As I have been getting into the world of Kpop and Korea this year I came across another of my favorite topics in entertainment there... zombies!
In literature:
by Kim Junghyuk
-Zombies
details
Zombies is the first full-length novel by Kim Junghyuk whose other works have enjoyed much popularity among readers for his ingenious imagination, slick humor, and compassionate point of view. This particular work presents an enticing interplay of unique characters, an atypical setting, and witty conversations along with the tension created by the presence of zombies, the uncanny beings. In the novel, zombies do not serve as a symbolic representation of an absolute death or a disease, and neither are they an “Other” that must be persecuted and eliminated. As the unfolding story line reveals, they are beings that could easily have been our family, or close neighbors, and those that appear in front of the living as the memories that connect the dead and the survived. The protagonist, who could not free himself from the death of his brother for a long time, also must confront the memory of the death and comes to an understanding of what meaning life may hold through coming face to face with those zombies. As the author states, “This is not a story about zombies. It is one about the memories that have been forgotten. It is a story about the people who desire to remember.” (Epilogue) The climactic moment of the work comes in the last scene of the novel where the protagonist marches into the oblivion along with hundreds of zombies through the flames surrounding them in all directions while blasting the music of Stone Flower. Just as the protagonist has come together and formed a community with Chubby278 and Hong Hyejeong through the music of Stone Flower, a 60’s rock band, he and the hundreds of zombies come together in the stench of blood and roars through rock-and-roll music heading forward into one shared destiny. This is a ‘zombie tale a la Kim Junghyuk’ born out of the author’s twisting and deconstructing the conventions of the genre through the positive outlook and soundness, which are his signature, that escapes being mistaken with any other writer.
In graphic novels:
End of Days: A Zombie Survival-Horror Graphic Novel
by Peter J. Ang (Author), Jin Song Kim (Illustrator)
Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook
The most amazing archaeological discovery of our time-- a sarcophagus from an ancient civilization that predates the Egyptian Pyramids by more than fifty thousand years--is being broadcast as a live public exhibit on national TV.
But in their haste to reveal a glimpse of what could be the origin of mankind, the scholars of the OBARI Foundation instead unleash an ancient plague upon the modern world.
This is the age-old story of the curious--and of those who must race to close the door on what should never have been opened . . .
This is PANDORA, the End of Days...
Volume 1. Prelude for the Deceased
by Min-Woo Hyung
-comic series (currently up to #16)
Amazon | Goodreads
In the frontier of the American West, a veil of evil threatens to engulf humanity. Servants of the fallen angel Temozarela are paving the way for their dark lord's resurrection. One man stands in the way of the Apocalypse -- Ivan Isaacs -- a fallen priest who sold his soul to the devil Belial for the power to fight evil. Armed with a wicked blade and silver bullets, Ivan will give the heretics a baptism of blood in his pilgrimage for humanity's redemption.
In Korean film:
aka Jombiseukool
Director: Kim Seok-Jung
Starring: Ha Eun-Sul, Min Ji, Kyeong-ryong Kim
-Action, Horror, School, Zombies | details | imdb
Chil Sung School is seemingly peaceful, yet no can predict the horrific events that are soon to take place. Pigs buried alive during the foot-and-mouth disease scare, have come back from the grave – teachers are bitten by the zombie pigs, turning into zombies themselves, while the students team up to fight the teachers.
=====> Heh, heh... zombie pigs
aka Busan Line
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Release date: December 31, 2016
Starring: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong Seok, Jung Yu Mi
-Action, Thriller, Zombies | details
This film is set in a KTX (high speed train) on the Seoul-Busan railway that is filled with the walking dead.
In Kdrama:
Yieutjib jombi (original title)
Directors: Oh Young-Doo, Ryu Hoon, Hong Young-Geun, Jang Youn-Jung
Starring: Ji-hun Bae, Yong-geun Bae, Eun-Jung Ha
-Comedy, Horror, Zombies | details | imdb
In 2010, a Zombie virus is spreading all over the world including the uneasy but peaceful city of Seoul, South Korea. The government in Seoul now declares martial law, as they search for people affected by the virus and rid themselves of those persons.
On the other side, civilians risk infection to hide and feed those affected, while looking for a vaccine.
In Kpop music video:
Here is a mashup of the cutesy kpop sound and walking dead...
* part of zombie month (schedule)
