Korean Histiory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Korean Histiory - Essay Example This attack followed an earlier attack, assumed to have been instigated by North Korea, which resulted in the sinking of a South Korean naval ship and caused the death of over 40 crew members. However, as the sirens rang, children’s laughter could be heard in the streets which created a surreal sensation of contradiction in this divided nation. It left many bystanders, both Korean and foreign, questioning the validity of the drill; throughout 2010, people in South Korea have been debating over the possibility of an outbreak of war but, even in these debates, citizens are divided over important issues that are central to the historical and current situation faced by North and South Korea.1 Park Chan-wook’s 2000 movie, Joint Security Area, masterfully captures the endless contradictions imbedded within this ideological crisis, and the audience watches as these contradictions simultaneously destroy the characters while providing a glimpse into the possibility of a reunific ation between the North and the South. Korea has been characterized as a land of contradictions. This is poignantly depicted in JSA, in which nothing is as it seems; although North Korea has consistently been portrayed as monstrous in its military ambitions and nationalistic intentions, the movie depicts a very different interpretation of North Koreans. The portrayal of the JSA is pivotal to this alternative depiction of the North because it serves as a site where a crack in the ideological divide can be initiated. At first, the two opposing sides of the JSA are defined in stark contrast to the other, with the North Korean side being highly monitored and regimented, and the South Korean side being used as a site of voyeuristic tourism – the visual manifestation of communism versus democracy. However, as night falls, the ideological gap between North and South, which seems