Foreign news organizations quickly reported that South Korean director Bong Joon-ho won the Palme d'Or prize at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival with his film "Parasite."

The Associated Press (AP) said on Saturday that the win marks the first Korean film to ever win the Palme and that it was the second straight Palme victory for an Asian director after the award went to Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Shoplifters."

AP said the genre-mixing film of the Korean director had arguably been celebrated more than others at Cannes this year, hailed by critics as the best yet from the 49-year-old director of "Snowpiercer" and "Okja."

AFP and the German news agency DPA also reported that Bong has become the first Korean director to ever win Cannes's top prize with "Parasite," noting the film explores the growing gap between the rich and poor by telling the story of two families in South Korea.