Park Chan-wook achieved both commercial and critical success with Joint Security Area (JSA) (2000), which drew approximately 5.83 million admissions and became the highest-grossing Korean film at the time. He went on to direct his Vengeance Trilogy: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005). He won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival for Oldboy, the Jury Prize for Thirst (2009), and Best Director for Decision to Leave (2022), cementing his status as one of the leading figures in Korean cinema.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31