The Republic of Chaebol Dramas
The South Korean dramas that have hooked viewers around the world combine stark depictions of brutal inequality with opulent commodity fetishism.
4 Articles by: Max Balhorn
Max Balhorn is a Korean-English translator and academic editor working in the humanities.
South Korea’s “Economic Miracle” Was Built on Murderous Repression
Today marks 60 years since Park Chung-hee’s coup installed military rule in South Korea. His regime is credited with bringing the country rapid economic growth — but its industrial success was built on the massacre of labor activists and the systematic suppression of workers’ basic rights.
How South Korea’s Pro-Democracy Movement Fought to Ban “Murderous Tear Gas”
In 1980s South Korea, hundreds of protesters were maimed and blinded by tear gas grenades fired by police. But the demand to stop the state’s use of tear gas soon itself became the focus of protests — a fight against police brutality which rallied millions of South Koreans behind the pro-democracy movement.
Parasite, a Window Into South Korean Neoliberalism
Bong Joon Ho’s film Parasite has been hailed for highlighting the class divides that split South Korean society. But its portrayal of working-class life also demonstrates a deeper ill of capitalism — the way in which the constant hunt for a job undermines our basic human dignity.