How Revenge is Used in Korean Thrillers | Video Essay 

What is your favorite South Korean tale of vengeance? Here is a list of thrillers you might be interested in watching: boxd.it/4GfU0

Steven Yeun: Finally got casted in a legit South Korean film. I can get a character with a Korean name. I can finally break away from Glenn. *gets named Ben*

Burning is a masterclass of ambiguity

Just for the information of everybody, the serial killer mentioned in Memories of a Murder is Lee Choon-Jae, he is in prison right now but not because of his serial murders. He killed his sister-in-law and that was why he wasn't caught. But what I want to share is not about him but about Yoo Sang-Yeo. Yoo Sang-yeo was a man who had a problem with his leg since he was a child and he was exempted from the Compulsory Military Enlistment. Thus, he was stigmatized and he was essentially very much isolated from everyone else. He wasn't in a relationship and was even afraid to approach women. But, one day, he was arrested and interrogated because he was a suspect in the serial killings in Hwaseong. The police kept him in the station for three days, (Police whom, at the time, were known to waterboard suspects with spicy soup to get them to confess, even though they had no evidence against them) and the police emerged with a confession and the supposed killer in handcuffs. Sang-yeo was not in good condition and thought that if he said yes to the police, he would be let go. Years later, Lee Choon-Jae confessed to the 10 murders but cannot be tried because of the statute of limitations but Sang-yeo, although now free, still has the murder of the 8th victim on his record and he is fighting for a re-trial. The police were definitely incompetent at that time because, after the confession of Lee Choon-Jae, men came forward to expose the police for their appalling interrogation procedures. One who won their lawsuit against the police, unfortunately, later committed suicide because of his trauma from his encounter with the said police.

_"There are three things all wise men Fear:_ _the sea in storm, a night with no moon,_ _and the anger of a __-Gentleman-__ Main of Protagonist of a Korean Thriller"_ *-Patrick Rothfuss*

Man. Im seriously impressed how you broke everything down and linked it to “Han.” “Han” and “Jung” are two Korean words that cannot be translated into other languages, but those two are major elements that play an enormous role in many Korean movies and life of Koreans in general. Thank you for bringing this up.

"Revenge is like drinking the poison, and expecting the other person to die." -Buddha

"I Saw The Devil" is my favorite thriller; it's amazing. Cried at the end when I understood what he also understood. "Shes not coming back and what have I done/who have I become?"

*Spider-Man:* He track down a robber who murdered his Uncle Ben and kills him as a revenge, motivated to become a hero. *Every Korean thrillers:* A normal protagonist kills people who takes away his freedom, which his satisfaction of brutality is a result of becoming a villain.

Memories of murder was made by Director Bong Jun-hoo. Serial killers are often known to be proud of their murder and he was sure that the killer would come and remember the 'Memories of murder'. The criminal was never thought to be caught. but last year,2019 people found he was already in prison,for the crime of murdering his sister-in-law. The last victom died in 1991 and because the staue of limitation ran out, he can't be judged for what he has done. Still a bitter end..

This video manifests a lot of nostalgia for me. These Korean thrillers made up a good deal of my film watching during my adolescence. In those days, it was difficult for an American teenager with no money to watch Korean films legitimately, as streaming was in it's infancy, and I couldn't afford to order the dvds. I had to resort to "alternative" means of watching them. I'm not sure why I'd developed a mild Korean film obsession when I was a teen, but I'm glad I did.

This is an excellent observation! Though its quite untranslatable, "Han" is not emotion only felt among Koreans. It's a mixture of frustration, sadness, and resentment accompanied with prolonged and internalized agony.

I saw Burning a couple days ago. It’s one of those films you can’t stop thinking about.

This has to be one of the most beautiful video essays you have done, yet. Congratulations.

As a korean, i think there are 2 main reasons why the police force in korean movies are depicted as such an incompetent and corrupt groups of people. first is, under 36 years of japanese occupation, police force were used as imperial japanese pawn, and after the end of WW2, almost all of the korean high ranking officers who worked for the imperial japan to torture and kidnapp / kill korean fredom fighters were hired as new korean government's police force. almost none of them were charged of their crime two. not long after liberation, military dictatorship began, and police force did what they did best, kidnap/ kill or torture protesters who demand democracy. because of this, there is an underlying tone in korea that police force is just a greedy/ incompetent lap dog of a dictator. and most of the korean movie directors at the age of 50 or above knew, that if you speak ill of the dictator leadership, you will be kidnapped in the middle of the night by uniforms and waterboarded with water that was spiked with red pepper powder. I think this is why most korean revenge movie shows protagonist does not rely on police and try to resolve the issue with their own hands.

