Korean Popular Culture

Hallyu Overview

2007-04-16T02:24:00.000-04:00

I began this course with minimal exposure to Korean culture, represented in four random Korean words: oppa, unni, saranghae, ahnyong and the imperative statement gong bu hae. At the end of the semester, I feel like I have been exposed to a whole new world, and become culturally educated. I really enjoyed this class, and I think one of the hallmarks of a great class is the percentage of the material you studied that you will actually recall after the course is over. I definitely won’t forget the material we covered because I see it manifested in so many areas of my quotidian life. This class has impacted me in a myriad of ways I shall elaborate upon later on in this post, but first I will start with an overview of the course.

Overview:

We began the semester with a look at historical dramas. “The Immortal Admiral Yi Sunsin” highlighted the efficacy of utilizing this genre of popular culture to heighten Korean nationalism and glorify national heroes. Not only do historical dramas serve as entertaining history lessons for the locals but help preserve and make the rich past of Korea more assessable to the average citizen. Historical dramas take advantage of the Hallyu to spread Korean popular culture, history and heritage on an international stage, preserving it as something important and noteworthy of showcasing.

Next, we examined more entertaining popular (“low-culture”, “of the masses”, “low-brow”, as Matthew Arnold outlines in Cultural Theory) drama serials. The Hallyu is almost synonymous for Korean dramas; these mass entertainment Korean drama serials have become somewhat international cultural symbols for Korea. These dramas are not only entertaining, high addictive, but also act as a gateway for other aspects of Korean culture to be broadcasted: music (discussed further later), food (how it can serve as a form of identity and high culture, also a very portable product that can be easily globalized), fashion (a factor for constructed culture), literature (as we’ve seen in “Goong”, intertextuality adds another dimension), comics (and its visual inspirations) etc. Another factor to consider is the misrepresentation of Korean society as an affluent, commercialized nation of luxury, expensive cars, leading-edge technology and beautiful men. While it is true that this thing do exist in Korea, like any other country, Korea has its fair share of social, economic, political issues and ugly people (plastic surgery is always an option, and in fact, a social pressure). Overindulgence in such portrayal can lead to disillusioned and irrational acts, such as the one Japanese woman in the article I posted at the beginning of the semester, who was so enchanted by the Korean men portrayed in dramas that she invested exorbitant amounts of time in money to travel to Korea on a personalized manhunt. On another note, it’s pretty fascinating how a traditionally isolated, Confucian-influenced, conservative nation can explode into the international scene with the Hallyu and emerge as a global (well, predominantly SE Asia) entertainment leader.

A huge part of Korean dramas are the love songs and soundtracks. The love song plays an important role in the drama by creating an ambiance and intensifying the on-screen emotion. Furthermore, these love songs help promote the drama serial and allowed music artists the social mobility to transition into the TV and vice versa. We discussed how Korean music videos differ from American music videos in the originality of each mini-production. Each video often tells an individual story, and the visual imagery may/may not have any relevance to the actual song lyrics. The concept of “han” (unspeakable sorrow, long suffering, and shared pathos) is a recurring theme throughout Korean love ballads.

The music section opened my eyes to hidden genres of Korean music I never knew existed. My impression of Korean music beforehand was the archetypical Korean Pop Princess or Korean boy band; who knew Koreans could be so edgy and rebellious with genres such as hip-hop and punk rock? We talked about how music was just more than music, how it acted as an outlet of expression, and especially in the explosive genre of punk rock, a release to the highly stressful education system implemented in Korea. We also explored the question of authenticity (East vs. West) and used post-modernist theories (David’s favorite) to justify the originality of Korean popular music.

In our internet chapter, we discussed the internet and how it facilitates democracy and globalization, yet paradoxically hinders it with the censorship of political issues such as North Korea. We all found Sze Hui’s “Wired (and wireless) Korea: Information Technology and its effects on Korean Culture” an eye-opener to the world of communication technology in Korea. The social function of PC Bangs as an alternative space for the Korean youth (to get away from parental pressure, school stress) and the ingenuity of love seats were two elements that we discussed extensively.

I really enjoyed last Monday’s class, where I think we wrapped up the whole semester with the Chua’s essay and questions about the Hallyu and its relation with nationalism, regionalism and globalization. (Why is nationalism significant as a category of analysis vs. regionalization/globalization). We also explored the topic of Hallyu backlash and its economic implications. Assertions from other Asian nations about the Hallyu being a one-way cultural exchange and the rising consumer prices of Korean culture (with regards to dramas) were refuted with criticisms about naïve and insecure governments who, in a desperate attempt to protect local film industries, forget the basic economic rules of supply/demand and expect step-by-step guidance and a formulaic strategy in a competitive industry that demands creativity, originality and innovation. This cross-discipline approach lent another dimension to this culture course, and helped to place the Hallyu in a larger global context.

Personal Reflections:

I really like the way the syllabus was organized topically (dramas, music, etc.), which help structure an abstract topic (pop culture) and each section built upon the previous, which helped enhance our learning. I really enjoyed High Pop and Cultural Theory (it was at times initially agonizing, but satisfying afterwards to grasp certain challenging concepts that were presented), which helped to solidify a lot of abstract theories we were learning. A course on pop culture is definitely an academic subject worth teaching at an institution of higher learning--the close examination of popular culture, something we experience and live in daily, but never really find the need or take the time to gain an intricate understanding.

