Hell Deconstructed: Two Visions of Hell in Along with the Gods:The Two Worlds and Hellbound
Hell Deconstructed: Two Visions of Hell in Along with the Gods:The Two Worlds and Hellbound
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Authors
Husarski, Roman
Rutana, Dominik
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Date
2025-08-05
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European Journal of Korean Studies
Issue
2
Volume
24
Pages
Pages
27-44
ISSN
2631-4134
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Access date
2025-09-02
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Abstract EN
In South Korea, despite views of religion as offering solace, the concept of hell maintains a strong presence. Narratives about hell are common across the major religions but are also found in the non-denominational sphere. We analyze two examples of cinematic visions of hell found in the South Korean film Along
with the Gods: The Two Worlds (Kim Yong-hwa, 2017) and the South Korean TV series Hellbound (Yeon Sang-ho, 2021). While Along with the Gods uses hell as a spectacular space, Hellbound, by removing the question of morality from hell, subverts its meaning. Although in their depictions both series refer to the tradi-
tional vision of hell, especially that of Buddhism, their interpretation goes beyond traditional models. We argue that the representation of hell in both works can be read as a polemic or even a critique of institutional religions and is an example of religious bricolage in post-secular South Korea.
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Keywords EN
Buddhism
hell
religion and cinema
Korean Buddhism
Korean cinema
hell
religion and cinema
Korean Buddhism
Korean cinema
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