Hollywood's Portrayal of Koreans
Exploring Fictional Korean Characters.
Let’s start with this:
How the hell is Vin Diesel’s Korean better than the Koreans’ in this movie? Well, the Koreans actually weren’t played by Koreans. So I guess everyone’s on equal playing field here.
I watched this film The Pacifier (2005) in 5th grade. At that time, I’d only lived in the U.S. for 3 years. I was surprised to see references to Koreans at all in Western pop culture/media and had pretty low expectations. If anything, I was quite proud to see Vin Diesel making a genuine effort to speak Korean coherently, but conceded that this was only because North Koreans were part of the plot.
Let’s examine some portrayals of Korean characters in Western films & TV series. The topic of Asian/AAPI representation in the media is broad and here, I focus only on Koreans as I haven’t really seen extensive analysis on this subject. I discuss fictional characters (and their portrayals) who are ethnically Korean; this does not cover vice versa.1 If you’re interested in the respective works, I’ve linked the trailers and Wiki pages.
We also celebrate the global success of South Korean content and talent today. However, there is a distinction between content exported from South Korea versus Koreans acting in a Hollywood production. Hence, this is why Parasite or Squid Game isn’t my focus here. Existing stars are often cast as both Korean and non-Korean fictional characters, though it seems the latter might be more common lately.
Early Portrayals
Martial Arts
One of the notorious early examples is Chong Li, the antagonistic martial artist from the classic Bloodsport (1988) portrayed by Hong Kong actor Bolo Yeung. While it’s unclear whether Li is merely a Taekwondo practitioner, online comments imply he may be Korean as the national flag (Taegukgi) is seen on both his bandana and his coach’s jacket. But “Chong Li” is not a Korean name and the flag is depicted inaccurately:
Los Angeles Koreatown
The 1992 LA Koreatown Riots sparked much sociocultural debate and controversy in the years to come. One of the more immediate films was Falling Down (1993), in which Michael Douglas portrays a troubled man engaging in conflict with everyone he encounters on a supposedly normal day. Here is his angry interaction at a LA Koreatown grocery store:
You don’t got these in China? (Not Chinese, I’m Korean.)
Whatever. You come to my country, you take my money, you don’t even have the grace to speak my language? You’re Korean? You have any idea how much money my country has given your country? (How much?) I don’t know… it’s gotta be a lot, you can bet on that.
The acting is splendid. There is a lot for the audience to think about in hindsight.
North Korea
I remember that a handful of films from the 1990s and 2000s dealt with North Korea2. Maybe this eventually coincided with the George W. Bush administration declaring it as the “axis of evil” in 2003, but I think North Korean themes piqued the interest of Western audiences with themes like spies and Communism.
The classic example for discussion is 007: Die Another Day (2002), in which Korean-American (Rick Yune & Will Yun Lee) and Hong Kong (Kenneth Tsang) actors portray North Koreans.
As a kid watching this on TV, I had a good chuckle at the Korean-language speaking parts. Looking back, I reflect on the scarcity of Asian talent back then and how the actors here had to conform to the limited available roles. This is why the push for increased Asian/AAPI representation in Hollywood persists today. As we reflect back at previous decades, it’s evident that Asian talent was often typecast, often confined to roles portraying villains or providing comedic relief.
Fictional Characters & Stories
1a. Affects Character or Story
From 2000s onwards, we do see some notable characters especially on TV series, which usually flesh them out better than films.
There are 2 buckets that I see here with these examples - a) whether the fictional character’s Korean ethnicity affects the character/story or b) it doesn’t.
Daniel Dae Kim as Jin-Soo Kwon in LOST (2004-10).
Jin is married to Sun (portrayed by Yunjin Kim) and supposedly doesn’t speak English. It is well-known that Kim had to learn Korean throughout filming as he immigrated to the U.S. when he was 1. The infamous golf scene (+ bathroom scene) has become a meme in Korea:
However despite the jabs from native Korean speakers (though it’s a serious scene), the comments praise Kim’s superb acting and suggest that portraying the role might be as challenging as it would be for a native Korean actor performing in English. Kim’s Korean proficiency noticeably improved throughout the seasons and personally, I think Jin-Soo Kwon was a pioneering fictional Korean character.
In hindsight akin to the North Korea topic above, we should consider the lack of Asian/AAPI roles and talent back then. Not exhaustive, but some more:
John Cho as Harold Lee in the Harold & Kumar film series.
Alicia Hannah-Kim as Kim Da-Eun in Cobra Kai (2022-).5
1b. Doesn’t Really Affect Character or Story
Sung Kang as Han Lue/Han Seoul-Oh in the Fast & Furious franchise.6
Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang in Grey’s Anatomy (2005-15).
Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead (2010-16).
Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves in Umbrella Academy (2019-20).7
Christine Lee as Ooh "Sun" Kyungsun in Black Summer (2019-21).8
Arden Cho as Ingrid Yun in Partner Track (2023). 9
Whether we need to see more Korean/Asian storylines or characters built around the “Korean-ness” is up for discussion, but I suppose representation is representation for now.
2. The Korean-American Experience
More recently, we have been several films/TV series that concentrated exclusively on the Korean-American experiences or characters with director/producer input, such as Seoul Searching (2015), Gook (2017), and Always Be My Maybe (2019). These works boast a diverse, minority-driven cast, which I believe adds onto the authentic storytelling that they aim to achieve.