Blogging was an innovative and dynamic method to share ideas and interact with classmates outside of the classroom. The concept was extremely refreshing (and befitting, for the focus on our course, as internet culture such as blogs make up such a huge part of popular Korean culture), and I’d never done something like that in any other class. The articles (ranging from Korean pop stars to the eligibility of Korean bachelors) from outside sources (Korean newspapers, etc.) complemented the material that was covered in class and the in textbook, and help add a third dimension of relativity to what is really going on in modern Korea today.

What I really appreciate about this course was the real impact it made on my life outside the classroom. I really like it when a class makes an actual impact outside the classroom, being exposed to a culture is not something one can easily forget (unlike memorizing facts for an exam that one will forget a week after the final). Two concrete examples would be the Ch’unhyang movie we watched as part of the syllabus and the Crying Nut “Let’s Ride the Horse” song in our music section. The 2007 KSA/KAP culture show held a couple of weeks back had a spin-off, modernized play based on the legend of Ch’unhyang. I was sitting in the audience, extremely pleased with the fact that I know had the foundation of the origins of the myth, which lent me a greater appreciation and deeper understanding of the parody. The 2 hours in Rosengarten watching the movie was definitely not wasted, and resulted in me becoming more culturally literate. The second incident was at a concert KAPacity (a band made up of several members from Koreans at Penn) concert where they did a cover of Crying Nut’s “Let’s Ride the Horse”, which was part of our syllabus, and coincidentally a song I did a presentation on (dun dun dun). My choice of background study music has also done a 180 degrees switch-up from hiphop/indie to Korean music. After a whole semester, I can proudly say “Na neun hangook saram ib ni da”.

It’s extremely fulfilling to realize that the material covered in lectures and readings are not esoteric and rendered obsolete once the course ends (nor do I need to wait for next summer to travel to Korea next to garner the full benefits of a semester of Kpop, but can experience right here right now in my everyday life). As my high school teacher said, there comes a moment in time when one realizes education is not just about the “stuff you are reading in textbooks, but how that ‘stuff’ relates to what is actually happening out there in the world.”

Thanks for a great semester everyone =)

Lean back, lean back

2007-04-14T15:56:00.000-04:00

Hello class. My apologies for the late post. Due to the Spring Fling festivities and keeping true to my Korean nature of alcohol consumption, I was mentally, physically unable to submit a coherent post yesterday. Anyhoo, let me just say Wow. I can’t believe we spent over 40 hours talking about Korean popular culture. To be honest, like Teresa, I enjoy the consumption of Korean pop culture and did not expect to extrapolate deep meaning from them. However, Jina totally pushed me to my academic limits with this class. I guess since I am a science major and the farthest I’ve digressed from science intensive classes would be like a writing seminar, I never really took these deep thinking almost philosophical classes. I mean that Cultural Theory was so convoluted to me. No matter how many times I would read Storey’s book, I was completely lost on what he was talking about. I’m still unsure about post-modernism vs modernism. With that being said, I can definitely say I’ve learned a new aspect of learning. Instead of learning concepts and remembering how things work like in the science world, I was exposed to an abstract thinking type of class which I am still in the process of learning. I mean who seriously watches “Jewel in the Palace” to extract the significance of the plethora of Korean food presented in the film and relate that to Korean nationalism? Personally, I saw the food and just wanted to call mommy and tell her to have that pahjun made when I arrive home. But no. I am an edumacated college man now. I shall try to see beyond the food and try to see why this food is being shown so ostentatiously. Is the government trying to impose some new culture on us in a form of Marxism? So yea. To make a long entry short, I just want to say after taking this class I’ve learned to look past the entertainment factor in Korean popular culture. Sure, Korean popular culture is addictinly entertaining; however, leaning back, stepping back and examining why it’s popular and digesting concepts like Hallyu will enable me to learn about the society that I live in and about myself and my interests. I know am not gifted with So-Jin’s articulating skills or Geoff’s audacity to comment on everyone else’s comments, but I hope what I tried contributing to our discussion in my vernacular form didn’t detract from all your guys’ learning experience. With that said, there is only one last topic we haven’t covered: Korean soju. Let us take full advantage of this Spring Fling atmosphere and experience first hand this great beverage that is not only part of high Korean culture but with the low as well. One shot homies! Thanks for a great semester!

Done Already?!

2007-04-13T22:57:00.000-04:00

Looking back, it was interesting to make the connection that I started and ended with Hwang Jin-I in the class. As I am watching that drama for my paper, I've noticed so much more subtleties than before. I noticed and understood the messages that the drama tries to pass (in which I won’t discuss now since it is my paper), and identified elements in the drama with all of the isms we’d discussed in class. This class also made me aware of that there are other aspects to the Korean pop culture other than their drama. Although drama is what is most popular, I have neglected their music (not the soundtracks) and history. I began to take note of the actors’ and actresses’ mannerisms, speech, even the language itself.

