[Initial Reaction] Just Look Up

Movie Donlukup still cut. Source=Netflix

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Scene One (Spoiler alert). A graduate student in astronomy at Michigan State University discovers the shocking fact that a comet orbiting the solar system is about to collide with Earth. Despite reporting directly to the president that an Everest-sized comet is hurtling toward Earth, for some reason, the world shows no reaction. Even after mobilizing all calculations from mathematics, science, and prestigious universities to prove the collision is real, the world remains indifferent. The industry, politics, and media are all preoccupied with their own interests and choose to ignore the comet. Ultimately, the predicted collision occurs, and only a modern-day Noah’s Ark carrying power and capital escapes to a new planet, but the outcome is disastrous.

Scene Two. The previous scenes are part of the black comedy film “Don’t Look Up,” which satirizes a society indifferent to the climate crisis. The impulsive and ignorant President Orlean resembles former U.S. President Donald Trump, and graduate student Kate Dibiasky, who passionately warns about the comet collision and becomes a pessimist, evokes Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The film was a hit and received multiple nominations at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, earning critical acclaim, yet people remain in a “Don’t Look Up” state regarding the film’s true message.

Scene Three. The South Korean government operates a population policy task force (TF) addressing low birth rates and aging. The first TF was launched in January 2019, and the fourth was inaugurated last month. During these four terms, South Korea has experienced a dead cross where deaths outnumber births, and the total fertility rate barely held at 0.8 last year. Is it not a good thing that the population is decreasing in an “overpopulated country” ranked third in the world by population density (516 people per 1㎢)? Is population decline a natural law responding to the climate crisis? The problem is that, like most disasters, the population crisis will strike unevenly. How do you think university restructuring nationwide will proceed? Which will survive, a small children’s clothing brand or a large export-oriented children’s clothing brand? The industrial ecosystem will change drastically, and can everyone achieve their goals in the increasingly narrow job market? Moreover, as many demographers emphasize, the speed of South Korea’s demographic changes is unprecedented worldwide. China, which supplied cheap labor to Korea, is also beginning to face low birth rates and aging and will soon close the door on labor exports. Yet the government continues to produce TF terms with policies converging to zero effectiveness. Are they planning to create a population policy academy? It is unmistakably a “Don’t Look Up” state.

Scene Four. In Ukraine, the war continues on its 27th day after Russia’s invasion. Even in this 21st-century war broadcast live on social media, homes burn and people die. Disruptions in fertilizer and wheat supplies, barometers of food prices, have occurred, and unstable oil prices and exchange rates are choking the global economy. The war’s toll will soon be felt worldwide. Western leaders have rushed to express anger and side with Ukraine, but suspicions remain that each country is acting to extend political life and pursue self-interest. While they whistle, Russian President Vladimir Putin has gathered former enemies?the Chechen forces and Syrian mercenaries?and prepared Belarusian troops. At public rallies, they even recite Bible verses such as “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s soul for a friend,” zealously promoting participation in the war. Look up at reality (Just look up). In Ukraine, children, the elderly, and pregnant women die daily, and 10 million people have fled. Ultimately, the predicted collision occurred, and the outcome is devastating.

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