Radio Dayz: Modern Vs. Traditional

In the film Radio Dayz the anti-Japanese sentiment was varied between different groups of people. The Japanese colonial pressures on the Korean society are very apparent when viewing the scenes in the radio station. Otherwise, the civilians in the film who aren’t directly involved with the pro-Korean activists aren’t shown acknowledging the Japanese presence. The common people are constantly too distracted with other things to express their sentiments about the occupation, and one of the key distractions is the radio. In the film, the radio had a stylistic turning point from being more informative, reporting stories about the Korean rebels, which was used as a tool for Japanese propaganda.  Then, to a station purely for entertainment, with the Japanese influence of the radio drama are subtly added. When the chief of the radio station decided to add a pro-Japanese ending the audience became abruptly confused, revealing the audience’s shock at the sudden extremely obvious Japanese propaganda. 

The rivalry between Marie and Myung-Wol, as well as the one between their Flames of Love counterparts, display the battle between traditional Korean culture and Japanese modernism. The character of Marie, who is a modern woman, is completely self absorbed as well as impulsive. On the other hand, Myung-Wol’s character on Flames of love is the “perfect” Korean bride, soft spoken and kind. One of the men in the Korean rebel organization even said that “no relationship ever goes right with those modern girls.” Interestingly we see Myung-Wol’s character undergo a slight change through the film, through her hairstyle. Although, very minute Myung-Wol’s appearance grows to represent a merging of the Korean traditional and the modern, with her Korean traditional dress and her now styled hair. In the end it is Myung-Wol’s character who wins the man and through the radio show Korea is victorious.