Among the readings–to be honest–the articles were much more enjoyable than the texts because they pertained to the Korean culture, and felt a little detached when reading the texts since their examples didn’t. I can’t wait until there actually would be a condensed text of Korean Pop Culture. I especially liked the section about the internet and technology because it shed light on a new aspect of the Koreans. However, it seems to be a neglected segment of popular culture: internet is what spreads the culture. Learning that this also permeated the lives of youngsters in Korea and how the governments tried to regulate some of their behaviors was most interesting. It was also interesting to know how the government tries to preserve the traditional integrate those elements into the current lifestyles of the Koreans today. I can really see the effort in the drama out there. Although this class may be over, I will continue watch Korean drama with a critical eye and listen to pop music with an appreciation that I never had before.

Closing thoughts on kpc

2007-04-13T20:32:00.001-04:00

As my motivation for taking a class on Korean popular culture was to learn about Korean popular culture, I am satisfied after these three months. I have gotten exposure to all sorts of mediums and exotic audiovisuals I would otherwise never have experienced (drama, k-pop, etc). I found some brutal tunes for my playlists while doing research on Korean alternative, and I joined the Lee Young-ae fan club. I began watching more Starcraft tournaments and gained a new respect for that cultural and culinary phenomenon of a dish called budae cchigae. I have become attuned to spot the inescapable influence of history in popular culture and hummed the tune of Arirang in an elevator. The very fact that we are all reading this means that we have each found something intrinsically appealing in Korean pop culture.

Hallyu has indeed been an interesting topic to study. Reading different dramas or songs through the lens of the culture theorists was challenging (if not painful) at times, but has given me a useful vocabulary to discuss popular culture and its relevant issues and industries. As an expert on the subject, I will be interested in watching how the permittivity and prevalence of Korean media expand or change in the future.

My favorite section was definitely the music section. My opinions and views on music tend to be somewhat polarized. I found some groups such as Drunken Tiger or the ballads in general painful to listen to, but that was counterbalanced by some of the fresh riffs and grinding vocals from some of the alternative bands I encountered.

As the course ends, I reiterate something we spoke about in class last week: it’s really about enjoyment and pleasure in the end. The phenomenon of hallyu may be some unique confluence of economics, politics and creativity, but discourse of that nature obscures the fact that Koreans are simply making more media that is enjoyable to consume. In that sense, hallyu has been effective in expanding the audience and increasing the amount of regional and global exposure of the many, talented Korean artists. Thus are my final thoughts. Korean popular culture has a little bit of something for everyone.

Final thoughts on Korean Popular Culture and Hallyu

2007-04-13T14:55:00.000-04:00

My love for Korean dramas is what led me to take this class. However, before this class when I watched Kdramas, I watched them on a superficial level, looking only at the actors while not paying much attention to the plot and possible theoretical/historical/literary underpinnings. After reading John Storey's book, I was introduced to the many perspectives that I could view these primary texts from like postmodernism, marxism and post-marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis, etc. Analyzing the primary texts from these perspectives made me think more about why these texts were made and what they were trying to convey.

For example, music especially is an interesting category because of all the foreign influences that Korean music possesses, from Japanese enka to British punk to American hiphop. Yet these products don't seem to be straight copies and instead includes Korean aspects like traditional instruments, references to folksongs like Arirang or the sadness evoking the feeling of "han". Thus it seems to be a negotiation process that falls into the category of postmarxism.

More interesting was the wider range of Korean popular culture products I was introduced to. Before this class I never really paid much attention to the Korean historical genre of dramas. However, after watching Yi sunsin and emperor of the sea, I was impressed the the amount of effort and skill that went into the production of these dramas, especially in technical direction of the boat fighting scenes. I feel that the Korean drama industry was able to use these dramas to tell a very compelling, albeit possibly fictionalized, story and stimulate the audience's interest in Korean history. Similarly, Jewel was able to do the same thing for Korean food. Feffer's article on food and globalization (or possibly glocalization) was one I found particular interesting as it mentioned the foreign influences on Korean food, and how the Koreans were able to adapt these foreign influences to create a unique Korean product.

Finally, our study of Hallyu was something I found especially interesting. Previously I had heard of the term from the Taiwan news media but I had never really knew what it meant and entailed. The class not only gave me a better understanding, but also helped make me think about why the Hallyu was able to sweep through Asia and if it could possibly endure. As we talked about in class last week, I feel that as long as the Korean culture industry churns out good products, the Korean wave will go on, though possibly not with the current intensity. If you think about the popularity of Japanese dramas in the late 1990s, I feel that the situation is quite similar. Kimura Takuya was as popular as Bae Yong Joon is in Asia (or at least in Taiwan) now and women literally cried when he got married. Tokyo Love Story is supposedly a romantic classic, while Hero and GTO were popular because of how wacky they were, yet the golden age of Jdramas seem to have passed, though there are still some decent offerings each season and thus I still watch it religiously.

Thus, though I learned from this class that Korean popular culture has much more breadth and depth that I had previously thought, the question of sustainability of the Hallyu is something left to be determined.

