Parasite - Context

    Cards (15)

    • Economic Hardship
      What did south korea rely on? How many lived in absolute poverty (%)
      South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world and relied on agriculture. The population was largely illiterate. 40% lived in absolute poverty.
    • Economic Miracle
      During 1953-1997 what happened?

      During 1953-1997, South Korea achieved a remarkable economic transformation into one of the richest countries in the world.
    • Chaebols
      State guided capitalism provided what?
      State-guided capitalism provided enormous government support to several hand-picked chaebols eg. Samsung
    • Education
      What did the government emphasise and promote?
      The government put a huge emphasis on education and promoted a university degree as a necessity.
    • Work ethic
      What did extreme work ethic achieve and how?
      A workaholic culture cultivated an extreme work ethic to achieve economic growth and South Koreans work more hours than all but one OECD countries.
    • What is 'Hell Joseon'

      - Accompanying Bong Joon-Ho quote 'Korea on the surface feels like a very rich and glorious...'
      Hell Joseon is a satirical phrase that became popular with younger Koreans on social media around 2015 and posits that living in hell would be akin to living in modern Korea.

      - "Korea, on the surface, seems like a very rich and glorious country now, with K-pop ... and IT technology, but the ... younger generation, in particular, feels a lot of despair."
    • Education
      - There is a massive competition for places at what kind of universities?
      - ?/10 children get extra lessons
      - (%) of 5 year olds receive private tutoring
      - SKY universities
      - 8/10 children get extra lessons
      - 83% get private tutoring
    • Education
      - "From ?am to ?pm I'm at school. After that I'm at ? until 10pm. Then I go to the library to study on my own, and go home at ?." (student)
      "From 8:30am to 5:00pm I'm at school. After that I'm at an academy until 10pm. Then I go to the library to study on my own, and go home at midnight."
    • Education
      - What do parents heavily invest in
      - How would children feel if they didn't go to university
      - What death type do some people think links with the intensive education system?
      - Private tuition for their children
      - Act of betrayal
      - Suicide rate (south korea has the OECDS highest suicide rate)
    • Employment
      - What do companies recruit based on / what's mandatory - whats the issue with this?
      - Who does this stigmatise and what does it increase
      - Lack of 'job ?'
      - Companies recruit based on educational background so it becomes almost mandatory to go to university to get a better paid job, but the number of graduates far outstrips that of graduate job vacancies.
      - This stigmatises anyone without a degree and increases social inequality.
      - Lack of job security going job to job
    • Golden spoon theory?
      - What do south koreans divide the world into
      - What do people assume about your economic status / what is it determined on
      - What do many young koreans feel about social mobility?
      Refers to the privileged few who are born "with a silver spoon in their mouth."
      - South Koreans divide the world into "golden spoons", and "dirt spoons"
      - Assumes that a person's economic status is determined by their parents' assets.
      - Many young Koreans feel that social mobility is declining, resulting in increased social inequality and a vast wealth disparity in society.
    • If your not actually born with money....
      ...then you will never have money
    • Living Conditions
      - South Korea is how much smaller than the UK (?x) and what is its population like (?million) - what is the term for this
      - South Korea is approx. 2.5 times smaller than the UK but has a population of over 50 million people. It overpopulated with people competing for space.
    • Living Conditions
      - How many Banjhias are there in Seoul where Parasite is set
      - What are Banjhias like?
      - When were they built and what were their original purpouse?
      - Renting was illegal til when?
      - There are 200,000 banjihas (semi-basement apartments)
      - Have little sunlight and no privacy from the street above.
      - Banjihas were built in the 1970s due to fears of an attack from North Korea. They were meant to be bunkers
      - Renting was illegal until the housing crisis of the 1980s and space running short in the capital.
    • Living Conditions
      - Property prices in Seoul have soured, how much roughly does a one bedroom home cost?
      - Banjhihas act as....to poorer citizens
      - One bedroom home now costing close to $900,000.
      - Banjihas act as affordable housing to poorer citizens.
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