‘Game of Thrones Season 6’: return of dwarfish hero

‘Game of Thrones Season 6’: return of dwarfish hero. April. 14, 2016 07:20. by 고미석기자 mskoh119@donga.com.

"Game of Thrones (Season 6)" is making a comeback for a new season late this month, drawing immense attention from fans around the world. The drama, which is based on the fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R. R. Martin, explicitly reveals the naked face of power and people. On the red carpet for a recent preview session of the movie in Los Angeles, Tyrion Lannister whom U.S. President Barack Obama labeled to be a character taking after him in an interview, made appearance. His real name is Peter Dinklage (47), who starred in the franchise from Season 1. He has been nominated for the best supporting actor award of the Emmy Award in five consecutive years, and acquired the honor two times.

Dinklage is only 135 centimeters tall. He was born with disability related with dwarfism. In the "Game of Thrones," the dwarf named Tyrion gets humiliated in many times due to his physical weakness, but he overcomes obstacles by banking on his outstanding political sense. As Tyrion’s sophisticated character gains popularity due to the actor’s characteristic acting, a figure modeled after Tyrion has also been introduced. “If you admit your weakness by yourself, no one will be able to exploit it against you.” As in these lines he narrates in the movie, Dinklage accepted his dwarfism, and has risen to stardom.

Can "Dwarfish Hero" emerge in Korea as well? The National Human Rights Commission recently judged that a tenant’s rejection to grant long-term housing rental to a person with hearing disability constituted violation of the law banning discrimination against handicapped people. How on earth can disability be related to housing rental? Given deep-rooted prejudice in Korean society, it would be almost impossible for an actor with disability to be cast for a character as important as Tyrion in Korea, no matter how excellent acting skills he has.

The U.K.’s BBC is airing a travel program, in which a Nigerian-born man with disability who suffered from polio at the age of six months, take exploratory tour to field sites while sitting in his wheel chair. In New York City, the disability sign that is familiar to people’s eyes is being replaced with a dynamic image that looks like a person in wheelchair running forward. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (April 20) is only days away. In an era when we talk about artificial intelligence and the 4th Industrial Revolution, the reality in Korean society is that people with disabilities are not even given equal opportunities not only in careers but also in housing.