Rising popularity of 'Zombie' genre in Korean entertainment industry

Admit it or not, the ending scene from 'Train to Busan' brought huge waterworks. The zombie genre film received critical acclaim for its fast-paced action, suspenseful storytelling, and emotional depth. It also became a box office hit in South Korea, grossing over USD 93 million worldwide. 

Zombie: A living dead

The zombie is a common fictional undead character in thriller and science fiction media. Whether brought back to life by the supernatural or by science, zombies are often portrayed as mindless, reanimated corpses and flesh-eating monsters that feed on humans, and their bite can infect others and turn them into zombies as well. 

The term 'Zombie' originally referred to a person who was thought to have been brought back from the dead and made to labour as a slave in Haitian folklore, which is where the zombie story originated. 

Many of the qualities presently associated with zombies were created in George A. Romero's 1968 film 'Night of the Living Dead,' which popularised the modern zombie concept in popular culture. Nevertheless, the zombie genre has become increasingly popular in South Korean media. For decades now, zombie films have been a staple of the horror genre. 

Why is its popularity rising?

The development of new technologies has also had a role in the success of zombie films. With special effects and makeup developments, filmmakers can create increasingly realistic and horrifying zombie creatures, which enriches the viewing experience. The continued success of zombie movies suggests that they will continue to inspire new and interesting interpretations of the subgenre in the following years.

Why do younger audiences like zombie movies more? It gives them a platform to investigate serious topics in a fun and accessible way. 

Zombies let filmmakers and other storytellers go deep into serious topics while giving audiences a good time. The zombie genre's capacity to captivate the imagination and provide a captivating arena for exploring complicated issues and concepts has contributed to its widespread fascination among younger audiences. 

Because of the breakthrough of 'Train to Busan,' zombie stories in South Korean media have become increasingly common. Entertainment mediums like movies, TV shows, web series, and games were all included. 

The web series 'The Incurables' follows a group of survivors as they fight to stay alive amid a zombie apocalypse, and the television drama 'Kingdom,' which is set in mediaeval Korea and involves a zombie epidemic, are both good examples.

The horror subgenre, in general, has been very well-received in Korea for quite some time. Zombies have also symbolised larger social problems like economic disparity, massive corruption, and intergenerational conflict. The unique combination of horror, violence, and emotional storytelling in Korean zombie videos has also been credited for the genre's success.

While the prevalence of zombies in Korean culture may seem obsessive to some, it indicates the wide variety of narrative styles in the country's entertainment sector.

Zombies are widely seen as intriguing and exciting, loaded with dramatic possibilities. Likewise, many youth-oriented events, games, and goods centre around the zombie genre. Zombies are also a useful metaphor for many contemporary concerns that affect young people. 

Zombies, for instance, can stand in for apprehension or pressure to adhere to social norms. They can also stand in for young people's fears when they face the trials of becoming an adult.

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