• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.28
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• pp.17-36
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• 2012

This essay places the South Korean film Thirst (2009) within Park Chan-wook's oeuvre as a filmmaker notorious for graphic depictions of violence and revenge. Park's use of dark humour in his films, which is emphasized in Thirst perhaps more than ever, allows for a more self-aware depiction of violence, where both the viewer and the protagonist are awakened to the futility of revenge. This ultimately paints his characters as fascinatingly crazy - simultaneously heroes, villains, and victims. Film theorist Wes D. Gehring's three themes of dark humour ('man as beast,' 'the absurdity of the world,' and 'the omnipresence of death') become most obvious in Park's most recent film, which pays closer attention to character development through narrative detail. Rather than portraying the characters as sentimental, dark humour depicts their misfortunes in an alternative way, allowing for consideration of such taboo subjects as religion, adultery, and death/suicide. These issues are further tackled through Thirst's portrayal of its vampire protagonist, which ultimately de-mystifies the traditional vampire figure. While this character has more often been associated with romance, exoticism and the mystical powers of the supernatural, Thirst takes relatively little from the demons of Nosferatu (Murnau, 1922) and various other Dracula adaptations, nor the romantic figures of Interview with the Vampire (Jordan, 1994), and Twilight (Hardwicke, 2008). Instead, it is part of a much smaller group of contemporary vampire films, which are rather informed by a postmodern reconfiguration of the monster. Thus, this paper examines Thirst as an important contribution to the global and hybrid nature of those films in which postmodern vampires are sympathetic and de-mystified, exhibiting symptoms stemming from a natural illness or misfortune. Park's undertaking of a vampire film allows for a complex balance between narrative and visuals through his focus on the Western implications of this myth within Korean cinema. This combination of international references and traditional Korean culture marks it as highly conscious of New Korean Cinema's focus on globalization. With Thirst, Park successfully unites familiar images of the vampire hunting and feeding, with more stylistically distinct, grotesque images of violence and revenge. In this sense, dark humour highlights the less charming aspects of the vampire struggling to survive, most effective in scenes depicting the protagonist feeding from his friend's IV in the hospital, and sitting in the sunlight, slowly turning to ash, in the final minutes of the film. The international appeal of Park's style, combining conventions of the horror/thriller genre with his own mixture of dark humour and non-linear narrative, is epitomized in Thirst, which underscores South Korea's growing global interest with its overt international framework. Furthermore, he portrayal of the vampire as a sympathetic figure allows for a shift away from the conventional focus on myth and the exotic, toward a renewed construction of the vampire in terms of its contribution to generic hybridization and cultural adaptation.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.38
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• pp.89-113
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• 2015

This paper explores the work of mourning of 9/11 in the United States, focusing on the project of building the National September 11 Memorial managed by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation(LMDC) and the War on Terror declared by the George W. Bush administration in the wake of 9/11. This paper first looks at the project of building the Natioanl September 11 Memorial and considers what was at stake in achieving this project. It also examines the limitations of the project. This paper argues that, in spite of the efforts to mourn the victims in significant and meaningful ways, the work of mourning in the memorial project fails at least in two respects. First, the memorial project "began so soon" right after 9/11 that the victims' families were not given enough time to mourn their loved ones. Second, the project were permeated with American nationalism and patriotism, which made the 316 non-American victims of 9/11 invisible and forgotten. Then, it goes on to examine the War on Terror because the War on Terror epitomized the failure of mourning due to these causes. In his address to the nation delivered on the very day of 9/11, President George W. Bush stated that "America was targeted for the attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world" and that the terrorists failed to threaten America into chaos. He also stated that America is in "the war against terrorism." These statements were a futile reassertion of the illusion of American invulnerability and a prohibition of mourning in favor of violent military responses to 9/11. American nationalism also underlies Bush's official naming of September 11 as "Patriot Day." The victims were sacrificed because they were at the site when terrorists attacked, which implies that their death had nothing to do with American patriotism. Naming September 11 as Patriot Day was an act of imbuing the absurdity of the victims' death with a false meaning and an act of forgetting the non-American victims. The failure of the work of mourning of 9/11 consisted in the inability to recognize human vulnerability and interdependence and the inability to mourn not only American victims but also non-American victims killed in 9/11 and the War on Terror. A meaningful and significant mourning could be possible when we realizes that all human beings are exposed to one another and their lives are interdependent on one another. September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows well demonstrated this kind of mourning. When most Americans supported violent retaliations, Peaceful Tomorrows made pleas for nonviolent responses to 9/11. Turning their grief into action for peace, its members work "to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone," not only for Americans. Their effort to mourn in meaningful and nonviolent ways delivers the message that a disaster like 9/11 should not happen anywhere.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.432-438
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• 2021

