Ruling and Opposition United in Praise of Parasite: "Beyond Korea's Triumph" "A Monumental Event"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The political sphere is also praising the achievement of the film Parasite winning four Academy Awards. It is a rare moment of unified voice between the ruling and opposition parties.

Hong Ik-pyo, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a written briefing on the 10th, "For a long time, the Academy has been criticized for its closed nature centered around white men, so for a Korean film to win Best Picture as a foreign language film for the first time is not only a great achievement for the Korean film industry but will also serve as an opportunity to enrich the global film industry and draw worldwide attention to Asian cinema."

He continued, "It is regrettable that director Lee Seung-jun's short documentary Memories of Absence, which deals with the Sewol ferry disaster, did not win an award, but just recording the pain of our society through the work and having people around the world empathize with it must have been a great comfort to many."

Chief spokesperson Hong added, "Together with the Moon Jae-in administration, which has established artistic creation and freedom of expression as fundamental values, we will continue to make our best efforts to improve the creative environment for cultural artists and enhance the competitiveness of the cultural industry."

The Liberty Korea Party also commented through spokesperson Park Yong-chan, calling it "a monumental event that announced the power of Korean film and culture to the world," and evaluated it as "a piece of refreshing news like rain to the Republic of Korea, which has been plunged into stagnation, standstill, and despair due to the Wuhan pneumonia."

The Bareunmirae Party said, "Director Bong Joon-ho had a plan all along," and "We pay tribute to director Bong Joon-ho, who united the world with amazing creativity, all the staff, and the masterpiece Parasite they created."

The Justice Party also expressed congratulations, stating, "This is probably because the polarization phenomenon, where the rich get richer and the poor are driven further into the abyss, has deepened to a degree that is palpable. Since the theme of the film Parasite has been recognized at the center of the world, we hope that solutions to social polarization can also be discussed on a global scale."

They added, "It is said that the Parasite production staff used standard labor contracts and complied with labor laws during filming. This proves that workers can achieve excellent results without sacrifice while receiving fair treatment. We hope that a labor culture without exploitation and sacrifice will take root throughout the Korean film industry and labor sector."