On April 16, 2014 the Sewol Ferry became one of the worst maritime disasters in South Korea with the loss of 304 passenger, the majority being high school students. South Korea is a collectivist culture, structured as a hierarchical system that teaches their students and children to always respect, listen, and trust authority figures especially in dangerous situations. This study explores how collectivist cultural elements impacted the response of the Sewol Ferry. By examining the timeline of the disaster through interviews, documentaries, news articles and media; this thesis offers insight into what happened that day by providing perspectives from the rescue crew, government officials, survivors, volunteers, and family members of those who died. The analysis showed that in collectivist culture, children and students are taught to trust and listen to authority figures when in dangerous situations, however because of the Sewol disasters, the culture of adhering to the hierarchical systems started to collapse. Students who survived stated that they no longer can trust and respect adults after the incident along with family members of the students who passed away and the public. Also, the government withheld information and failed to protect the children aboard the ferry, because they didn't want to show shame and wanted to save the face or honor of their department. The leadership failure within the Sewol Ferry tragedy can potentially make it difficult in the future for people to listen to orders or recommendations given by the disaster management or the government when a disaster event arises.

The object of this project is to dissect the filmic elements in Train to Busan (2016) to analyze how the film represents the Sewol Ferry incident, a national disaster occurred in South Korea, and how the audience is able to engage with the trauma. As the first zombie blockbuster created in South Korea, Train to Busan adapted the elements of the zombie genre that has been delineated repeatedly. The film inherited the traits of zombies, representation of government and media, and feature of human characters from the genre created in Hollywood. Additionally, national characteristics had been added through reflecting the Sewol Ferry incident. Based on the ideas of genre studies, not only the components that construct the zombie genre, but also how the spectators confront the trauma while viewing the movie can be examined. Cinematography, narrative, character settings resemble the tragic event, which consequently trigger the audience to engage with the national trauma. Thus, while adapting the genre constructed in the Hollywood, Train to Busan reveals how Korean adaptation of the zombie media has been made.