the meaning of 'Gongju'
I'm a Korean so I watched the film without subtitles, bust just in case you didn't know, 'Gongju' means 'princess' in Korea, and that's something we use a lot in Korea. It's like the English 'pumpkin' or 'sweetie pie', etc. Also, Korean girls(not just little girls, but even women in their twenties) often call themselves gongju as a little joke. (btw, I'm a Korean who lived in the US during my childhood years, I understand the cultures of both countries pretty well)
for example, this would be a conversation that might be heard at school.
A: Don't hog the mirror so much.
B: Why? Didn't you know that I'm a gongju??
And that's one of the ways Koreans like to joke when they're young.
I guess it's impossible for someone who has never lived in Korea to understand everything about Korean culture, because there are tons of things that I know would be understood differently about the film.
Also, I don't think the film was every thought of as being "shocking" in Korea. Not all Korean films are as honest(?) as Oasis, but it's not something entirely new. Everyone knows that people are raped, everyone knows that there are many handicapped people being raped. I saw a post here saying that viewer found the rape scene very disturbing. Maybe people just find it hard to be shocked by something that they know happens in real life.
You know, there are just so many things I want to explain, but there's really no end to it:P so I'll have to stop myself from starting. I hope everyone enjoys the film, and other Korean films for that matter. After all, I really loved living in the States, but I prefer Korea. Maybe it's something that runs in my blood, I just think it'd be nice if people got to understand the country better.