*Representational Picture credit and courtesy youtube.com

South Koreans have been in cheers after their beloved Director Bong Joon Ho's film Parasite won the Oscar for best picture and three other awards.

What made them smile and laugh was that this news came as their country struggles to guard against a new virus and counter North Korea's nuclear threat.

The news agency AP writes; "The movie's wins made history in both the Hollywood and South Korean film industries."

The AP news further adds as follows: It's a class satire in the form of its first non-English-language film to win the best picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards. Its the first South Korean movie to ever win an Oscar.

"Can you believe that '{Parasite' won the Academy's best picture? South Korea's biggest newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, said in a headline. It rewrote the Academy's 92-year-old history."

"Bong, Parasite and other Oscar-related news dominated search terms throughout Monday at major internet portal sites, which had been preoccupied with the outbreak of a virus in China that has killed more than 900 people and sickened tens of thousands of others, mainly in China."

"Worries about the virus have been growing in South Korea, where 27 cases have been reported, though no deaths have occurred."

"Sales at tour agencies, restaurants, movie theaters and department stores have sharply declined, raising worries about the impact on South Korea's already-lagging economy."

"Opposition parties are accusing the government of ineffectiveness in coping with the outbreak."

'But the concerns about the virus and political warfare paused Monday to celebrate Bong's wins", states AP story carried by its ally PTI.

Moon and his advisers began a regularly scheduled meeting by clapping their hands to celebrate Bong's wins.

At Bong's alma mater, Seoul's Yonsei University, students belonging to a school movie club watched the Academy Award ceremony together.

It's deeply meaningful for Korean movies and this will open the path for further development. It's such a great honor. I'm speechless, said Kim Nam-hoon, 21.

Jeong Ho-Cheol, a 26-year-old student, praised Bong for pleasing both movie critics and crowds.

His way of dealing with the underside of Korean society and problems such as rich-poor gaps and the way he expresses those issues are very expressive, he said.

Park Chan-wook, a prominent South Korean movie director who is regarded as Bong's main rival at home, joined the congratulations.

It is a huge blessing to work in the same industry as a person as talented as Bong and being able to call him a friend, said Park, who won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for Oldboy, in an interview with the Munhwa Ilbo newspaper.
 

-----------------------------Advertisement------------------------------------Abua Awas Yojna 

must read