My Last Thoughts on Korean Popular Culture

2007-04-13T13:28:00.000-04:00

It's been over three months since we started thinking about Korean popular culture in an academic setting. I never have imagined that something so contemporary can be imbued with traditional concepts (such as a continuation of Confusian values), and at least even worthy of studying. I decided to take this class because I wanted to know more about what Korean popular culture has to offer. To be honest, my expectations were not high. Contrary to my initial doubts about the breath and depth of the course, I got more out of this class than I expected.

Culture is a difficult term to define. In my previous class on cultural anthropology, we defined the term as a set of beliefs, ideas, practices shared by a group of people that gets transmitted through generation. Even with this definition, it doesn't encapsulate every nuance about different cultures. With that convoluted thought, you then tag on the word popular. What does that mean? If culture is something that is shared by the people in that culture, what makes some popular whereas others are unpopular? I think it's a fine line to draw. As we have seen previously in the Storey chapters, scholars like Leavy will argue that studying popular culture is a waste of time. It's a source of distraction, and it creates illusions of real life. Others like the postmodernist theorists will argue that high and popular culture have no real distinctions. While scholars argue about what popular culture entails, it galvanizes and propels forward. It has not died out.

One of the accomplishments of Korean popular culture is the creation of the Korean Wave (I'm anthropomorphizing here). Yes, the cheap price helped, fast dance music also helped, but is that all? I highly doubt that Hallyu would have been as successful if it wasn't for the entertainment value. It really is a time sucking monster. It also would not have been as big of a hit in Asia without the recent technology. We discussed earlier that technology has allowed us to keep in "contact" with Korea. Global technology such as the internet has served as an agent to mass circulate Korean dramas and Korean music. As we have talked about earlier whether or not Korean dramas or music would be successful in the U.S., I agree with the majority of the class. It probably would not be a huge hit. However, I don't think success should be measured as an all or nothing phenomenon. If it can manage to get attract new audience like those of us who are interested in learning new culture, it deserves some credit. I also think that watching dramas can be a useful tool in learning a new language.

Going back to what I got out of this class, I have a deeper appreciation for Korean popular culture. Initially I thought it would be more along the lines of celebrity gossip and compare/contrast dramas. I mean, in the U.S. people treat popular culture light heartedly. Korean popular culture, when going beyond the surface, serves various functions. It is an instrument that sustains Korean history with historic dramas. The tension between Japan and Korea is still portrayed in the dramas that we have seen. Historic figures are venerated, but also challenges the viewers to think twice about the meaning of history. The Jewel in the Palace, for example, presents history in a whole new level. Besides getting hungry while watching the episodes, it deals with the lives of women in the palace that are often neglected. I think this drama, in particular, has provided Korean women with a model to emulate. It is a shame that she did not get much recognition until recently even when she was the first female doctor in Korea. In this sense, the drama does justice.

I think my attention has shifted from the storyline or lyrics to the functional role of dramas and music. They serve purpose. Like we said, punk rock is a way for Korean youth to free themselves from social oppression. Music videos are not just a visual replica of the lyrics. It has a value of its own. I guess the take home message from the course (at least for me) is to look at Korean popular culture in a grand scheme of things rather than having a tunnel vision.

Final Thoughts on Hallyu

2007-04-13T11:19:00.001-04:00

Final Thoughts on Hallyu

Introduction :
Throughout this semester I had thought that I knew almost all there was to know about Korean pop culture and the Korean wave. I was already engrossed with the music and immersed in many Korean dramas. Little did I know that there was so much more to learn, especially when it came down to the deep analysis of Korean pop culture. I knew nothing about post-modernism, Marxism, the use of gender roles and globalization. I used to watch Korean dramas with a grain of salt and never really thought about the elements that are used for production. I am still a little confused on the differences between nationalism, regionalism and globalization, but I do understand that every culture deals with all three.

Music :
Ever since I was young I have always listened to Korean music. It has been my favorite genre and while I never understood the lyrics till college, I was always able to follow along the tunes and beats. Korean music has gone through many processes throughout its history and has adopted many new genres and styles. Starting with Seo Taiji, who is known as the father and founder of Korean hip-hop and dance music, Korean music has adapted in so many ways. This poses a tough question. Has Korean music developed throughout the years on its own accord, or has is been the influence of other cultures that has helped to stimulate the growth and changes? From what I have learned in this class, it seems that globalization combined with the lifting of certain restrictions has helped in opening the ears of Korean listeners. As people start to listen to these new genres, they develop their own creation by mimicking the elements they enjoy and adding it with a unique twist of their own. Many genres such as hip-hop, punk, techno, and ballads have all been created through this way.

Dramas :
Korean dramas are very hard to analyze since there are many different types of dramas, including historical dramas that are exclusive to Korean culture. It seems that although all Korean dramas display some cultural background that only pertains to Korea, through the process of globalization many of these dramas have become a hybrid of Korean culture and Western influence. It is very similar to Korean music in the sense that many of these dramas mainly have a Western theme but also carry a sense that lets the watcher know that the drama was produced in Korea.
Dramas are regionalized in the sense that they appeal to many regional viewers and in the sense that viewers other then Koreans can capture a sense of coevalness with these dramas. I believe this is the cause of foreign popularity with these dramas. The fact that foreign housewives and students receive the same feelings as Koreans while watching these dramas definitely is a major factor for success.
I personally had an affinity for the historical dramas such as Yi Sun-Shin and a Jewel in the Palace. These historical dramas definitely produce a sense of Korean culture that is its own. I had never really ventured into historical dramas, but enjoyed them very much nonetheless.

