“The lack of affordable housing in Seoul is a serious problem,” said Andrew Eungi Kim, a professor of sociology at the Korea University in Seoul. Renting out banjiha was at first illegal but as the economy expanded rapidly in the 1980s and housing supply fell short, the government legalized their leasing. They are now home to tens of thousands of people in Seoul and elsewhere, according to official data. Globally, about 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing, with most living in slums and informal settlements in cities, according to U.N. estimates. It is this depiction of urban inequality in “Parasite” that struck a chord with viewers everywhere, said Joo.

Source: National Post February 11, 2020 09:33 UTC