The whole concept of serial killers as we know them today is fairly new iirc. Most police forces had no idea on how to deal with such an incident. The idea of strangers killing eachother was totally foreign.

I was waiting for the invocation of HAN. Great video... keep up the good work.

It is interesting that Memoirs of Murder explores the difficulty in dealing with the inescapable melancholia from a protagonist and other films explore it in antagonism or even that the paradigm is contained within individual characters. The difficulty coming to terms with the darker sides of life is something all of us face in different ways and never really come to terms with. It does have it's counterpart in all the miracles we experience, that juxtaposition is not so explored in the revenge movies. They tend to be almost medicinally bleak. Even with resolution or moments of beauty there is no answer or coming to terms or things inevitably go the other way, but that's not really true in reality. We just perpetually forget the answer and struggle to come to terms with realities we face. It's always identifiable, but even similar stories and explorations don't necessarily need to be the same. An exploration of any formula asks that formula to be defied.

When I first watched "I Saw the Devil", that film struck me to the core. I will never forget it in my life.

I think I can relate to that Han feeling. Being Native. I think it's a common trait of people born in the generations after genocide has been committed. And then it continues on through every generation, intergenerational trauma, that's the anthropological term. Because that hurt and anger and feelings of outrage and desire to right the wrongs all combine to create a strong feeling towards the people who committed the genocide. Like there was an American diplomat of Japanese heritage who worked in South Korea. He kept a moustache. The South Koreans strongly disliked him. Then he said it was too hot to wear a mask over the moustache this summer and shaved it. Opinion towards him shifted. He later discovered that he strongly resembled Japanese military officials who invaded and committed genocide against Koreans. It's possible that wasn't even a conscious thought by many Koreans. It's just ingrained into you.

Haruki Murakami’s Burning is a winner.

The Chaser left me feeling gutted. It was the first Korean movie I watched.

I have seen several of these movies, but "The Chaser" is the one that I personally think is best. Its so disgustingly good.

this is why the best revenge is living well. After you beat up your abuser, you feel bad for how the abuser turned you into one of them. if you are not a psychopath ofc

this video is so well done! korean thrillers are some of my favorite movies and you did an awesome job explaining how interesting they are. goosebumps!

Absolutely awesome work. I love South Korean movies and especially this particular niche. You've touched on all the things I love about the genre, keep up the brilliant work!

Haven't watch the video yet, but I've been waiting for an analysis of this phenomenon. You're the man

Good analysis. I loved how you ended this piece talking about the Korean ethos. I came after a RU-vid recommendation but will be staying for more interesting content like this one!

just wanna say guys DON'T STOP MAKING VIDEOS i freakin luv this channel.

I rarely comment of praise but this video essay is very informative and brilliantly thought out. Kudos!

I always love to see this in my sub box, a severly underrated channel keep up the good work guys.

I applaud you for including the sources you use in your description. It makes your videos and critiques far more rounded. Well done.

Your analysis just wrinkled my brain, I love it😍😍

Your video essays are really great... thanks for providing us with such great insight

Why does this only have 6k views? This is an absolute brilliant take on Revenge in Korean movies. It showcases some movies, sums them up in a few sentences and just urges you on to watch them, find out more, know more. Liked, loved and recommended.

So gald to hear someone mention The Man from Nowhere. It's such an great under rated movie.

This was honestly such an amazing video to watch. I personally don't like movies that end in ambiguity/less than perfect endings like I Saw the Devil, but this video really helped me appreciate movies like that in a way I never have before.

great video man, especially liked the music, poignantly underlined the themes of these films well, south korea has made some of the best films of the last 20 years; I hope they continue to do so !

