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South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook—known for Oldboy, Snowpiercer, and The Handmaiden—and Canadian co-creator Don McKellar have been expelled from the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW). The union determined that both worked on HBO’s The Sympathizer during the 2023 writers’ strike, a clear violation of the guild’s strike rules. Neither appealed the expulsion, and their names were publicly disclosed by the WGA as part of its enforcement measures.
The Sympathizer, a seven-episode limited series produced by HBO Max in collaboration with A24 and Rhombus Media, is an adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel. The series portrays a North Vietnamese double agent in Southern California prior to the fall of Saigon, starring Hoa Xuande and Robert Downey Jr., whose multiple-role performance received critical acclaim.
This disciplinary action ramps up the WGA’s crackdown on strike violations. In total, seven writers have now been disciplined for similar breaches during the 2023 strike. Earlier in April 2025, four writers—Julie Bush, Tim Doyle, Edward Drake, and Roma Roth—were publicly named after unsuccessful appeals. Alongside Park and McKellar, another member, Anthony Cipriano, received a suspension until May 1, 2026, and a lifetime ban from holding non-elected union office for working on The Last Breath (formerly Untitled True Story Haunting–Thriller Project) during the same period.
Expulsion from the WGA has serious professional ramifications. Since most major studios—including HBO, Disney, and Netflix—are WGA signatories, expelled members become effectively barred from writing for union-covered productions, limiting their access to mainstream Hollywood work. Commentary boards note that expelled writers lose not only employment opportunities but also union benefits like health insurance.
Despite this setback, Park Chan-wook remains active. His latest feature, No Other Choice, is slated to premiere at the Venice Film Festival this month, indicating that his international career remains on track—even as his standing in the U.S. industry faces challenges.
To sum up, the WGA’s enforcement underscores its commitment to the integrity of strike actions. With high-profile figures like Park and McKellar disciplined—and without appeal—these cases serve as a clear warning to writers about the consequences of crossing picket lines during labor stoppages.
