Hollywood trying to stop the Korean Wave?

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200601/kt2006012617233511720.htm

Local filmmakers [Thursday] voiced their strong opposition to the government's plan to reduce the quota system that protects local films, saying that they will take every possible measure to resist the plan.

The whole point of the quota system was to make it so that the Korean film industry can come to a point where they can compete with Hollywood films. I think it's been quite successful, especially with the recent success of 왕의남자 and 태풍.

My view is that the Korean film industry won’t be immediately up in arms. Ultimately, its survival will depend on whether the studios can still produce movies that excite the public mind and draw them to the theaters. One way to do continue its success is to keep telling stories that are Korean rather than making it Hollywood. I think this is what hurt the Hong Kong industry, in that they were constantly trying to westernize their movies and base a movie’s success just on the popularity of a star. What makes the Korean film industry so successful is that they sell a movie on solid scripts and acting. Ironically enough, the Korean movies that are popular outside Korea are the ones with the famous stars. Critically praised movies like Old Boy did not do well, yet the movie 외출 (April Snow), which was panned with bad reviews did amazing in Japan, riding solely on the fact that it starred 배용준 (Bae Yong Jun), a Korean actor who has practically a god-like status in Japan.

However, I think it can be tempting for Korean film makers to try to make movies that appease the Chinese and Japanese audience because those markets are huge.

Compared to other Asian countries, Koreans are quite nationalistic and I doubt they would give up on their films so easily. The Korean movie industry got to where it was because it has systematic backing and upgrading in all levels as well as the talents both young and old that made it competitive and noteworthy.

With that said, hopefully the Hollywood machine will practice fair trade. I sure hope Korean movies can compete head to head in the long run. As of now, Korea's film industry is strong enough to compete head to head with Hollywood. If they succeed it'll just make them stronger than ever. However, we can look at other countries that faced the same problem and their film industries are dead. See Mexico, Taiwan, and almost France (who protected themselves with a quota).

“The General’s Son”, the first meaningful blockbuster Korean film

“The General’s Son”, the first meaningful blockbuster Korean film
“The General's Son" is a film by Im Kwon Taek, a director, who produced both countless popular and critically acclaimed movies in his career. As one of the most respected and celebrated director in Korea, Im has been one of the first to receive international recognition, recently with "Chihwaseon", which won him the 2002 best director award at Cannes.

"The General's Son" is one of his most popular films in early 1990s, the first part of a trilogy and a major box office success during its original domestic release. The significance of this movie from my perspective is that this movie is the one of the earliest Korean movies that has won Korean audiences’ recognition as an “entertaining” Korean movie.

The plot is based on the actual life of Korean independence activist and fighter Kim Doohan, beginning with his early years growing up as a beggar in the Jong Ro district during the Japanese oppression. Kim Doohan was a very well known character even before this movie came out, and there were already many movies, dramas, and even cartoons that were featuring Kim Doohan’s illustrious life. The genius of director Im was that he was able to attract and magnify the audiences’ interest on this popular character into the movie with his powerful storytelling techniques.

Every audience already knew the famous stories and fights Kim Doohan had with his rival Japanese fighters. Director Im thus picked only those incidents and anecdotes that he could dramatize most effectively in this movie such as Kim Doohan’s rising from the street beggar to the head of the major Korean gangs in Jong Ro district, which was the main street in Seoul at the time and not so coincidently where the conflict between Japanese and Koreans were most rampant.
Director Im used fast-paced and breath-taking angles and shots, which were rare in Korean movies until this point, to depict the illustrative fighting scenes. Kim Doohan’s legendary fighting scenes, such as victories over more than ten or twenty enemies with his bare hands, became the romance of Korean male, especially for boys at the time. The fact that main characters, who played Kim Doohan and his rival Hayashi, were completely rookie actors also played a big role for the hit of this movie since it enabled the average Korean male to identify himself with the characters.

I still remember, as a boy, waited more than an hour in the line to get a ticket of this movie when this movie first came out. I also remember most of men and boys around me went to see this movie. Consequently, this movie was one of the biggest hit Korean movies in Korean movie history and made the actors in the movie instant stars at the time. Park Sang Min, who played Kim Doohan, and Shin Hyun Jun, who played Hayashi, became a national star after this movie and are still active in their careers.

