Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ wins Oscar for Best Picture, making history

U.S. Ambassador supports Bong Joon-ho while eating Jjapaguri

In the movie “Parasite,” Ki-jeong and Ki-woo sing a song at the Parks’ door to memorize the details of Jessica, a fake persona they created. This so-called “Jessica Song” or “Jessica Jingle,” which is based on “Dokdo is Our Land,” has gone viral on the Internet, and various pictures and videos featuring the song have been widely shared on Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms.

Neon, the film’s North American distributor, has released a clip of Park So-dam singing the song herself. In the video, she says she filmed it for those who wanted to learn the song. Neon also produced the Jessica Jingle ringtone, which can be downloaded online. There is also Jessica Song merchandise such as t-shirts and mugs that have words in the song such as Jessica, Illinois and Chicago on them.

Another craze created by the movie is “Jjapaguri,” the dish Choong-sook whips up for Mr. Park’s son. “Jjapaguri is a combination of two different types of instant noodles. One is a black bean and the other one is a spicy seafood flavor. “Rich people, who prefer expensive and healthy food, do not usually eat something like this, but it is popular with kids,” Director Bong Joon-ho said at a talk held after the screening in Hollywood last October. “I tweaked the original recipe and added sirloin on the top to make it look more luxurious.”

On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris posted a picture of cup noodles on his Twitter, saying “Enjoying the Embassy’s Oscars Watch Party with a bowl of jjapaguri” after “Parasite” won Best Screenplay on Monday.

Posters for “Parasite” have also attracted much attention. French, Swiss and German posters were designed by Director Kim Sang-man with a phrase “Find the intruders” while posters for Hong Kong and Macau feature a copy “Poverty might not be a dead end” with the title of “Parasite of High Class.” Japan’s poster has a subtitle “Family in a semi-basement,” while the UK distributor released a poster where Park’s house is divided into nine sections and was also praised for being witty with the movie’s Oscar trophy hidden under a coffee table.


Jae-Hee Kim jetti@donga.com · Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com