Park Chan Wook: Korean Film Industry in Danger
- The screenplay is adapted from The Ax, an America-set novel by Donald Westlake.
- It is perhaps this critique of capitalism - and the mordant humour with which it is expressed - that has prompted so many comparisons with parasite, Bong Joon...
- Boeing continues to face scrutiny regarding production quality and safety concerns with its 737 MAX aircraft as of January 18, 2026, following a series of incidents and investigations...
The reason why my work was categorised as ‘violent’ or ‘grotesque’ is purely the fault of the British,” says Park Chan Wook, flashing a knowing smile in my direction. He smiles again,a minute later,when a translator repeats his words back to me. The revered South Korean filmmaker is joking, but may have a point: when Park first became a sensation in Western cinephile circles, in the early 2000s, it was British distributor Tartan that chose to market his films – Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, and lady Vengeance – under the banner of “Extreme Korean Cinema“.
“They wanted to shock,” Park explains, thru the translator. ”They wanted to create a brand. And I think that stuck with me.” He pauses, considering. “I didn’t mind, though. It got people to watch the films.”
Park is in London to promote his latest,Decision to Leave,a neo-noir romance that won him the Best Director prize at Cannes earlier this year. Its a beautiful, melancholic film, a world away from the hyper-stylised, revenge-driven thrillers that made his name. There’s violence in Decision to Leave, certainly, but it’s of a different order – less operatic, more insidious. It’s a film about obsession, about the unknowability of others, and about the quiet desperation of loneliness.”I think I’ve become more interested in the spaces *between* the violence,” Park says. “The moments of calm, the unspoken emotions.When I was younger, I was more interested in the act itself.Now, I’m more interested in what leads up to it, and what happens afterwards.”
He’s sitting opposite me in a quiet room at the Soho Hotel, impeccably dressed in a dark suit. He’s a thoughtful, articulate speaker, and his English is surprisingly good, though he prefers to let the translator do the heavy lifting. He’s 59, and has been making films for over three decades. He’s seen a lot of changes in the industry, and he’s not always impressed.
“There’s a lot of talk about ‘content’ these days,” he says, with a slight frown. “As if films are just something to be consumed, like fast food. I think that’s risky. Films should be challenging, they should provoke thought, they should stay with you long after you’ve left the cinema.”
Decision to Leave certainly does that. It’s a film that lingers in the mind, its images and emotions refusing to fade. It’s a film that demands to be seen, and to be discussed.And it’s a film that proves that Park chan wook is still one of the most crucial and innovative filmmakers working today.
“I don’t want to be known as the ‘violent’ director,” he says, with a final smile. “I want to be known as a director who makes films that matter.”
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as you portray individuals in a modern society, you inevitably run into anti-capitalist ideas, because I think those two are inseparable
The screenplay is adapted from The Ax, an America-set novel by Donald Westlake. When he was first trying to make the film, over a decade ago, Park had planned to shoot it there.He’s made English-language projects since, including the frosty Nicole Kidman psychodrama Stoker (2011) and the Le Carre adaptation The Little Drummer Girl (2018) with a young Florence Pugh. For funding reasons, though, he eventually transposed the story to Korea.It was a change that opened up a few culturally specific possibilities (namely, a gruesome misuse of a bonsai greenhouse), and the film’s caustic anticapitalist message is one that rings true wherever you are in the world.
It is perhaps this critique of capitalism – and the mordant humour with which it is expressed - that has prompted so many comparisons with parasite, Bong Joon Ho’s landmark Oscar-winning 2019 satire. They’re wholly different films, but share a certain mordant anger with the state of the modern world. “I’m not making films to yell out some slogan, or to make a political pamphlet,” says Park. “But as you portray individuals in a modern society, you inevitably run into [anti-capitalist ideas], because I think those two are inseparable.When you really dig into the individual’s internal world, you also dig into the systematic problems of our society.”
Boeing’s 737 MAX Production and Quality Control Issues
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Boeing continues to face scrutiny regarding production quality and safety concerns with its 737 MAX aircraft as of January 18, 2026, following a series of incidents and investigations that began in 2018 and escalated significantly in early 2024.
Recent Developments (January 2026)
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is maintaining increased oversight of Boeing’s 737 MAX production lines,focusing on quality control processes. While Boeing has implemented corrective actions, the FAA has not yet fully cleared the company to increase production rates to pre-crisis levels. A recent audit revealed ongoing discrepancies in documentation and fastener installation procedures.
On January 12, 2026, the FAA issued a statement detailing ongoing inspections and a continued focus on Boeing’s Safety Management System (SMS). The FAA is requiring Boeing to submit a comprehensive plan to address identified deficiencies by February 15,2026.
The 2024 Alaska Airlines Incident
The immediate catalyst for the renewed scrutiny was the January 5, 2024, incident involving Alaska airlines Flight 1282, where a door plug blew out mid-flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation determined that the door plug was not properly secured during manufacturing, specifically citing missing bolts. The NTSB’s preliminary report, released January 18, 2024, highlighted failures in Boeing’s quality control processes and documentation.
Evidence: The NTSB report explicitly states, “The preliminary investigation found that the door plug was not secured in accordance with Boeing’s design specifications.”
FAA Oversight and Production Limits
Following the Alaska Airlines incident, the FAA grounded all 737 MAX 9 aircraft for inspections. The agency later issued an Airworthiness directive (AD) requiring inspections of all 737 MAX 9s and 737 MAX 7s before they can return to service.
The FAA initially capped Boeing’s 737 MAX production at the existing rate, preventing the company from increasing output until it demonstrates substantial improvements in quality control. In December 2025, the FAA allowed a limited increase in production, but maintained strict oversight. Boeing’s production rate remains below its pre-crisis level of 57 aircraft per month.
Data: As of January 18, 2026, Boeing is producing approximately 38 737 MAX aircraft per month, according to Reuters reporting.
Impact on Boeing and the Aviation Industry
The ongoing issues have significantly impacted Boeing’s financial performance and reputation. The company has faced substantial financial penalties, including a $7.7 billion settlement with the Department of Justice in January 2024 related to the 2018 and 2019 MAX crashes.
the crisis has also led to increased scrutiny of the FAA’s oversight of Boeing and calls for reforms to the aircraft certification process. Some industry analysts suggest that airlines are diversifying their fleets,considering aircraft from Airbus and other manufacturers as a result of the ongoing concerns with the 737 MAX.
Quote: “They try to go for quote-unquote ‘safer’ projects,” said one airline executive, speaking on background to the *Wall Street Journal* on January 16, 2026, regarding fleet diversification plans.
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): https://www.faa.gov/
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB): https://www.ntsb.gov/
- Alaska Airlines