삼식이 삼촌
Disney Plus, 2024, 16 episodes
Genres: drama, history
Written by Shin Yeon-shick
Directed by Shin Yeon-shick
 |
| Song Kang-ho and Byun Yo-han (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
Forget simplistic judgments like "good man" or "bad man" if we decide
to watch the series
Uncle Samsik
(Uncle Samsik: A Korean Dream). It’s not even worth dwelling on
questions of whether everything happened exactly as we see it. We are
about to witness a drama whose fictional characters bear an immense
resemblance to their real-life historical prototypes—lives shaped not
by fiction, but by the actual historical facts, events, and power
dynamics vividly evoked in the series.
 |
(Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
Could a country be more bled dry than South Korea? After the
exhaustion of colonial exploitation, it was ravaged by World War II,
and then, barely a few years later, by the Korean War. Poverty and
developmental backwardness prevailed in every field, serving as a
breeding ground for internal tension. For centuries, society
socialized those wishing to retain power, those striving upward, and
even those simply trying to get by, to master every trick of
corruption. Following the World War, Western democracy crashed down
upon this established order; it is no wonder they could barely
navigate the new rules of the game—if they even wanted to. There were
plenty who would have preferred to blend the two. Starting with
President Rhee Syngman himself (this peculiar transliteration covers
the name Lee Seung-man), who, despite being a seasoned independence
fighter and experiencing Western democracy in the USA, grew quite fond
of presidential power in his old age, seeking to secure it forever by
amending the constitution.
 |
| (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| Byun Yo-han (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
Our story begins in 1960, and its backbone is formed by the interrogation procedure of the main characters, where answering each question evokes preceding events. Consequently, we constantly jump back and forth in time, further complicated by flashbacks through which we learn about the childhood and youth of the protagonists and the bonds that connect them.
The playing field is extremely complex. Nodes are formed by competing
parties, the government, and the army, which are also split along
several lines of force, carrying out their internal struggles while
the press fights its own battle for freedom. All are influenced by
groups organized along ideological or economic interests—from gangs to
vigilantes to elite social circles, the largest of which can be
interpreted as a "shadow power." There are insiders and outsiders;
some, if they can acquire enough potential, are accepted among the
elite, albeit fastidiously. Park Doo-chil (Song Kang-ho) is such a
secret ace, whom everyone calls "Uncle Samsik" (meaning the one who
ensures three meals a day). He fought his way up from nothing to
become a force capable of exerting serious influence over all
aforementioned actors through his money and manipulative skills.
 |
Song Kang-ho (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| Song Kang-ho (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
Samsik strives to lead the country toward something, but his hitherto
blurred visions take shape upon meeting Kim San (Byun Yo-han), who
envisions raising the country's standard of living and wealth through
industrial development. Kim San is a young man who graduated from a
military academy and studied in America on a scholarship; he appears
to be a dreamer, but a very persistent and determined one.
 |
| Byun Yo-han (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| Byun Yo-han (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| Byun Yo-han (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
A significant factor is the presence of the American military in South
Korea; the American example and influence permeate every segment of
life. Reading the biographies of several independence fighters, it
became clear to me that even during the Japanese occupation, the
United States was the escape route. Many prestigious politicians and
other leaders returned to liberated Korea equipped with that ideology
and their studies there—including Lee Seung-man. By the time of this
drama, this process had only intensified, as seen in the role of the
Albright Foundation.
Yet, the drama is primarily the story of Samsik and Kim San finding
each other, their mutual trust and their doubts, complemented by a
third important character. Kang Seong-min (Lee Kyu-hyung) is Samsik's
former protégé, who has already made it to the legislature, but it
seems he cannot compete with Kim San in Samsik's eyes, who is unable
to either support or shake off the young man.
 |
| Lee Kyu-hyung (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| Lee Kyu-hyung (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
The drama leads us through government manipulations, the climax of
which is a rigged election. The resulting protests and their deadly
suppression are historical realities, as is the fact that a military
coup followed.
However, the drama performs a "deep drilling" into the moral judgment of the two main characters, leaving the verdict to us. Who is this Samsik? A conniving social climber, unscrupulous in his methods, or does he truly have a vocation, perhaps a greatness? Who is this Kim San? Truly a well-meaning dreamer who accepts getting his hands dirty for the sake of the great goal, or as is thrown in his face: a hypocrite masking his own desire for power with this disguise?
As is often the case, even the most perfect plans do not work as intended, and a grain of sand gets into the machinery of the final action—because there is already a younger, differently thinking, perhaps even more unscrupulous character who simply outsteps them. The physical and spiritual collapse of Samsik and Kim San is inevitable, but where each of their fates leads from the interrogation remains the secret of the drama.
Shin Yeon-shick, seasoned in independent, low-budget, experimental, and art films, wrote an excellent screenplay and directed it worthily. Although fully understanding the story at first glance may seem a great challenge—dictating a fast pace in alternating scenes from different timelines—it compels many of us to dig into researching the events of the era.
Every character in the drama is a flesh-and-blood human with real
emotions and passions. Despite knowing these excellent actors, it
often feels like watching a documentary—of the more exciting kind. The
blurring of reality and documentary footage occurs in the images of
the protests, and few things are more uplifting and moving than those
sequences. The recreated settings of the era, from costumes to
interiors, are perfect in every frame; the sepia or pale blue colors
and dim lighting only strengthen the feeling of looking at old
postcards and photographs.
 |
| (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
Two important "firsts" are associated with the drama: on one hand,
this is the director's first television drama, made for Disney Plus;
on the other, the acting titan Song Kang-ho also undertook a
television series role for the first time. One cannot sufficiently
praise the richness with which he plays every nuance of Samsik's
character. Meanwhile, Byun Yo-han simultaneously portrays both the
sympathetic and repulsive faces of Kim San's personality; it is a true
feat how this duality often appears in him at once. One cannot forget
the burnout radiating from him as he stumbles in the rain. It seems
something predestines Byun Yo-han to portray heroes struggling in the
traps of politics, as this role feels like a mature version of the
character seen in
Six Flying Dragons. However, the true scene-stealer is Lee Kyu-hyung. It was never in
doubt what an excellent actor he is, but the way he threatens, fawns,
cowers, and rages here will haunt our memories for a long time. Many
others should be mentioned, but I would rather recommend browsing the
credits. Since there are few female characters, two important roles
must still be named: Jin Ki-joo, who portrays the fragile yet
internally powerful Joo Yeo-jin, and Tiffany Young, who plays Rachel
Jeong.
 |
| Jin Ki-joo (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
 |
| Tiffany Young (Author’s capture from ‘Uncle Samsik’) |
Koreans, having lived through everything, have a special sense for
uncovering all layers of power-political relations and for facing the
historical past without concealment. Their great works are countless,
but I can safely state that
Uncle Samsik is
a true masterpiece even among them.
Disclaimer: All images used in this article are screenshots captured by the author from ‘Uncle Samsik’ (Disney+/Hulu Original Series). They are used under Fair Use for the purpose of criticism and review.
. . .
This article was originally written in Hungarian for Ricemegatron Expert Film Blog and subsequently translated into English for Ricemegatron Expert: Korean Screen Insights. The English version was created with the assistance of Gemini AI, focusing on preserving the original tone, structure, and critical style of the author.