Who killed Jiwon Bak?
Four Conjectures about Case 121219 (Mullae Homicide)
Mullae diary
2013 Single channel video, 30' 00''
Mr. Jiwon Bak, a 31-year-old, was found at Seoul Art Space Mullae at 6pm on 19 December, 2012, in a murder which was attempted to be disguised as a traffic accident. After he was found dead, police promptly initiated an investigation but failed to find material clues. Although the probe went on for several days, the case became more and more of a mystery with many questions unsolved. What actually happened in Mullae-dong and who killed Mr. Bak?
I met Mr. Bak several times late last year for interviews. I was working on a feature story about Mullae Art Town which was emerging as a new art venue for poor artists at the vacated steel material arcade in Mullae-dong. When I first interviewed him, he had moved into the town a few days earlier. At that time, he seemed very ambitious. As he was appointed to be one of the participants in the MAP project, a program designed by Seoul Art Space Mullae to foster public artists, in early October 2012, he was planning to stay in Mullae-dong for about three months. He did not start his career as an artist. He had spent a few years in Daejeon without much career development, but he earned a reputation as he posted several video clips about the interviews he conducted with his taxi customers in Jeju, Daejeon and several other
locations on YouTube. His activities enabled him to earn popularity and artistic recognition in that he created artworks with viewers. "Thanks to my video works, Seoul Art Space Mullae gives me the opportunity to officially debut as an artist. I had conversations with taxi customers and captured the interviews before, so I just need to interview the local residents in Mullae-dong. I have some curiosity about art and this also gives me some income. I feel as if I have hit a jackpot", Bak said in an excited tone. However, investigators found out that Mr. Bak was actually working on an important confidential government mission. The government designated Mullae-dong as the site for a pilot redevelopment project in 2008 in order to reshape the outdated industrial town into a high-tech residential and industrial complex. He was in charge of researching the overall perceptions of local residents and persuading them to move out of the town in order to relocate ironworkers and artists to the suburbs. Then, why was he murdered? First, he might be killed by the government.
In fact, Mr. Bak is more of a cultural agent than an artist. As the violent crackdown on Yongsan residents resulted in harsh social criticism, the government appointed ordinary people as sponsored artists to monitor local community and artists in the areas. Mr. Bak, a former taxi driver, was particularly talented at communicating with strangers thanks to his unique social skills so he seemed capable of identifying the thoughts of local ironmasters and artists. Although he had some early difficulties in adapting to the new environment, recently he seemed satisfied with his role. However, as he tapped deeper into the insides of Mullae-dong, he began to lose his passion. He sometimes lamented; "It seems very futile to specify someone's home for redevelopment projects without any attention to the lifestyles of local residents." He also said that someone seemed to be watching him. The government could remove him as he was increasingly unlikely to complete his mission. Second, Mr. Jiwon Bak, a 66-year-old project partner, is on the suspect list. The background information about the former taxi driver of Saenara is rarely identified, but some findings showed that he used to work as a member of Park Chung-hee Commemoration Foundation. He is currently missing so he is considered a prime suspect in the case. Junior Bak had strong complaints about senior Bak. "I expected him to make my work easier because of his experience, but he is physically weak and listless. He is not helpful at all for this project," said junior Bak. It is an interesting finding that senior Bak had driven Saenara as a taxi driver in the 1960s. 'Saenara Motors' expanded its business quickly thanks to the 'Automotive Industry Promotion Act' enacted by the Park Chung-hee regime, which reigned in Korea in 1962, as part of the efforts to restore the country's economy. Given such transitions, 'Sibal', the first Korean-made vehicle and a symbol of progressive movement, disappeared from the streets quickly. Saenara Motors (currently, GM Korea) imported automotive parts from Nissan Motor of Japan and produced Saenara, featuring a streamlined design and the model attracted large popularity. Many taxi companies also replaced their fleets with 'Saenara'. Therefore, Saenara has many resemblances to the New Community Movement, a government campaign internalizing the compulsiveness for new elements in the 1970s as both names suggested. Since senior Bak worked as a taxi driver for Saenara, he seemed suitable for the project of relocating local residents for the redevelopment of the outdated town. Senior Bak may aim to reject junior Bak by being uncooperative.
Mullae diary
2013 Mixed Media, Dimension variable
Then, why was he doubtful of junior Bak? The recent 18th presidential election made not only regional conflicts but also generation gaps more distinct than ever. Junior Bak once said that he had a quarrel over politics after the presidential election. Discontented with the election outcome, junior Bak and some younger voters called to eliminate the free subway ride benefit program for senior passengers. Senior Bak, who has been yearning for the old times under the Park Chung-hee regime, felt threatened by this claim. This may have led him to murder junior Bak. Over 200 application forms for the Pyeongyang Taxi Project were found at the residence of senior Bak, raising the possibility that he has fled to Pyeongyang. This scenario suggests that Bak is working on a specific plan. Third, we cannot rule out the possibility that a third party is involved in the murder because the third party was jealous of junior Bak's abrupt ascent to the title of artist. Hundreds of aspiring artists apply to the MAP project that Bak recently joined every year and the winner's prize has been increasing so quickly that it intensified the competition year by year. Many young job seekers vie for the prize in order to improve their resumes. All of them fear dropping out of the competition as the job market is increasingly tough. The winners of the MAP project are entitled to a large cash amount, social reputation and various benefits. Threatened by fierce competition and fear of dropping out, the younger generation internalizes the winner-takes-all structure day by day so that they increasingly pursue money and power. Junior Bak, who was relatively flexible in his career, might get on their nerves. Lastly, it is not unlikely that junior Bak committed suicide. Although he showed strong enthusiasm in his success, he often said that he was not supposed to stay in Mullae-dong for a long time. The Mullae community was reported to maintain harmonious relations between artists, ironworkers and residents by media, but he pointed out that they actually had substantial gaps in their thoughts. He had complaints particularly about the existing authorities of art. "Boundaries cannot be set for art. Artists always argue that they support public arts and the integration of life and art, but the notion that artists provide cultural benefits to local communities can be burdensome to ordinary people," he said. As described by junior Bak, the residents of Mullae-dong do not want to enjoy long-forgotten cultural benefits from artists but they want to earn respect for their own lifestyles and local cultures. Bak sometimes said he wanted to give up his art career. His ideas were used for the government's redevelopment project.
Mullae diary
2013 Mixed Media, Performance
He was also abused as an artistic tool for such a project. Doubts about his reality may have depressed him and forced him to kill himself. This accident not only resulted in the termination of a life but also led to deliberation on the modern history of Korea, conflicts in local communities caused by redevelopment, generation gaps, an extremely capitalistic society and artistic authenticity, various social and cultural issues of Korean society. We hope that the investigation will produce a quick breakthrough to disclose the underlying truth.