Poetry :
Throughout the course we have read and discussed a few Korean poems in class. Most of these poems were about love and sounded as if they could be the lyrics for many Korean ballad love songs. Indeed it seems that these poems may have been in the past, but they still contribute a great deal of culture to the present and future. They retell part of Korean history while also using the same lyrics as modern songwriters.

Conclusion :
Overall this class was a very enjoyable and educating experience. Coming into the class with some previous knowledge about Korean pop culture, I am very shocked to find out there are so many fields that I have not cared to venture in before. I was particularly interested with seeing the way Korean culture has adapted foreign themes and genres to produce music and dramas, but has still been able to maintain the Korean atmosphere. I am glad I was able to hear the in depth analysis from fellow peers. As a previous viewer I never cared to venture into the meaning that a lot of these dramas and music carry, but after this class will definitely be watching them with a new pair of glasses. =)

K-pop Reflections

2007-04-13T10:15:00.000-04:00

Korean pop culture... I don't even know where to begin! When I started this class in January, I literally did not know a thing about K-pop. I'd never heard of Rain or BoA or seen any of the dramas. I'd never read a manwha or watched any of the movies. All I knew was that when I asked my Chinese roommate what she thought of Korean pop culture, her response was, "I've never heard of anyone who got into K-pop and didn't like it." And how right she was.

My initial impressive of Korean pop culture was that it was a bunch of boy bands and pop princesses which were put together by managers for their looks and dancing ability and then paraded around. Coming from a background as an American girl who grew in the 90's (the reign of New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC) I thought this was wonderful. The 90's were alive and well in Korea with an updated look and feel, and I thought that was great! But the thing I've learned from this class is that K-pop is so much more than that. Sure, maybe these pop stars are similar to my beloved 90's boy bands, but they are distinctly Korean. Their music videos and performance styles are unique, their clothes, their hair, their style. They are much more a reflection of Korean sensibilities than I think their American counterparts ever were.

And that's the thing which I think makes K-pop so great. The history and the traditions of Korea are a part of everything which comes out of it. From the historical dramas celebrating national heroes like Yi Sunsin to the more modern dramas which reflect the value of the family and of modern urban life, the stamp of Korea is all over these products. I think Koreans have done a great job of taking popular cultural products like music (especially punk) and TV dramas and really making them their own.

The thing which I think makes K-pop so, well, popular though is that while it is truly a Korean product, it also reflects universal values which everyone can relate to. We talked about "coevalness" amongst East Asians which has help K-pop to spread to other Asian nations, and I think that "coevalness" exists even outside of that region. Anyone who's ever been in love, or wished to be in love, or been hurt by love, or who has a family, or has lost someone or felt any emotion of any kind can connect with Korean pop culture. If you like to look at beautiful people, you can appreciate Korean pop culture. Even if you don't know a thing about Korea, you can still appreciate Korean pop culture. And that, I think, is where the value truly lies.

The Hallyu wave is going strong, and I think it's only going to continue. Korea has knack for making great cultural products which can easily be loved all over the world. As they become more and more popular, I think it will honestly be hard for people not to jump on the bandwagon. Everyone can find something to love in K-pop, and as long as that remains true, I don't think there's anything that could stop it.

Thinking about Korean popular culture

2007-04-12T17:41:00.000-04:00

Before taking this course, I had a much more ambivalent attitude towards Korean popular culture due to my limited exposure to it. While there had been some Korean shows and films that I had enjoyed, I thought mostly of maudlin dramas that produced unrealistic expectations of love, media images that sent women to the nearest plastic surgeon, and gimmicky pop music. At the same time, I conceptualized Korean popular culture as assimilating to Western models. So, I was thinking about Williams' second definition of "popular"--"inferior kinds of work"--when thinking about Korean popular culture (Storey 4). However, this class has also made me think of Korean popular culture in terms of "culture actually made by the people for themselves" (4).

What I found most interesting about the direction of this course was thinking about the intersection of the past and present. More so than in my experience with American pop culture, history has a great influence on what is presented in Korean popular culture and is more prominently displayed. We talked about how historical dramas translate past events in ways that are related to current events (i.e., The Immortal Admiral Yi Sunsin and present-day territorial disputes). It was also interesting to think about how thinking about the past allows contemporary Koreans to think about their own identities (What does it mean to be a good woman? How do traditional values and customs fit into a modern lifestyle?). By using the past, Koreans are also able to translate Korean experiences for non-Korean consumers and possibly allow other East Asians to identify with Koreans through their shared Confucian heritage. Going back to the first chapter of John Storey's text, popular culture is definitely a "site where 'collective social understandings are created'" (Hall qtd. on 3).

