Parasite: how Oscar triumph has exposed South Korea´s social divide
(The Guardian South Korea)

Bong Joon-ho´s film highlights how South Koreans struggle as the gap between rich and poor widensFew would begrudge South Koreans their moment of joy after Parasite´s historic success at the Oscars. Not only was Bong Joon-ho´s film the first non-English language production in the Academy Awards´ 92-year history to win best picture - one of four Oscars on the night for the director and his crew - it was long-overdue recognition by the global movie industry of the brilliance of South Korean cinema.But the celebrations, led by the country´s president, Moon Jae-in, concealed an uncomfortable truth about Bong´s masterpiece. Centring on the tension between the Kims, a basement-dwelling family of `dirt spoons` in Seoul, and the Parks, a family at the opposite end of the social spectrum, Parasite´s plot is predicated on the widening gap between the haves and the have nots in Asia´s fourth-biggest economy. Related: The real star of Bong Joon-ho´s Oscar-winner Parasite? The house Continue reading...