1
Korean Cinema and Visual Culture
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Professor’s Name
Date
, 2
Korean Cinema and Visual Culture
1. In what ways can we consider the movie Joint Security Area (JSA) to be a “Korean
blockbuster”? If you think it is not an excellent example of a Korean blockbuster, explain
why.
A movie is considered a blockbuster if it has something of significant size or power and
significantly impacts its commercial success. The naming of blockbuster originated from the
second World War, terms used for robust and highly explosive bombs. Therefore, when a movie
is a blockbuster, it has powerful events or objects. The Joint Security Area Korean movie can be
classified as one since, within a brief period after its release, it reached a million viewers and
became the highest-selling film in the Korean history of cinema (IvyPanda 2020). Park Chan-
wook’s Joint Security Area was set among military patrols bordering the South and the Northern
parts of Korea. This film is an anti-war based movie. Two soldiers from North Korea get killed
by a neutral body-Lee Byung-hun, in the line of duty at the border with South Korea while
investigating. The lead investigator-Maj. Sophie Jean receives differing news from the two sides
about the death of the soldiers. Lee says that it was in his defense that he fired after being
wounded, while a survivor from North Korea claimed that the shooting was an intended attack
(IvyPanda 2020). This leaves Jean with an assignment to investigate the cause of the death of the
two soldiers. This movie is considered a blockbuster due to its popularity brief after its release.
The film had a million admissions within 15 days and was recorded as the highest-grossing
movie.
2. What were the different factors that led to the rise of so-called “New Korean Cinema” in
the late 1990s? How were the films separate from the features released in the 1980s? Use
examples shown in class.
Korean Cinema and Visual Culture
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Professor’s Name
Date
, 2
Korean Cinema and Visual Culture
1. In what ways can we consider the movie Joint Security Area (JSA) to be a “Korean
blockbuster”? If you think it is not an excellent example of a Korean blockbuster, explain
why.
A movie is considered a blockbuster if it has something of significant size or power and
significantly impacts its commercial success. The naming of blockbuster originated from the
second World War, terms used for robust and highly explosive bombs. Therefore, when a movie
is a blockbuster, it has powerful events or objects. The Joint Security Area Korean movie can be
classified as one since, within a brief period after its release, it reached a million viewers and
became the highest-selling film in the Korean history of cinema (IvyPanda 2020). Park Chan-
wook’s Joint Security Area was set among military patrols bordering the South and the Northern
parts of Korea. This film is an anti-war based movie. Two soldiers from North Korea get killed
by a neutral body-Lee Byung-hun, in the line of duty at the border with South Korea while
investigating. The lead investigator-Maj. Sophie Jean receives differing news from the two sides
about the death of the soldiers. Lee says that it was in his defense that he fired after being
wounded, while a survivor from North Korea claimed that the shooting was an intended attack
(IvyPanda 2020). This leaves Jean with an assignment to investigate the cause of the death of the
two soldiers. This movie is considered a blockbuster due to its popularity brief after its release.
The film had a million admissions within 15 days and was recorded as the highest-grossing
movie.
2. What were the different factors that led to the rise of so-called “New Korean Cinema” in
the late 1990s? How were the films separate from the features released in the 1980s? Use
examples shown in class.
