The Real Neighborhoods of Oscar-Winning Film 'Parasite'
2020-02-18
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1South Korea's Oscar-winning movie "Parasite" tells the story of class struggle through the sights and smells of Seoul.
2"Parasite" made history this week when it became the first non-English language movie to win the Oscar for best picture.
3People all over South Korean social media celebrated.
4The film is a story of two South Korean families - the wealthy Parks and the poor Kims.
5It shows the deepening inequalities in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
6The story has been embraced by people around the world.
7Visual signals in the film resonated with many South Koreans who call themselves "dirt spoons" -- those born to low-earning families.
8Many of these families have stopped trying to buy a home or gain better economic and social positioning.
9On the opposite side, "gold spoons" are people born into wealthy families.
10Much of "Parasite" was filmed on movie sets.
11But the idea for the Parks' home and the Kims' sub-basement apartment came from real neighborhoods in Seoul.
12A sub-basement apartment is a usually small, dark apartment built partly underground.
13Ahyeon-dong is one of the last of the poor areas near downtown Seoul.
14It is where the Kims are said to live in the film.
15The neighborhood made several appearances in the film.
16Sitting on a hill near the main train station, Ahyeon-dong has steep, narrow streets.
17Many of them end in long staircases that people climb to reach their homes.
18"Watching the film made me feel like they put my life right in there," Lee Jeong-sik told Reuters news agency.
19He is the 77-year-old co-owner of Pig Rice Supermarket, which appears in the film.
20He and his 73-year-old wife, Kim Kyung-soon, have operated the store for 45 years.
21Pig Rice is open from around 8:30 in the morning until midnight each day.
22The store used to open even earlier, at 5, for mothers who would come to buy things for their children's school meals.
23But now the neighborhood is mostly older people, with few young couples or children, Kim said.
24Local people said rents for sub-basement apartments in Ahyeon-dong have risen to around $340 each month.
25The rental costs there have more than doubled in the past 10 years.
26Across town is the area of Seongbuk-dong.
27That is where the wealthy Parks' home is set in "Parasite."
28The area is home to many business families and diplomats.
29It is known as South Korea's version of Beverly Hills - an extremely wealthy community in Southern California.
30Unlike in Ahyeon-dong, the streets in Seongbuk-dong are clear of waste.
31They are also very quiet, with most homes hidden behind high walls, fences and security cameras.
32Chung Han-sool heads a company called Peace Estate Agents, which sells houses.
33He said most of the houses in Seongbuk-dong have basements for home bars or small theaters.
34Homes in the neighborhood usually cost around $6 million.
35Those rented to foreign diplomats are offered for $8,500 to $12,725 each month.
36Chung said there are 48 ambassadors living in the neighborhood.
37A separate group of police officers protects them.
38Even in Seongbuk-dong, signs of inequality can be seen at the "drivers' diners" -- similar to one from "Parasite."
39Although anyone can go to one of these low-cost restaurants, they got their name by serving meals to drivers, including drivers carrying the area's wealthy residents.
40"There are taxi, bus drivers and those who drive the CEOs who live around here," said Bae Sun-young, who runs one of the drivers' diners in Seongbuk-dong.
41He said the differences between the wealthy and the poor are extreme.
42I'm Jill Robbins.
1South Korea's Oscar-winning movie "Parasite" tells the story of class struggle through the sights and smells of Seoul. 2"Parasite" made history this week when it became the first non-English language movie to win the Oscar for best picture. People all over South Korean social media celebrated. 3The film is a story of two South Korean families - the wealthy Parks and the poor Kims. It shows the deepening inequalities in Asia's fourth-largest economy. The story has been embraced by people around the world. 4Visual signals in the film resonated with many South Koreans who call themselves "dirt spoons" -- those born to low-earning families. Many of these families have stopped trying to buy a home or gain better economic and social positioning. 5On the opposite side, "gold spoons" are people born into wealthy families. 6Much of "Parasite" was filmed on movie sets. But the idea for the Parks' home and the Kims' sub-basement apartment came from real neighborhoods in Seoul. A sub-basement apartment is a usually small, dark apartment built partly underground. 7POVERTY DOWNTOWN 8Ahyeon-dong is one of the last of the poor areas near downtown Seoul. It is where the Kims are said to live in the film. The neighborhood made several appearances in the film. 9Sitting on a hill near the main train station, Ahyeon-dong has steep, narrow streets. Many of them end in long staircases that people climb to reach their homes. 10"Watching the film made me feel like they put my life right in there," Lee Jeong-sik told Reuters news agency. He is the 77-year-old co-owner of Pig Rice Supermarket, which appears in the film. He and his 73-year-old wife, Kim Kyung-soon, have operated the store for 45 years. Pig Rice is open from around 8:30 in the morning until midnight each day. 11The store used to open even earlier, at 5, for mothers who would come to buy things for their children's school meals. But now the neighborhood is mostly older people, with few young couples or children, Kim said. 12Local people said rents for sub-basement apartments in Ahyeon-dong have risen to around $340 each month. The rental costs there have more than doubled in the past 10 years. 13SEOUL'S 'BEVERLY HILLS' 14Across town is the area of Seongbuk-dong. That is where the wealthy Parks' home is set in "Parasite." The area is home to many business families and diplomats. It is known as South Korea's version of Beverly Hills - an extremely wealthy community in Southern California. 15Unlike in Ahyeon-dong, the streets in Seongbuk-dong are clear of waste. They are also very quiet, with most homes hidden behind high walls, fences and security cameras. 16Chung Han-sool heads a company called Peace Estate Agents, which sells houses. He said most of the houses in Seongbuk-dong have basements for home bars or small theaters. 17Homes in the neighborhood usually cost around $6 million. Those rented to foreign diplomats are offered for $8,500 to $12,725 each month. 18Chung said there are 48 ambassadors living in the neighborhood. A separate group of police officers protects them. 19Even in Seongbuk-dong, signs of inequality can be seen at the "drivers' diners" -- similar to one from "Parasite." Although anyone can go to one of these low-cost restaurants, they got their name by serving meals to drivers, including drivers carrying the area's wealthy residents. 20"There are taxi, bus drivers and those who drive the CEOs who live around here," said Bae Sun-young, who runs one of the drivers' diners in Seongbuk-dong. He said the differences between the wealthy and the poor are extreme. 21I'm Jill Robbins. 22Reuters news agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 23____________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25embrace -v. to hold someone in an expression of friendship or love 26resonate -v. to have meaning or importance to someone 27apartment -n. a rented room or group of rooms in a building 28steep -adj. rising or falling very sharply 29staircase -n. a set of stairs and its supporting structure 30rent -n. money paid to the owner for use of a property 31CEO (Chief Executive Officer) -n. an official who is responsible for supervising a company or organization 32resident -n. some on who lives in a place