When thinking about Korean popular culture, discussing mass production, mass consumption, commercial culture, and hegemonic imposition of ideas and values definitely makes sense. But, what I wanted to highlight in my final blog posting was how I have come to see Korean popular culture in a more positive light. Korean popular culture is not just about escapism or creating fantasies that take away from productive action. There is room in Korean popular culture for alternative viewpoints (presenting women's issues in dramas such as Jewel in the Palace and providing youth an outlet for their frustrations in punk music), which is necessary in a postmodern world. I also think that through popular culture, Korea is able to show how modern, globalized, and worthy of attention it is to different kinds of people. So, that's cool.

Initial Thoughts and Conclusions

2007-04-12T15:13:00.000-04:00

I had a very naive perception of Korean Popular Culture back in January. I initially thought that Korean Popular Culture was completely a product of modern capitalism and that it was all about offering Americanized products. I also thought that Korea's current popular culture had nothing to do with any former Korean history or cultural practice. Furthermore, I falsely equated Korean Popular Culture to only Korean popular music, or current kpop (BoA for example). Many of these thoughts were disproved though during our first few weeks when we studied the immensely popular historical dramas.

The historical dramas contained authentic Korean elements like the battle scenes from "The Admiral Yi Sun-Sin" and the Korean cuisine in "Jewel in the Palace". The dramas were not purely entertainment though; they commented and reflected on tensions with Japan and women's roles. John Storey's cultural theory book complicated things for me though in the middle of the semester. It seemed that Korean popular culture was simply recycling or quoting history to generate nostalgia which in turn would increase profits for the cultural industries. I began to think that maybe my original thoughts were correct and that Korean Popular culture is something forced on cunsumers and that it does not reflect the acutal sentiments of the people. I learned though through post-modernist theories that it is almost impossible to seperate the cultural from the economic.

For example, Korean punk music initially seems like something completely created from below (or from the masses) and not from capitalistic entities. It is not that simple though because the 'punk' image itself is marketed and treated as a commodity in many instances. So essentially by the end of this course, I have realized that Korean and popular culture in general does not follow a single linear model. Popular culture bounces around in a continuum between both cultural and economic forces. Furthermore, the relationship between the two forces is never static but constantly redefining itself.

In Defense of Hallyu backlash

2007-04-07T03:41:00.000-04:00

Ladies, feast your eyes...

a picture is worth a thousand words, how could you hate something so beautiful...

okay you may now begin reading my post.

Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. The success of Hallyu brings about a backlash from other threatened Asian nations. According to an article in The Korea Times, the Taiwanese government is considering a ban on the broadcast of foreign dramas during prime time as audience ratings of Korean dramas have surpassed those of local dramas: 4-5 Korean dramas are broadcasted nightly on local Taiwanese TV networks. Similarly, “China's State Administration of Radio Film and Television recently announced that it will cut the quota of Korean dramas by half this year”. In Japan, anti-Hallyu sentiment have risen to such heights that “Hyom-hallyu”, a comic book about a Japanese high school student who realizes the “real ugly nature” of Korea has sold more than 300,000 copies.

Kwon Ki-young, a manager of Korea Culture & Content Agency cites the motivation behind the animosity as a defense mechanism to “protect and support local dramas, movie and television industries.”

Kim Tae-won, a managing director of drama production company Olive 9 pointed out that spreading hallyu through unilateral investment rather than a cultural exchange and coalition only sparks animosity from local people toward Korean pop culture.

"The best way to continue hallyu in China and other economies is to pursue its localization, which means producing dramas in China with Chinese staff and supply them directly to the country," said Kim.

"Many Korean production companies in China give the impression that they are obsessed only with making money through the export of dramas and movies rather than sharing their know-how with locals."

"Only when Koreans realize the importance of building such a reciprocal and trustful relationship with China, can the future of hallyu be bright. More and more Korean movie directors and production companies should team up with those from other Asian countries."

Thoughts:

1) Why are Korean dramas such popular forms of mass entertainment and such efficient Hallyu catalysts?

Not only are they entertaining, they are also ridiculously addictive. Subtitles remove the potential problem of a language barrier. Even though certain nuances and a level of sophistication are lost in translation, there is still an innate and intricate appeal of Korean dramas that cause the viewer to be glued to the screen continuously for extended hours. And even though the plots tend to be clichéd and repetitive, they never fail to create pathos with the audience.

As a commercial tool, Korean dramas are an excellent platform for incorporating other elements of popular Korean culture: fashion, music, food, etc. Therefore the visual spectacle that culminates is a cultural product that showcases the multi-facets of Korean culture. (Also, in the case of the drama serial Full House, which was based in a comic book, highlights and glamorizes yet another element of popular Korean culture.)

2) Why does the popularity of Korean dramas supersede those of Chinese dramas?

Personal taste is subjective, so there a myriad of possibilities. Here are my speculations: it could be simply a resistance to local music/tv talent. In Singapore, Taiwanese stars fair better locally than the local starlets, as a result many Singaporean singers/actresses have to travel overseas to succeed.. paradoxically, they often rise to stardom in Taiwan. Even in Canada (where I’ve lived for the past 5-6 years), Canadian artists are regarded as a little less prestigious as American artists. It’s the old “the grass is greener on the other side”, snobbery towards local talent is based on the belief that foreign talents posses something special.

