[Lee Jong-gil's Film Reading] The True Face of Power More Virulent Than Plague

Netflix Drama 'Kingdom' Season 2

Royal Authority Exploited by Corrupt Officials... People Always Forced to Sacrifice

The Reality of a Prince Born of a Concubine Revealed... Lessons to Be Learned in the Current COVID-19 Situation

※ This article contains many spoilers for the movie.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jong-gil] Zombies are living corpses. They originated from voodoo rituals in the West Indies. It is a spell that extracts a human soul and turns the person into a slave. The ghastly creature became a figure of horror in George A. Romero's (1940?2017) film "Night of the Living Dead" (1968). With vacant eyes, it mercilessly attacks humans. Those bitten invariably become zombies. This cruel premise became a genre rule as many subsequent films adopted it.

The Netflix drama "Kingdom" follows the original but introduces slight changes. Mutation is a prime example. The king (Yoon Se-ung), Minister Ahn (Heo Jun-ho), and the villagers of Sumang are infected by the resurrection plant but are not contagious. To them, humans are merely meat to satisfy hunger. However, the meaning of biting into living flesh varies. All are connected to the diverse themes that "Kingdom" points to.

The Era of the Scarecrow King

"Everyone I love has either died or been cast out. You are my only son and my most precious person. So you must survive. You must show that you are different from them, different from me, and what a true king really is."

This is the king's admonition remembered by Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon). The father recognized the weakened royal authority but had no will to reform. It recalls King Seonjo of Joseon who tried to flee to Ming China to escape national crisis. Even then, the ancestral shrines and state altars were like candles flickering in the wind. The pain and anxiety were passed directly to the people.

Lee Chang's father is exploited by corrupt officials even after death. He is resurrected by the resurrection plant and becomes a scarecrow. Only a shell remains, moving as Prime Minister Jo Hak-ju (Ryu Seung-ryong) directs. He lacks the ability to spread the plague. He only provides an excuse for the secondary infection occurring at Dongnae Jiyulheon.

Those who shared the flesh of Dani (Kim Hyun-bin), who died after being bitten by the king, become monsters (resurrected beings). They are not starving hunters. They attack solely to spread the plague. This can be interpreted as violence reflecting a feeling of despair. The hopelessness that it is better to die than to live a hard life has turned into anger. Ethics disappeared long ago due to continuous hunger. Even Young-shin (Kim Sung-kyu), who made soup from Dani's corpse, shows no guilt on his face.

"So shall we all starve to death together? Oh, debating manners and laws? If we had lived with such thoughts, half the people of Dongnae Fortress would have already starved to death. How do you think those down below survived? Do you think the king saved them? No, what saved those people was the flesh and bones of neighbors who starved to death from hunger."

History Repeats Itself

The officials who abandoned their conscience were the first. Joseon was on the verge of losing Gyeongsang Province to Japanese invaders. Jo Hak-ju made a dangerous proposal to Minister Ahn. He suggested turning the villagers of Sumang into human weapons using the resurrection plant.

"They are useless wherever they go anyway."

"We shed blood to fight the Japanese to protect this land and its people. Are you saying we should kill our own people with our own hands?"

"Did you fight for the lowly people, sir? I did not. What I sought to protect was the royal family and the ancestral shrines, the foundation of this country. For that, I will do whatever it takes."

History repeats. Three years later, Sangju Magistrate (Jung Kyu-soo) turns a blind eye to refugees outside the fortress as the plague rapidly spreads from Dongnae. Despite persuasion from Lee Chang and Minister Ahn, he firmly closes the fortress gates. He cites the justification Jo Hak-ju had put forward.

"The gates cannot be opened. At least the people inside the fortress must survive."

"Jo Hak-ju must have said the same while locking Mungyeong Saejae. That only we must survive."

"Sacrificing a cow for the sake of the herd."

"Who are the great people and who are the small people? If the gates are locked, those outside will die from the plague, and those inside will be trapped and eventually starve to death."

The officials had a chance to correct the grave situation. But instead of caring for the people, they were blinded by greed. A cornered rat bites even a cat's paw. This sign appeared among the slash-and-burn farmers who looted the grain transport ships. After begging for forgiveness, they suddenly grabbed sickles and pickaxes.

"We know anyone who touches the tribute goods will be punished by decapitation and public display. We have lived enough and don't mind dying, but we cannot let our children die."

Turning Chaos into Awakening

Minister Ahn fails to stop Jo Hak-ju's conspiracy and voluntarily becomes a monster. Waving a flag with the character '수 (Su)', he charges at Jo Hak-ju. '帥 (Su)' means general, leader, or commander. This aligns with "Kingdom"'s core theme that a true leader must repent and take responsibility. Jo Hak-ju is torn apart by Minister Ahn but does not transform into a monster. This is because he fundamentally differs from the repentant Minister Ahn who regained his convictions.

Jo Hak-ju ultimately suffers a miserable death at the hands of his overly obsessed kin (blood relatives). This contrasts with Lee Chang, who develops into a proactive leader regardless of royal blood. Lee Chang awakens from unconsciousness by overcoming the bloody chaos. It is not just political correctness. Seven years later, everyone agrees the plague has disappeared. However, Lee Chang tightens his grip on his sword, warning that monsters can attack anytime, anywhere again.

This paradox means that to prevent unpredictable outbreaks of plague, vigilance must never be neglected. French novelist Albert Camus (1913?1960) emphasized a similar awareness in his novel "The Plague." We must not fall into moral complacency in daily life but live with constant awakened consciousness. This is a lesson we must heed amid the difficulties caused by the spread of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.