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The matriarch of the Kim family, Chung-sook is strong-willed and sharp-tongued, and unlike her husband and children, she doesn’t seem overly concerned with appearances or how others judge their lifestyle. While Ki-woo dreams of escaping poverty and Ki-taek hopes for more stable, respectable work, Chung-sook treats life as something to be managed, not fantasized about. She doesn’t idealize the wealthy and sees them with a clear, unsentimental eye. Her outlook is blunt and practical—she believes life is hard for everyone and doesn’t waste time daydreaming about something better. When Ki-woo accepts Min’s offer to tutor Da-hye, Chung-sook immediately focuses on how the opportunity could benefit the whole family. She encourages her children to forge documents and helps coach Ki-woo’s performance as an English tutor. She also plays a key role in ousting the Parks’ housekeeper so she can take the job herself. 

Once inside the Park household, Chung-sook presents herself as a calm and capable housekeeper. Her quiet, composed presence draws less suspicion than the others; unlike her children, she mostly stays out of the Parks’ way. While Ki-taek often feels the need to perform deference around Mr. Park, Chung-sook simply focuses on doing her job well. She carries herself with confidence and rarely slips up in her role. Even when the Parks unexpectedly return home during a storm, she quickly hides the evidence of the Kims’ late-night gathering and prepares the instant Ram-Don noodles Da-song has been asking for. But while Chung-sook generally stays cool under pressure, her strength has limits. Although she holds things together during the Parks’ surprise return, she’s visibly rattled by the discovery of the basement bunker and by Moon-gwang’s violent attempt to blackmail the family.  

Chung-sook’s discomfort with class hierarchy also surfaces in a different way than it does for Ki-taek. Unlike her husband, she doesn’t pretend to like or admire the Park family at any point. When Ki-taek dares to suggest that the Parks might be “nice,” Chung-sook cuts him off with her sharpest line in the film: “They’re nice because they’re rich. Hell, if I had all this money? I’d be nice too.” Chung-sook understands the difference between the Kim and Park family’s situations better than anyone else, because she sees through the illusion of virtue that the Parks present. She knows that politeness and comfort aren’t proof of good character; they’re symptoms of never having to feel afraid, humiliated, or oppressed. Chung-sook is willing to do what needs to be done because she never forgets what’s at stake for herself, her husband, and their children.  

Spoilers below! 

During the disastrous birthday party, Chung-sook is the only member of the Kim family the Parks display openly in front of their guests. She stays in plain sight, grilling meat and tending to the needs of the partygoers. At one point, she listens silently as Mrs. Park speaks about her in a patronizing tone—treating her like a prop rather than a person, even as she stands just a few feet away. Despite performing work the Parks rely on and clearly value, Chung-sook remains socially invisible. She is also the only member of her family to survive the film’s violent climax without injury or vanishing. But Bong doesn’t frame her survival as a triumph. When the party ends and the chaos clears, Chung-sook returns with Ki-woo to a home nearly identical to the semi-basement apartment where the film began. Her practicality may help her navigate everyday crises, but it can’t alter the broader class system that keeps her trapped. Throughout the film, she focuses on the present—on what needs to be done to get through each day. She begins Parasite managing a family living in poverty, and she ends it doing the same—but with fewer people left to care for. 

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