Blue Swallow

South Korea’s Confucian paradigm of a patriarchal society resulted in women to be placed in a position where they constantly fought for equality. During Japan’s annexation in Korea, despite fundamental changes in the educational system, such as providing more freedom to pursue their studies abroad, restrictions on women intensified as Japan “aimed to create more “feminine” women”, as women were educated to be as “useful as possible for their practical daily life” within the household, still imposing “crude” education for women(Yoo, P.70). For Park, even with the increase of female students attending school at the time, her father insisted her to stay at home stating that school is not necessary for girls. Despite these circumstances, Park’s independent, strong and assertive(rather males’ stereotypical traits) eventually helped her way up to become a pilot, which was her dream since she was a little child. With her bobbed hair, which represented a form of rebellion against the cultural norms imposed on Korean women, an independent personality, and incredible flight skills rare among women at the time, Park was the epitome of ‘new woman’ who “rejected the gender performance set out for her by the colonial state and Korean national reformers”, that was emerging during the 1920s(Yoo, p.73). Her strong characteristics and personality perhaps served as a motivation to many other women of that period, thus, Koreans, including myself, should be proud of her work. However, her behaviors that make her seem like a pro-Japanese collaborator was disappointing. With her outstanding work as a pilot, Park’s last dream was to finish a long distance flight from Japan to Manchuria, stopping in Chosun as a break stop on the way. However, Japanese government insisted that she should put a Japanese flag on the plane as she completes the journey, and eventually Park chooses to go on the flight(where the film implies that her intention of the flight was to bury JH’s body in Chosun, where they both belong). Seo states that it is important to remember that not all projapanese collaborators deserve to be punished, because many Koreans were coerced into cooperating with the Japanese imperialists(Seo, p.92). Although we have limited information about what really happened with Park, it seems like in the movie that Park had a choice whether or not to go on the journey. Movies are often reflexive of the values, state, and ideology of a society and its specific period that the film is covering. Especially for a movie that states that it is based on a true story and deals with historical people, the film should have carefully considered fictional characters(according to internet sources) like Jihyuk, who make Park seem even more of a collaborator. Perhaps some plots and characters were added for the commercialization of the movie; I have limited information about Park. However, what the film represents, suggests that she had a choice, unlike many other Koreans who were actually coerced into cooperating with the Japanese imperialists.