works with different types of media.

Park met his wife, Kim Eun-hee, through a friend when she was a student. He has publicly thanked her for her support throughout his career. Their daughter, Park Seo-woo, studied at the Korea National University of Arts. She even worked on the art team for his film The Handmaiden.

Park has also been involved in politics, supporting certain political parties and candidates in South Korea.

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Television

Awards and Honors

Park Chan-wook has won many awards for his films. Here are some of the most important ones:

State honors

Recognitions

See also

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