The fact that the movie was based on the story of a national hero also played a role for the popularity of this movie. My elementary school teacher recommended to see this movie after school, and some schools even organized school-wide activity to see this movie in a group. Director Im had reputation of producing movies on traditional Korean themes and characters at the time, but this movie was significant even to him in that it also gained national popularity.

From current perspective, some scenes are crude, and the character development is weak. However, this movie certainly deserves a credit for attracting Korean audiences into the theater and persuading them that Korean movies can be entertaining. This, in turn, gave confidence to Korean movie producers to attract more capital into the movie industry and to make Korean blockbusters. This movie was a blockbuster in the sense that the budget, number of actors, and the time took to produce was unprecedented at the time. After this movie, throughout 1990s and 2000, many Korean blockbusters started to came out, and more Koreans started to recognize that Korean movies are worthwhile to watch in the theater although the full recognition did not come until “Swiri” in 1999 by Kang Jegyu.

“The General’s Son” certainly deserves a credit for its ground breaking role in Korean movie industry.

online cartoon

Since Doosik mentioned online cartoon sites in class today, I wanted to recommend some of my favorites.

1) Marineblues.net www.marineblues.net
He started posting his cartoons in June 2004. His cartoons became quite famous among netizens (Ok, i am guessing this is not an English word..?). He published his cartoons in printed version and have won several awards at various animation festivals both in Korea and Japan. His website is offered in three different languages: Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.


The next two for those of you who can read Korean:
2) http://paper.cyworld.com/G-ral

3) http://paper.cyworld.com/examineemind


and many more.
I will update this posting as I find more of these.
I hope you enjoy them.
Have a great weekend!


-- Jihyun Kim (Jen)

“Romance of Their Own”: The Jump From E-novel to Film

Considering South Korea’s 10 top grossing films of 2004, some, like “Taegukgi” are no-brainers: big budget films with big stars. However, the popularity of Korean melodramas has grown so prominent, that a film like “Romance of Their Own,” also known as “Temptation of the Wolf,” has also been able to crack into the top 10.
“Romance of Their Own,” is the typical Korean melodrama in which a country bumpkin girl, Han-kyung, moves to Seoul, and gets the attention of the two most popular guys in school. There’s plenty of bickering and tears, and then comes the old plot twist in which she finds out one of the guys is her long lost half-brother. You can guess the rest for yourself. This movie, directed by Kim Tae-kyun, famous for his “Volcano High,” also helped launch the career of Kang Dong Won.
What I find most interesting about this movie is not the actors, nor the plotline, which comparatively, is pretty good. What’s more fascinating is that this is the second book by on-line author Guiyeoni that has been turned into a movie (The first one, “He Was Cool”, featured Song Seung-heon as the main protagonist). It follows in the tradition of “My Sassy Girl” in which the basis for a popular movie first appeared on-line. Guiyeoni has been critiqued harshly, especially for her first novel, which featured popular AIM icons and expressions that catered to the new generation of Internet junkies. Guiyeoni, and others like her, are not taken seriously by most Korean authors, because of the immature style of writing. However, the fact that her books have been so popular in East Asia that they have been made into movie adaptations with A-list stars should speak of the importance in Korea of this new breed of author.
I think that the spread of these e-novels is partially based on the prominence of technology in South Korea, and the proliferation of websites that support these authors. There are forums in which young adults can share thoughts and writings, and as the success of Guiyeoni has shown, be a stepping stone into the literary world. Though the Korean government and newspapers such as the Chosunibo also sponsor competitions to search for new talent, few young authors will be able to exhibit the sophisticated style they are looking for. Seeing the growing popularization of these novels on the younger population of Asia, I feel that the Korean literary community, since they can’t stop these websites anyway, should encourage these young authors, and help them mature as writers.

YYZ


At the professor's suggestion, I added some movie posters and pictures from the movie. However, I was only able to find Chinese versions of the novel on-line. I'm sure those of you who can read Korean will have better luck.

