Parasite: Director Bong Joon-ho & Cast — The People Who Changed Oscar History
Meet the director and cast of Parasite — Bong Joon-ho's full filmography, Song Kang-ho, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, and more. The people who made Oscar history.
👉 This is Part 3 of a 3-part series on Parasite.
One director. Five lead actors. One house. One underground bunker. Four Oscars.
Who are these people? Where did they come from — and what have they done since?
🎬 Director — Bong Joon-ho (봉준호)
Who Is He?
Bong Joon-ho is the most singular director in Korean cinema.
He does not belong to one genre. He makes a monster movie — and it is actually about family. He makes a murder mystery — and it is really about Korean modern history. He makes a black comedy — and it is a war between the classes.
He studied sociology at Seoul National University. That background lives inside every film he makes. There is always a hidden question underneath: “Why does society work this way?”
At the Oscars, after winning Best Director, he said: “When I was in school, studying cinema, there was a quote that I carved deep into my heart. The most personal is the most creative — from the great Martin Scorsese.”
Then he added: “After this ceremony, let’s all go drink.”
In that moment, the most human acceptance speech in Oscar history was born.
📋 Profile
| Full Name | 봉준호 (Bong Joon-ho) |
| Born | September 14, 1969 |
| Hometown | Daegu, South Korea |
| Education | Seoul National University — Sociology |
| Debut | Short film Baeksekin (1994) |
| Influences | Kim Ki-young · Martin Scorsese · Alfred Hitchcock |
| Style | Genre-crossing · sharp social critique |
🎬 Filmography
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barking Dogs Never Bite (플란다스의 개) | 2000 | Feature debut |
| Memories of Murder (살인의 추억) | 2003 | Based on real Korean serial killings · top 100 Korean films |
| The Host (괴물) | 2006 | Korea’s all-time box office record at the time · Song Kang-ho |
| Mother (마더) | 2009 | Kim Hye-ja lead · National Society of Film Critics award |
| Snowpiercer (설국열차) | 2013 | First English-language film · Chris Evans |
| Okja | 2017 | Netflix original · Cannes competition |
| Parasite (기생충) | 2019 | Cannes Palme d’Or · 4 Academy Awards |
| Mickey 17 | 2025 | Robert Pattinson · Hollywood return |
💡 Fun fact: In his early twenties, Bong Joon-ho worked as a private tutor for a wealthy family’s child. That experience became the seed of Parasite — Ki-woo also enters the Park household as a tutor.
🎭 The Cast
Song Kang-ho (송강호) — Ki-taek
🎬 ▶ Watch Song Kang-ho’s Cannes acceptance speech on YouTube
Who Is He?
The living legend of Korean cinema. When Song Kang-ho’s name is on the poster, audiences trust the film.
He has appeared in every Bong Joon-ho Korean-language film — Memories of Murder, The Host, Mother, and Parasite. A director-actor relationship this deep is rare anywhere in the world.
Ki-taek is not a simple villain. He is a human being that audiences can understand. That understanding is exactly what makes the final scene hit so hard.
In 2022, Song Kang-ho won Best Actor at Cannes for Broker (directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda) — confirming his place as a world-class actor.
📋 Profile
| Full Name | 송강호 (Song Kang-ho) |
| Born | January 17, 1967 |
| Debut | 1996 |
| Specialty | Comedy, thriller, drama — no genre limits |
🎬 Key Works
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shiri (쉬리) | 1999 | Launched the Korean blockbuster era |
| JSA: Joint Security Area (공동경비구역 JSA) | 2000 | First collaboration with Park Chan-wook |
| Memories of Murder (살인의 추억) | 2003 | First collaboration with Bong Joon-ho |
| The Host (괴물) | 2006 | Korea’s all-time box office record at the time |
| Parasite (기생충) | 2019 | Four Oscar wins |
| Broker (브로커) | 2022 | Cannes Best Actor |
Choi Woo-shik (최우식) — Ki-woo
Choi Woo-shik — the entry point of the whole story
Who Is He?
Ki-woo is where everything starts. Every choice the family makes flows from his first decision. Because of this, Choi Woo-shik’s performance sets the tone for the entire film.
He grew up in Vancouver, Canada. He is fluent in English. That background gives Ki-woo a natural confidence that fits the character perfectly.
Bong Joon-ho first noticed Choi Woo-shik in Okja (2017). After that, he cast him in Parasite.
