Censorship In South Korean Cinema

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The 2010’s, in contrast, are a period of analyses of the thematic elements in the films as well as stronger focus on the sociological aspects, such as national identity, that were highlighted within the films. After a decade, South Korea’s attempts to thaw their relationship with the North and attempts at inter-Korean cooperation (including joint-cooperation economic zones where South Korean companies would employ North Koreans to boost North Korea’s crippled economy) would begin to reflect in these sources. At this point, scholars such as Kyung Hyun Kim argue that there is less ambiguity toward the North, stating that South Koreans have become increasingly more sympathetic to the plight of North Korean people. Youngmin Choe exemplifies this …show more content…
One perspective argues that shifting political circumstances due to the end of the Cold War play the most important role in South Korea’s newfound openness. Seung Hyun Park’s “Korean Cinema after Liberation, Production, Industry and Regulatory trends,” (2007) and “Film Censorship and Political Legitimation in South Korea, 1987-1992” (2002) point to the use of heavy censorship during the Cold War era as a reason for the desire for the industry to break free from government regulation, which led to a reassessment of the themes, including portrayals of North Korea, in Southern …show more content…
The premise of this perspective exposes issues in South Korean national security and foreign relations to make the audiences, especially those of the younger generation, more aware of the contemporary political issues of the nation. “South Korea’s Post-War Pain” (2014) by Daniel Martin emphasizes this point by stating that “films can provide an emotionally resonant experience sufficient to function as a substitute for the lived experience.” This idea is also preceeded by Youngmin Choe in “Postmemory DMZ in South Korean Cinema, 1999-2003), arguing that as a result of film, the younger generation was able to inherit “memories felt so deeply as to seem to constitute memories in their own right.” Thus, emphasizing the argument that films serve to remind the younger generations that did not live through the war that North Korea is still relevant in South Korean international politics. Another political issue that is commonly brought up in film analyses is the subject of reunification. Kevin Teo Kia Choong in “Old/New Korea(s): Korean-ness, Alterity, and Dreams of Reunification in South Korean Cinema,” (2005) in particular focuses on this, stating that despite differences between both nations, South Korea still idealizes the notion of a single “Korea.” Ultimately,

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