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Truth vs. Myth — Korean Netflix Shows’ Depiction of Korea as a Dystopian Society
Is Korea Truly a Dystopian and Unequal as shown in “Squid Game” and “Parasite”?
Korean dramas and movies have become more mainstream globally, as Korean producers and directors began to add unique “Korean sentiment”. This unique “Korean touch/color” is something that Koreans can empathize with but also something that non-Koreans are intrigued by its novel concept. It is hard to put it in words, but if I were to take a stab at it, I believe this “Korean touch” can be summarized as illustration of Korea’s social issues and how protagonists stand up to them.
South Korea has been producing films with these similar topics and so-called “Korean touch” for the past several years. According to a New York Times article,
“The world just didn’t know about them until streaming platforms like Netflix and YouTube helped it discover them at a time when people watch more entertainment online.”
Netflix, Youtube, and Amazon Prime have grown in popularity during the pandemic. With so much time, people naturally turned their attention to streaming platforms and started watching shows that they would normally not watch. These streaming platforms revolutionized the distribution of Korean TV shows and allowed Korean directors and producers to overcome the…
