Censorship and the Unfinished Past: Political Satire in Contemporary South Korean Cinema

  • Sueyoung Park-Primiano
Chapter

Abstract

Much has already been written about the precipitous rise of South Korean cinema in the post-democratization era.1 Faced with near extinction in 1992, the film industry overcame its financial setbacks and increasing competition from Hollywood to not only reclaim its home market, but also expand its regional and global reach within a decade. This “rise from the ashes” narrative has often been repeated in support of South Korea’s shift toward liberal democratic governance since 1988 and the ensuing increase in freedom in cultural production, and to illustrate the success of South Korea’s economic globalization campaign.2 This broad-brush abstraction, however, elides several dimensions of the popular struggle that contributed to the political change, and assumes the government’s retreat from direct control is complete and stable. This fails to acknowledge the ongoing pressures from the state that continue to undercut a key facet of South Korea’s modernity—artistic freedom— despite the nation’s transition from military rule to civil society.

Keywords

Security Council Military Regime Military Coup History Textbook South Korean Society 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Bibliography

  1. An, Jinsoo. “Anxiety and Laughter in Korean Comedy Films.” In Post-Colonial Classics of Korean Cinema, edited by Chungmoo Choi, 31–8. Irvine, CA: Korean Film Festival Committee at the University of California, Irvine, 1998.Google Scholar
  2. Burgoyne, Robert. “Modernism and the Narration of Nation in JFK.” In The Persistence of History: Cinema, Television, and the Modern Event, edited by Vivian Sobchack, 113–25. New York: Routledge, 1995.Google Scholar
  3. Byŏn, Song-Ch‘an. “Kwagŏ rŭl tarunŭn saeroun kyŏngji, Hyoja-dong ibalsa [A New Stage of Addressing the Past, The Barber from Hyoja-dong].” Cine 21, June 2, 2004. http://www.cine21.com/Article/article_view.php? mm=001001001&article_id=24577 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  4. Choe, Sang-Hun. “History Textbook Causes an Uproar in South Korea.” The New York Times, October 17, 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/ world/asia/17iht-textbook.1.17888237 (accessed November 18, 2008).
  5. Cho˘ng, U˘n-nyo˘ng. “[P‘u˘ribyu] K u˘ttae ku˘saramdu˘ l t‘ongk‘waehan haehaking‘a momyo˘lgaming‘a [Preview, The People of Those Days, Thrilling Humor or Contempt].” Dong-a Ilbo, January 26, 2005. http://news.donga.com/Series/ List_70090000000121/3/70090000000121/20050126/8153782/1 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  6. Crowther, Bosley. “Kubrick Film Presents Sellers in 3 Roles.” The New York Times, January 30, 1964, 24.Google Scholar
  7. Ddanzi ilbo. http://www.ddanzi.com/news/40291.html (accessed August 17, 2010).
  8. Freedman, Leonard. The Offensive Art: Political Satire and Its Censorship around the World from Beerbohm to Borat. Westport, CT and London: Praeger, 2009.Google Scholar
  9. Go, Na-mu. “K ŭttae kŭsaramdŭl wŏnbon kŭdaero sangyoung toenda [The Original Version of The People of Those Days Will be Exhibited].” Cine 21, August 11, 2006. http://www.cine21.com/Index/magazine.php?mm=001001001&mag_ id=40693 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  10. Hunt, Leon, and Leung Wing-fai, eds. East Asian Cinemas: Exploring Transnational Connections on Film. London: I. B. Taurus, 2008.Google Scholar
  11. Hwang, Ye-rang. “Pŏpwŏn, talmŭn younghwa ŭi tarŭn chatdae [The Court, A Different Measuring Stick for a Similar Film].” Cine 21, February 1, 2005. http://www.cine21.com/Article/article_view.php?mm=001001001 &article_id=28413 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  12. Kim, U˘n-hyo˘ng. “Kko˘kkiji anu˘n ko˘myo˘l u˘i him [The Unbreakable Power of Censorship].” Cine 21, March 18, 2005. http://www.cine21.com/Article/article_ view.php?mm=001001001&article_id=29106 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  13. —. “K ˘uttae ku˘saramd˘u l younghwa-gye sajon ko˘myo˘l pyo˘nhyo˘n chayu ch’im hae [The People of Those Days, An Infringement on Freedom and Progress in the Film Industry].” Cine 21, February 1, 2005. http://www.cine21.com/Article/ article_view.php?mm=001001001&article_id=28414 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  14. Korean Film Archive. http://www.koreafilm.org (accessed September 20, 2010).
