Kudos to Korean movie

Director Bong wins highest honor at Cannes Film Festival

What great news! Director Bong Joonho's "Parasite" has won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival. He deserves praise for his cinematic success at one of the three major global film extravaganzas.

Kudos to and congratulations on Bong for enhancing the status of the Korean movie industry on the international stage. He joined the ranks of international film masters with a brilliant family-based tragic-comedy about the gap between the rich and the poor.

Bong has become the first Korean movie director to receive the Palme d'Or. His achievement came after another Korean director, Park Chanwook, grabbed the Grand Prix, the second-highest award at the Cannes festival, for his thriller "Oldboy" in 2004.

The award indicates that the juries of the annual international film competition have recognized the cinematic quality and creativity of Korean cinema in terms of cultural diversity.

Bong's success in Cannes this year, in fact, had been expected in light of his earlier achievements. He has been contributing to the development of Korean movies and pop culture at the same time, armed with artistry and popular appeal.

Most of his movies are not only entertaining but also well-made as proven by the 2006 monster hit "The Host" and 2013 sci-fi film "Snowpiercer," both of which are among the highest-grossing films of all time in South Korea.

He told the press in Cannes that the prize was extra special this year as Korean cinema marks its 100th anniversary. He expressed hope that a historic victory would encourage moviegoers around the world to invest time in South Korean films as a whole.

Cannes' recognition of "Parasite" is hoped to pave the way for the Korean movie industry to make another leap to secure competitive power on the international stage. To date, the industry has achieved "unbelievable" progress, so far, by overcoming many difficulties including the "invasion" of Hollywood films.

As actor Song Kangho of the triumphant movie said, the film industry owed much to the fans' love of Korean movies and the passionate efforts of moviemakers. The simple truth is that fans never betray good films.