[Feature] The “Korean Wave” and the Possibility of Collaborative Creativity: A Criticism of Civilization by “K-Contents” As Seen Through Squid Game and Hellbound / Han Young-in
The Quarterly Changbi 195, Spring 2022
Abstract
Literary critic Han Young-in reads Squid Game and Hellbound, two recent Korean dramas that have garnered worldwide attention, as texts critiquing contemporary civilization. While examining their potential and limitations, he explores ways to open up other civilizational possibilities, based on the materialization and accumulation of cooperative and collaborative creation in Korean society. Particularly noteworthy: his attention to the fact that the voices of all the people who poured into the squares holding candles, to change Korean society into one in which humans live like humans, helped to sharpen the viewpoints of creators, acting as a motivating force for the production of high-quality content.