Director Park Chan-wook has been awarded the highest rank of France's Order of Arts and Letters by the French government.
According to Reuters and other outlets, Park, who served as jury president of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, received the "Commandeur" of the Order of Arts and Letters from French Culture Minister Catherine Pegard in Cannes, France, on Tuesday (local time).
The French Order of Arts and Letters is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding creative achievements in the arts and literature or contributed to elevating the international standing of French culture. The order is divided into three ranks — Chevalier, Officier and Commandeur — with Commandeur being the highest.
Park is the fourth Korean to receive the Commandeur rank of the Order of Arts and Letters. Previous recipients include Kim Jeong-ok, then president of the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation, in 2002; conductor Chung Myung-whun in 2011; and soprano Sumi Jo last year.
Park has been credited with elevating the status of Korean cinema on the global stage through works such as "Oldboy," "The Handmaiden" and "Decision to Leave." He won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022 for "Decision to Leave."