We love the timbre of your voice & the tempo of your speech! Just --- pleasant. ( Awesome writing & editing, too -- goes without saying. ;-] )

As a Korean, and I'd just like to say this channel has some of the best interpretations and explanations of Korean movies, and in fact, not just Korean movies but also film as a medium overall. I think this channel is one of the best on RU-vid and I'm really glad to have found it. Keep up the amazing work!

Revenge is never whole, it poisons and kills your soul. - Don Ramón

The way you cue the spoilers is brilliant. Whenever a video warns about spoilers my first thought is "but for what movie???". Very well done.

Video of such quality deserves WAY more views and recognition.

Who saw YMS's Oldboys comparison study? What a feat that viddy is as well, ey?! I am so glad that both of these channels exist. XO

Forgotten and Broken are others Korean movies about vengeance, they're incredibly psychological and deep. Amazing video.

I am proud to say that i have watched every movie discussed here before even clicking on the video. Nothing short of entertaining and amazing this movies are! Absolutely brilliant

Oh my god these videos are so good! Keep up the good work!

thank you for the videos, love this channel

Not gonna lie, i've watched this 3 times. Same with another what we can learn from korean horror. I really love this. This is taking interpretation and critique and turning it into art. You are gold on youtube. And the soundtrack is impeccable.

i am so happy they are relevant in us so we can get more of them

Excellent video essay!

Awesome and really interesting video!! I really appreciate all the research and effort that goes into your videos. I feel like I learn a lot and I’m always intrigued by the concepts you discuss! Thumbs up 👍

Wow I love your videos so much, they just flow so nicely and are really thoughtful ❤️

Wow...I have been blown over by your analyses and commentaries in your skilfully crafted videos. I particularly liked the treatment you gave to both Japanese and Korean movie offerings. Perhaps you could consider some of the films from Taiwan also. many thanks for your collective efforts!

Wow, I really liked this one. I have watched majority of the mentioned movies and have felt they have a certain unifying theme, which you named at the end. Well done. I really liked memories, but also mother. Those movies show that one can make great movie with good story, effort and does not necessarily need the bulk of today's cinema.

I subscribed after watching several other videos. Your videos are really golden. Well analyzed, explanation is spot-on and not a single second is wasted. Mysterious RU-vid algorithm led me to this channel and I'm glad that RU-vid led me to this hidden gem Hope your channel get bigger. Keep it up bro :))))

The problems in "I Saw the Devil" came about because Soo kept letting the killer go. In effect, the message could easily be read as, "if you're going to do vengeance, go all the way." If he had just murdered the serial killer from the get-go, none of the deaths that follow would have happened.

What a cool channel you have. Really glad I discovered it

I'm glad I skipped this video until I had finished watching all of the movies you mentioned. This video is like a description of a beautiful nightmare blanket - I love watching these Korean masterpieces, despite the horrible gut feeling I sometimes get from it.

Thanks for this insightful perspective

>When people make the argument of "two wrongs don't make a right" Korean thrillers: The satisfaction of getting revenge and justice is more than enough to justify my actions

I loved this video. Thank you for sharing the concept of Han. Now I can understand more the theme of revenge in Korean Movies. Thrillers are my favorites.

Great video and good work on expanding it to the societal frustrations as well as person. There is definitely a cultural aspect as well due to their history but also their philosophy. Not sure if you've done it already but check out the korean movies that Koreans loved where the heroes usually gets a bittersweet end and not the classic happy ending we are so used to in the western cinema.

Excellent insight. The Burning is the one film you've mentioned which I haven't seen from your list. The way you described it, I can personally relate to the disjointed, out of place feeling in society and the wider world. There is something very wrong here, I don't think I'm unique in feeling this, we all have this sense of 'han' to a greater or lesser degree.

phenomenal! i love Burning. it inspired me personally so much

I always enjoy your videos!

I just LOVE this seriese. Always pin the right point in deep inside I think

I am about to cover I saw The Devil on my podcast and this video helped immensely particularly the analysis of Han, thank you.

sir i don't thinks so any film school can give these kind of knowledge and i am so glad that i found these videos lessons :)

This was beautiful

I always look forward to your videos

Nice nice ! Thank you for the cool video!

Burning is such an underrated film

My favourite K revenge film has to be "I Saw the Devil". There are others but that was by far the most visceral of anything revenge-oriented I have ever watched

i took a class in korea on korean cinema at the university Bong Jun-ho went too , the first thing we were taught was "han".

