Seoul, a city of almost 10 million people, thriving under conditions both unjustly rich and irrevocably poor, like most cities, townships, and countries of the world, has received a horrifying reality check as four people drowned in the recent city deluge. The August 7 and 8 showers extended over an unusual period and the unpredictably heavy downpours flooded the streets and submerged the localities of the South Korean capital.
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Parasite Gave a Glimpse Into Seoul’s Harsh Reality
The Bong Joon-ho film, Parasite became the first foreign language film in history to receive the Oscar for Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2019. However, what was a happy occasion for many was an unhappy reality disguised under the scripted narrative of a film and viewed only through the director’s lens.
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A study into the actual narrative reveals the harsh reality from which the film’s story is born and the conditions that over 200,000 people of Seoul have to face every day, living under the city’s constantly and exponentially increasing rent and real estate prices. The family that tries to escape the clutches of their reality in Parasite is the story of thousand others, silenced by the insurmountable socio-economic conditions they are forced to submit to.
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4 Drown as Recent Downpour Floods Seoul Basements
Four people fell prey to the torrential downpour of August 7th and 8th, as the city flooded and water rushed from the surface and into the underground basement homes. The rented living spaces have existed in the city for a long time making them the go-to option for those who cannot afford above-ground housing, but the seemingly miserable living conditions were made exponentially worse when three women above 40 and a young girl of 13 drowned in their basement homes as the pressure kept building due to the sudden deluge.
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The city council has taken action after the tragedy and ordered the landowners of these dwellings to immediately put all hands on deck to transform the basement houses into affordable and above-ground places that can be rented out. Although the call to action comes at the cost of several lives, the city’s people and 25% of its population look to the future that simultaneously promises a fresh start as well as the despair of being uprooted from their homes.
Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is being currently developed for a sequel and HBO has put in motion a series for the same that will reportedly comprise a brand new cast.
Source: The Washington Times
