‘Parasite’ director Bong Joon-ho wins grand prize at Baeksang Awards

Bong Joon-ho, writer-director of Oscar-winning South Korean film “Parasite,” won the grand prize in the film category at this year’s Baeksang Arts Awards on Friday.

Bong claimed the top prize for films at the prestigious entertainment awards show held at KINTEX exhibition hall in Goyang, north of Seoul. “When the Camellia Blooms,” a thriller-comedy series that ran on KBS 2TV last year, took the grand prize in the TV category.

Kwak Sin-ae, “Parasite” producer and head of the film’s production company, Barunson E&M, accepted the award on behalf of Bong, who was not present at the event.

“It’s an honor to wrap up the long voyage of ‘Parasite’ at the Baeksang Arts Awards. I’m quietly writing a new script,” Kwak read on behalf of Bong in a prepared acceptance speech.

“Today we’re here at an award show with no audience. But I hope we can soon meet again in a packed cinema,” the director said.

“Parasite,” a satirical thriller on the theme of wealth inequality, won four Oscars, including best picture, at this year’s Academy Awards. It has collected over 50 awards from global film festivals.

Other winners in the film category included Lee Byung-hun, taking home the award for best actor in a film, for his role in “The Man Standing Next,” screenwriter Lee Sang-geun for “Exit” and Kim Do-young, who won best new director for “Kim Ji-young: Born 1982.”

For TV, Kang Ha-neul and Kim Hee-ae won best actor and actress awards for their works in “When the Camellia Blooms” and “The World of the Married,” respectively.

Launched in 1965, the Baeksang Arts Awards is one of the most prestigious entertainment award shows in South Korea and encompasses the fields TV, film and theater.