A personal opinion is that Korean actors are simply better looking than Chinese actors. (Granted, the plastic surgery rates are higher in Korea, but in the entertainment industry, an actor is essentially selling his image, it is his JOB to look good, he is PAID to look good.) In the superficial culture of the entertainment industry, looks are everything. The abstract notion of Korean actors being better looking can be solidified by the concept of the “Korean jaw-line”. This is a theory of a friend of mine that Korean men have more defined bone-structure and a stronger jaw-line and are thus better looking than Chinese men. Even amongst Korean actors, the degree of definition (of jaw structure) defines the level of attraction. Take for example Bi and Kim Sung-su in Full House. Bi is considered “cute”, but not “hot” because his face is softer and rounder than Kim Sung-su’s.

I did some research to substantiate this theory and found something interesting on an online medical journal:

High cheekbones and a distinct mandibular (jaw structure) contour characterize the appearance of East Asian persons, especially those of Korean and Japanese descent. In the West, such features are valued, and these areas are frequently enhanced for optimal aesthetic appearance.

3) How legitimate is the claim that Korean production companies should try to localize their dramas (according to the article) and share the “know-how” of creating a successful drama with Chinese directors?

I think the Chinese government is acting extremely immature and over-reacting. Not in the sense that they are putting a limit to Korean dramas—it is after all, a government’s duty to protect the best interests of the nation, but the anti-Hallyu sentiments stemming from insecurity and jealousy. Just because the local entertainment industry is not competent enough to capture the hearts of local viewers, cancelling foreign favorites and demanding to be taught the ‘trick of the trade’ is not the manner to operate. In our capitalist society, cream always rises to the top, the reason Korean dramas are more widely received than Chinese dramas is because they are better. Cancelling a viewer’s favorite program for the sole purpose of protecting one’s economy is an infringement on human rights. There are alternative methods to boosting the local film industry than simply cancelling out the competition. The Chinese film industry should look towards the Korean model as an inspiration, not a threat. The TV industry at its core is all about entertainment, viewers should have the prerogative to pick and choose from a variety of shows that suit their palate, and not have their options limited because the government feels threatened.

Furthermore, demanding that Korea shares its secrets on how to make successful drama serials is, in lack of a better word, cheap. The Chinese film industry is completely removing the element of artistic expression by wanting to utilize a set formula—to guarantee that their dramas are economically successful. Furthermore, by localizing the Korean drama, it loses a lot of its authenticity. Why should France share its secret of making good wine to the world? Why should Switzerland disclose its chocolate-making recipe? Each nation has its niche of production, something it is known for internationally and is proud of. Therefore, if Korea is so awesome at producing spectacular dramas, the other Asian nations should accept that and not react in animosity or bitterness.

Just a note about the “cultural exchange” and import/export. A nation would not bother to import a resource that it already has. Therefore, the criticism of Hallyu being a “unilateral investment rather than a cultural exchange” is not a valid argument.

In an attempt to be more objective, I shall explore the other side. What if the Korean film industry actually collaborated with the Chinese entertainment industry to produce an appropriated Chinese but Korean-stylized drama? I actually watched a localized Chinese-genre-Korean-influenced drama. The concept seemed to work in theory and along with the “cultural exchange” concept: a globalized cast drawing actors from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The main lead was a Chinese male, and starring opposite him was the only Korean actress in the movie. The Korean actress had no knowledge of the Chinese language, therefore she was filmed speaking Korean, and later dubbed in Chinese. The male actor had no knowledge of Korean either, so he would simply respond to her in Chinese, not understanding what his co-star was saying. This all seems extremely unnatural, and takes away the authenticity of the drama as an artistic expression—it’s simply turned into a commercial exploit. Anyway the drama itself was the most horrible thing ever. It seemed like an extremely watered-down version of a Korean drama. Furthermore, the actor were ugly, (no strong jaw-lines here… just kidding!) so there was no eye-candy to alleviate the pain of the clichéd plot line.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

Oh, and who wants to buy me a plane ticket to Korea? :)

East Asian Identity?

2007-04-06T23:54:00.000-04:00

In Chua’s paper, I found it was interesting that the drama, Romance 2000, failed. I would assume that the larger the scope of the object, the wider the audience it should attract. However, since this is not the case, answering his questions about the “East Asian” identity might give some insight about this.

“Are the audiences of the East Asian popular culture ready for the mixing of cultural and political themes that are hewed from different locations?”–In this current time, no. As in Storey’s definition on foreign, “it is always a question of national difference…[and] it can equally be a question of…ethnicity” (148). Although countries like Singapore are populated with “Chinese” people, they would not identify themselves that they are from China. To illustrate this further, I, with a Cantonese Chinese background, find it very difficult to even identify to, for example, someone from Beijing, let alone to another country. I am definitely interested in other countries, but I would never forget that I am Chinese-American. Even with the “Japanization”, as mentioned by Chua, the Taiwanese–as they were most influenced by the Japanese–were still Taiwanese. They might have admired and went crazy for Japanese idols, they still knew they were the residents and a citizen of Taiwan, through and through. Even the Koreans, who emulated Japanese manga and animation still wanted to repackage them into “Korean” products. This shows the strength of nationalism in these countries. Another point that Romance 2000 might not have succeeded was that even though it tried to include too many cultural topics that it just became too burdened with the differences that there was not “universality” in the drama.

