“Squid Game”, “Parasite”: The recipe for success of South Korea’s film industry

• Korean films like Oscar-winning “Parasite” and blockbuster series like “Squid Game” are causing a sensation around the world.
• The successes are not isolated cases, but stand for the global rise of South Korea’s film and entertainment industry.
• The drivers of success include social upheaval, artistic freedom and the economic opportunities of new streaming services.

–

It might be hard to meet people today who haven’t heard of the Korean series Squid Game. More than 140 million people worldwide have seen the Netflix production. The plot is not very edifying: 464 women and men, crushed by debt, play against each other for a jackpot. In the end there will be only one survivor, everyone else will die horribly during the games. The costumes for the inmates (green and white) and the guards (dark pink) were a hit last Halloween. The “Squid Game”, originally a real children’s game in Korea, became world famous overnight.

“Squid Game” is not the only format from Korea that has recently made a name for itself: in 2020 the film “Minari” became a global success. The flick, about a Korean family who settles down in the state of Arkansas and has to endure all sorts of hardships, was nominated for six Oscars and won one for Best Supporting Actress. “Parasite” had even won four Oscars a year earlier – one for best film, the first ever that was not English-language.

The plots of these global successes are not easy fare either. But the script, director and actors know how to tell the stories from Korea in such a way that they can be understood as the epitome of social inequality all over the world.

read too

–

“The great thing about Netflix: If they want it, they just want it” – how the streaming service with budgets in the millions goes on the hunt for new scripts

–
–

Social upheavals

Universal, accessible stuff like this is what made Hollywood successful. This recipe is now also working in East Asia: In a representative survey by Statistics in 2020, a third of respondents from all over the world said that Korean productions were known and popular in their country. The turnover underlines this: In 2019, the South Korean film industry turned over a record sum of 2.1 billion US dollars, more than twice as much as ten years earlier. The Covid pandemic has further intensified this development.

This trend started in 2009 with the love series “Boys over Flowers”, the film adaptation of a Japanese comic: A girl from the lower class goes to a school where only the rich send their children. School life there is dominated by four boys, sons of rich parents, who donate a lot of money to the school. The adolescents feel attracted to their new classmate, and the drama takes its course. A film adaptation was also attempted in China and Thailand, but the gold standard was first established in Korea.

read too

–

The “sixth sense”: Nunchi is taught in Korean schools — and may be a key to happiness and success

–
–

Korean productions generally don’t skimp on social criticism. The hard struggle for advancement of young people, an antiquated image of women and the strict hierarchy of society are discussed. Corruption is often talked about in politics, business and the media. Or it’s about bullying at school, in the workplace, and in the military.

A number of shows play during historically important stages of the still young democracy, which was only launched in 1987 after a military dictatorship. The relationship between South and North Korea also comes up again and again. As a divided country, Korea awaits reunification. As reflected in the critical reflections of its filmmakers, Korea is a country in which many things are going wrong, but there are always people who are ready to fight the system: one series hero fights for justice, another for his great love . Doesn’t that remind you of, yeah, Hollywood.

Artistic freedom

A modernization of Korean film has taken place over the past five years, largely thanks to streaming services. They dare to touch hot topics in Korean society, captivating audiences around the world. In the conservative country, many people attach great importance to adhering to traditional ideas when choosing a career and partner: Many consider professions such as doctor or lawyer to be desirable. Children therefore spend several hours every day after school in institutions that continue to torment them with tasks. The public sector is also a respected employer. Young people cram for years and without a break for admission. When it comes to choosing a partner, the parents have a say: to marry an orphan or the child of a single mother is horrible for many traditionalists.

