Korean Women’s Portrayal in Korean Films

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Images of Korean Women in Movies
Image of women in a Confucian society
Women as chaste and wise mothers and wives
References

Introduction

Before discussing the portrayal of Korean women in Korean films it would be pertinent to look at the condition of Korean women in a Confucian society since it will help in understanding the present condition of women as well. Martina Deuchler (2003) writes about Korean society in the following words:

“In olden times when a girl was born she received education from a nurse; when she grew up, she received instructions from a [female] teacher, Thus she became a wise daughter in her natal home, and when she got married, she became a wise daughter-in-law, and when she met adversities, she became a virtuous woman. In later times, instructions for women did not reach the inner chambers, and thus [for women] to establish themselves firmly and when confronted with disastrous situations in the face of blank weapons, not to change their resolve, whether they were to live or to die, can be said to be difficult indeed”.

Koreans prefer males over females and for this reason birth of a son is greatly celebrated as compared to the birth of a daughter. Women are considered to be an object for male pleasure and their role cannot extend beyond the boundaries of their houses. Where males are given the freedom to flirt with as many women as they want, women on the other hand are taught moral education from the beginning and are suppose to practice morality in order to become virtuous. Men could have primary and secondary wives but the status of secondary wives was never the same as the primary wives. Likewise, the offspring of the secondary wives could not compete with those of the primary wives.

Women were educated only to become good daughters, wives, mothers, and daughters-in-law. They faced economic inequalities from their brothers and husbands. The new bride was always advised to “overcome her emotions and to be all the more obedient and submissive under the more oppressive conditions of her new surroundings (Deuchler, 2003)”.

In this paper, I intend to discuss the image of Korean women portrayed through their movies. For this purpose, I intend to explore the movies in which women’s issues have been highlighted. Although a lot has been changed in the past few decades still it is believed that the Confucian views are deeply rooted in modern Korean society where working women are not greatly appreciated and gender discrimination is still prevalent. Under such circumstances, it becomes easy to understand the marginalized role played by the Korean actresses in the film industry. Let us now review the portrayal of Korean women in their movies.

Images of Korean Women in Movies

Gina Yu (n.d.) writes in her article “Images of Women in Korean Movies” that women have always been an important part of Korean cinema. However, their role was marginalized due to gender discrimination in Korean Confucian society. Initially, women characters were acted by male actors during the Japanese occupation. Undoubtedly the actors who played the role of women were as pretty as women. Women were not allowed to appear on screen or at a theatre due to gender discrimination.

Li Young-il (1998) states in “The History of Korean Cinema” that women’s liberation in Korea came much later during the decade of 1920s. It was the time when many women’s movements began to sprout all over Korea. As many as 30 women organizations had established which included big names such as Chosun Women’s Education Association, Young Women’s Christian Association, and Young Women’s Buddhist Association, etc. These organizations demanded women’s liberation, improvement in cultural education, and organizational training for women.

Under these political circumstances, the Korean film industry also underwent some changes. In the past women, characters were played by men. Some prominent actors in this regard include Go Soo-Cheol, Choi Yeo-han, and Lee Eung Soo. In 1923 Korean film industry made history by introducing for the first time a female actress, Lee Wol-hwa, in a movie titled “Plighted Love under the Moon”. Some critics claim that Ma Ho-Jeong was the first Korean actress who made her appearance in 1920 in Japanese propaganda films. Lee Wol-hwa captivated the audience with her beauty. Gina Yu (n.d.) writes that Lee Wol-hwa made it possible for women to appear on screen but only in fictional characters.

Image of women in a Confucian society

Gina Yu (n.d.) gives us a detailed account of the images of women in a Confucian society. Korean movies have portrayed two types of women which are depicted in horror and melodrama genres. The first image is that of a good wife and a wise mother. This image of a woman is dedicated to the practices of traditional Confucianism and chastity. The second image is that of a wicked woman who is a “femme fatale” or a “seductress”. Kyung Hyun Kim (2004) states that due to gender discrimination in society men have always dominated Korean cinema and have always been portrayed as strong protagonists as compared to their female counterparts.

