Acclaimed South Korean director Park Chan-wook has issued a stark warning about the future of his nation's film industry, describing it as being in a state of great danger. The visionary behind Oldboy and The Handmaiden shared his concerns in an exclusive interview, while also discussing his darkly comedic new film, No Other Choice, and reflecting on his own cinematic journey.
From 'Asia Extreme' to Acclaimed Auteur
Park, now 62, addressed the early labelling of his work in the West, a categorisation he humorously attributes to British distributors. In the early 2000s, UK distributor Tartan marketed his famed 'Vengeance Trilogy' – including the brutal and brilliant Oldboy – under the 'Asia Extreme' banner. "It wasn't just Korean films, but Asian films – mostly horrors – that were included in that category," Park noted, speaking from a London hotel suite.
While his films explored dark themes, Park says he never actively tried to shed the extreme label. "I simply continued to do what I’ve always been doing," he stated. His evolution from cult favourite to revered international statesman of cinema is evident in later works like the erotic period thriller The Handmaiden (2017) and the romantic mystery Decision to Leave.
'No Other Choice': A Satire for Modern Times
His latest project, No Other Choice, is a quintessential Park film. It stars Lee Byung-hun as Yoo Man-su, a paper company executive made redundant after an American takeover. Facing a shrinking job market, Man-su rationalises a murderous spree to eliminate his competition, repeatedly telling himself he has 'no other choice'.
"I want the audience to experience the moral dilemma that the character’s experiencing," Park explained. "Man Su is just like us – normal people who [sometimes] make selfish decisions... Maybe not to this degree, but we all make mistakes and do bad things in our everyday lives."
The film, an adaptation of Donald Westlake's novel The Ax, was originally planned to be shot in the US over a decade ago. Funding issues led Park to transpose the story to Korea, a shift that allowed for culturally specific scenes and sharpened its caustic anti-capitalist critique. This has drawn comparisons to Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, though Park insists he is not creating political pamphlets. "When you really dig into the individual’s internal world, you also dig into the systematic problems of our society," he said.
A Industry in Peril: The Streaming Exodus
Despite the global acclaim for films like his and Bong's, Park paints a worrying picture of the domestic industry's health. The core issue is a catastrophic decline in cinema attendance that began during the pandemic. "Korean audiences... realised that they could watch something fun at home as well – and they’ve just never returned to the theatre since then," he revealed.
This has created a vicious cycle, with investors becoming increasingly risk-averse. "They try to go for quote-unquote 'safer' projects," Park explained. Audiences find these predictable films unappealing, leading to lower revenue, which in turn causes even less investment in bold storytelling.
There is a personal irony in this crisis for Park, whose career began with two commercial failures before his breakthrough with JSA: Joint Security Area in 2000. That film, a tragic look at the Korean border, became a national phenomenon and reunited him with a then-struggling Lee Byung-hun. "It was really the last opportunity to work in film for both of us," Park recalled of their nervous collaboration.
Contrasting that with their relaxed dynamic on No Other Choice, Park acknowledges his own unexpected journey. "I thought that I would live the rest of my life making movies for a small minority of people in Korea," he mused. The film's success – it is now the second-highest-grossing Korean film ever in the US and an Oscar contender – is a testament to how far he, and Korean cinema, have come.
Yet, the theme of No Other Choice – a man whose identity is destroyed with his job – resonates deeply with the director. "I have also lived a life like Man Su," Park admitted with a wistful smile, acknowledging his own total immersion in his work. "While I was making this film, I did think to myself… I should live less like that."
No Other Choice is released in UK cinemas from 23 January 2026.
