In this blog post, we will examine the history of genetic engineering, its expected benefits, the social and ethical issues raised by the movie ‘Gattaca’, and the limits of genetic engineering interventions in human ontogenesis.

Expected Benefits and Current Developments in Genetic Engineering

The concept of genetic engineering began to develop in earnest in the 1980s. Genetic engineering refers to technologies that insert or remove specific genes and regulate gene expression to create organisms with desired traits. Notable examples include crops resistant to pests and diseases or varieties tolerant to drought; in the past, experimental cases such as the so-called “tomato-potato hybrid,” which combined the characteristics of tomatoes and potatoes, were also widely publicized.
Genetic engineering demonstrated new possibilities with the birth of Dolly, the cloned sheep, in 1996. Dolly was the first cloned mammal created using somatic cell nuclear transfer technology and became a major milestone in genetic engineering and biotechnology research. Since then, biotechnology has advanced further, moving beyond simple trait improvement to the emergence of gene-editing technologies. In particular, precision gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 are bringing about significant changes in the fields of medicine and agriculture by enabling the modification of specific genes with far greater accuracy than before.
Genetic engineering has garnered attention as an innovative technology capable of solving various problems facing humanity. One of the most anticipated benefits is the resolution of food security issues. While humanity has long relied on agriculture for food, the agricultural environment is becoming increasingly challenging due to global population growth, climate change, desertification, and extreme weather events. Furthermore, as urbanization expands, arable land is also on the decline.
In this context, genetically modified crops are regarded as a vital alternative. By developing varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases, tolerant to drought and salinity, and highly productive, it is becoming possible to ensure stable food production even on limited farmland. In fact, gene-editing technology is being utilized not only to enhance pest and disease resistance but also to improve the nutritional content of crops and develop varieties adapted to climate change.
Another significant expected benefit of genetic engineering lies in the field of disease treatment. Research is actively underway to prevent or treat diseases by modifying or correcting the genes responsible for specific genetic disorders. Currently, gene therapy targeting somatic cells is being used in actual clinical settings to treat certain rare genetic disorders and specific cancers, and some therapies have been approved and are in use in several countries.
On the other hand, germline gene editing—which involves editing the genes of fertilized eggs or germ cells—is subject to very strict regulations in most countries because it can affect future generations, and ethical controversies surrounding its clinical application persist.
As genetic engineering advances at an astonishing pace, it is opening up possibilities not only for treating human diseases but also for intervening in the very process of human development itself. However, we need to carefully consider whether such developments should be unconditionally welcomed.

The Social and Ethical Issues of Genetic Engineering Depicted in ‘Gattaca’

While the genetic engineering technologies discussed above represent the current state of the field, the film ‘Gattaca’ imagines and portrays a future society where these technologies have advanced even further.
In the film, modern medicine uses genetic engineering to create test-tube babies from whom not only genes that could cause disease but also traits such as a predisposition to violence or alcohol dependence have been eliminated. Children born in this way are called “Valids” and form the upper class of society, while those born through natural conception are classified as “Invalids” and face social discrimination.
The gap between the two classes in the film is vast. “Unqualified” individuals struggle to secure their desired jobs and are often confined to temporary or part-time work; they also face disadvantages when trying to obtain insurance simply because they are at higher risk of developing diseases.
This society illustrates one possible outcome of genetic engineering technology advancing to extreme levels. If technology that allows parents to select and design their children’s genetic traits becomes commercially available in the future, many people will likely seek to use it. However, due to high costs and limited accessibility in the early stages, it is likely that only the economically privileged will have access to such technology.
As a result, some may gain physical and intellectual advantages through gene editing, and the gap between them and those who do not could gradually widen. In today’s highly competitive society, these differences are likely to affect education, employment, and social success, raising concerns that a new form of discrimination may eventually emerge.

Limitations in Addressing Social and Ethical Issues

Supporters of genetic engineering might argue that such discrimination can be prevented by revising laws and institutions and strictly protecting individuals’ genetic information.
However, in reality, genetic information is likely to be utilized in various fields, including healthcare, research, insurance, and personalized medicine. As genetic analysis technology continues to advance, fully protecting individuals’ genetic information could become an extremely difficult challenge. Therefore, it is difficult to conclude that genetic discrimination can be completely prevented by institutional measures alone.

The Possibility of Repeating the Unethical History of the Past

In ‘Gattaca’, extreme discrimination exists between two social classes: the “Elites” and the “Outcasts.” Society accepts this discrimination as a matter of course, and an insurmountable barrier has been erected between the two classes. In other words, it is a society where people with genes deemed superior—and with a lower risk of disease—are recognized as having greater value.
However, even in modern societies, including South Korea today, judging a person’s worth based on specific physical characteristics or health conditions cannot be justified. This way of thinking is not fundamentally different from past forms of racial discrimination, slavery, or the caste system.
In fact, eugenics policies were implemented in the United States and some European countries in the early 20th century, with the Nazi regime’s genocide of the Jewish people serving as an extreme example. Eugenics was an ideology that sought to control society by distinguishing between “superior” and “inferior” people, and it led to countless tragedies.
If, in a future society, people selected through genetic engineering are treated as superior to those who are not, this could result in a repetition—in a different form—of the tragedies left behind by eugenics. Acknowledging the unethical nature of eugenics while uncritically accepting technology designed to select only “superior” genes may constitute an ethically contradictory stance.

Disregard for Life and the Commodification of Human Beings

In a society where genetic engineering is possible, another problem may arise. If people are free to choose the genes they desire, those with economic and social power may be tempted to create multiple individuals with the same superior genes as their own and use them for organ transplants or specific purposes. This could result in treating human beings not as individuals but as means to an end.
Such a perspective, which views humans as commodities, could also undermine respect for the life of the embryo. As genetic engineering technology continues to advance, if embryos come to be perceived merely as a step in the genetic design process, serious ethical problems could arise, and there is a risk that human dignity will be compromised.
Furthermore, human society is composed of groups with a wide variety of genetic traits. If society consistently favors only specific genes, this diversity of genetic traits may gradually disappear. Since human diversity is crucial for adaptability to disease and biological evolution, a society that excessively favors only certain traits may face unforeseen problems in the long term.

Conclusion

Genetic engineering technologies have made significant contributions to human progress in the fields of agriculture, medicine, and the life sciences, and are likely to continue playing a vital role in treating various intractable diseases and solving food security issues. However, no matter how useful a technology may be, if it is misused or abused without appropriate ethical standards and social consensus, it can lead to serious adverse effects.
In particular, research such as germline gene editing or human cloning—which directly intervenes in the process of human development—must be conducted with great caution under strict legal and ethical regulations, as these issues are directly linked to human dignity. Research that could undermine human dignity, lead to human cloning, devalue embryonic life, or result in new forms of social discrimination must undergo thorough social debate and scrutiny, and, if necessary, be subject to strict restrictions.
The film ‘Gattaca’ is not merely a science fiction movie; it is a work that conveys an important message, prompting us to reconsider how we should safeguard human dignity and social justice in an era of advancing genetic engineering.