The exterior also plays a major role. Both women and men often go under the knife after puberty. A certain idealized appearance is said to promote success in professional and personal life. From the shape of the eyes and lips, to cosmetics, watches and the latest fashion: everything should show status. Those who do not have these marks are considered outsiders. So what may appear fashion-forward on the outside is in fact tight conformity.

read too

–

One of Volkswagen’s toughest competitors comes Hyundai from Korea — how this German has helped them to great success

–
–

The productions of the new providers dare to address these excesses, which are probably partly responsible for the fact that Korea is one of the countries with the highest suicide rate among the OECD countries. The everyday struggles of many Koreans may be alien to Westerners. Nevertheless, Netflix and Co. manage to tell them in such a way that the shows remain in line with the global trend towards more inclusion. The viewers appreciate that: In the current year, six fresh films and 18 new series from Korea should therefore be available on Netflix alone.

In democratic Korea, filmmakers can uncover grievances and denounce corruption and sexualised violence. Because that is the case, the country and the film industry experienced their own #metoo movement in spring 2021. It became known that the actor Kim Ji-soo is said to have bullied his classmates as a teenager. The actor admitted some of the allegations, but has denied that there was any sexual assault. Kim is now completing his mandatory military service in hopes of returning to screen and screen rehabilitated when it is complete. Incidentally, there is also cruel bullying in the military, which a Netflix production brought to the screen in the summer of last year.

Xi Jinping thinks men in Korean series look feminized

Greater China next door follows the events with suspicion and not without envy. In July 2016, the nomenklatura banned all film content from Korea in the dictatorially ruled country. A spell that lasted for years. Chinese series often pale in comparison to those from Korea. In the dictatorship, artists cannot address social grievances, let alone denounce them, as is normal in Korea. Chinese series tend to be dripping love tarts, historical kitsch costumes or nationalistic heroic theatre.

In addition, China’s leader Xi Jinping has decreed that men who want to be seen on screen and television in China must not look like men in Korea, whom Xi considers “feminized”. Korean film doesn’t care much, it conquers the world and brings the world home: Successful productions like the US series “Suits” or the BBC series “Criminal Justice” are now also available in a Korean version.

“Squid Game” was also popular in Germany and was number 1 on Netflix for weeks. Productions such as the action comedy “Space Sweepers” were also very popular. In the pandemic, people have been spending more time watching series. That may have promoted interest in films from other countries. By then, Korea’s film industry was already a well-established and valued brand in Asia. But now, thanks to the enthusiasm her productions are generating in the western world, she has what it takes to become a global powerhouse, a new Hollywood.

Recommendations for series and films from Korea:

Series:

D.P. — The Netflix production denounces abuses in the Korean army. A victim of bullying can’t take it anymore and takes revenge on his tormentors.

Itaewon Class — Drama about class differences and good food, a young, aspiring chef who wants to assert himself against the industry leader.

Kingdom — The zombie series is set in the Jeoson period in the 16th century. A horde of undead invades the realm, threatening the survival of the ruler and his subjects.

Move to Heaven— A undertaker clears out the homes of people who die and have no family. When the undertaker dies himself, his autistic son and brother, who has just been released from prison, take over the business.

The Silent Sea — Adventures in space: After all water has dried up on earth, scientists try to win water on the moon. Five years after an accident at their research station, a team is dispatched to bring water samples back to Earth. When they get there, they realize they are not alone on the moon.

Vincenzo — Adopted as a boy in Italy, the Korean Vincenzo serves as a consigliere to a mafia boss. After the death of his patron, Vincenzo goes back to Seoul to do his own thing. His mafia experience suits him. The cursing is almost accent-free in Italian.

Youth of May — The setting is the democracy movement that peaked in 1980 in the city of Gwangju. Seen through the eyes of a pair of lovers caught up in battle, viewers relive what is now an important time for Korea, which heralded the end of the military dictatorship.

Cinemamovies:

Seobok — An artificial intelligence (AI) in human form is protected by a secret agent against his enemies in the Korean Deep State. Korea’s contribution to the debate about possibilities and limitations of AI.

Taxi Driver — In 1980, a German journalist disguised as a missionary had a taxi take him to the occupied city of Gwangju in order to covertly report on the violence of the military dictatorship against students. The journalist and the taxi driver have to overcome many dangers together.

–