New World’s screenwriter-director Park Hoon-jung in discussion at the KCCUK | easternkicks.com (2024)

Park Hoon-jung discusses his approach to the gangster movie genre and his plans for the New World sequel to be released in 2016…

Park Hoon-jung is one of the most promising screenwriters of the Korean film industry. As to close the first round of the KCCUK’s Year of the Film Professionals, he flew to London. Following masterclass sessions at the NFTS and London Film Academy, he attended a Q&A session at the KCCUK after the screening of his latest film, New World.

Damon Wise, editor for the Empire magazine, coordinated the discussion and initiated the discussion with Park Hoon-jung.

Damon Wise: What was the starting point of this movie? How did it come to your mind?
Park Hoon-jung: I have always been interested in power games, especially between government and illegal forces. But, to make such conflict more interesting, I wanted to introduce an unexpected third power. That’s how the idea of an undercover cop came to my mind.

DW: You are pretty knowledgeable and aware of the structure of gangster movies which is reflected into your movie, how much did you embrace it?
PHJ: This is not daunting. If there are many gangster movies, it does mean the audience like them. Although I keep the same frame, I can still tell a different story.

DW: Indeed, in this case, your gangster movie takes place in a very unusual setting, a corporate environment. Was it a perspective you wanted to address?
PHJ: It is definitely not about lowly-life types of gangsters (laughs), but indeed about successful gangsters I wanted to talk. I wanted to make a political movie, not the regular politics happening in a given country on which you cannot really make a difference, but in the underworld which remains changeable.

DW: It feels very real, how did you research? Is the film based on real facts and events that happened in South Korea?
PHJ: It is a difficult question to answer. I would say some parts of the films are based on actual stories, but for many I made it up.

DW: Your story is very ambitious. How did you get on writing it and how much time did you actually spend?
PHJ: I indeed did a lot of research. The story spans a vast period from the 1990s up to 2013, and the sequel will go beyond that. It took me a long time to think about it, I had it in my mind for a long time, but to actually put it down on paper was much faster.

DW: Your story has an unusual structure, and you characters are more complex than the typical characters of gangster movies. You picked three leads in the gangster organization, and none are completely good or bad. Why did you choose this characterization and dynamics?
PHJ: I never try to divide good and evil, simply because that’s not realistic. I do not believe anyone is innately good or bad. Also, I find a triangular relationship more efficient in building up tension.

Then the questions were given to the audience…

Question 1: How much of the dialogue in your scripts comes from your imagination? Did you spend time with real people of certain professions to be able to be more precise in defining your characters?
PHJ: I do not tend to interview people of certain occupations; I just watch them in their actions, speech and behaviors.

Question 2: You look very young, maybe have you grown up with gangster movies such as Godfather (which is more a perspective on the Italian mafia)? Did you find inspiration in those?
PHJ: I will put your mind at ease; I do not have any gangster friend (laughs). But, indeed, I love the Godfather trilogy; I watched them a hundred times. I also found inspiration in Japanese yakuza and Hong-Kong gangster movies. The Goldmoon organization is very much drawn from one of the organizations in those movies.

Question 3: Is it hard for you to kill a character you feel empathy for?
PHJ: Indeed, it is not easy, actually very difficult.

Question 4: Contrary to Hwang Jeong-min’s character in The Unjust, I could not relate to Lee Jung-jae’s in New World. Although Ja-sung does a tough job, it is not much different than all the other members of the clan. Why did you let him having a sort of ‘happy ending’?
PHJ: Do you see that as a happy ending (laughs)…

Question 5 (Damon Wise): Talking about a happy ending, how did you choose the end of your film? Could you foresee it?
PHJ: I knew the ending before; although I made sure the audience would feel he still had a choice. However, in such situation, so extreme, he has no other option but that one if he wants to live.

Question 6: There are many pieces you leave unexplained in New World. I wonder mainly who organized the killing of the CEO of Goldmoon and why Lee Ja-sung felt he had to kill everyone.
PHJ: That’s what keeps the mystery going. Indeed, any of them (Ja-sung, Jeong Cheong and Lee Jung-gu) could be suspect. I cannot tell you. Many people in the Korean audience already asked me about it. That will be revealed in the sequel. As for Ja-sung’s slaughter act, it also refers to his brotherly feeling for Choi Min-sik’s character he had developed 8 years before as when they both started very low in the police force. That will also be explained in the sequel. But to summarize, his massive killing is 80% due to his loyalty, 20% to realistic calculations. After the departure of Kang Hyung-chul, he would become a minority, and would have to face too much fighting to lead.

Question 7: You have worked with well-known actors for New World. Given they have so much experience; they must have had their own interpretations of the characters. Did it make it difficult for you to direct?
PHJ: It was very easy! On the contrary, because they had a long acting career, with lots of experience, they had a very high understanding of the story. It made everything go much more smoothly.

Question 8: How much improvisation did you allow your actors to input for their characters?
PHJ: In a first time, I asked them to perform as the script said. Then, in a second time, I would allow them a bit more freedom to add their interpretation.

Question 9: When can we expect to see the sequel?
PHJ: Hopefully, we will be starting shooting next year, and wrap up by the end of 2015. So, most likely, the film shall be ready for early 2016, at the latest.

Question 10: Will you be using the same actors?
PHJ: I have not decided yet, that is something I am considering.

New Worldis available on UK Dual Format from 15 January from Montage Pictures/Eureka Entertainment.