Sony, Samsung in Talks to Build Second Joint LCD Plant

With so much National pride in Samsung and the high-tech industry in general, the original announcement of joint ventures between Samsung and Sony roused some interesting spurs of discussion a few months ago. Now they're upping the game - I wonder how Koreans feel about this - in a way losing their homogenous identity in the process of globalization, by getting in bed with Japan in such a major way and losing their economic sovereignty. (Or, have they lost it way back already and this is really not such a big deal after all?)

(DSL)

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Sony, Samsung in Talks to Build Second Joint LCD Plant
Nikkei Net Interactive
January 26, 2006

TOKYO -- Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. are set to begin negotiations on the construction of their second joint-venture LCD panel plant, in an effort to meet surging demand for LCD televisions.

The two are expected to spend a total of roughly 300 billion yen on a new plant in South Korea. This plant will likely be designed to handle eighth-generation glass substrates and begin operating in 2007.

Sony and Samsung established their LCD joint venture, S-LCD Corp., in South Korea in April 2004, with each contributing 100 billion yen in capital. S-LCD opened a 300 billion yen production facility and started fabricating LCD panels from seventh-generation glass substrates the following April.

Using eighth-generation glass substrates improves production efficiency because 15 32-inch LCD panels can be made from one eighth-generation substrate, compared with eight panels from one seventh-generation glass substrate. Eighth-generation glass substrates also allow more efficient production of 50-inch-class LCD panels.

The final amount invested in the second joint-venture plant may change as Japanese and Taiwanese competitors also boost their production capacities.

For example, Sharp Corp. , the biggest rival of Sony and Samsung in the LCD panel business, recently announced that it will make an additional 200 billion yen investment in its Kameyama No. 2 plant by 2008 for the plant's handling of eighth-generation glass substrates.

In addition to the construction of a second plant, Sony and Samsung are considering jointly developing LCD panels, combining Sony's know-how in improving image quality and Samsung's expertise in mass production.

Their current partnership only covers producing LCD panels at S-LCD using Samsung's technologies.

Sony and Samsung announced in November an additional 10 billion yen investment in S-LCD's production facilities to lift monthly output capacity from 60,000 seventh-generation glass substrates to 75,000 from July 2006. Even with the increased output, however, demand from Sony and Samsung is expected to outstrip S-LCD's supply within this year.

Japanese backlash

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/GL23Dg02.html

This is an article I found on Asia Times on-line. I posted the section that I think is the most relevant. I think it shows the two extremes that Asian countries have reacted to the Korean wave. How much of an impact do you think the "The Hate Korea Wave" really will have?


A chronicle of Korea-Japan 'friendship'
By James Card

On the cultural front of South Korean-Japanese relations in 2005, BoA, a South Korean bubblegum pop idol created by S M Entertainment, went to the top of Japanese music charts with her fifth K-pop album. Incredibly successful in Japan since 2001, she appeared in numerous commercial and advertisements throughout the country. On the screen, the most popular man was Bae Yong-joon, the foppish South Korean star of the drama Winter Sonata. His appearances drew massive crowds of Japanese housewives and his film, April Snow, was a box-office success this year.

In South Korea, Japanese novels this year outnumbered local novels on the bestseller list for the first time in Korean history. Haruki Murakami, Kaori Ekuni, Jiro Asada, Ryu Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto were the most popular authors.

Two books, however, inflamed South Korean readers. One was titled, Medicine for Korea's Ills by Ryoma Nakaoka. The satire portrayed South Korean men as twisted stalkers and women as harridans, and mocked South Korea's plastic surgery fetish. The other is a backlash of the popularity of the so-called "Korean Wave" of pop culture. Titled, The Hate-Korea Wave, the comic book by Sharin Yamano sold more than 360,000 copies in Japan. Considered by most as Japanese bigotry, the book delves into the half-truths and historical distortions of South Korea.

U.S., Seoul, differ publicly on action call

How North Korea plays into the economic globalization or nationalization of South Korea... Interesting dynamics between Seoul and Washington.

(DSL)

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U.S., Seoul, differ publicly on action call
JoongAng Daily
January 26, 2006

It did not take long for the Foreign Ministry to object to a statement on Tuesday by the U.S. Embassy saying that a visiting U.S. team had urged Seoul to act to protect itself from North Korean counterfeiting. President Roh Moo-hyun also weighed in on the fray yesterday at his first press conference of the year.

