Peppermint Candy and the Politics of Difference - Essay Example

Task: Peppermint Candy Dictatorship between 1979 to late 1990s in Korea clearly comes out in the movie Peppermint. During this period, the public became increasingly agitated towards the dictatorship leadership that affected the country. Democratic desires gave way to selfless individuals ready to fight for progress in attempt to institute democratic structures. These would serve as the country’s new leadership structure. Discriminative power sharing system and uneven economical growth facilitated the Gwangju Uprising that sought to transform the country from dictatorial rule to open democracy (Soyoung 62). The events of the movie coincide with the actual events in the history books. Yeong-Ho, an emergency military member fights the uprising as a soldier. He serves the dictatorial government and tends to uphold the orthodox practice of dictatorship. Yeong-Ho kills a schoolchild. In the real world, the dictatorial military fought against the uprising. This led to mass murder and accidental deaths of innocent bystanders in the same time span depicted by the movie. Historiography as evident in Peppermint Candy serves a crucial role in the society by highlighting the concepts of consciousness and mind. Organizations, governments, individuals and families can understand the motivation behind specific actions by gathering mental experiences within a given time in a process known as consciousness. Additionally, as one studies the mind of an individual, it becomes simple to determine the reasons behind specific actions especially dictatorship. Yeong-Ho tortures the uprising captives. The captives are in bad shape as seen in their health. The national historic attack of 1980 where the dictatorial government deployed more than 20,000 troops in Gwanju, documents that many people died, others survived with severe physical or mental impairments while others permanently separated with their family members. The unsettled conscience of Yeong Ho as he transforms from innocence to brutality is clear. However, the perpetrator indicates the universal struggles of South Korean citizens at the time of the dictatorial rule and subsequent attacks (Soyoung 63). Peppermint Candy story begins in 1970. In this year, Soyoung Yeong-Ho emerges as the main character to join the military system of the land. Prior to this period, people were mostly peaceful though there were other earlier uprisings. This accurately depicts that the countries were calm before the Gwanju uprising gained momentum and the country fell into internal wars and massacre of its own citizens. The movie properly describes the dictatorial ideologies and structures employed by the existing government. The claims of upholding anti-communism ideas allowed the dictatorial military to perpetrate their unjustified and inhumane attack on citizens. According to history, after the Korean War, South Korea marked North Korea as its enemy due to its communist ideas. The south forged a National Security Law to foster national security. However, this served to provide a platform for the dictatorial government to classify various social groups that poses threats such as labor societies and advocators of democracy. It is evident that enemies of the state experienced imprisonment, detention, torture and death. The movie portrays this fact because the raids were not secretive and soldiers were not worried about their actions because the National Security Law protected them. Soyoung Yeong-Ho takes the audience through the military brutal operations because he is a perpetrator himself. According to Soyoung (63) while the movie describes the period as time of “ice war”, cold war was taking place. The world’s cold war was characterized by economic race. This was a period of financial crises across parts of Europe that reflected on Asian countries. Korea hit its highest peak of financial trouble in 1997, six years after the USA’s cold war allegedly ends. The timelines in the movie coincide with the actual IMF crises that befell the country after the cold war. Additional aspects that affected the country include globalization and modernization. The culmination of the movie does not indicate a good end for the country. Yeong-Ho struggles to make a living by venturing into business. It is notable that by this time the cold war in the United States has ended. It is worth mentioning that improved economical sustenance characterize post-cold war period globally. Nevertheless, Yeong.-Ho financial status does not improve making him commit suicide. This portrays that the disarray in the country persists despite the end of cold war. Significant numbers of people have lost their lives while many others have lost family members or health. The country has lost important revolutionaries and leadership experts. In as much as the global cold war is over, South Korea still experiences prolonged cold war. The national history of South Korea registers numerous individuals attempting to find their loved ones through television programs and other means. In the end, the country is in a healing process with little progress to show for it. Apart from globalization and democracy institution, the rest is not appreciated because the population still weeps under stressful reality of its great losses and division of ideologies. The time depicted in the film presents a session when South Korean subjects experienced discrimination. The mood within the movie seems to portray modernity in a negative manner. People were forced to belief in the dictatorial rule. This became possible by the fact that dictatorial rule was not changed. As seen before, any attempt met brutality and inhumane treatment. It is worth mentioning that globalization broadened people’s perspective, freedom and sense of democracy. Prior to that, people followed blindly because leadership that was not suited for progress (Kim 66). Male subjectivity is also clear in the film because women are not mentioned in power or senior positions. For instance, during Yeong-Ho’s recruitment to the military, there are no women serving in senior positions or otherwise. This absence indicates that the culture at the time women did not allow women to influence social, political or economical matters. Consequently, no power rested with them. According to South Korea history, men were subjective and narcissists. The power structure mostly featured men (Soyoung 66). The film further portrays organization of the community in the past. Though the film centers mostly on Yeong-Ho and his commanding chain’s brutality, the unspoken struggles of those seeking democracy is noticeable. The rebellion was able to organize and stand up against the dictatorial government. Works Cited Soyoung, Kim. "Contemporary Korean Cinema: Industry, Art, and Ideology - Do Not Include Me in Your "us": Peppermint Candy and the Politics of Difference." Korea Journal. 46.1 (2006): 60. Print Read More