This dissertation's object is to confirm the drastic popularity of La Peste of Albert Camus in Korea post-corona society using big data as the mean of inductive research. Analyzing news articles concerning Camus and investigating word frequency of the book La Peste will affirm the implications La Peste has on current Korea society as the outbreak spreads. As an analysis tool, Bigkinds of Korea Press Foundation and Nuagedemots, the French version of Word Cloud were used. For the past 30 years, Albert Camus has been known in Korea as the writer of L'étranger, but after the epidemic, he earned more reputation with La Peste. Compared to L'étranger that rebelled against the world's absurdity with ennui, La peste emphasizes the importance of resistance accompanied by solidarity. La peste conveys hope by depicting disastrous situations of citizens who confront the plague by organizing a health college. The novel delivers a lot of ethical inspiration to humanity in this exceptional circumstance of COVID-19.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.70
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• pp.157-183
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• 2018

Mokjae Lee Samhwan's "MaengHoEum" is the three poems of the Chinese quatrain of 5word 7poetry created according to the previous age. This poem is distinguished from the poem of the general "MaengHoHaeng" series because of it was created in the form of modern-style poetry of series, not a poetry of 5word or 7word or length phrase in a poem. The "MaengHoEum" of MokJae seems to have been built around 1801year when he was 73 years old. Therefore, his "MaengHoEum" can be called an allegory poetry or a society poetry and his poetry can be said that it was created under the criticism of the corrupt political power of the contemporary society, and the 'fierce tiger' which appeared in his poem refers to the factions of Noron Byek line which was the ruling power at that time. However, if you look at the "MaengHoEum" of MokJae, you will see a criticism of the real world, but the feeling is not intense or the description is not concrete. Although his poetry depicts the absurdity of the present reality, but he does not show positive criticism of reality or strong resistance. This characteristic, which can be seen in his poem "MaengHoEum", is the result of the study he pursued for the his life and is thought to be due to the weight of reality. The contradictions of the time of the Mokjae were never silent to him, but on the other hand he could not reveal his own struggle on the surface of the poem. Between his descendants, influenced by his actions, and the stinging gaze watching him, he had no choice but to end his feelings internally.

• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.315-347
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• 2019

(1986) and (1987) represent the society of 1980s in which the professional baseball game was initiated to cover the irrational military culture. The love and marriage of sports players were the headlines of the media, and the yearly salary of the players was the hottest issue of conversation. The military culture is represented in the scenes where the coaches train the failures and inapt players in extreme drills. The films pinpoint the absurdity of military culture and win-at-all-costs mentality. The collapse of the dictatorial leadership at the end of the films is a metaphor for the collapse of the fifth Republic of Korea. The episodes where the players talk about contract money, and the trade of players and sports business were a new phenomenon of the 1980's. The fact that Oh Hyesung of chooses love instead of victory deals a big blow to the secular ambition for money, victory and dictatorial leadership. His option provides catharsis for an audience oppressed under military leadership and success driven ideology. On the other hand, Oh Hyesung of dies right at the moment of winning the world champion. He achieves neither love nor success. While Oh Hyesung of is a symbol of pure love and gives spiritual comfort to the audience, Oh Hyesung of gives a sense of hopelessness to the audience. Both of the two sports films reflect the representation of the 1980's but received opposing reviews from audiences.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.44
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• pp.143-161
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• 2016

This study was conducted focusing on the role of auteurism animation. The purpose of auteurism animation is to criticize irregularities of a society in witty and fierce way through satires from the sharp perspectives of a animator that is not bound by tastes of people or the interests or standpoints of specific groups, and thus to induce positive changes in a society as a purifier. In the context, this study investigated satires shown in by Jan Svankmajer and by Norman Mclaren among the animators who utilize animation as a tool to produce social meaning. As a result, the following characteristics and meanings were found. First, Dimensions of Dialogue is an animation that satires absurdity and irregularities of a human society in symbolic and exceptional way through directing by segmentations of images and omnibus structures. The satire carries the lesson of improvement in the hidden part of cynical attack to history, society, and human beings. It also maximizes absolute reality and engagement of images of Jan Svankmajer through unique and grotesque images of the animator such as alienated world, confusing shapes, and amusement of irregularities. Second, the movie, is an exemplary animation that applied core concept of animation through pixilation techniques based on an event story structure by causal relationship. It satires the changing process of a good man to violent madness through confrontation and conflicts for material desires, with exaggerated slipstick movements and humors as a black comedy. The satire methods of both animation works are delivered through unique image styles and symbolic wordage of the animators who triggered ironical laughter in attacking humanism and moral insensitivity that might be felt seriously otherwise. That is, the animators try to show the positive will for changing the society to a sound one through the form of negativity in terms of moral perspective in animation rather than destruction against the target. As such, the satires in both works worked as an auteurism allegory that maximizes social functions and artistic influence of animation.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.47
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• pp.191-216
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• 2017

