Are There No Politicians Like Ma Dong-seok? [Current & Culture]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The phrase "life turnaround" is often used when marveling at unexpected luck. When a poor person wins the lottery or an unknown singer's buried song suddenly becomes a hit, we call them the protagonist of a life turnaround. While this is not wrong, a life turnaround does not necessarily require luck. According to the dictionary, a life turnaround is defined as a life full of twists, trials, and drastic changes that shifts toward a positive direction. Even those who overcome hardships through relentless effort and succeed without luck are also protagonists of a life turnaround.

Ma Dong-seok perfectly fits the latter. Many people think of Ma Dong-seok as a star who suddenly rose to fame, but his life was a continuous series of challenges. He immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was young and grew up in an area that could be called a rural village by Korean standards. Early in his career, he introduced himself as a "country bumpkin from a rural area in America." He started his acting career in Korea after working as a trainer, only after turning thirty. For a long time, he mainly took roles that capitalized on his large physique and rugged appearance. He began acting at an age when he should have already been successful and, despite only playing seemingly limited characters, he was always sincere about acting and never rushed. After turning forty, he took his first lead role in the movie "The Neighbor," and a few years later, he firmly established his position with "Train to Busan" and "The Outlaws." From then on, the story is well known. He made a perfect success story by even appearing in Marvel movies.

The movie "The Outlaws 2," in which he plays a detective in the violent crimes unit, is recording overwhelming box office success. The first film attracted nearly 7 million viewers, and the number of viewers on the opening day of the second film is three times that of the first. The entertainment news will cover the fun and success of this movie extensively, but what I want to say is different. With the second installment, "The Outlaws" has been reborn as a "Korean-style superhero movie." There have been quite a few attempts to pioneer the Korean-style superhero genre, but none as successful as "The Outlaws." At the center of this is Ma Dong-seok, now in his fifties, who has stepped into producing as well as acting. This is another life turnaround story of his. It is an achievement earned not by luck but by relentless effort.

Recently, people called life turnarounds are often seen in the political arena. Instead of success earned through long years of persistent effort, figures outside politics rapidly rise to the top of the political world due to fandom created by dramatic circumstances. President Yoon Seok-yeol is an example. Is there another case of someone becoming president within a year of starting politics? Of course, career and ability do not always correlate. I personally value freshness over experience. However, if you are going to give enormous power to someone with very little experience, at least thorough verification should be done. Watching former prosecutors suddenly seize power, I am not the only one who feels uneasy and concerned.

I have wondered if there is a politician like Ma Dong-seok. Someone who started from the bottom, endured long years of obscurity and misunderstanding, and ultimately proved themselves with real ability?a true protagonist of a life turnaround. Who do you think fits this description? Among the young politicians I met while hosting current affairs programs, there were quite a few promising figures. I sincerely hope and support that they do not turn dark but grow into superheroes.

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist