The Hidden Conspiracy Theory of 'Parasite'

The Park family is read as representing South Korean citizens, the Kim family as representing Chinese people, and Moon-gwang and Geun-se, the married couple, as representing North Korean spies. From this view, the film is said to tell a story about an outside force infiltrating Korean society.

The shirt belonged to his son Ki-woo, and because the family could not return home after the flood, he wore it out of necessity. The argument says this serves as a metaphor for his identity, and that the grey shirt symbolizes his ambiguous nationality.

Moon-gwang working as the Park family's housekeeper and managing the household is said to symbolize a spy who has entered politics or works in key government posts. Geun-se, hiding underground, is said to signify a secret spy operating beneath the surface.

Ki-taek's family is said to symbolize the Chinese (Hwagyo) living in Korea. Through falsified academic credentials and deception, they trick the Park family, frame Driver Yoon and Moon-gwang, drive them out, and take their places. The argument says this shows a scenario in which Chinese in Korea seize key positions through fraud and deception and ultimately aim to rule the Republic of Korea through a constitutional change to a cabinet system.

The argument says they show rudeness, greed, and a lack of conscience throughout the film. Their casual forgery of documents, deception of the Park family, and merciless trampling of Moon-gwang's family are said to make the film's tragic events more brutal.

The second reason for discomfort is said to be that viewers empathize with Mr. Park. The claim is that present-day South Korea is in the same position as the Park family. It points to the steady growth of the Chinese population in South Korea and raises concern that fear of a population reversal caused by the falling birth rate could become reality. These conditions, it says, make Koreans sympathize with the tragedy of the Park family.

The argument links a Taiwan war scenario to Korea's future. Even if the alliance of the United States, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan wins the war, it claims many Korean men will be sacrificed. Afterward, China and Taiwan will send large numbers of refugees to Korea, who will settle there to replace the labor of the dead Korean men. The conspiracy claim is that the name 'Republic of Korea' will remain, but in substance it will become a country of the Chinese.

The situations and characters in 'Parasite' are said to metaphorically depict Korea's future. The Park family leaving their mansion is said to mean Koreans losing their country, and Da-song's Indian costume is said to symbolize Koreans being dispossessed of their homes just as Native Americans were. Mr. Park is said to represent Korean men dying in war, Ki-taek's sneaking into the basement is said to signify the Hwagyo who will infiltrate Korea after the war, and the German family in the film is said to symbolize the United States.

The argument claims that certain colors and animals are used as symbols of secret societies. Pink is said to symbolize the color of communization in South Korea, and because Koreans, the 'White-clad people,' once favored white clothing, the reddening of white clothes is said to signify Korean sacrifice. The rabbit is described as an image used to demean Koreans as prey that cannot resist, and the white rabbit appearing at disaster scenes is read as an ominous sign.

The argument says that a Google search turns up many photos of certain right-wing politicians wearing pink clothes or ties. Since pink is rare for male politicians compared with female ones, it argues that politicians who dress this way should be viewed with suspicion.

A conspiracy is raised around the perception that the Korean Peninsula is shaped like a rabbit. While the peninsula does resemble a rabbit, the argument holds that the main stage of the Korean people was Manchuria, including the peninsula. It claims this is precisely why certain forces try to shrink Korean territory down to the peninsula. It reinterprets the rabbit as a wise animal and suggests Koreans can overcome their crisis.

A scenario is presented of migrant peoples seeking to infiltrate Korean society. The morpho butterfly and blue rose are cited as symbols, and the argument says this means they will transform into Koreans like the blue butterfly and take over the Republic of Korea. The claim is that they will settle in society by changing the law without Koreans knowing, obtaining Korean names and identity cards completely in administrative terms, and passing as Koreans.

It explains that Daesu Daemyeong refers to a case where another person dies in one's place, prolonging one's own life. It estimates that if undocumented migrants are included, the actual number of migrants would be far larger, and claims this conspiracy may already be underway.

It claims a strategy is being used to induce a falling birth rate in order to bring down South Korean society. The idea is to stoke conflict between men and women so that young Korean men and women come to hate each other, and to fuel economic hardship, job insecurity, rising housing prices, and debt-driven speculation, making marriage, childbirth, and child-rearing difficult. The argument says policy interventions aimed at the collapse of the middle class are taking place as a result.

It cites the film 'Inglourious Basterds,' in which the way people count on their fingers differs between Germany and Britain. On that basis, it says, the identities of right-wing politicians and YouTubers can be discerned from the finger-counting gestures they make unconsciously.

A suspicion is raised that some forces use a damaged Taegukgi (national flag) as a symbol. The argument says they deliberately use a damaged flag to insult the Republic of Korea and to identify one another, and claims that altered flags, with changes such as the positions of the trigrams, are used in ways opposite to genuine patriotism.

Representative symbols cited include the all-seeing eye, the pyramid, ribbons, whales, candlelight, and raised fists. It says these connections should be traced through politicians' origins, clan associations, and study abroad experiences, and warns against politicians who advocate a CBDC (central bank digital currency) and the '15-minute city.'

It declares that there is no trustworthy politician in South Korea today and urges citizens to wake up. It emphasizes that readers should guard against blind faith in particular politicians and check facts by searching for materials themselves. It says that if people do not look things up on their own, they will inevitably become foolish people who trust only politicians, and requests active efforts to uncover the truth.