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Friday, March 29, 2024

The real-life sights of South Korea's Oscar-winning "Parasite"

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The real-life sights of South Korea's Oscar-winning 'Parasite'
The real-life sights of South Korea's Oscar-winning "Parasite"

South Korea's Academy Award-winning "Parasite" used a range of visual cues to tell its story of suffocating class struggle through the sights of Seoul, join Emer McCarthy for a tour.

Oscar winning film Parasite was mostly built using movie sets, but inspired by real neighborhoods in South Korea's capital.

((UPSOT- TRAILER "it's a very opportune gift")) A tale of two cities, really, told through two families, and of struggles of social class.

((UPSOT- TRAILER Rich people are really gullible" "How should I describe the mother?")) Follow Reuters on a tour of of the real-life sights that the wealthy Park family and the poor Kims mirror of the deepening inequality there.

((UPSOT- TRAILER ''Your parents look good'' ''They look unemployed, mostly'')) The Kims' squalid basement apartment takes place in the real world Ahyeon-dong, one of the last shanty towns near downtown Seoul.

For those who live in the neighborhood, the film hit close to home -- like Lee Jeong-Sik whose Pig Rice supermarket features in the movie.

(SOUNDBITE) (Korean) OWNER OF PIG RICE SUPERMARKET, LEE JEONG-SIK, SAYING: "It's definitely a neighborhood that isn't faring well.

Watching the film made me feel like they put my life right in there." In contrast with Seongbuk-dong, known as South Korea's Beverly Hills, where most homes -- just like the Park's mansion -- are hidden behind high walls, spiked fences, and monitored by security cameras.

Eom Hang-Ki owns the real life pizza shop the Kims fold boxes for, before they start working for the Park family.

She's hoping the film's success lasts long after the Oscars.

(SOUNDBITE) (Korean) OWNER OF PIZZA PLACE WHO HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS SINCE 2004, EOM HANG-KI, SAYING: "I'm so thankful he won the four awards including Best Director.

The film helped with our sales, a lot of places are contacting us and more foreigners are coming to visit.

I hope this lasts long."

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