Acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook has recently been officially expelled from the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The reason for him being thrown out is him being actively working during the union’s strike in 2023. The decision of his expulsion was announced by the WGA on Friday. Along with Park, Canadian writer and director Don McKellar was also expelled from the union.

Park Chan-wook ousted from Writers Guild of America

According to reports, Park and McKellar were both involved in the HBO miniseries The Sympathizer, which was telecast in 2024. It was a seven-part series, based on the award-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen, and starred Hoa Xuande and Robert Downey Jr. While announcing the expulsion, WGA pointed out that the two men continued writing for the show during the strike, thus they broke the guild’s rules. Notably, neither Park nor McKellar has appealed the decision.

Park is best known globally for helming powerful films such as Oldboy (2003) and The Handmaiden (2016). The 61-year-old is often considered one of South Korea’s most influential directors. His next film, titled No Other Choice, is all set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival later this month.