Yesterday, the ministry spokesman issued a rebuttal, which took the embassy to task for a statement that "does not reflect accurately the results of the joint consultations." That, the ministry said, was "not appropriate" and complained that Washington was "exaggerating" in its account of the talks.

The ministry conceded that the Americans "suggested a need for cooperation in general terms but did not, officially or unofficially, urge our government to take concrete measures."

A senior government official said, bluntly but anonymously, that the U.S. press release did not report "adequately and in a balanced way" what had transpired. He said the Foreign Ministry had protested to the embassy and received a response that he said met Seoul's expectations. Citing diplomatic sensitivities, he did not elaborate.

Perhaps those expectations were low. Robert Ogburn, the embassy spokesman, said yesterday that the embassy stood by the contents of the press release. Asked if Washington had apologized to Seoul, as some Korean officials had suggested, he said the embassy would "respect the privacy of diplomacy."

At yesterday's meeting with the press, President Roh was asked if he believed that North Korea was involved in counterfeiting. In a rambling answer, he began by complaining that "some Americans" were raising issues about North Korea "or pressuring it or sometimes wishing for its collapse." He said firmly, "We do not agree." On the counterfeiting charges specifically, he asked for more time, saying it would be inappropriate for a Korean president to comment now. He called for working-level consultations to reconcile the differences of opinion.

A source in Washington described the meetings in Seoul to the JoongAng Ilbo, saying that the U.S. team told its Korean counterparts that in 1996, Pyongyang had imported large quantities of special inks used to print currency notes. They cited that as strong evidence of a link to the counterfeit $100 "supernotes" that soon began appearing. Officials here, he said, pointed out that the North was revising its 500-won note at about that time, but the Americans argued that the move was an attempt to disguise its intentions.

Washington has also charged that links between North Korea and the Banco Delta Asia in Macao, which resulted in warnings to the bank by U.S. officials, gave Pyongyang an outlet for its counterfeit currency. Officials here say that an investigation by Chinese officials is still going on.

Seoul continues to say publicly that more evidence is needed to prove the link between North Korea and the supernotes.

What Old Boy implies to Korean Wave

There are two Korean directors that European film festivals always pay attention to: one is Chan-wook Park, who was awarded the Gran-Prix Prize at the Canne film festival for Old Boy in 2004 and the other one is Ki-duk Kim, who has won the director of the year at a lot of film festivals in Europe. Despite the variety of Korean dramas and movies that are sweeping over Asia, those two directors are not too famous in the main areas of Korean Wave. In my view, if I find out why those two directors fail to join Korean Wave it will enable us to realize its limitation.
After searching for movies which have been relatively popular in Korea and Asia, I found out one outstanding trait they share in common: the range of the themes of the movies is too narrow. One good illustration is North Korea. Simply think of Shiri, a movie that revived a Korean film industry that had been colonized by Hollywood before its release. In the movie a main actress, Yun-jin Kim, acts as a spy from North Korea. From Shiri to Tae-kuk-ki, a recently released movie whose setting is Korean War, most major Korean films, what we call a Korean-styled blockbuster have something with North Korea directly or indirectly. Starring actors and actresses who are well-known in Asia, those movies have hit the jackpot in an Asian film market.
Unfortunately, though, those kinds of movies do not appeal to viewers in the rest of the world. Instead, some movies deviating from the main flow of Korean Wave have come into the spotlight in Europe, narrating about rather abstract concepts. For example Old Boy seems to like to talk about the genuine meaning of ‘revenge’ in a unique way. Actually Old Boy is one of three revenge series that Chan-wook Park has filmed. Another Korean director famous in Europe I mentioned above, Ki-duk Kim, enjoys describing his thoughts about feminism in most of his movies. As a matter of fact, everytime his movies came out, they were sensational in Korea. Certainly both of the two directors have a good talent in bringing out their own themes in unique ways. That is why Western people are interested in their movies, I believe.
Chan-wook Park, a movie director of Old Boy, is worth studying in that his movies have been popular in Asia and Europe respectively. JSA, one of his works, was a big hit especially in Japan and Korea, but its success mainly relies on a famous actor named Byoung-hun Lee. As mentioned before its story is also about North Korea. On the other hand, another of his films, Old Boy, fascinated Western audiences with an impressive story line and creativity. Compared to other movies that have been popular in Asia, strictly saying, Old Boy is not a part of Korean Wave. For Korean Wave to be really globalized, therefore, Old Boy suggests that the theme of Korean movies need to be more diverse with a strong and original synopsis, no longer depending upon a few celebrities.(H.J.Choi)

The Coming-out of Oldboys?

