Director Park Chan-wook has made history as the first Korean filmmaker to serve as the jury president for the competition section at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. During the official press conference held in Cannes on May 12 (local time), Park emphasized that Korea is no longer a peripheral player in the global film industry. Addressing his judging criteria, he stated that he would evaluate entries based on their artistic longevity—aiming for films that will remain relevant for 50 to 100 years—while dismissing the idea that politics and art are mutually exclusive. Park also firmly clarified that he will maintain complete impartiality, noting that he will not grant any preferential treatment to Korean films during the evaluation process. - Park Chan-wook is the first Korean to lead the jury for the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival. - He emphasized that politics and art must be integrated artistically, warning that films lacking artistic substance are merely propaganda. - Park pledged a fair, objective judging process, explicitly stating that he would not favor Korean cinema. | Director Park Chan-wook has made history as the first Korean filmmaker to serve as the jury president for the competition section at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. During the official press conference held in Cannes on May 12 (local time), Park emphasized that Korea is no longer a peripheral player in the global film industry. Addressing his judging criteria, he stated that he would evaluate entries based on their artistic longevity—aiming for films that will remain relevant for 50 to 100 years—while dismissing the idea that politics and art are mutually exclusive. Park also firmly clarified that he will maintain complete impartiality, noting that he will not grant any preferential treatment to Korean films during the evaluation process. - Park Chan-wook is the first Korean to lead the jury for the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival. - He emphasized that politics and art must be integrated artistically, warning that films lacking artistic substance are merely propaganda. - Park pledged a fair, objective judging process, explicitly stating that he would not favor Korean cinema.