South Korean director Bong Joon-ho has encouraged U.S. filmmakers to be unafraid and to confront the themes of hate and racism through their work.

ABC News and DPA International said Tuesday that Bong, who won four Oscars for his film “Parasite,” spoke on the issue last Thursday as a masterclass lecturer for Chapman University’s Dodge College.

Watching the news from South Korea, Bong shared he was "fearful" witnessing hate crimes unfold against Asian Americans and the Black Lives Matter(BLM) Movement. Though he is an outsider, he said it makes him think about what the film industry can do. 

He noted that making a movie requires a lot of time and money, making it difficult to swiftly respond to problems in present-day society. 

However, he was quick to add that because of this, it allows creators and filmmakers to be bold in addressing the issues, emphasizing that they must not be scared to confront them.

Bong went on to say that the role of creators is not to predict what will happen but to use their discernment to depict issues boiling under the surface of society that could explode.

Noting that that was his approach with "Parasite," the director urged creators and artists to see through the essence and central questions of the society they experience, and to reply to those questions through their work.