The film is a highly entertaining cinematic work that has experienced tremendous success in Korea. It is popularly recognized as one of three pieces by the director Chan-wook Park that deals with the topic of revenge; as the story unfolds a layer at a time, viewers are taken on a wild ride of emotions (composed primarily of hate) produced by two crossing paths of revenge. In all, the story is a superbly packaged collection of mystery and thrill which, combined with outstanding cinematic techniques, successfully leaves the viewers in shock and disbelief rarely found in other media.

While it is tempting to leave it at that – a well made, highly entertaining film – taking a stance on popular culture as a reflection of modern society produces some interesting insights on Korea. The first point to be carefully scrutinized is the interaction between old and new. Oh Dae-soo, the roaring revenger, is essentially a well-preserved specimen of the previous generation dropped in the modern, cosmopolitan Korea. His stiff articulation of Korean hits the viewers (who are familiar with the modern popular interpretation of the language, of course) as awkward and out-of-place. In the earlier moments of the film, a series of his sore monologues are juxtaposed with familiar flow of the urban landscape, producing an eerie sense of tension between the past and present. This tension may be seen as representative of the tension that exists today in Korea between the younger, more independent and globalized generation rising up to power and the older, more homogeneously traditional generation currently in power. The current political scene reflects well this tension: President Roh and his generally younger supporters are perceived to be establishing a new order replacing the economic and political developments of the previous era, who are met with similarly widespread opposition from the more conservative groups faithful to the illustrious economic and political developments made possible by the predecessors. Perhaps this is what defines the current generation in Korea: ill-defined individuals stuck between the older, conservative generation and the rising, liberal youngsters, ‘old boys’ in many ways. The film does not just end at presenting us with this conflict; it also gives a suggested solution represented by love, unknowingly forbidden, between Oh Dae-soo and Mido. Its message is rather clear – in the past, such coexistence and transition from the old to the new was impossible (as in the case of Lee Woo-jin and his sister, and the eventual death of both) but now, albeit painful, it is not only possible but should be enforced (self-hypnosis?) for a happier ending.

The context of this message is quite interesting as well. If this is representative of a natural manifestation of Korean society, why is it presented in such a shocking and horrifying manner? Is it suggesting (as many would claim to have begun already) that there is much turmoil in the path to full union between the two generations? Also, from a cultural standpoint, if the past two or three decades were characterized by mass intake of foreign popular cultures against the society’s paternal enforcement of traditional values, the current state may be characterized as appropriately mixing the ingredients absorbed in the earlier years and defining a distinct and presentable product that is the Korean popular culture. By taking the original story from an identically titled Japanese manga, imposing it onto the matrix of Korean variables and widely spreading it in Korea, throughout East Asia and even the Western world, is the film not just making a passive observatory statement regarding the current fragile but resilient Korean social framework but rather loudly and proudly defining and declaring the new cultural, political, and economic identity? Why such a violent show of transgression of traditional values such as family and brotherhood previously so highly respected in Korean society?

(DSL)

Oldboy - film review

Upon picking it up, the first thing that I noticed on the cover of the Oldboy DVD was a quote from a film reviewer who mentioned a "Quentin Tarantino seal of approval." With this endorsement in mind, I assumed that the movie would be 1) very violent, 2) filled with strange plot twists, and 3) fairly disturbing. On these points, I was definitely not disappointed - Oldboy is quite possibly the most disturbing movie I have ever seen. The plot begins when Oh Dae-Su, a businessman (and apparently quite the belligerent drunk) is abducted from a phone booth after being bailed out from a police station. 15 years pass in confinement, during which we see Oh's mental state descend into insanity - during this time, there is one scene in which he hallucinates about ants, and Oh's writhing, combined with the flickering lights and the camera panning around his anguished face, highlight Oh Dae-su's mental instability. Suddenly, after 15 years Oh is released, and runs into a sushi chef named Mi-do, and the quest to find Dae-su's captor and the reason for his imprisonment begins. The finale is the big plot twist - what started as a simple tale of revenge suddenly becomes much less so, and for a few moments, the viewer wonders who the hero really is, and whose quest for revenge is worthy of viewer sympathy.

