I'm totally diggin your 'Han Style'
Hello Class. Today's post justifies why there are Korean Popular Culture classes in American Universities. Our class is just a realization of one of the goals that the Korean Culture and Tourism Ministry has. Something interesting I thought were the 6 symbols that the Ministry was trying to push last year. Music, alphabet, food, and clothing are aspects of the Korean culture that I expected; however, I was surprised by the other two: rice paper and traditional home. I don't know much about rice paper so I didn't expect it to be a symbol of Korea and also I wish the paper explained what the traditional home meant. Secondly, I was expecting Korean drama/movies to be a symbol of Korea so I am wondering why the Ministry didn't push for that aspect of Korean culture. Yea, this is just a post to let the class know that this Hallyu wave is still going with the help of the Korean Government and our class is a simple proof that Korean Popular Culture is disseminating outside the Korean peninsula.
Culture & Tourism Ministry Announces 2007 Plan
Feb. 9, 2007
Arirang News
The Culture and Tourism Ministry said it will expand exchanges for everything from Korean pop culture to traditional arts. Minister Kim Myung-gon has announced his ministry's to-do list for this year.
The ministry plans to step up this year its promotion of Korean pop culture and traditional brands. Minister Kim told reporters Thursday that one of his ministry's major goals for 2007 is to further support the spread of the Korean Wave or Hallyu and globally market traditional Korean brands under the new slogan "Han Style."
The slogan was developed last year to promote six symbols of Korea. The six are the Korean alphabet, food, traditional clothing, traditional home, rice paper and music. Minister Kim says the promotional campaign will be a two-way affair.
"We will proclaim 'Korea, Sparkling' as the country's new tourism brand to strengthen overseas marketing, and step up activities to promote stays at traditional Korean homes and other types of lodging,” the minister said. “Our culture centers abroad will help expand bilateral cultural exchanges to develop cultural marketing."
By 2011, the ministry says it hopes to have 100 Korean language schools all over the world. On the domestic front, a grand cultural festival in October will celebrate a number of national holidays that occur around the month. The ministry is also striving for better long-term strategies for copyrights, new media and others by launching new teams this year.
The Culture and Tourism Ministry says 2007 will be a year of reform and improvement to prepare Korea for the future. It plans to focus on updating policies for digital and cultural contents, sports and tourism.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200702/200702090018.html
posted by deeKoh @ 11:06 AM
4 Comments:
This is really interesting that the government is behind this movement. I have a feeling that this might all boil down to economic development. It could very well be that selling one's culture could serve as one kind of export. I also have the same question that you have on the government's exclusion of Korean drama and movies. I can only surmise that the government officials (mostly old men) probably thought dramas and movies as "low" culture, and do not uphold the integrity of Korean culture (but this is purely what I think).
I think maybe the officials who came up with six symbols considered movies and dramas as more of a medium to convey symbols like traditional clothing and food and music, as opposed to symbol themselves, you know?
i agree with jackie that selling one's culture definately serves as a kind of export. economic development is certainly key. korea isn't exclusive in the trend of marketing itself in a commercial aspect, other Asian countries such as Singapore and Thailand have also put a high emphasis on promoting tourism. I thought it was interesting how Korea's tourism catch-phrase "Korea, Sparkling" is remniscent of the other Asian nation's tourism slogan: "Uniquely Singapore" and "Amazing Thailand
I am glad that this plan has been set out. Korean pop culture should be more availabe in other countries and other institutions besides PENN. I think people should have more choice over which popular culture they want to enjoy. The problems arise though when we try to decide whether the culture loses what makes it necessarily Korean as it spreads. It's certainly an issue we are dealing with in our own class.
-mike tesauro
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