Park Chan-wook’s ‘No Other Choice’ picked as South Korea’s Oscar entry

South Korea has chosen Park Chan-wook’s latest film No Other Choice as its official submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.

The decision sets up another Oscars run for the acclaimed director behind Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave, the latter having been shortlisted in the same category.

Adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s novel The Ax, the dark comedy premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it is competing for the Golden Lion. Park returned to Venice after two decades, receiving a six-minute standing ovation alongside lead actor Lee Byung-hun, best known to global audiences for Squid Game.

Lee plays Yoo Man-su, a veteran of the paper industry whose career collapse drives him into desperate—and violent—territory.

The film is also set to open the Busan International Film Festival before its September 24 release in Korea via CJ ENM.

Key Oscar dates: The international feature shortlist drops December 16, 2025, with final nominations announced on January 22, 2026.