Oldboy carries quite a few Tarantino-esque touches - it is quite obvious that director Park Chan-wook is a Tarantino fan, and has taken his techniques to heart. In order to set up the 15 years of captivity, Park has Oh Dae-su tell his story to a man about to commit suicide, and uses a voiceover to complete the initial exposition. This technique reminds me very much of the beginning of Kill Bill part 1, when the Bride is telling her story of the massacre at the chapel, followed by her first steps to revenge. The production of Oldboy was very well done, and the finished product looks as if it could have come from a Hollywood studio.

Overall, the story of Oldboy is very well told - the characters develop to be much less simple than the typical black-and-white of the revenge tale. The retrospective with voiceover helps to move the 15 years of captivity along, preventing the plot from dragging along. I found the violent and sexual scenes to be a bit over the top, however - on some occasions, I found myself asking, "Did the director really need to show that to advance the plot?" Ironically, even though the amount of blood shown on-screen was much less than that of the Kill Bill series, I found myself more disturbed by Oldboy, possibly because of the darker plotline.

In sum, a good movie - if Park Chan-Wook's intent was to make a thriller in the style of Quentin Tarantino, he has succeeded.


--Sze Hui

English as Korean Pop Culture

There are definite political, economic, and historic reasons that are making English such an important and widespread language in Korea, and the rest of Asia. However, I think there is also another factor that is equally as important and persuasive– popularity, trendiness, and the power of pop culture. Trends are perpetuated and made popular through many different avenues. Whether through word of mouth or monetary success, certain things become popular and other things don’t. I think that these days English is one of these things that has become popular; and through this popularity, has entered the world of pop culture in Korea and Asia. This trend of speaking English, or the “English Craze,” not only gained popularity and momentum through politics, the economy, and the current power of the US and Britain, but also through its role in pop culture. Right now, English has a certain “stickiness” to it that grabs attention and draws people in. In Korea, English connotes a specific perceived image. I think it is this image that is driving English through all aspects of Korean life. This perception of English evokes not only money and power, but also this idea of westernized culture, like celebrities, fashions, and notoriety. Also part of this image is this impression of “coolness” and of the cutting edge. This ultra modern aura makes English desirable and in fact trendy to learn and speak. Like in the movie “Teach me English,” English is perceived as something that will enable you to get the gorgeous English-speaking teacher or enable you to say “I love you” in the right way or to be “cooler” in school. Whether learning and speaking English can actually make these things a reality, I think it is this perception and image that fuels the “English Craze.” --- (JAS)

Japanese...wait. Korean anime?

As a huge anime connoisseur, I have searched through my fair share of Japanese articles, mangas, and shows, but I was surprised to find a short time ago commentaries on Korean animation. I have always associated anime with Japan not Korea and this only enticed me further through my perplexed state and slight disappointment in the Koreans imitating Japan yet again. At first glance I assumed that the drawing style, plot, and general anime atmosphere was hastily copied; however, gazing at the Korean cartoons, it is obvious the styles are far from similar. They appear in “chibi” form with emphasis on less detail to the sketch and more on the emotions portrayed.

So the question is, what are the major factors differentiating Korean and Japanese anime and manga (or in Korean, Manhwa)? Beginning with graphic novels, the most obvious alteration from Japanese to Korean is the direction in which one reads. Both Korean and Japanese graphic novels vary in creative topics. However, the cultural differences between the two countries are eminent throughout the storylines, and the competitive spirit with Japan is blatantly apparent in Korean plots.

