Oscars 2021: South Korea selects 'The Man Standing Next' as official entry for International Feature category

All eyes this year will be on South Korean film industry as they swept the prestigious Academy Awards last year with ‘Parasite’ that not only amassed critical appreciation but raked up money on the worldwide box office.

For Oscars 2021, South Korea has picked Min-ho Woo’s political thriller ‘The Man Standing Next’ as its entry for the best international feature film category.

The film, ‘The Man Standing Next’ is set amid the country's military dictatorship period and centers on the inner circle of real-life South Korean president Park Chung-hee during the 40 days before his assassination in 1979.

It stars Lee Byung-hun as the Korean Central Intelligence Agency spy whose machinations ultimately led to a change of power in the country.

Actor Lee Byung-ho is said to be one of the few actors from the list of Korean stars who have crossed over to Hollywood in the recent years. He was seen in Paramount's G.I. Joe franchise as Storm Shadow and Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven remake, among other roles.

‘The Man Standing Next’ was released in South Korea in late January.

Interestingly, for decades, the South Korean film industry had been overlooked by the Oscars. Until 2019, no Korean film had ever been nominated in the best international feature film category, let alone any of the major categories.