Women as chaste and wise mothers and wives

Gina Yu (n.d.) states that this image has projected women as a victim of cruel Confucian society where they have to lead a silent life. Chastity is a thing that needs to be preserved by the women by all means and to prove it they can even put an end to their lives. The tragic and fettered women were considered to be the characteristics of Korean movies. Li Yong il (1998) states that this state of women is reflected through the 1926 movie called “Arirang”. The movie takes the twist when the protagonist’s sister is molested by her landlord. Another movie “Homeless Angel” was released in 1940. The movie revolves around the theme of a chaste mother, a widow for 20 years who finally decides to adopt a son. The son in order to get his hands on the mother’s property spreads rumors about his mother having an affair with his teacher. The mother eventually commits suicide in order to prove her chastity to the world. In 1949 another movie focusing on women was released. In the movie, a sick mother takes pains to raise her son after the death of her husband. She becomes addicted to anodyne which takes her life. Other movies include “Motherland” (1949), “Wind and Waves” (1949), and “A Journey of Youth” (1949). This theme continued to captivate the audience throughout the history of Korean movies. Actress Kang Su-youn (1999) once said in her interview “Women have gone through so much pain in our history that they make good melodrama figures.” Talking about her character in “Aje, Aje Para Aje,” (1989) she says:

“My character is raped and then marries the man who raped her. Of course from a feminist point of view, it’s kind of shocking, but it’s a Buddhist film that you must view from a religious perspective. It’s a film about the Buddhist concept of the “small vehicle.” The character expresses self-sacrifice through the sacrifice of her own body: she sacrifices her body to save other people. In the film, you also see monks that look very virtuous and clean. On the other hand, my character may look sordid, but through her life and the things she experiences, the people that she meets – in her own way she reaches a better understanding of Buddhism… and goes “higher and higher.”

Kang Su-Youn’s character in the above-mentioned movie is a clear reflection of the state in which many Korean women are trapped.

Continuing with this theme Gina Yu (n.d.) states that “Spinning the tales of Cruelty towards Women” was released in 1983. In this movie, the life of women under the strict patriarchal society of the Chosun era has been highlighted. Another movie “Hanging Tree” (1984) describes the Chosun belief of women’s sole aim is to give birth to a son and then surrendering themselves as objects to male comfort has been brought forward. Another movie “Surrogate Woman” (1986) highlights the lives of women sacrificed due to gender discrimination in the Chosun era.

The theme of chaste women is also highlighted in “Mother and a Guest” (1961). An all-time hit movie “Love me once Again” was released in 1969. The movie focuses on the Confucian belief of chaste love being the sole characteristic of women which allows men to flirt with others. Thus the unmarried mothers have to face all the problems related to such relationships.

Another image of Korean women was brought forward in the 1980s by movie directors. As opposed to the portrayal of chaste women serving the family, movies like “Madame Freedom” describe women who want to liberate themselves from domestic duties. The movie is about a professor’s wife who indulges in dancing which had been widely accepted among Koreans as the American point of liberal women. The success of this movie led to the making of other movies on a similar theme such as “The Aema Woman” (1982). The movie presented another image of Korean women: married upper-class women, who wanted to be economically independent, shun away the responsibilities of married life and motherhood and escape from the clutches of authoritarian but sexually impotent husbands. However, the movies also highlight the tragic end of such women. The image of a new Korean woman was brought forward only after the 1980s. Movies such as “A Pillar of Mist” (1986), “A Woman on the Verge” (1987), “Only because you are a Woman” (1990), “An Affair” (1998), “Ardor” (2002), “A Good Lawyer’s Wife” (2003) and “Green Chair” (2004) are prominent examples of this theme. Kyung Hyun Kim (2004) writes in his book “The Remasculinization of Korean Cinema” that the golden age of Korean cinema, from the mid-1950s till the beginning of the 1970s saw freedom of expression in many movies. A dilemma faced by the women between the traditional values and the modern ones was highlighted in the movies. Negligence to perform domestic duties was focused through a crying child in “Madame Freedom”.

The other extreme image of women is depicted through the movies of Kim Ki-Young. Movies such as “The Housemaid”, “The Insect Woman”, “The Woman of Fire” and “Carnivorous Animal” portray women who exploit men sexually and destroy their families by seducing them. The portrayal of a Woman’s body as an object of Sexual Desire:

Gina Yu (n.d.) states that the harsh era of military government’s censorship led to the rise of many so-called “hostess films”. The rapid industrialization and growth of urban entertainment forced many poor women to adopt factory labor or prostitution for their survival. Prominent movies in this category include “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” (1974), “Yeong-ja’s Heyday” (1975), “Winter Woman” (1977), and “Miss O’s Apartment” (1978). These movies highlight the plight of poor women who had come to Seoul to make both ends meet but eventually become victims of prostitution and male sexual desire. In 1979 many movies were released with the word “woman” in their title. These included “The Woman who leaves work in the Morning”, “Flower Woman”, “The Woman who Stole the Sun”, “A Woman who Draws Cranes” and “The Woman on the Ferris Wheel”. Li Young-il brought forward many social injustices related to women in the movie “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars”. Women in their 20s worked in the beer halls where they were not allowed to sit during working hours. This fact was brought forward in the movie during the conversation between Kyung-a and Mun-ho.