📋 Profile
| Full Name | 최우식 (Choi Woo-shik) |
| Born | December 26, 1990 |
| Raised | Vancouver, Canada |
| Languages | Korean, English |
🎬 Key Works
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Okja | 2017 | First Bong Joon-ho collaboration |
| Parasite (기생충) | 2019 | Four Oscar wins |
| Our Blues (우리들의 블루스) | 2022 | tvN drama hit |
| The Silent Sea (고요의 바다) | 2021 | Netflix sci-fi series |
Park So-dam (박소담) — Ki-jung
Who Is She?
Ki-jung is smart, bold, and dangerous. Park So-dam looks like she was born to play this role.
She had already been noticed in films like The Throne (2015) before Parasite. But Parasite put her fully on the global stage.
In 2021, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She had surgery and recovered. She returned to work in 2022 and spoke openly about the experience — giving courage to many people who heard her story.
📋 Profile
| Full Name | 박소담 (Park So-dam) |
| Born | September 8, 1991 |
| Known For | Intense screen presence · unique eyes |
🎬 Key Works
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Throne (사도) | 2015 | Historical drama — early breakout |
| Parasite (기생충) | 2019 | Global breakthrough |
| Special Delivery (특송) | 2022 | Action comeback film |
| Squid Game Season 2 | 2024 | Worldwide attention |
💡 Fun fact: Park So-dam and Jung Ji-so (who plays Mr. Park’s daughter in the film) are real-life high school classmates — they both attended Chungshin Girls’ High School.
Lee Sun-kyun (이선균) — Mr. Park
Who Was He?
Lee Sun-kyun played Mr. Park. Not a villain — just a wealthy man who has always lived inside the walls of his class. That ordinariness is what makes him frightening.
In late 2023, Lee Sun-kyun was caught up in a false drug allegation case. Under extreme pressure from intensive media coverage and the investigation process, he died by suicide in December 2023.
His death shocked Korean society deeply. It started important conversations about false accusations and reckless media reporting in Korea.
His role as Mr. Park in Parasite remains his final global legacy — and one of the finest performances in Korean cinema history.
📋 Profile
| Full Name | 이선균 (Lee Sun-kyun) |
| Born | March 2, 1975 |
| Passed | December 27, 2023 |
| Known For | Warm on-screen presence with deep dramatic range |
🎬 Key Works
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee Prince (커피프린스 1호점) | 2007 | Defining drama role |
| My Mister (나의 아저씨) | 2018 | Widely praised as his best acting work |
| Parasite (기생충) | 2019 | Four Oscar wins |
Jo Yeo-jeong (조여정) — Yeon-kyo (Mrs. Park)
Who Is She?
Yeon-kyo is naive. Or is she pretending to be naive? Or is she actually just naive?
That ambiguity — perfectly held by Jo Yeo-jeong — is one of the most interesting performances in the film. Yeon-kyo is kind. But her kindness becomes a tool of the class system. A good person can still be part of the machine.
She won the Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Actress for her work in Parasite.
📋 Profile
| Full Name | 조여정 (Jo Yeo-jeong) |
| Born | January 25, 1981 |
| Known For | Subtle emotional range · comedy and drama both |
🎬 Key Works
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Concubine (후궁: 제왕의 첩) | 2012 | Bold image change |
| Parasite (기생충) | 2019 | Blue Dragon Best Actress |
| Doctor Cha (닥터 차정숙) | 2023 | Major drama hit |
🎭 Why the Ensemble Worked
One of the reasons Parasite is great is that no single actor dominates.
Song Kang-ho holds the center. Choi Woo-shik drives the story forward. Park So-dam adds energy and danger. Lee Sun-kyun and Jo Yeo-jeong create the contrast.
Bong Joon-ho gave each actor a history for their character that lives off-screen. Where did Ki-jung learn to forge documents? Why did Geun-se stay underground? Why is Yeon-kyo so innocent?
That depth shows on camera. Even without a word being spoken.
📊 The Whole Team — At a Glance (2026)
| Name | Status |
|---|---|
| Bong Joon-ho | Active — Mickey 17 released 2025 |
| Song Kang-ho | Active — Cannes Best Actor 2022 |
| Choi Woo-shik | Active — dramas and film |
| Park So-dam | Active — returned after cancer recovery |
| Lee Sun-kyun | Passed away December 2023 |
| Jo Yeo-jeong | Active — Doctor Cha (2023) major hit |
👉 More in This Series
- Part 1 — Spoiler-Free Introduction →
- Part 2 — Ending Explained & Deep Dive →
- Extreme Job — Director & Cast →
- See all K-Movie posts →
Profile data: Naver Movie · Korean Film Council · Wikipedia · official sources.