(book top) [Off the Pages] Why these novels? Park Chan-wook's literary anchors

Korea Herald

15 hours ago

Celebrated filmmaker Park Chan-wook is widely known to be an avid reader.
Many of his acclaimed films were adapted from novels, making his appearance at last week's Seoul International Book Fair all the more fitting. Park shared his 'literary anchors,' offering personal anecdotes and insights into the books that have inspired him. The following are some of the highlights from his talk.
'Joint Security Area' (2000)
In a 2023 reissue of Park Sang-yeon's novel "DMZ," Park Chan-wook wrote, 'I don't even want to imagine what my life would look like if I hadn't encountered this novel.'
"Joint Security Area" was his first literary adaptation and the breakout hit that changed everything.
After two earlier films flopped, "JSA" was a box-office sensation, drawing over 5.8 million viewers and setting a record for Korean cinema.
'I've made many films since then,' Park reflected, 'but none have matched its box-office success. 'JSA' gave me the courage to make more daring films afterward.'
Set in Korea's uniquely tense and symbolic space of the Demilitarized Zone, the crime mystery follows a fatal shooting involving North and South Korean soldiers, investigated by the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. The investigation gradually unravels an unexpected truth.
Park credited the novel's humanizing portrayal of North Koreans. 'At the time, it was still shocking to show them not as villains, but as ordinary people,' he said.
Among the changes he made, Park said he is particularly proud to gender-swap the investigator into a woman, which he described as "an additional layer."
'The investigation already confronts an ideological wall. By introducing a female officer who faces barrier from the male soldiers she questions, I was able to add another layer. That's an aspect I take great pride in,' he said
'Oldboy' (2003)
A man is kidnapped without knowing who took him, or why. He is locked away with no explanation, and the worst part is, he doesn't know if, or when, he'll ever get out.
This premise of "Oldboy," the noir thriller that won Park a Grand Prix at Cannes, is loosely based on a Japanese manga.
'To me, it felt like a perfect metaphor for life itself,' Park said. 'We don't know why we were born, how our future will unfold, or when we'll die. We know death is inevitable, but not when or how. We have to live with that uncertainty.'
The film follows Oh Dae-su, imprisoned in a small hotel room for 15 years with no idea who his captor is, or why is kept imprisoned. When he's abruptly released, he sets on a brutal quest for revenge.
Another element Park found especially compelling was Oh's only contact with the outside world was watching television.
'I found that idea fascinating. He starts off as a reckless, pitiful man — more so than in the original manga. Locked away, watching only TV, he has nothing but time to think," he said. "Over the years, that leads to painful self-reflection. Whether he wants it or not, he becomes more mature — just by watching TV."
For "Thirst," another Cannes-winning film, Park drew inspiration from Emile Zola's "Therese Raquin," a novel about a young woman coerced by her overbearing aunt into a loveless marriage.
Initially, there were separate plans to adapt the novel and to make a vampire film but the two ideas eventually merged, after co-producer Ahn Soo-hyun read Park's vampire synopsis and Zola's novel, spotting a thematic bridge.
'There are vivid descriptions focused on the neck in the book,' Park noted. 'The neck biting and the wounds worsening over time — the imagery is quite intense.'
The original synopsis, just three or four pages long, had a priest as the protagonist and a detailed climactic blood-drinking scene. Park felt that as long as that scene remained, the story and characters could be adapted freely around it.
'If I ever had the ability to be a novelist, I think I would have written exactly like Zola," said Park.
'He has a merciless view of humanity. He's uncompromising and honest. There's no romanticizing, no intention to vilify. It's simply an observation. Because of that honesty, whether making films or anything else, I feel there's much to learn from him.'
Literary critic Shin Hyoung-cheol described Park's approach to adaptation through metaphor thus: "Oldboy" replaced the spine of its source; "Thirst" gave it wings. And "The Handmaiden"? 'It's as if he gave it a new pair of legs — like in the scene where the two women run across the open field.'
Adapted from Sarah Waters's "Fingersmith," a historical crime novel set in Victorian-era Britain, "The Handmaiden" transposes the setting to colonial-era Korea under Japanese rule. The story follows a young Korean woman hired as a maid to a Japanese heiress.
In the original novel, each woman deceives the other, and only in the third part do they discover the full extent of the betrayal. Park's version reimagines this dynamic: The women build trust, form an alliance and ultimately turn the tables to take revenge on the 'Gentleman.'
'As I read the book, I found myself hoping it would turn out that way,' Park said. 'They meet under false pretenses, but what if they open up to each other, become allies, and pull off a clever scheme to punish the count and escape together. Such anticipation became the basis for my adaptation,' Park said.
'The Little Drummer Girl' (2019)
Park has often named British espionage master John le Carre as his favorite novelist. He read "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" as a teenager and he considers himself part of a rare minority of fans who 'dare say 'The Little Drummer Girl' is his best."
Park reached out to le Carre directly, and the two met in person to discuss adapting the novel into a six-part television series — an "unforgettable memory" for Park.
Le Carre made a cameo in the show, appearing as a waiter in the cafe where Charlie walks in. In fact, le Carre was fond of making cameo appearances in screen adaptations of his novels.
Set in 1979, "The Little Drummer Girl" follows Charlie, a young English actress recruited to infiltrate a Palestinian group plotting a terrorist attack in Europe. But it was the novel's ending — particularly the protagonist's motivations — that troubled Park.
'Although I call it a masterpiece, I was disappointed at that moment,' he said. 'She risks her life as a spy because she 'fell in love' with one of the male agents, after pretending to be in love as part of her cover. I thought it made Charlie almost foolish,' Park said.
Park knew he needed a new line — a moment that would redefine her choices. He learned that the character of Charlie had been inspired by a real person — le Carre's own sister, a theater actress active in the 1970s. Park said the line 'I'm an actress' came directly from a conversation with her.
'That line carries so much,' Park said. 'We had long discussions about it. Even during table reads, it was my favorite. We shot that scene with all of its weight in mind. I'd rather leave its meaning open to interpretation,' Park said.
'No Other Choice' (2025) and Park's reading list
Park is currently in post-production on his upcoming film "No Other Choice," starring Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin. Set for release in October, the film is adapted from Donald E. Westlake's horror thriller "The Ax."
It follows Man-soo, who, after being laid off from a job, begins a desperate and dark hunt for new employment. Park has hinted that the film will veer into black comedy.
Before the talk came to an end, the director offered a list of book recommendations.
His recent favorites included Geoff Dyer's "The Ongoing Moment," a meditation on photography, and "But Beautiful," a philosophical exploration of beauty in jazz.
Of Vladimir Nabokov's works, Park singled out "Pnin" as a personal favorite: 'It's filled with absurd humor, and the protagonist might come off as unlikeable at first -- but he becomes utterly lovable.'
Park also expressed his recent admiration for W.G. Sebald, after reading "Austerlitz."