How did Minjung Misul connect art with social protest in 1980s Korea?

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Korean dragon jar — Korean art Dragon jar, porcelain with iron-painted decoration under clear glaze, Korea, mid-17th century; in the Brooklyn Museum, New York. 31.4 × 37.1 cm. Diameter at mouth 12 cm. Diameter at base 9.5 cm.

During the 1980s, the Minjung Misul movement—often translated as "People’s Art"—emerged as a significant cultural force in South Korea. Departing from the meditative, abstract focus of the preceding decade's Monochrome Art, these artists actively sought to reconnect creative expression with the lived realities of the public.1

Minjung Misul functioned as a vehicle for social critique, directly engaging with the political turbulence of the era. By exploring pressing social themes, the movement became intrinsically linked to the widespread political protests occurring throughout the 1980s. Through their work, these artists rejected the notion of art as a detached or purely aesthetic pursuit, instead positioning it as a tool for social consciousness and a medium for documenting the struggles of the people against the political climate of the time.1