KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study analyses science fiction film narratives about 'mind-uploading' technology with the objective of examining the significance and limitations of the epistemological and ontological ideas that are raised by the science fiction imagination in contemporary cinema. In the 2020s, the Korean film industry has witnessed a surge in interest and anticipation for science fiction films. Works that employ cutting-edge technologies to reflect on prospective advancements and their societal implications have emerged. Both Mind Universe (2023) and Wonderland (2024) posit a future society that utilises mind uploading technology to create a digital afterlife, thereby exploring the ways in which such a society would deal with and mourn death. In Mind Universe, the nature of digitally stored memory is revealed through contact with an AI constructed from the memories of the deceased. Furthermore, the film depicts the desire of those who have lost loved ones to complete their mourning by reconstructing existence and space-time, even if posthumously. In contrast, Wonderland seeks to portray a concept of love that extends beyond the boundaries of death through the construction of a virtual world inhabited by an AI based on the memories of the deceased. However, the narrative that exploits death and excludes acknowledgement of loss gives rise to a biopolitical future that negates the capacity for mourning. A detailed analysis of the narratives and themes of the two films reveals that the science fiction imagination in Korean cinema calls for reflection on a number of key concepts, including family, love, relationships, and the ethical consideration of death. This raises the question of whether the narrative dimension, in addition to the spectacular production and technical elements, provides sufficient alternative reasons for death. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the necessity for a posthuman ethics of death and illustrates how science fiction can serve as an alternative discursive platform for its discourse.

Mind-Uploading, SF, Capitalising on Death, Mourning, Biopolitics