This theme was further strengthened with a more realistic approach towards the subject in the 1980s. It was the time when more freedom of expression was allowed. The theme of prostitution was brought forward in movies such as “Ticket” (1986), “Prostitution” (1988), and “Downfall” (1997). The movies highlighted the plight of prostitutes from a humanistic point. However, as Gina Yu (n.d.) states that it is believed that the movies did not highlight the views of women on prostitution.

1990 onwards focused on more serious issues faced by Korean women. A movie titled “Only because you are a Woman” highlighted the plight of a woman living in a gender discriminating society. The movie is about a woman sexually assaulted again becoming a victim in a patriarchal court. Other movies such as “Blue in You” (1992) and “A Pillar of Mist” discuss the theme of superwoman in Korean society disapproves a woman trying to balance job and married life simultaneously. “A Hot Roof” (1995) is a social satire about battered and oppressed women in Korean society.

The decade of the 1990s opened up the possibilities of the success of concept movies. This was evident through the success of the romantic comedy “Marriage Story” released in 1992. During this decade more women entered the public sphere and many held jobs that were at par with men’s jobs. This liberation led many directors to make romantic comedies which played an important role in minimizing the image of women as tragic beings. Women were presented as confident and cheerful beings having their own jobs to support themselves. The movie directors gave different roles to women depicting different jobs such as the lyric writer in “Dr. Bong” (1995), the office worker in “The Man with Breasts” (1993), and the movie producer in “How to top my Wife” (1994). Despite the liberation of women shown in these movies, all women characters focus on marriage which shows the influence of Korean beliefs deep-rooted in the society. Another movie “Art Museum by the Zoo” (1998) brings forward the character of a woman in a more realistic manner.

As already mentioned above the theme of women escaping from domestic duties has been greatly utilized by the scriptwriters. A more realistic approach was given to this theme in the late 1990s in the movies such as “Girls’ Night Out” and “An Affair” which was released in 1998. Both movies depicted women free from the obsession with chastity. Two more movies “Ardor” and “A Good Lawyer’s Wife” discuss women who flee from their domestic and married responsibilities. A more realistic approach is adopted towards the subject with the women characters not being punished in the end. These movies successfully portray the characters of women leading happy and independent life. “Happy End” (1999) is another movie that shows a married woman having a job and financial power leading a happy life. This is probably a reflection of a change in Korean thought regarding gender roles. Kang Su-youn (1999) stated in her interview that:

“families’ preference for boys over girls is still a very deep-rooted and actual issue today – it’s like a religion”.

“Mayonnaise” (1999) broke the traditional image of sacrifice and endurance associated with motherhood. Horror movies based on the theme of motherhood mythology and established women became popular in the past 20 years. Some prominent names in this category include “Whispering Corridors Series” (1998-2005), “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003), and “The Uninvited” (2003). The movies are a reflection of realistic and complex women.

The revival of Korean movies has laid emphasis on brotherly love. Women have played minor roles in movies like “Swiri” (1999), “Joint Security Area” (2000), “Friend” (2001), “Silmido” (2003), and “Tae-guk-gi” (2004). In many art movies which have been directed by directors representing Korea in international film festivals, women have been portrayed as weak and victimized characters and as objects of fantasy. These include movies like “Virgin Stripped bare by her bachelors” (2000), “Woman is the Future of Man” (2004), “A Tale of Cinema” (2005), “Bad Guy” (2002), and “3 Iron” (2004). Women have played the characters of victims probably because the patriarchal order is still strong in Korea and the society still views women as an object to please men.

Talking about the present condition of Korean women Actress Kang Su-youn (1999) stated:

“I think that people in Korea are still very conservative toward women, especially toward actresses because our life is known publicly. Today the younger generation is changing in terms of attitude and mentality. Still, it’s very difficult to exist socially if you are not married. Even though I’m an actress, I also live in this society. I’m in the same situation as many young women who are working in Korea in this period of transition. And like all these women, I can change things by doing the best work I can”.

In the twenty-first century, women are still scant in quantity as well as in the quality of work. Perhaps a more liberal approach is needed to give equality to women in all fields of life.

References

Deuchler,M. “Propagating Female Virtues in Choson Korea”, in Dorothy Ko’s Women and Confucian Cultures in Premodern China, Japan and Korea, (2003). University of California Press. Pg. 143-154.

Gombeaud, A. “Kang Su-Yuon: An Interview”, Koreanfilm.org, (1999). 2008. Web.

Kim, K.H. “The Remasculinization of Korean Cinema”, (2004). Duke University Press. Pg. 233-259.

Young-il, L. “The History of Korean Cinema”, Korean Studies Series no. 12, Jimoondang Publishing Company. (1998). Pg.67-75.

Yu, G. “Images of Women in Korean Movies”, Introduction to Korean Film, (n.d.). Pg. 261-268. 2008. Web.

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