Japanese Asahi Shimbun Highlights Lighting of Semi-basement House Setting in Film 'Gisaengchung'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Japan's leading newspaper Asahi Shimbun drew attention on the 10th by publishing an article highlighting the semi-basement houses in Korea, the setting of director Bong Joon-ho's film "Parasite," after it won four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Asahi reported on the front page of its evening edition that "Parasite - The Family in the Semi-basement" won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, among others, and introduced the history and background with interior and exterior photos of semi-basement houses in Mapo-gu and Gwanak-gu.

Asahi introduced "Parasite" as director Bong's work depicting events that occur as a poor family living in a semi-basement house in Seoul parasitizes a wealthy family, addressing economic disparity, job discrimination, and the fierce competition for university entrance exams that Korea faces.

It added that the film was honored with the Palme d'Or, the highest award at the Cannes International Film Festival last year, the first Korean film to do so, and that it attracted 10 million viewers in Korea since its release last year and is currently being screened in Japan as well.

Asahi also reported on-site coverage of the semi-basement houses in Mapo-gu featured in "Parasite." Kim Yong-nam, quoted in the article, said, "Semi-basement houses are a symbol of poverty." Asahi further explained, "The emergence of semi-basement rooms in Korea was influenced by the tense relations with North Korea."

Following the 1968 Blue House raid by North Korea, the South Korean government prepared various infrastructures in the 1970s assuming a full-scale war between North and South Korea, and the semi-basement houses originated as a kind of air-raid shelter.

Asahi introduced that as housing shortages worsened in urban areas, low-income groups began living in affordable underground rooms, but recently, semi-basements in tourist areas like Itaewon, popular among young people, have been transformed into cafes and general stores, gaining popularity for their distinctive structures.