Park Chan-wook becomes first South Korean to head Cannes jury

Director Park Chan-wook on Monday became the first South Korean to lead the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, saying the milestone proves Korean cinema has risen from being treated as "peripheral" to standing among "the central hubs of the film world."

The appointment is the latest milestone in Korean cinema's rapid global ascent — a trajectory that began in earnest when Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" won the Palme d'Or in 2019 and went on to claim four Academy Awards, and one that carries resonance for Korean-American audiences who have watched the industry's standing transform on the world stage.

Park, 62, opened his remarks to AFP by acknowledging the weight of the occasion. "I cannot help but feel a sense of emotion, realising that for the first time, a Korean has become the head of the jury," he said, according to The Korea Times.

He reflected on a long stretch in which his country's films were overlooked internationally. "There was a long period when Korean cinema was treated as if it were from some kind of peripheral nation, yet even during that time, Korea had excellent directors and actors," Park said. He added that Korea is now "playing a role as one of the central hubs of the film world" and called the shift "a movement befitting the times."

Park outlined a clear standard for his jury's decisions. "I believe that awards should be given to works that will endure and be agreed upon by everyone 50 or 100 years from now," he said. On the question of fairness toward Korean films competing at the festival, he was direct: "I intend to judge everything as fairly and objectively as possible."

The 2026 jury includes Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao and actresses Demi Moore and Ruth Negga, The Korea Times reported. Films in contention include Pedro Almodóvar's latest melodrama and "Hope," directed by Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin and starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. The Palme d'Or will be announced at the closing ceremony May 23.

Park was previously blacklisted along with other artists, including Bong, more than a decade ago. He is now in production on a Western, "The Brigands of Rattlecreek," alongside Hollywood stars Matthew McConaughey and Pedro Pascal.

The announcement came less than seven years after Bong's Palme d'Or victory — the win that placed Korean cinema at the center of a global conversation it has not left since. Park will preside over a jury that decides this year's winner on May 23.