Legendary Korean Director Kicked Out Of Writers Guild Of America, Production Firm Claims Wrongful Expulsion

Director Park Chan Wook, one of the most prominent filmmakers of South Korean and global cinema, was recently expelled from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) for allegedly violating the writers’ strike in 2023.

On August 9, KST, WGA had announced in a statement that it had expelled Park and Don McKellar, his co-screenwriter on The Sympathizer, from its members’ list for violating the 2023 strike regulations. Though the Guild didn’t specify the details of their violation, media reports claimed that the two working on the HBO miniseries during the strike was considered a financial activity and hence led to their expulsion.

However, according to Park’s representatives, he never violated the strike regulations. On August 12, KST, a representative from the production company, Moho Film, clarified to the media that The Sympathizer was in post-production when the strike began, and Park only responded to HBO’s requests for editing modifications at that time.

We only had discussions with the writer about the edit using the previously shot footage. The writing of the new lines took place after the end of the strike. However, the WGA deemed this as ‘scriptwriting’ and initiated an investigation.

— Moho Film

According to Moho Film, during the hearing, both Park and McKellar explained that there was no violation of the strike. The committee, comprising their fellow writers, also recognized that the violation was unintentional and recommended a private warning. However, the board changed the decision to immediate expulsion.

Park and McKellar decided not to appeal the decision, reportedly due to the long process involved. Since the two were also working on the production of a new film when the expulsion decision was given, it was difficult for them to follow through the appeal process.

Losing his WGA membership has made Park vulnerable to many disadvantages in Hollywood. For starters, he wouldn’t be able to work as a writer on film and TV projects under the guild’s jurisdiction in the US. He will also be excluded from rights such as minimum wage, residual revenue, and welfare benefits, which are guaranteed by the WGA. He will also have to opt for non-union writer contracts for studio, broadcast, and OTT projects that need WGA contracts. Overall, this loss of membership is expected to limit work opportunities.

However, Moho Film mentioned that despite the expulsion, neither of the filmmakers has faced any difficulties in securing work so far.

Park Chan Wook has helmed internationally acclaimed works such as Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016), and Decision to Leave (2022). His upcoming movie, No Other Choice, starring Lee Byung Hun and Son Ye Jin, is set to be released this September.