• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.51-63
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• 2020

This study analyzed newspaper reports in the United States and South Korea that focused on Parasite's unprecedented performance at the 2020 Academy Awards. The research focused on the power relationship between 'the established and the outsiders (Elias & Scotson, 1994)' as represented by the Academy Awards and Parasite, respectively. Qualitative content analysis and text analysis were conducted to examine the reporting of American and South Korean newspapers and illuminate three aspects of the power relations between the Academy Awards and Parasite. Three major findings were derived. First, the Academy traditionally has a reputation for marginalizing films with a non-English or Asian background, but recognition of Parasite at the 92nd ceremony changed the Academy's established position of power. Second, historically, the Academy Awards had been characterized by a group charisma that exerts stigmatization (through an English-oriented policy and language stigmatization) and accords North American films priority over non-English movies. Lastly, the reports of newspapers in the two countries are generally similar, but the Korean articles internalized the individual, society, and the state.