The Humanity of the Zombie: A Case Study of a Korean Zombie Comic

Originally defined as an undead human body by Haitian and Northern African voodoo culture, the zombie has become a popular cultural product. However, in most entertainment media, the zombie has been standardized as a frightful enemy to humans. The dominance of zombie-related Western media content has led to a number of variations in other cultures. In Korea, the concept of the zombie has evolved into the “ghost” concept of han (한, 恨), a unique emotional concept in Korean culture that stems from the country’s historical and geopolitical situation. Analyzing the narrative of the Korean online comic (“webtoon”) series Every Moment of Your Life (당신의 모든 순간), this paper discusses how the Western conception of the zombie has evolved in han, motivating audiences to reflect on the meaningfulness of human life.