As diverse as the graphic novels seem, Japanese anime and manga are innovative (for the most part) and rely on fresh ideas. From the one popular Korean anime I have scrutinized through (BASToF Syndrome, which is based on a popular game), it seems generic and tedious. I was disappointed by the less than par drawings and plot, but perhaps it was due to the fact it was geared for a younger audience. Although this anime is fairly new (2001), it had poor graphics and resembled the gundam series almost exactly between plot and mechas. Another trend I have noticed is Korea’s undeniable focus on violence. However, these are broad generalizations considering I have read only one graphic novel and seen two animated series. What I have seen I have neither disliked nor loved, and I am an incredibly unsympathetic critic. Therefore, I would not protest to immersing myself further into Korea’s new animated industry, although I deem Japanese anime on a much higher level.

On a side note, I am surprised more Korean anime has not hit the American market and that Korean anime/graphic novels are not more popular in the states considering this is such a novel industry for the country. Not only does this imply Korea’s growing culture (and influence by Japan) but its desire to equal and surpass Japan. Unfortunate for Korea, Japan has a firmer base in animation through thirty plus years in the industry, however, since, in my opinion, Korean films are innovative and refreshing, their anime could eventually follow this path. (EB)

crazy about just English?

To Koreans leaning foreign languages including English is a matter of survival, not trend. Geographically the Korean peninsula is a sort of bridge between the Asian continent and the Pacific Ocean. To countries in the continent Korea could be considered as a pathway to the ocean, and to countries overseas Korea is a pathway to “permeate” into the continent. Historically, in fact, Korea has been provided as only a battle place for foreign countries without Korea’s intention. During the Cold War, for instance, the Korean peninsula was a symbol of a conflict between capitalism and communism. Recently Korea has been a boundary where the United States and China confront each other. In order to keep the balance of power between countries surrounding Korea, learning foreign languages such as English and Chinese is required not only economically but also strategically. Korean people are crazy about learning English nowadays, which I think is the first step to protect their countries, as a result of globalization that Korean Presidents have manipulated in the name of ‘segyehwa’ in Korean. If the second version of “Teach me English” comes out when China is an advanced country leading the world a dozen of years later, I guess, it would be “Teach me Chinese”. (Hwa-joon Choi)

무극-The Promise "Master Of The Crimson Armor"

http://www.thepromise2006.co.kr/

The movie, "무극," starring Jang Dong Gun, Nicholas Tse, and Hiroyuki Sanada, is filmed by Chen Kaiger and will be distributed in Korea, Japan, China, and the United States. Yahoo movie descrbies this movie as "The film concerns a love triangle fantasy involving a general, a princess and a slave." This movie will be another step forward for both Korea's Hollywood, Chungmuro, and Jang Dong Gun. According to an article that I read the other day, Jang is hoping that this movie will be another step forward for his entry into Hollywood movies. Currently, the most successful entry to Hollywood was actress Kim Yun Jim in "Lost."
It not only is a personal success for Jang but also for Korean cinema as well because it shows that Korea is finally capable of collaborating with other advanced movie industries around the world. I hope Korea participates more in this kind of movie making and be successful. In order to do so, it will not only require advanced actors and actresses but also more open-minded viewers. If nobody goes to watch these internationally made movies, Korea will not survive in the globalized pop culture. The best way to incorporate Korean culture into world pop is to actively participate and play a leading role.




-- Jihyun Kim (김지현)

Incheon Airport's Hall of Korean Wave

Before the school year began, I had a 6 hour layover in Seoul's Incheon Airport. While there, I noticed signs pointing towards a "Hall of Korean Wave". Unfortunately, I touched down at 3am with a connecting flight departing at 10am, so I didn't get a chance to go into the Hall of Korean Wave. However, it did spark a question in my mind - "What is this Korean Wave, and what's so great about it that it deserves its own museum in the Incheon Airport?" Now, having signed up for this course, I've taken the opportunity to revisit this question, and did a Google search for this Hall of Korean Wave, and found this page, which describes the Hall of Korean Wave:
"Visitors are invited to watch free screenings of ‘Winter Sonata’, ‘Autumn in My Heart’, and ‘ Daejanggeum’ on a large screen. There is also a Star Photo Zone where life-size photos of Korean Wave stars are set up for picture-taking. The shop offers a great opportunity for those visitors who haven’t had time to purchase Korean Wave-related souvenirs. And they can spend the little time left before departure enjoying Korean pop culture.
Address : Duty Free Shop, Incheon International Airport, Unseo- dong, Jung-gu, Incheon-si
How to get there : Incheon International Airport, Departure Level Duty Free Shop opposite Gate 46
Telephone : +82-32-743-2143(Korean, English, Chinese)
Business hours : 7 am – 9:30 pm (All year round)"

