Director Park Chan-wook speaks during the press conference for the historical thriller series "The Sympathizer," held at Megabox COEX, in Gangnam District, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Coupang Play

Director Park Chan-wook shared that his latest series, "The Sympathizer," captures ironic humor, offering viewers unexpected black comedy in the thrilling epic war story.

Based on the Pulitzer-prize-winning novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen, the HBO series, which streams locally through Coupang Play, revolves around the Captain (Hoa Xuande), a North Vietnam spy planted in the South Vietnam army during the Vietnam War.

When he is forced to flee to the United States with his general, he continues to secretly spy on the community of South Vietnamese refugees and report back to the Viet Cong, facing a dilemma between his original loyalties and his new life.

"The original literary work had witty expressions and humor from interesting metaphors scattered throughout. But I went beyond to show broader scope, allowing viewers to grasp environments and spaces from the characters' face, employing all elements and tools available that are not found in literature," the showrunner said during a press conference for the series, held at Megabox COEX, in Gangnam District, Seoul, Thursday.

"So I tried to create humor as much as possible that reveals irrational situations within the story. It's not just about being funny," he added.

"There's bitter humor even in absurd, tragic situations. And I saw that was the most important thing."

A scene from the series "The Sympathizer" / Courtesy of Coupang Play

The series garnered high anticipation, especially with actor Robert Downey Jr. playing four different roles in the series.

The director said Downey's roles represent four sides of the U.S. "In episode 3, there's a steak house scene … A group of white American men gather there, all successful in the field they're in."

"In the end, I realized these figures represent the four faces of America, like its system and capitalism. Meaning, they collectively come to one existence," he said.

"I wanted viewers to see that right away and thought the most effective way is to have one actor play the roles … It was hard to find someone who can play various roles distinctively and express them with a strong character," he continued.

"Downey has never done a series but is a superstar, so I didn't have expectations. I just sent the offer thinking 'Let's just try,' and fortunately, he quickly responded that he will join."

The Korean auteur with no prior experience in the U.S. or Vietnam said he brought an objective perspective to the story of a Vietnamese soldier struggling between two cultures while paying respect to the war's history.

"I don't know much about that era, nor am I completely clueless … I feel a sense of camaraderie to some extent," he said. "I somewhat understand America's mainstream culture that overshadowed the Captain."

"So I think I could keep an appropriate level of distance in creating this series. I tried to leverage this identity, which is both an advantage and disadvantage, to create the series effectively," he said.

"I believe I incorporate my own objective perspective and show respect for individuals and their place in history to depict my own cinematic expressions."