Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Bong Joon-ho to appear at 93rd Academy Awards as presenter
Bong Joon-ho / Korea Times file
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Director Bong Joon-ho, whose film “Parasite” won four awards at last year's Academy Awards ― Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film ― will take part in the 93rd Oscars ceremony as a presenter.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday a number of this year's presenters, which also included Halle Berry, Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Additional presenters will be announced at a later date. It is still unclear which category Bong will present, but U.S. outlets such as Deadline predicted he will give the Best Director Award.
He will likely meet the cast of “Minari,” which has earned six nominations ― Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Score.
Bong has shown continuous support for “Minari,” hosting talks with director Lee Isaac Chung and actress Youn Yuh-jung. He previously worked with Steven Yeun, who starts in the film, for “Okja” (2017). Youn and Han Ye-ri will fly to the U.S. to join the cast attending the awards ceremony in person.
The family drama tells the story of a Korean immigrant family that moves to rural Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s. In 2020, the dark comedy thriller “Parasite” was the first foreign-language movie to win the Best Picture award, while Bong was the first Korean filmmaker to take home the Best Director prize.
The 93rd Oscars will be held April 25 (local time).