Korean film director Park Chan-wook speaks at a ceremony after being named a commander of France's Order of Arts and Letters at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2026. (Julien Ezanno)
Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook reflected on his shared history with France on Sunday in an acceptance speech after being named a Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters, the highest cultural honor granted by the government of France. “I’d probably say that my ties with France reached their pinnacle at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival,” Park said, calling winning the Grand Prix for “Oldboy” a “huge turning point” for his career. “To put it simply, it completely changed my life,” the director said. During a ceremony at Palais des Festivals et des Congrès that day, Park reflected on his ties with France, remarking how that relationship was made possible through the Cannes Film Festival, for which he is serving as president this year. The Order of Arts and Letters honors those who have made significant contributions to arts and literature, and is divided into three grades — Knight, Officer and Commander — among which Commander is the most prestigious. Park is the fourth Korean to be named a Commander, following theater director Kim Jeong-ok in 2002, the conductor Chung Myung-whun in 2011, and the soprano Sumi Jo in 2025. Park received the medal from French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard at a ceremony attended by Iris Knobloch, the president of the Cannes Film Festival, and the festival’s director, Thierry Fremaux.Park began his acceptance speech by shouting out his parents, saying he had always felt an affinity for France because of his Catholic upbringing. “The films that influenced me most when I was young were French films,” he said. “I’ve never said this because I was worried people would laugh because it’s so out of character when you look at my own films, but Julien Duvivier’s ‘Marianne of My Youth’ left a strong impression on me when I was young,” he said. “I’ve never shared that because I was worried people would question how a person who calls such a beautiful film an influence can make the kind of things I do, but I’ll own up to that now,” he said with a laugh. Recalling how his film “Oldboy” had won the Grand Prix in 2004, Park said that he “never could have imagined Thierry would make that choice,” remarking that the connection created then “brought [him] all the way to Cannes again today as president of the jury.”“My final wish is to shoot a film in France,” Park said, wrapping up his speech by expressing a desire to work with French actors on a project. By Kim Eun-hyoung, senior staff writerPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
