CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun praised "Parasite," the first Korean film to win the Palme d'Or award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, for promoting the status and value of Korean movies to the world and enhancing its national prestige with culture.
Lee made the remarks while receiving a briefing from CJ ENM the previous day, praising the hard work of CJ ENM executives and employees who invested and distributed the film, according to CJ Group on July 24.
Lee said that he invested in the cultural industry despite difficulties for more than 20 years to enhance national prestige in line with the philosophy of his predecessor Lee Byung-chul, founder of Samsung, that there is no country without culture.
"I am convinced that the judgment that I chose based on the talent and passion of our young people was not wrong," he said.
Lee also stressed his commitment to investing in the cultural industry, saying, "If you make it the best like the 'parasite,' you can be recognized in the world," adding, "My dream is to focus on creating unique content such as movies, music and dramas so that people around the world can enjoy Korean culture in their daily lives."
Directed by Bong Joon-ho, the film "parasite," won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May this year and surpassed the 10 million-viewer mark in Korea on July 22.
The movie was sold to 203 countries, setting the highest overseas sales record for any Korean film ever and topping the French box office. In particular, CJ has been working with Director Bong on such movies as "Memories of Murder" and "Snowpiercer."
