The popular Netflix film ‘Don’t Look Up’ is a dark comedy about the world’s reaction to two scientists who discover a planet hurtling toward Earth. The media is indifferent, and the president dismisses it with “So what?” He asks how it will affect the important election next month, failing to grasp the gravity of the situation. Eventually, the two scientists start shouting for people to look up at the sky to save humanity. The president dismisses this as a conspiracy theory and launches a campaign telling people not to look up, creating a scene that’s both funny and sad. As a last resort, they plan to launch a rocket carrying a drone to blow up the planet just before it collides with Earth. But when even that fails, the IT giant CEO and the president, claiming they need to use the restroom, escape Earth with other VIPs aboard an emergency rocket. Ultimately, the moment of destiny arrives, and the planet collides with Earth. The two protagonists spend their final moments having dinner with close friends. The scene where they hold hands and pray together was quietly moving.

Though a comedy film, the director’s various intended satires and devices seemed to reveal the distorted political and social landscape of American society. However, I felt South Korea wasn’t much different. The heightened geopolitical risks surrounding South Korea are evident even to ordinary citizens through recent statements by U.S. commanders and think tank officials regarding unification. Yet the public, instead of watching the planet falling from the sky, is floundering about chasing absurd issues stirred up by politicians or buried in mutual condemnation of opposing camps. During the last general election, too, the public’s eyes were blinded by immediate election issues. A small number of agitators used the media to sway the masses, with one side shouting “Don’t look at the sky!” and the other screaming “Look at the sky!” This pattern repeated during the mad cow disease scare. Despite protests over Fukushima’s recent nuclear wastewater discharge, imports of American beef surpassed half of all beef imports. Seeing reports that Japanese tourists increased due to the weak yen makes one wonder: did the public simply forget quickly, or was it never a major issue to begin with?

Beyond external risks facing South Korea, the results of this general election revealed deepening internal conflicts. The entry of a party leader with socialist ideology and extremely radical lawmakers into the National Assembly through a new party raises concerns. They appear poised to attempt constitutional amendments again, while groups worshiping the sun god, aiming for communist unification of the Korean Peninsula, and proponents of a low-level confederation system push for unification. Furthermore, the opposition, now stronger in the National Assembly, is calling for the president’s impeachment, preparing for a special prosecutor and potentially impeachment proceedings. It is worrying that once the 22nd National Assembly begins, they will likely push to pass the comprehensive anti-discrimination bill that failed to pass in the 21st Assembly.

However, I learned that there are groups praying around the clock for this purpose, and that even among South Korean churches that faced difficulties due to government quarantine policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, some have experienced revival. And as I heard the welcome news that a rising generation of young people is gradually opening their eyes to this great truth, I thought of a breakwater standing firm against a massive tsunami. So I resolved to join with people of faith, to look to God above the heavens even in the midst of the storm, to realize the historical mission hidden for Korea, to work diligently in my own place, and to participate in raising up the next generation.