  15. Lee, Yeon-Ho. “Mapping the Korean Film Industry.” Translated by Im Hyun-Ock. Cinemaya 37 (1997): 27–31.Google Scholar
  16. Min, Eungjun, Jinsook Joo, and Han Ju Kwak. Korean Film: History, Resistance, and Democratic Imagination. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003.Google Scholar
  17. Nam, Che-il. “Ku˘ttae ku˘saramdu˘l hu p’okp’ung [2]—Im Sang-su, Nam Che-il taedam (1) [The People of Those Days after the Storm [2]—A Conversation between Im Sang-su and Nam Che-il (1)].” Cine 21, February 22, 2005. http://www.cine21.com/Article/article_view.php?mm=005001001&article_ id=28645 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  18. Nam, Tong-ch‘o˘l. “Hyoja-dong ibalsa gamdok Im Ch‘an-sang [The Barber from Hyoja-dong Director Im Ch‘an-sang].” Cine 21, May 13, 2004. http://www.cine21.com/Article/article_view.php?mm=005002002&a,p;article_id=24294 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  19. Pak, U˘n-ju. “K˘uttae ku˘saramdu˘l Naengsojuu˘iro chaeguso˘nghan ‘10–26’ [The People of Those Days, A Cynical Reconstruction of October 26].” Chos˘on Ilbo, January 25, 2005. http://news.chosun.com/svc/content_view/content_view.html? contid=2005012570444 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  20. Paquet, Darcy. “The Korean Film Industry: 1992 to the Present.” In New Korean Cinema, edited by Shin Chi-Yun and Julian Stringer, 32–50. New York: New York University Press, 2005.Google Scholar
  21. Powell, Bill. “South Korea’s Case for How the Cheonan Sank.” Time, August 13, 2010. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2010455,00.html (accessed August 17, 2010).
  22. Robinson, Michael. “Contemporary Cultural Production in South Korea: Vanishing Meta-Narratives of Nation.” In New Korean Cinema, edited by Shin Chi-Yun and Julian Stringer, 15–31. New York: New York University Press, 2005.Google Scholar
  23. Shin, Jeeyoung. “Globalization and New Korean Cinema.” In New Korean Cinema, edited by Shin Chi-Yun and Julian Stringer, 51–62. New York: New York University Press, 2005.Google Scholar
  24. Sobchack, Vivian. “Introduction.” In The Persistence of History: Cinema, Television, and the Modern Event, edited by Vivian Sobchack, 1–14. New York: Routledge, 1995.Google Scholar
  25. United Nations. Security Council SC/9975. July 9, 2010. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sc9975.doc.htm (accessed August 17, 2010).
  26. “UN Security Council Condemns Sinking of South Korean Warship.” The Guardian, July 9, 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/09/south-north-korea-un-warship (accessed August 17, 2010).
  27. White, Hayden. “The Modernist Event.” In The Persistence of History: Cinema, Television, and the Modern Event, edited by Vivian Sobchack, 17–38. New York: Routledge, 1995.Google Scholar
  28. Xu, Gary G. “Remaking East Asia, Outsourcing Hollywood.” In East Asian Cinemas: Exploring Transnational Connections on Film, edited by Leon Hunt and Leung Wing-Fai, 191–202. London: I. B. Taurus, 2008.Google Scholar
  29. Yi, Chong-to. “Ku˘ttae ku˘saramdu˘l u˘i chinsang [2]—somun kwa chinsil [The Truth about The People of Those Days [2]—Rumors and Facts].” Cine 21, January 4, 2005. http://www.cine21.com/Article/article_view.php? mm=005001001&article_id=27750 (accessed October 30, 2009).
  30. —. “Kuttae ku˘saramdu˘l u˘i chinsang [3]—Im Sang-su int’o˘byu (1) [The Truth about The People of Those Days [3]—An Interview with Im Sang-su (1)].” Cine 21, January 4, 2005. http://www.cine21.com/Article/article_view.php? mm=005001001&article_id=27751 (accessed October 30, 2009).

Copyright information

© Sueyoung Park-Primiano 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  • Sueyoung Park-Primiano

There are no affiliations available

Personalised recommendations