Undongkwon
In addition to a strong alliance with laborers, they had an equal devotion to community which began the opposition to western culture and the South Korean government.
The term later became more focused upon the reality that was characterized by poverty, inequality, political oppression, and social dispute between rich and poor.
Historically, Undongkwon activists were imagined by conservatives as insignificant pro- North Korean leftists, "the Reds" and anti-American.
[4] Within the Undongkwon culture, historical expectations and obligations were required to given up at the expense of the individual in order to fully commit for the communities pursuit of happiness.
During the Undongkwon's peak, constitutionalism and violence was most apparent within the June Democracy movement of 1987 which was considered a key moment in to a switch toward a more democratic government.
[6] Furthermore, to spread such beliefs and awareness of issues in South Korea, circles of conversation were conducted at every level and at every available forum which include underground, in open spaces, in factories, in farming villages, and in slum areas.
[7] Controversial topics such as the current regime's legitimacy, questions of distribution of justice, the truth about the Gwangju Uprising and reunification were often debated intensely by the students within this movement.
For instance, at Seoul National University, a large number of students participated in a demonstration circle in the campus a few times.
For men in the Undongkwon movement it was a military training jacket, black rubber shoes, unwashed hard, and unshaven faces.
This effort of change was to ensure that no trace of individuality was present in order to make the Undongkwon movement more distinct.
It included stereotyped characters that were easily relatable to the audience, chain linked connections in between scenes, satires, comical gestures, dances, songs, and even jokes.
This was because as the years progressed into the 1980s Madanggŭk's evolved from being purely dramas for enjoyment to a form of cultural and political expression.
Many people saw performing in Madanggŭk's as not only a way to express examples of a political satire or as just a drama, but as an alternative way of living and working in the capitalist system.
In relation to Korean women under the labor force, they had less than half of the pay for men and were the ones to work the longer hours throughout the day.
In addition, all workers in the labor force had experienced extremely unhealthy and unsafe working conditions that were caused by the negligence of factory owners and managers.
To bring awareness to this movement and situation that is occurring within the garment industry he poured gasoline and set himself on fire.