And apparently, Incheon's Hall of Korean Wave isn't the only one of its kind. The page also talks about shops in Seoul taking advantage of the Hallyu craze by selling movie and TV drama memorabilia. Has anyone in the class been to any of these shops?

--Sze Hui

iPod's South Korean iDilemma

In the United States and indeed most of the First World, Apple's iPod and iTunes Music Store enjoy clear market dominance, with more than 3/4 of music players sold bearing an Apple logo.

Yet South Korea is unique in its indefatigable resistance to the iPod. While the iPod holds 80% of the United States market, its share of the South Korean market is a scant 1.8%. Why this incredible disparity?

The simplest explanation is that the iPod simply isn't bleeding-edge enough for the South Koreans who are always at the absolute forefront of technology. However, the fact that the iPod holds 60% market share in Japan--a country certainly no less obsessed with state-of-the-art technology than South Korea--makes it clear that something less immediately apparent is at work here.

So what unique characteristic of South Korean society has made it immune to iPod mania?

-John Kneeland

"Wang-ui Namja(왕의남자)" vs. "Typhoon(태풍)"

I was looking through the postings and saw one person mentioned "Wang-ui Namja." I watched it over the break and would like to give a brief comment about the movie. This posting also includes comments about another recent released movie "Typhoon."

Professor, this is not my formal movie review. So please do not consider it as such. It is my weekly posting. I just got bored with my 200 page Women's Studies reading. lol

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I watched "Wang-ui namja," and I have to tell you it was one of the best Korean movies I have ever watched. I strongly recommend that you watch the movie once it comes out in DVD. I heard that the original on DVD is about 4 hours so even if you watched it in Korea over the break like me, it will be worth watching it again. It was like trend among many of my friends to go watch this movie more than twice because many people thought it was such a great movie. At first, this movie was expected to be a failure because it did not have any star actor like Jang Dong Gun and Lee Jung Jae, and because it did not have that much budget like Korea's another blockbuster of the year 2005, "Typhoon." Contrastly, Typhoon had 3 big star actors and actress, Jang Dong Gun, Lee Jung Jae, and Lee Mee Yeon AND spent approximately 15 billion dollars worth of money in production. Because "Wang-ui namja" was going to have to compete against "Typhoon," many anticipated that it will not be too successful. Some people also criticize that it is a mere "gay movie," but I thought that it well portrayed Chosun's ninth King, Yeonsan-gun and his era. With mediocre famous actors, the director was able to pull off a great hit and created many big stars, such as Lee Jun Ki(picture below).




Although I am literally in love with Jang Dong Gun, I have to admit that "Wang ui Namja" was a far better movie than "Typhoon," and that one will not regret watching such a good movie. It will give you a sense of a King's life in Chosun dynasty, which started around 1400 and ended in 1905, and fictional although possible behind stories. "Wang-ui Namja" was originally made in a theater play, "Yee."















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BUT, I also recommend "Typhoon." If "Wang ui Namja" was a A++ level movie, "Typhoon" was about A/A-. As I mentioned earlier, it has 3 big Korean movie stars, and it was directed by a famous director, who filmed Korea's hit movies such as "Ddong-gae (Mutt Boy)," "Champion," and "Chin-gu (Friends)." Typhoon's main character "Ssin (Jang Dong Gun)" is a North Korean defector and seeks revenge on the two Koreas for rejecting his family. The movie deals with a sensitive issue such as N.Korean defectors, divided Koreas, and US-Korea diplomatic/military alliances.

















all photos from http://www.naver.com

I understand I posted a bit too many photos, but since these two movies are my recent favories, I could not resist doing this! =) I hope you all enjoyed my posting. Thanks!

Ji-Hyun Kim (김지현)