South Korean zombie cinema: consumerism, carnivores, and ecocriticism

Since George Romero introduced the world to “Romero Zombies” there has been a consistent dedication to the analysis of Western Zombie media, however zombie films made in South Korea have been largely unstudied. Zombie representation in Western film foregrounds analysis of societally macro issues such as global-scale terrorism and the end of human society via apocalypse which can be essentially applied to many cultures. Contrastingly, this paper focuses on eco-related domestic societal anxieties unique to South Korea based on the country’s development historically. Three films, Doomsday Book, The Neighbour Zombie, and Zombie School, are analyzed in the context of South Korea’s increase in meat consumerism as an example of societal ills that develop due to changes in culture brought about quickly by entrance into global trade communities and thereby changes in consuming patterns. Evidenced by the 2008 beef protests and the 2010 foot-and-mouth epidemic, documented fears of the consumption of imported meat allow for these films to be based on the reality of the Korean meat industry and waste processing system as opposed to relying only on fiction. By employing zombies as subjects, these films embody the permeating societal fears associated with consumerism, food quality, and separation from the natural.

自乔治·罗梅罗（George Romero）向世人推出‘罗梅罗僵尸’（Romero Zombies）以来，学界对西方僵尸影视的分析始终保持持续的研究投入，但韩国制作的僵尸电影却长期未得到足够的关注与研究。西方影视中的僵尸形象，其叙事核心为对宏观社会议题的探讨，诸如全球性恐怖主义、末日天启下的人类社会终结等，这类主题本质上可适配诸多文化语境。与之形成鲜明对比的是，本文聚焦于韩国基于其历史发展进程所独有的、与生态相关的本土社会焦虑。本文选取《人类灭亡报告书（Doomsday Book）》、《邻僵（The Neighbour Zombie）》与《僵尸校园（Zombie School）》三部影片，以韩国肉类消费主义的兴起为分析语境——该现象可视为韩国因加入全球贸易共同体后文化快速变迁、消费模式转变所催生的社会弊病之一。2008年韩国牛肉抗议事件与2010年口蹄疫疫情均可佐证：有记录的民众对进口肉类消费的担忧有据可依，这使得三部影片的叙事并非完全虚构，而是植根于韩国肉类产业与废弃物处理体系的现实语境。三部影片以僵尸为叙事载体，具象化了韩国社会中弥漫的、与消费主义、食品质量及与自然疏离相关的集体焦虑。