Staying awake in a nation at the crossroads

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Staying awake in a nation at the crossroads

Published: 03 Jun. 2025, 00:03

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Jung hyun-mok

The author is a senior culture reporter at the JoongAng Ilbo.

The film ″Yadang: The Snitch″ has drawn more than 3.36 million viewers as of June 2, making it the most-watched Korean release of the year so far. The movie gained popularity not only for its fast-paced narrative and satisfying conclusion but also for its critical portrayal of political prosecutors and institutional corruption.

A scene from the film, ″Yadang: The Snitch″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT

Yoo Hae-jin plays Goo Gwan-hee, an elite prosecutor who climbed the ladder without wealth or family connections. For him, career success is measured strictly by results. To rise through the ranks, he forms an alliance with a drug broker known as “Yadang,” which means opposition, navigating the blurry line between legality and illegality. Eventually, he teams up with the son of a leading presidential candidate entangled in a drug case and becomes a political prosecutor. His boast — “A prosecutor can make or break a president” — proves chillingly true. Through coerced confessions and media manipulation, he targets rival candidates with ruthless efficiency.

In real life, prosecutors who blur the line between law and politics rarely face consequences. But ″Yadang: The Snitch″ offers viewers the satisfaction of seeing one fall. Director Hwang Byung-kook said the character was inspired by several real-life prosecutors. As the story unfolds, many viewers are reminded of faces once splashed across newspaper headlines.

In exposing the closed ranks and self-serving nature of entrenched elites, the film echoes “Inside Men” (2015), which similarly tackled the collusion between politics, business and the press. A calligraphic phrase hanging in Goo’s office — 巢毁卵破, meaning “When the nest collapses, the eggs inside break” — appears in both films, symbolizing the breakdown of legal order and its impact on public safety.

The phrase was frequently cited by Kim Hak-ui, a former vice justice minister embroiled in a sex bribery scandal. He inspired the infamous nightclub scene in “Inside Men.” Recently, Kim was awarded 130 million won in state compensation. Though he was acquitted, critics point to the prosecution’s flawed early investigations as the reason. Public frustration deepened with news of a judge allegedly accepting lavish entertainment at a high-end bar, reinforcing perceptions of impunity among elites.

While audiences may feel a sense of justice in the theater, many are left with a bitter taste. The reality often seems worse than fiction. That’s perhaps why works like ″Yadang: The Snitch″ and the upcoming TV adaptation of “Inside Men” continues to resonate — because the networks of collusion and corruption they portray still appear intact. To the elites, the public may seem like little more than the “pigs and dogs” referenced in “Inside Men.”

One line from the film stays with me: “All they want is something to chew on at drinking parties or online. When they become bored, they’ll spit it out. We just have to endure it. Our people boil quickly and cool just as fast. Just toss them another snack when the time is right. They don’t want the truth.”

This critique of public apathy echoes globally in “Don’t Look Up” (2021), a Netflix satire where a comet hurtling toward Earth becomes a political weapon. A populist president sees it as an opportunity for re-election. A billionaire views it as a potential resource. The media chases ratings. Scientists who warn of the impending disaster are mocked and dismissed. Their data, their warnings — even the end of the world — draw less attention than celebrity gossip or traffic updates.

A scene from the film, ″Yadang: The Snitch″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT

Viewers, blinded by disinformation, are told not to “look up.” They believe only what power tells them. The comet is a metaphor for global existential threats — climate change, environmental collapse and technological upheaval. The film warns what happens when the public chooses willful ignorance over truth.

In Korea, the lesson applies just as urgently. Fixating on food trends, investment tips, or social media likes cannot substitute for civic awareness. A media diet dominated by entertainment and celebrity scandal dulls public sensitivity. To remain human is to stay awake — to look up, think and act. That is the responsibility of every citizen.

This is especially true at a moment of democratic reckoning. Another presidential election is here, one that will shape both personal lives and the nation’s future. Voters must scrutinize candidates carefully: their qualifications, policies and moral compass. Loyalty, sentiment, or empty promises should not sway the vote. The next leader must reflect the spirit of the times.

Choosing a responsible leader is how citizens protect their dignity. Selfish or incompetent leadership is not just a political failure — it is the consequence of civic neglect. And when that happens, the burden falls on the people, who once again may find themselves chanting slogans on cold asphalt.

Let us not return to that place. Let us look up. Let us stay awake.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.