Zombies come to RAS Korea

A scene from "All Of Us Are Dead" / Courtesy of Netflix

The zombie horror genre is decades old, but Korea's take on the living dead is considerably newer and fresher.

The trend began with Yeon Sang-ho's 2016 hit film "Train to Busan," followed by several hits such as Kim Sung-hoon's 2018 film "Rampant" and the 2019 Netflix drama "Kingdom."

"What cultural, socio-historic factors led to the sudden popularity of this genre?" asks Nilesh Kumar, a film curator completing a master's degree in Korean studies with a focus on Korean cinema at Yonsei University.

While attributing the popularity of U.S. zombie films to "post-capitalist disillusionment, characterized by the mundane routine of work and consumption," he identifies different circumstances surrounding the rise of Korean zombie films.

The year before "Train to Busan" kicked off a series of zombie thrillers, young Koreans coined the term "Hell Joseon" to describe contemporary Korea.

"This term arose due to escalating socio-economic issues, including rising youth unemployment, discontent among young men regarding mandatory military service and widening wealth disparity in this fiercely competitive society," he said.

He pointed to the underlying theme of economic inequality present in various films, including Bong Joon-ho's 2019 blockbuster "Parasite" and Netflix's hit 2021 TV show "Squid Game," both of which emphasize the theme of competition for survival.

In a presentation for Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea on Tuesday, he will explore how the concept of ‘Hell Joseon’ correlates with the emergence of zombies in Korean cinema.

The lecture starts at 7:30 p.m. in the fifth-floor lounge of the FastFive building in Da-dong near Seoul City Hall. Entry costs 10,000 won or 5,000 won for students and is free for RAS Korea members. Attending online via Zoom is also possible. Visit raskb.com for more information.