The most prominent of these lately is probably BEEF (2023), starring Steven Yeun, Justin H. Min, Young Mazino, and David Choe as Korean-American characters. I think the series did a great job in showing different facets of the culture, including the immigrant experience with parents, siblings’ generational differences, the Korean church community, and financial troubles with relatives.
3. Cross-Cultural Projects
I commend A24 Films for spotlighting minority experiences.
I found Minari (2020) and Past Lives (2023) interesting, because they attempt to bridge the gap between the South Korean and Korean-American experiences. My family and I could not relate directly to Minari’s story or the characters per se, as we are not part of the immigrant diaspora in question.10 However, the film skillfully conveyed the emotional hurdles between 3 generations and the arduous toil camouflaged under the American Dream.
Pachinko (2022-) builds on the original book and navigates across history between the U.S., Korea, and Japan. I enjoyed how this show casted across both the East and the West, including newcomers like Kim Min-ha, Jin Ha and Soji Arai as well as veterans such as superstar Lee Min-ho and Youn Yuh-jung. Pachinko also explores a relatively niche topic not often discussed: the Zainichi Koreans of Japan.
On a separate note, I have mixed feelings about XO, Kitty (2023-): a teenage romcom on finding true love in South Korea. The setting “Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS)” reminded me of my high school circles,11 yet presented a fantasized and glamorized (fetishized?) view of Korean men. However, if it works, it works - I’m not the target audience, and maybe we’ll see more eager exchange students as a result.
Realistic Expectations
After Lee Byung-Hun, who is a superstar in South Korea, starred in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), he commented:
I can’t say who, but there are actors who wouldn’t even look me in the eyes because I was Asian. I tried to [introduce myself] and shake their hands, but they would ignore me and walk past me. I couldn’t shake their hands until we had finished filming the movie.
After a successful Hollywood debut, Lee would proceed to star in the likes of RED 2, Terminator Genisys, The Magnificent Seven and Misconduct, as both Korean and non-Korean characters. Even as recently with Squid Games’ global success today, stars that are already famous in their home country faced many racial barriers as they climbed up the hills of Hollywood.12 I reckon it’s getting better, but one step at a time.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has included various Korean elements and characters in its films, notably Claudia Kim as Helen Cho in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).13 I’ll close out here with the scene from Black Panther (2018), filmed in Busan, Korea:
I was very frustrated watching this at the time. They spent a budget traveling there and had the Black talent learning Korean, but for some reason faltered and casted the lady based on her race rather than her speaking skills. I’m unsure if Marvel had thought most audiences wouldn’t care or notice, but nonetheless the South Korean screening actually had the lady re-dubbed with a more authentic voice actress.
It’s not so much that the actress did an inadequate job, but rather that Marvel could have put in more effort to convey authenticity. That said, I assume Marvel likely cast someone with a track record within its network, but they still had many eyes reviewing the pre-production. It is neither fair nor realistic to assume all Korean-American talent will nail Korean-speaking roles or be fluent. Maybe what’s needed is a more diverse and robust casting process.
We’ve come a long way now that Korean elements are frequent plot devices, but should maintain a watchful eye whether they play meaningful roles in the overarching story.
Happy New Year!
There’s many specific discussions to have (ex: Korean talent portraying stereotypical Asian roles) but that’s for another day. It's uplifting to witness more Koreans in influential positions—directors, producers, screenwriters—ensuring the telling of authentic stories.
The thing is, most of the actors delivered in the portrayals; the issue was usually the character development or the demand for Korean-speaking skills from Korean-American talent.
I find myself in a unique space regarding my Korean identity. While I actively engage in social and professional circles linked to my Korean heritage, summarizing it in a single sentence doesn’t capture its complexity. Thus my perspectives on these works might not necessarily align with others’.
Ultimately, I appreciate the active role of social media and also broadening representation beyond just North Koreans or martial artists on the big screen. But what comes next? Perhaps more cross-cultural projects on streaming platforms.
Connect with me on LinkedIn or @wooskiworks.
-Wooseok Ki (Wooski)
For example, Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow in The Hangover or Ashley Park as Mindy Chen in Emily in Paris is not covered here because they are Chinese characters.
Some examples include Spawn, Home Alone 3, 007: Die Another Day, The Pacifier, Team America: World Police, and Stealth. Coincidentally, South Korea had its own batch of successful films in this era like Shiri, Joint Security Area, Silmido, and Welcome to Dongmakgol but had even more in the late 2010s. This would continue on to the 2010s with Salt (2010), World War Z (2013), and obviously, The Interview (2014).
The Korean delivery isn’t very good in this show. It experiments with the kumiho idea from Korean folktales but ultimately presents a stereotypical Asian seductress.
It’s implied that Han is of Korean descent. A lot of the traits were shaped by director Justin Lin, who also directed Better Luck Tomorrow as a prequel to Han’s story
There’s an improvised scene in which Min and a costar argue in Korean & Spanish respectively; although not fluent, Min builds on the moment and character.
Interestingly, Sun only speaks in Korean on this zombie apocalypse show and there are no subtitles despite the language barrier against other characters.
Originally, the character was Chinese-American based on the author. This doesn’t matter much at a NYC corporate law firm.
Korean comments on review videos appear to empathize and comment how the film must be much more meaningful for those with firsthand experiences. Korean media outlets had focused more on Youn Yuh-jung’s Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
“KISS” is a play on real schools KIS (Korean Int’l School) + YISS (Yongsan Int’l School of Seoul), but borrows elements from other foreign high schools (“외고"), like uniforms.
Additionally, Lee notes being mistaken for Ken Jeong at a coffee shop.