Oscars Special 2020: Bong Joon-ho from Parasite (Best Director)

Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director who rose to fame for his work for the 2019 movie Parasite. His movie won Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, with him receiving nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay for his work.

His Early Life, Family

Bong was born on 14 September 1969 in Daegu, South Korea. He is the youngest of four children of parents Bong Sang Gyun and Park So-young. His father was a graphic and industrial designer and professor, and his mother was a full-time housewife. He has three elder siblings.

His family relocated to Seoul when he was in elementary school. After completing his school education, he went to Yonsei University in 1988. There, he majored in sociology, earning the graduation at the age of 26 in 1995.

Career: Journey To Oscar

After graduation, Bong started to work as an assistant to other film directors for five years. He then worked as assistant director and screenplay writer in Park Ki-Yong‘s 1997 film, Motel Cactus. He made his directorial debut from the 2000 dark comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite.

Similarly, his movie, Mother, premiered at the ‘2009 Cannes Film Festival’ won three awards at the ‘Asian Film Awards’. His first English-language movie ‘Snowpiercer’ was released in 2013. His 2017 movie Okja, premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival competed for the Palme d’Or and sparked controversy due to it being produced by Netflix.

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In 2019, Bong wrote and directed the dark comedy film Parasite. The movie was released in South Korea by CJ Entertainment on 30 May 2019. He received the nomination for the movie, for Best Director and Best Screenplay at the 77th Golden Globe Awards in 2019.

His Movie Parasite Won The 92nd Academy Awards

At 92nd Academy Awards, Parasite won the Best International Feature Film, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The most anticipated award ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California ended on 10 February 2020.

Bong Joon-ho pictured after winning the Oscars on 10 Feb 2020 (Picture: Pinkvilla)

Meanwhile, the movie became the first South Korean film to receive an Academy Award nomination in any category, receiving a total of six nominations. Bong is the fifth Asian filmmaker to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, the second to win the award. Furthermore, he is the first South Korean filmmaker to be nominated for an Academy Award.

Who Is Bong Joon-ho’s Wife?

Well, the 50-year-old currently relishes a married life with Jung Sun-Young, his wife of more than 20 years. The couple dated for several years and tied the wedding knot in 1995. Bong first met his wife at a cinema club. She is a screenwriter and he always shows his script to his wife after finishing it.

Bong Joon-ho wife Jung Sun-Young in tears after the movie received best picture at the 92nd Academy Awards (Picture: Los Angeles Times)

Meanwhile, Bong demonstrated the love for his wife from the stage of the 92^nd Academy Awards. The director thanked his wife Jung, who always inspired him, after accepting his award.

Bong Joon-ho’s son Bong Hyo-min’s short film, Wedding was aired on 5 February 2017 on cable channel JTBC2 (Picture: KPOP Herald)

The couple has a son named Bong Hyo-min, who is also a director. His son Hyo-min made his directorial debut with the short film, Wedding in February 2017. The movie was produced with the support of YG K Plus, an affiliate of K-pop label YG Entertainment.

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Some Interesting Facts About Bong Joon-ho

• Bong served a two-year term in South Korea’s compulsory military service before returning to college in 1992.
• His brother Bong Joon-soo works as an English literature professor at the Seoul National University and his sister Bong Ji-hee is a fashion styling teacher at Anyang University.
• Moreover, his maternal grandfather Park Taeweon wrote a popular book, A Day in the Life of Novelist Gubo.