Among 20th century Western ideologies (Western civilization), existentialism is a spirit of the times to restore humanity as rationality and advanced technology have driven mankind to impoverishment and death, experiencing the First and Second World War, Great Depression, Fascism and the Spanish Civil War. In his literature, $Andr{\acute{e}}$ Malraux records his existential agony of how mankind lives and faces death by questioning the fateful life and death of characters. For Malraux's characters, the absurdity of existence related to the human identity means self-examination. Malraux explores existential consciousness and actions of characters in the presence of a concept known as death relative to terror, revolution, and adventure. Malraux deftly addresses the concept of death in his literary works, and it has being emphasized as a central subject for philosophical speculation. In Les $Conqu{\acute{e}}rants$(1928), La Voie Royale(1930), La Condition Humaine (1933), L'Espoir(1937), Malraux suggested a philosophical thesis of the meaning of life through characters in tragic situations, and sought out the consciousness of being and the existential meaning through how the characters control their fate. Malraux, in such a tragic perspective of the world, portrays humanity, affirmation of life, and characters' consciousness and actions in denying death. The agony of death triggers escapist behavior such as having unpredictable instinctual desires such as gambling or smoking opium, but these are desperate struggles to flee from frustration and related to the question of one's existence. What is always emphasized with respect to Malraux's existentialism is the tragic metaphysics of the inevitable destiny of the human condition eventually leading to the question of how humans ultimately confront death. But as characters unite in times of war, revolution and adventure in the novel, such cooperative actions symbolizes a keen sense of solidarity reflecting a camaraderie that transcends individualism. Fellowship among people who voluntarily gather for the common cause of philanthropy and restoring humanity is possible because of the underlying human greatness to sacrifice for such a noble cause. Therefore, Malraux's camaraderie includes the victory of existentialism in creating a world of humanism.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• no.123
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• pp.137-185
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• 2018

This article aims to deconstruct the mechanism of male domination that constantly reproduces the hegemonic class of men. In order to overcome misogyny, we should no longer deny the ontological dimension of the reality of women's oppressions and the pre-eminence of the material condition of women's existence. In addition, the possibility of the category of women as a modality of resistance should be taken into consideration. First, I will highlight the correlation between penis and phallus according to which the phallus refers to the penis which is malleable and fragile and which disappears without being castrated by the external factor. From here we could deduce the fragility and imperfection, the non-absoluteness of the phallic order. Secondly, I will analyze the mechanism of penis-narcissism, which is the modality of the constitution of the individual identity of man. The penis is not only a physiological organ, but a site of self-estimation and the validity of the succession of power and authority of the father's law. With this penis-narcissism, man is constituted as a hegemonic body that can let itself go without worrying about the reactions of others. Thirdly, I will focus on the mechanism of the penis-cartel which is the modality of the formation of the collective identity. The penis-cartel is reinforced by the mutual affirmation of the superiority of men among themselves, but also by the permission and the tacit agreement of their absurdity and lack of rationality and corruption. Because the privilege of men is not monopolized by a small part of the elite, but is consciously and unconsciously shared by all men who are part of the hegemonic and collective category. In order to deconstruct the penis-narcissism and the penis-cartel, it is necessary to demonstrate that the penis is not a self-sufficient body, nor a closed and impermeable body, but that it is a porous body where the organ serves both ejaculation and urinary ejection. The penis is a porous body that is at once the site of sublimity and degradation, purity and impurity. In addition, the penis is no longer an all-powerful and aggressive organ, but it is a malleable and fluid flesh that constantly changes its shape. Linked to a phallus-organ that is the notion of Jacques-Alain Miller, it is a site of deficiency and vulnerability that is not the axis of the penis-cartel. It is through the notion of the double porosity of the penis and the phenomenology of the flesh of the penis, I try to provide the modality of undoing the reproductive mechanism of predatory masculinity. Because this would be an effective strategy to overcome misogyny.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.69
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• pp.179-204
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• 2017

Hojil(虎叱) and Yangbanjeon(兩班傳) reveal the characteristic styles of Park Jiwon(朴趾源)'s writing, which is combining styles of unofficial history/biography(外傳) and allegory(寓言), and full of the senses of satire and humour which form another characteristc of his writing style or tone. This paper reexamines narrative styles, meaning structures and themes of these two works which combine the styles of unofficial history/biography and allegory, and researches methods and techniques of allegory and satire which presents the subversive and critical themes and thoughts of the author. In Hojil, combining of the two styles, the author constructs the narrative world and plot, manipulates allegoric figures to symbolize and present multilayered meaning, and criticize the decadence of confucian aristocracy [Sadaebu: 士大夫] and it's abuses. In Yangbanjeon by combining of two styles, the author weave a biography of Yangban(兩班) in general, which presents the attributes and historical position of the Yangban class. And by the nonsensical fictional event which caricatures crisis of the Yangban class, and tedious description of the manners and behaviors of the Yangban, the author and satires the snobbery of the Yangban and the absurdity of their classical privileges. As he did in Hojil, the author urges the self-examination of the reader raising a question about the position and the function or duty of the Yangban class in the changing world. And the various skills of satire together with the irony, paradox, parody and pun were used dexterously in above two works.