Moon-gwang
Who are the Parks?
Before being tricked and fired by the Kim family, Moon-gwang served as the long-time housekeeper for this wealthy family.
Who are loan sharks?
Geun-sae spent over four years hiding in the bunker to escape these aggressive creditors.
What is a semi-basement house
The Kim family lives in this type of low-rent home, which sits partially underground and is prone to street-level pollution.
What are stairs / staircases?
The film visually illustrates the vast gap in social class by showing characters constantly moving up and down these.
What is the living room?
As soon as the Park family leaves for their trip, the Kims sprawl out in this room to drink expensive alcohol and eat high end food.
What is the basement / secret bunker?
During the rainstorm, a bruised and frantic Moon-gwang rings the doorbell, claiming she needs to retrieve something left here.
What is "RESPECT"?
Geun-sae uses light switches in the bunker every night to tap out messages in Morse code, which spell out this word of gratitude to Mr. Park. ( who has never met face to face)
What is sewage / wastewater?
During the storm, the Kim family's home is flooded with water mixed with this foul substance.
What is his smell ( subway smell)
Mr. Park repeatedly notes that Ki-taek has a distinct smell and constantly blocks his nose to cover up the smell which degrades Ki-taek
What is chest-high
The floodwaters fill the Kim family's semi-basement apartment up to this level, forcing them to wade through dirty water to grab belongings.
What is tuberculosis
To get Moon-gwang fired, the Kim family framed her by making it look like she suffered from this contagious disease.
What is they have never met / talked directly?
Geun-sae's living conditions in the bunker are so dark and isolated that he worships Mr. Park almost like a god, despite this fact.
What is a fallout shelter
The bunker beneath the Park house was originally built by the home's architect for this specific purpose.
What cleared the air pollution? (last minute outdoor party)
While the flood destroys hundreds of homes, Mrs. Park is happy about the rainstorm because it allowed her to plan this event for her son.
What is the basement pantry / wine cellar?
To access the secret bunker, Moon-gwang has to slide away a heavy, concrete framed cabinet hidden inside this room.
What is the rainstorm / flood night?
Moon-gwang dies from a concussion after Chung-sook kicks her down the bunker stairs during this frantic event.
What is the basement floor trapdoor?
Da-song was severely traumatised during a late-night snack run when he saw Geun-sae emerge from here.
What are privacy walls / fences?
The entrance to the Parks' high end residence is protected from the outside world by a massive gate, a security system, and these high barriers.
What is the Scholar's Stone
Min-hyuk gifts the Kim family this heavy object, which is supposed to bring wealth but ultimately symbolises false hope and violence.
what is " SOS" (3 short, 3 long, 3 short)
During the night of the storm, Geun-sae desperately presses the light switch repeatedly with his head to signal this international emergency phrase.
What is a smartphone (video recording)
Moon-gwang discovers the Kim family's secret identity when she accidentally captures them on this device.
What is King Castella (Taiwanese sponge cake)?
Before going into hiding, Geun-sae went bankrupt after investing in a failed shop selling this Taiwanese street food.
What is the toilet?
To get free internet access in their semi-basement, the Kim children have to crowd around the toilet.
Who are the Kim family and Moon-gwang's family (Geun-sae)?
The tragedy at the end of the film highlights how the working class is forced to turn on one another, a dynamic described as "parasite vs. parasite" between the two families.
What is rope
After discovering Geun-sae underground, the Kim family ties him in the bunker using this household item tied around his hands and legs with Moon-gwang who is dead