How Popular Film Shapes the Image of Poverty in South Korea

Yongmie Nicola JoDPhil Candidate in Social Policy

University of Oxford

South Korean Context

• Rapid economic development since the Korean War ended in 1953, currently ranking 14th/ 190 countries by GDP (nominal) (World Bank 2010)

• Capitalistic Market Economy

• Democratic Republic : Semi-presidential representative system

• Individualistic culture is coming to replace traditional Confucianistic social value system

Changing Meaning of Poverty

In the past, in a more feudalistic and Confucianistic Korea,

Immorality = Losing Face, as a family member

Now, social respect and pride comes with economic wealth

Poverty = Losing Face, as an individual

Film’s Shaping of Poverty

Everything is lost in poverty

Focus on an individual’s life story ‘All or Nothing’Money does not promise happiness, but without it, the person’s loses everything is violated by external powers in every aspect of ones life

• Living in a poor housing & living conditions• Facing Health problems & mounting costs• Alcohol and drug abuse• Relationship breakdowns (social exclusion from any relationship)

• Violence and crime; physical insecurity• Helpless in the face of unfair and humiliating treatments of others; looked

down upon, despised

Individualistic explanations for why one is in Poverty

• Being born into an impoverished family (low-educated parents or no parents at all)

• Neighbourhood environment: Affiliation with gangster crime and violence (e.g. low-rank gangster, pick-pockets)

• Incapable to find a better-paying job, and being in stereotypical jobs of earning low income (e.g. retired boxer, artist, musician, service sector work)

• Naively followed childhood dreams• Unemployment, business failure due to large economic

downturn (IMF)

Bearing scars upon strong pride → Fighting for pride

• Weak, reckless and helpless (e.g. physically challenged, illness)• Too naive and too good in heart to survive in competitive setting• Aggressive or violent • Incapable of managing economic of the household • Unable to protect ones children from physical harms

Poverty is a matter of self-pride

How one should escape poverty: Hard work of the individual

ex) ‘The Game’ 2008 Realizing ones aspiration comes to mean nothing if it does not accompany economic success, which brings social respect and living security. In turn, aspiration becomes practicality

“Glove is the only means for a fair fight. Boxing is neither difficult nor easy. Only the hard-working one can win victory.”

‘I might be the world champion.’

Shaming of Poverty in Film• Focus on the individual’s capacity in bringing economic

success and failure = Placing emphasis on individual’s responsibility to earn back pride through finding ones way out of the situation= Blaming the people for falling into poverty

• Attaching social values to wealth, as if it is the ultimate and the only means to restore ones pride and living as a whole

Poverty and any signifiers of poverty are automatically associated with loss of pride & shame

Summary

★ Focus on each individuals’ life stories – Individual’s capacity and effort coming across as the only means of escaping poverty– Loss of pride (self-esteem), and everything else that is dear to oneself (e.g. family ties, friendship, aspirations, social respect)

★ Pursuit of the individuals is earning back their pride– To fight and win over an unavoidable battle to gain back the lost face in the hopes of restoring ones life as a whole

About the Research

35 Films / 1600 film synopses

Today : 10 Contemporary Films (2001 – 2010)

• Film analysis as a case study for understanding the cultural perception of poverty within South Korea

• Sampling : South Korean popular films that - Featured poverty to a significant degree- Most widely watched films at the cinema- Produced between 1970s – 2000s