Park Chan-wook faces dismissal from Writers Guild of America Clutch Fire

Park Chan-wook, award-winning South Korean director who is best known for Old Boy and The Handmaiden, was removed from The Writers Guild of America after the group took action against members who broke strike rules.

The guild announced that Park and Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar were no longer welcome because they worked on the HBO mini-series The Sympathizer during the 2023 writers’ strike. “The board had decided that the disciplines should be made public,” the guild said.

The Sympathizer, which aired in 2024, was based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2015 novel and starred Hoa Xuande and Robert Downey Jr. The seven-episode series was written while the strike was in effect, leading to the disciplinary action. Neither Park nor McKellar appealed the decision.

The enforcement was part of ongoing measures aftwr the strike with the guild disciplining seven writers in total. 

Four were named earlier after they chose to appeal, while Park, McKellar and screenwriter Anthony Cipriano were only identified recently. 

However, Cipriano faced suspension until May 1, 2026, a public censure and a lifetime ban from serving as a strike captain for working on The Last Breath.

The WGA thanked its Strike Rules Compliance Committee and trial committees for their work in reviewing allegations, hearing testimony and recommending actions. 

The statement praised members who volunteered their time to ensure writers honoured their obligations under the Strike Rules, Working Rules, and the WGAW Constitution.

Despite the controversy, Park’s career continues as his upcoming Korean film No Other Choice, co-written with McKellar and collaborators Lee Kyoung-mi and Lee Ja-hye, is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival later this month.