Hell Joseon (헬조선) Undead Apocalypse

K-Pop has become popular around the world. However, the reality of Korea is not that positive. Culturally, they have a rich history, but North Korea is still ruled by a dictator and is not a place to visit. I was born in South Korea and taught at a very well established high school.

It is hard to do well in Korea even if you make a lot of money. Again the people are amazing while the politics are not so great. Zombie cinema is a metaphor of the hardness of Korean life.

KOREAN ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE: RUN FASTER

Run as fast as you can because the Asian Zombie Apocalypse is here! This is your guide to zombie hunting from the East starting with Korea. Enter our demon hunters conservatory. Learn the art of surviving. If you don’t live in Asia and think you are safe, think again. Asians are everywhere.

Welcome to Hell Joseon (헬조선) as named by the youth. The suicide rate in Korea remains one of the highest in the world. Why do young people call their country hell? I myself was born in Korea a long time ago, and I even lived there a year as a teacher.

Call me strange, but I remember the slums. Whenever I visit a city, I will go to the slums. This is perhaps not the smartest thing to do. I am still alive. The slums look the same everywhere. They are not pretty, and you don’t want to visit them. However, many call such places home.

In Seoul Station (2016), the class system screams out as one of the main features of that animation about zombies. Be sure to see the sequel of sorts: Train to Busan (2016).

If you want to understand today’s class system of Korea, you need to go back into the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) and look at the caste system back then. Even the current Korean flag looks similar to the royal flag of Joseon.

 

Caste System:

• Yangban (양반),   “upper middle class,” aristocrat, elite, educated.
• Chungi:    “middle people,” jung-in ( 중인), mostly farmers.
• Chonmin, “low born,” nobi (노비) or slaves, serfs; actors, kisaengs (women performers), mudangs (women shamans), prostitutes.

Rampant (2018), a zombie film, is set in the Joseon Dynasty. One thing that you notice in the film is the power that the Neo-Confucianists had over the ruling class. Buddhism was the powerful religion of control in Korea. This new form of Confucianism would overtake Korea and push Buddhism out of power.

Neo-Confucianism became the dominate religion. Those who ruled did so by divine right. Sound familiar? Europe had a similar version of this. The common people, slaves, and farmers found themselves ruled by the elite.

Thus, the hierarchy could not be questioned. Not much has changed as the zombie quest for brain food intensifies!

Stay safe. Think before you lose your brain. If you think America is different, study Joseon Dynasty. There might be a reason Korean history is not taught in America. You will be surprised by the many similarities between a feudal Asian land and a postmodern American land. I have lived in both lands. Search and find out!

Our prisons are overflowing as we imprison more people than any other Western world. Oklahoma has more people in prison per capita than other any place in the world. More than North Korea! Number one! Hell Joseon (헬조선)!

People go bankrupt and homeless because a loved one becomes terminally ill. Indeed, homelessness is growing. Just go to places like Hawaii and see the tents in their slums. I did. Women still don’t get equal pay for equal work. We still don’t treat veterans well when they return from wars. Some are in those tents. Hell Joseon (헬조선)!

Poverty is strong here. The worst December since the depression on Wall Street? Its Wall between the classes has been here a long time. We don’t need another wall. Hell Joseon (헬조선)!

Recall when we burned down the Black Wall Street in 1921 as the zombies attacked minority businesses in Tulsa. Hell Joseon (헬조선)! Research and you will see parallels. I DARE YOU TO READ!

Peace, plenty, and PROTECT YOUR BRAIN.

• What else about Joseon Dynasty affected the current problems in Korea?
• How is the West similar to the East?

–Doc Demon Hunter Nirvana

AKA Dr. Wayne Stein