This was fantastic.

I feel like Hwayi (화이) should be in this also. SPOILERS It’s about a kid who is kidnapped by the mafia, forced to kill his own father, then after he realizes he killed his father, goes and murders the mafia guys who kidnapped him

Wasn't there a part in Burning where the girl keeps mentioning a cat that the protagonist just can't see? Briliant

ah yes, another incredible video

I thought I saw all the great ones. thanks for introducing Burning

i saw the devil's revenge makes me so conflicted because at the end... who is the devil really? has the protagonist awakened something sinister in himself? its dark

Wow! I just found your channel. Have you ever considered making longer videos? I feel you had a lot more to talk about, and I honestly prefer longer videos when the subject is as deep as, in this case, revenge. :)

I’m trying not to think about how I’ve missed out on decades incredible cinematic creations because I thought all Asian movies and series were basically eastern telenovelas.

immediately liked and subscribed.

10:57 Those lines messed me up. So good.

This was a decent video, you have gotten me pretty interested to watch Korean cinema.

awesome video!!!

finding Korean Thrillers was the best thing that has happened to me.

2:51 I think the thing that surprised me most about Oldboy is that that tin didn't contain sewing supplies.

I’ve been watching movies on your lists, just finished I saw the Devil, absolutely brilliant, and brutal, so different in how it approaches the idea from Western movies. It struck me that the antagonist was never shown as sympathetic, something that in the West we often see is the attempt to make one question the validity of the protagonist’s actions through sympathy for the ‘bad guy’. This did not happen in this film, instead it made one question the protagonist through not only his brutality, but the game that he played that allowed a trail of bodies to form, he lost everything including himself.

When you inserted Nietzche's famous words in this video talking about how revenge and vengeance can turn the abused to be the abuser, albeit the antagonist/monster. I was reminded of Psycho-Pass where during the whole season, Kogami's goal was to uncover the elusive murderer Makishima when no one believed him and he was limited by the system governing their society, yet in the end, he did kill him and had to run away as a consequence. But rather than him going against or turning into similarly like 'Makishima' because he had been chasing after him and had to think like him to get him, Kogami questioned and even doubted himself in the movie where he became some sort of a rebel group's leader and he felt like the allure to manipulate them like what Makishima did with his victims would someday get to him. I think he thinks like that because deep down he is still a good person and he surrounds himself with people who are capable of pulling him out of dark thoughts and give him something to do and protect (like Akane being his friend and respects him, along the whole fiasco with the girl he trains for a while as he was getting used to live on the run, and others) I think the protagonists of these movies are alone, thus they don't really have someone to fall back to and it's easier to go on about this road of vengeance and revenge because they're becoming more and more solitary.

These were Phenomenal films they were not what I expected from them they all delivered well, sometimes the answer to an unresolved question is not looking for an answer, that's best or not letting it consume you.

Obrigada pelos seus vídeos, eles são muito bons.

You're right on point regarding the "Han" factor: but I will add that It's a collective consciousness of the Korean people both the North and the South.

I clicked hoping I would see a movie here I hadn't seen but I've see all these films years ago. Great movies wish there were more.

Burning was really deep into details, watching it once left you unfulfilled.

I wish you had included The Truth Beneath with Son Yejin. It started out as a mystery thriller about a mother searching for her child that ends in quite an interesting manner. But what I like about it most is that the protagonist is a woman, which makes the violence so much more interesting for me because it turns the seemingly traditional female role on its head. Plus Son Yejin’s acting is impeccable and compelling.

ive seen so many korean movies about vengeance in the past 20 years they kind of overlap each other when i think about them. yet each ending is unique and stayed with me today. i mean the ending of "memories of murder" creeps me out just by thinking of it..... anyway if you like vengeance movies in general, i strongly recommend "Big Bad Wolves".

The goosebumps I got watching this

I don't think I've ever clicked so fast on a youtube video.. I've always been fascinated with Korean movies. Since I watched Old Boy. They're brilliant, fascinating and very daring. They're so daring even though their society is more conservative than western societies. Just adds another layer to their psychological intensity. Now I'm going to go watch what's this video all about. 😶