National Pride, Globalization, and Im Kwon- Taek

As I read the first chapter in Im Kwon- Taek: The Making Of A Korean National Cinema , I found myself perpetually thinking back to Gi- Wook Shin’s The Paradox Of Korean Globalization. In her essay, Shin argues that globalization and nationalism in Korea are by no means contradictory phenomena, but rather, the two forces coexist and compliment each other. Shin writes, “Koreans see no inherent contradiction between nationalism and globalization… Koreans initiated and pursued globalization from with a clear nationalistic agenda from the outset” (Shin, 6). She goes on to explain that expressions and feelings of national and cultural pride go on the rise as a response to a globalizing society. In Korea, this has surely been the case. Reading in depth about Im Kwon- Taek’s success helped me to better understand Shin’s theory, for the popularity and hype over his period-piece films exemplify the cohesive relationship between globalization and national pride.

Having never seen a film by Im Kwon- Taek (excluding the clip of Sopyonje shown in class), I am eager to after James’ and Kim’s descriptions of some of his works. In particular, I am intrigued by the Korean landscape shots that Im is known for. These shots are mechanisms not only for beautifying the film, but also for “showing of ” Korea’s natural attributes, and therefore eliciting pride from the Korean audience. These shots do not included foreign cars, McDonald’s, or skyscrapers in the background, but instead, bring viewers to a “less threatening”, non globalized world. Im’s most famous works (and most popular with the people of Korea) are his period pieces, films that transport the audience to simpler time. James et. al states this perfectly: “Im’s field of dreams was not the future but the nostalgic past, a pre modern universe where the values of tradition, nation, and family remained intact and united” (37). It is explained in Im Kwon- Taek that many of Im’s famous historical works were released after 1986, the year that foreign film companies were allowed to set up shop in Korea, thus creating an influx of Hollywood films. I believe that this information solidifies the thesis presented by Shin, for Im’s pride-prompting films gained popularity at a time when Koreans were being bombarded with outside information and imagery.

On a completely different note, I would like to add to Beth’s discussion on pop culture and pleasure. In Watching Dallas, Ang writes, “No attempt will be made to give the definitive answer to the burning question: why is Dallas so popular? Instead, I want to concentrate my attention on a phenomenon, one aspect of popularity which is in itself complex enough: pleasure” (6). I suppose the question now becomes, “why do certain cultural products/ media forms illicit pleasure?” In terms of Korean cinema, I believe Im Kwon -Taek’s films were pleasurable not only because they were expressions of national pride, but also because of the escapism that they provided (perhaps the same escapism that Dallas provided for fans all over the world?) In Korea, for example, harsh times coincided with the popularity of film. James et. al write, “Cinema was the most popular cultural medium of nationalist expression during the Japanese colonial period” (20). Perhaps retreating mentally to another (better?) place or time is a driving force behind popular culture.


- Melanie Lubin