South Korea selects 'The Man Standing Next' for Oscars International Feature Film category

South Korea has chosen Min-ho Woo’s The Man Standing Next for its entry to the best international feature film category in the Oscars of 2021. The political thriller has Lee Byung-hum in the titular role and throws light on the twisted story of the assassination of South Korean President Park Chung-hee in the year 1979. 

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South Korea's The Man Standing Next for 2021 Oscars International Feature Film category

The movie is set in and around 40 days before the assassination of the South Korean president in 1979 and his inner-circle. Consummate local leading man Lee Byung-hun plays the role of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency spy whose intrigues led to the country going through a change in power. Lee is in the list of the few Korean icons that have made an appearance in Hollywood in the near years. He was seen in the GI Joe franchise of Paramount portraying the role of Storm Shadow and was also a part of Antoine Fuqua’s remake of The Magnificent Seven.

Korean Film Council announced the selection on Thursday. Their statement mentioned how The Man Standing Next is an intriguing story and focuses on a darker side of South Korea‘s history which is famous for its remarkable economic growth. Lee Byung-hun has gained recent recognition in the US.

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Till 2019, none of the films by South Korea were chosen for the best international feature film category. However, with Parasite last year, history was created as the Bong Joon-ho movie secured for itself four Oscar awards. The Man Standing Next made it to theatres in Korea at the end of January and earned a total of $34.5 million dollars making it a blockbuster. Since the COVID pandemic affected the country and cinemas were shut down, the movie is still the highest earner of the year. It was bankrolled by Hive Media and Showbox.

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