France, Feb. 26 -- Park's work "embodies the DNA of contemporary Korean cinema in every way", the festival organisers wrote in a statement, which praised South Koreaa as "a great film-making country".

Park's presidency "symbolises the Festival's early and deep attachment to Korean cinema".

The director, who gained international stature with Oldboy, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2004, served on the jury in 2017.

"Visceral, subversive and baroque, Park Chan-wook's films are bold in every way - in script, in style and in morality," the festival wrote.

He is drawn to themes of vengeance and redemption, and he has been credited for inspiring "Korean noir" filmmakers, who make movies about bloody crimes, brutal revenge or the crimin...