한류의 지구적 확산에 대한 종교학적 재평가 - 영화 '설국열차'(2013)의 구원론을 중심으로

Abstract

The Korean film, a representative genre of Korean culture, leads the global spread of Korean Wave. The author argues that the redemptive message of Korean Wave is the main source of its global spread. Religion doesn't accept the existing structure without any criticism. Rather it proposes the ideal value and existential meaning to improve the world. This essay examines the contents of Snowspiercer(2013), directed by Joon-ho Bong from the perspective of phenomenology of religion. In his movies, the image of woman changes from inactive victims to active heroines. Though the film doesn't mention any systematic religion clearly, Snowspiercer offers a hybrid soteriology of Buddhism and Christianity to the audience. According to the film, the humanity in the scientific age faces the end of its civilization through the misusage of science and the destruction of the environment. The passengers of the last train, which runs through the world, struggles with one another in order to survive and keep the order within the train. The rail symbolizes the repeated circle of life and death. Religion is used both by the oppressors and by the oppressed. The engine is regarded as the sacred and Wilford, the leader of the front passengers becomes a deity. Curtis, the leader of the back passengers begins the revolt and reaches the engine, where he is exposed to the temptation. Namgung Minsu, a Korean security specialist, succeeds to take off the train with the bomb explosion. Yona, an Asian girl and Tami, an African boy becomes the last survivers in front of the polar bear. In order to explain the global spread of Korean Wave, we should understand its soteriological dimension of various religious traditions in Korean society.