Courtesy of Clark Gu
One of the most contentious issues to discuss here in Northeast Asia is not feminism, it's not mental health, nor is it politics. It's history. In Korea, it is the kind of thing for which there is an overarching grand narrative to which one is expected to bend the knee and brook no dissent. And while you will find a whole host of articles, webtoons, Netflix dramas and YouTube videos exploring issues of gender and sexuality from a wide range of perspectives and playing a very critical role in brokering important discussions, history is often left under-represented. And there are reasons for this.
Is it possible — even desirable? — for there to be a history written of Northeast Asia on which Korea, Japan and China would all agree on the various facts presented within? Most people, when I ask this question, simply laugh at such a suggestion. Because the answer is, "Of course not." But then, if that's the case, does history really exist? Or is it just a national vibe to which one is expected to subscribe?
What is history?
A few years ago, I gave a talk in Gwangju about the development of democracy in Korea. To my surprise, most of the other people on the panel referenced the movie "A Taxi Driver" (2017) extensively. It's a deeply moving film, and the character arc played out by Song Kang-ho is brilliant, changing from a selfish and unloving father to a conscientious family man and humble citizen of the country. But the movie is not history. It's a dramatic narrative in which the past is played out for the people of the present. It shows us more about modern interpretations of Gwangju than it does the events. And the same might be said for many movies and dramas in Korea. History is played out on the screen, and the country rewrites its narratives according to the needs of contemporary society.
Politics also plays a role, and I've long been curious about the release timing of certain media and how they come to influence public opinion. The recent movie "12.12: The Day" and the documentary "The Birth of Korea" are two such examples. There are, however, countless more over the years. And with so many people going to see them, it is likely that the events played out in the movies will come to dominate the public consciousness more than the events of history themselves. Hyper-reality transcends actual........