The worldsee

  Connecting 'Joker' to the 'Anger' of Korean Society Todd Phillips' 'Joker' is a dark, gritty character study set in a decaying American city. Yet, when it was released, the story of Arthur Fleck's painful descent into madness struck a raw nerve halfway across the world in South Korea. The film became a cultural talking point not just as a piece of cinema, but as an uncomfortable mirror. As of September 2025, Arthur Fleck’s story feels less like a comic book villain's origin and more like a powerful, dark allegory for the quiet, simmering 'bunno' (분노) —a deep-seated rage—that bubbles beneath the surface of Korea's hyper-competitive and deeply unequal society. 1. The Invisible Man: Isolation in a Crowded World Arthur Fleck's core pain is his invisibility. He is a man who is constantly overlooked, ignored, and physically present but socially absent. His mantra, "I hope my death makes more cents than my life," is a cry from so...