'Parasite' Director Bong Joon-Ho Addresses Anti-Asian Violence, Calls On Filmmakers To Confront Issues

South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho has spoken out against the anti-Asian violence in the U.S., and encouraged the filmmakers to do their part to deal with the issue.

Chapman University’s Dodge College in Orange, California, organized a virtual event on April 7 in which the three-time Oscar Award-winning director answered questions remotely from South Korea. During the interview, Bong admitted he had an "outsider’s perspective" considering he stays far away.

"But as someone who is a part of mankind, as a person, it’s quite fearful to watch the hate crimes against Asian-Americans and the BLM movement," he said, Deadline reported. "I do think about what the film industry can do at this time. With films, creating a film takes a lot of time and a lot of money; it’s a big unit that can’t really respond quickly to issues that are currently happening in society."

"But ironically, because of that, I think creators and filmmakers can be bolder with dealing with issues and they shouldn’t be afraid to confront them," he continued.

The director further praised American film director Spike Lee for his drama-comedy, "Do the Right Thing," which released in 1989.

"I’m currently thinking of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing," he continued. "Not necessarily to predict what will happen in society, but to use your insight to portray the issues that are currently boiling underneath the surface of society that can explode later on."

The 51-year-old director also reflected on his 2019's thriller comedy, "Parasite," which won four Academy Awards in 2020.

"For me, Parasite was a film where I tried to take that approach… [the film] talks about the haves and have-nots of our current society," he explained, New York Daily News reported. "It began with a question of ‘what does it mean to be poor or rich in our current times?’ As creators and artists, you sort of have to see through the essence and the central questions in our society through the days that you live through and send a reply to those questions through your work."

Reportedly, the director is currently working on two more scripts following the success of "Parasite" -- one in the Korean language and another one in English.