[Korean Movie] "The Host" (2006) and the MERS virus in S. Korea (2015)

오후 12:53 snowflake 1 Comments


This is a movie poster of the Korean film, "The Host (2006)" by one of my favorite movie directors, Bong Joon-ho. He is well-known to the Western viewers because of his recent film "Snowpiercer (2013)," in which famous international movie stars such as Chris Evans, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, Jamie Bell and others acted. However, in Korea, his old films such as "The Host (2006)," "Mother (2009)" and "Memories of Murder (2003)" are much more loved because they grasp the essence of the unique culture of the modern Korean society and show it well in the utterly bittersweet yet comical, sarcastic but warm ways. 
(Official trailer of "the Host")

The Host is a sort of monster movie but not a typical monster movie. One day in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, a huge monster suddenly appears in the Han River. This monster causes chaos and kills people. People in Seoul are frightened by the monster but the incapable government and police can't solve the situation. Rather, they even create more fear to the citizens. During a mass funeral for the victims of the monster, government representatives and the American military arrive and forcefully quarantine all those who have been in direct contact with the monster. The Korean government announces that the monster is the host of a deadly, unknown virus, therefore they should quarantine the affected citizens. During this process, the citizens are mistreated like a virus itself and accused as the potential threat to others' health. 

(Plot found in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_(2006_film) 

Sadly, it's not just a plot of the old movie. It is happening now in South Korea. 

(Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/mers-virus-outbreak-who-south-korean-experts-call-for-schools-to-be-reopened-1.3107300)

 Now, the biggest concern of everybody in South Korea is the outbreak of the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus. The MERS is a type of corona-virus which causes respiratory infections and camels are suspected to be the primary source of infections for humans (Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32919416). There is no known cure or vaccine for this virus. The most scary thing is that, in Saudi Arabia, the mortality rate from the MERS is 41% according to the last year's data. The outbreak of the MERS in South Korea is a big issue in the world since it is the first time MERS has caused a big outbreak outside of Saudi Arabia. 

 In May, a 68-year-old businessman who had been traveling throughout the Middle East returned to Seoul and developed the MERS symptoms. He visited several hospitals several times but no one suspected that he might have the MERS, except for one doctor who had read an journal article about the MERS. So, the doctor and the patient's family asked for the MERS testing several times to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) but the KCDC refused their request because there had been no previous case of the MERS in the country. As a result, the initial patient had not been diagnosed for weeks and he was diagnosed with the virus only on May 20th. He was the superspreader and as of June 19th, 2015, 24 were dead, 166 are diagnosed, 5,930 are quarantined because of the MERS in South Korea. The current situation started with only one person, but became severe due to the surprisingly unorganized system and irresponsible people in the government and hospitals.
(Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/06/world/asia/south-korea-mers-virus-st-marys-hospital.html)

 Many people say that the current situation is remarkably similar with the situation in the movie,'The Host.' It is very sad and heartbreaking that, although time has passed, not many things are changed in the Korean society. Rather, I can say that it became worse in many aspects.

 BTW, do you know how the monster was created in the movie? It's created by the incident that the US military camp in Seoul dumped over 200 bottles of toxic chemicals down a drain leading into the Han River. It is based on a real story. In 2000, US military camp in Yongsan dumped over 20 boxes of formaldehyde down a drain leading into the Han river, but no one was punished. 
(Source: http://jurgenfauth.com/2006/10/05/the-host/)

 While the whole nation is concerned about the MERS virus, one shocking incident is forgotten. Recently, a U.S. military laboratory in Utah sent samples of live anthrax spores to the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, just south of Seoul, as well as military and commercial laboratories in nine U.S. states by accident. The deadly biological agent was supposed to be killed before being distributed for research. In the U.S. military base in South Korea, some 22 civilian and military personnel “may have been exposed (to the bacteria). US Defense Secretary, Ashton Carter apologized for the wrongful shipment of a live anthrax sample to the US military base in South Korea, but it is still questionable, "why did they send the anthrax sample to South Korea?" Although the US Defense Department explained that the sample was meant to "defend the Korean people by testing currently fielded equipment and new systems that could better identify toxins and pathogens in the environment,” I don't know up to which level we should allow the US military to test their weapons by potentially harming the Korean people's health. 

 (Source: http://www.koreaobserver.com/u-s-apologizes-for-wrong-anthrax-shipment-to-south-korea-29395/)

 I've been thinking about this issue for weeks and hesitant to write about it on my blog because it 's hard to explain it in a simple way. There are so many social and cultural issues involved in the current MERS outbreak.  However, I just can't be silent when people are suffered from the virus and others' judgment. I just can't stand the stupidity of the social system which is of no use in preventing the same tragic event from happening again and again. Hope the outbreak of the MERS will disappear soon in South Korea and we can learn a lesson from this situation. 

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  1. 익명2022년 1월 30일 오후 11:25

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