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"The first, good news item regarding the 78th Venice Film Festival is that Bong Joon Ho has enthusiastically agreed to preside over the Jury," said the Director of the Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera in the announcement. "Today, this great Korean director is one of the most authentic and original voices in worldwide cinema.

"We are immensely grateful to him for having agreed to put his passion as a cinephile attentive, inquisitive, and unprejudiced, at the service of our festival. It is a pleasure and an honor to be able to share the joy of this moment with the countless admirers, throughout the world, of his extraordinary movies. The decision to entrust the Jury to a Korean filmmaker, for the first time in the festival’s history, is also confirmation that the Venetian event embraces the cinema of the entire world, and that directors from every country know they can consider Venice their second home."

Bong is the first Korean director to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His first film, Barking Dogs Never Bite, premiered in 2000. Over the ensuing 19 years, he directed award-winning movies including Memories of a Murder (2003), The Host (2006), and Okja (2017). Parasite won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best International Feature Film, and Best Picture.

"The Venice International Film Festival carries with it a long and varied history, and I'm honored to be woven into its beautiful cinematic tradition," Bong said in his acceptance of the jury president appointment. "As president of the jury—and more importantly as a perpetual cinephile—I'm ready to admire and applaud all the great films selected by the festival. I'm filled with genuine hope and excitement."