Continuing on to his next question where he asks about, “Does the failure suggests an absence of a possibility of an emergence of what might be called an ‘East Asian Identity’ from emerging through popular culture, in this instance television drama?” In the short term, because of the economic differences–and the cultural differences described above–among all of these East Asian countries, it is still a long way off before they all can call themselves “East Asians”. We cannot guarantee that this cannot happen in the long term, since globalization is spreading cultures more and more into the depths of each country than ever before.

* * *

I was surprised when I read Sung’s paper, I was surprised to find out that it was Kpop that first began the Hallyu instead of Kdrama since that is what is most known. I suppose that, as the author mentioned, their marketing strategy was really successful when they pushed for the drama instead of the music. When he mentioned that “visual” was the way to go, the obvious medium was drama if the Koreans want to spread their products. Music, although it can also be visual, it is missing the “intrigue” element from a storyline that can be presented more thoroughly in a drama or a novel or a volume of manwha.

What's "Taiwanese Wave" in Korean?

2007-04-06T23:33:00.000-04:00

Boy Band F4 Invites Korean Fans to Taiwan

I thought that this article provided a nice counterpoint to the readings on Hallyu we did for this week. Sung Kim talked about anti-Hallyu and how various Taiwanese groups and media people have tried to end the "one-way" cultural exchange that Korea seems to be promoting and enjoying. I would say that using a Taiwanese boy band to promote Korean tourism to Taiwan is an example of subtle anti-Hallyu sentiment, but I do think it also evidences that the Taiwanese are trying to follow successful Korean examples. Korean stars have been used as spokespeople for various products quite profitably, and there is no reason to think that Korean fans of F4 can't be convinced to do whatever their idols tell them to do. Sang-Yeon Sung discusses in "The Hanliu Phenomenon in Taiwan: TV dramas and Teenage Pop" how Taiwanese media sources place Taiwan at the center of the "Korean Wave." So, it would be interesting to see if F4, which emerged in 2000 and found fame in Korea in 2002 (5 years ago!), could possibly spark a "Taiwanese Wave" in Korea. Will they be able to get Korean youth to spend their parents' money on Taiwanese cultural products? Will they be able to convince Korean housewives to take tours in Taiwan of places featured in TV dramas that F4 members themselves have starred in?

These (here and here) are unrelated to our discussion of Hallyu, but I thought I would link to them because I love Turkey (the country, not the meat, although I also love turkey meat)! Turkey and Korea must share some sort of special bond. I swear my dad is half-Turkish because he looks like so many of the men I saw in Istanbul. And, the way that the Turkish cook their fish tastes exactly like how my mom (and, therefore, all Koreans) cooks fish. Genius!

Some thoughts on Sung's The Hanliu Phenomenon in Taiwan: TV dramas and Teenage Pop

2007-04-06T16:44:00.000-04:00

My obsession for Korean dramas started with a conversation with my second-cousins in 2002. They had (then) recently visited Taiwan and was raving about two Korean dramas A Bright Girl's Success Story and My Love Patzzi both by Jang Nara and commented on how funny and adorable they were. Filled with curiousity, I went back to download the dramas and have been obsessed with the Korean romantic comedy genre ever since. Yet even though I loved the dramas, I never really got into the kpop as much as I'm into cpop and jpop. Thus I found Sung's analysis of Hanliu in Taiwan one that I can easily relate to.

When asked why I like Korean dramas, the number one reason I'd mention is the good looking actresses and actors. As Sung mentions visual imagery is an important factor in the Hanliu phenomenon and also explains why though Kpop stars are popular in Taiwan they're albums don't sell well since fans would rather buy posters and join fanclubs than buy the albums.

As Sung states with the exceptions of CLON, kpop artists have trouble suceeding in TW. This brings me to another memory back in the late 1990s. My dad and I love to watch Taiwanese variety shows, especially the one called 龙兄虎弟 that would invite popular starts and have them perform and play games. I remember one time CLON was introduced on the show. Though they weren't really attractive, I found them very interesting in their dance and rap style. The fact that one of them had his head completely shaved left a very strong impression on me. In fact I can still remember a small part of the melody to they're song tho I had no idea what they were singing about. Yet with the exception of them, I can't really thing of any other Kpop artiests that were popular in Taiwan with the exception of BoA, Rain and, Kang Ta who is a duo with Vanness from F4。

More intersting tho' the type of Kpop albums that Sung mentions that actually sell well in Taiwan, that is, the OSTs. Tho' I'm not sure about Korean OSTs I do know that OSTs to Japanese anime and drama was what got me interested in Jpop in the first place. The song First Love by Utada Hikaru is one I remember especially well b/c it was in the drama Majo no Jouken, thus I agree with Sung's assertion that listening to songs that were in the drama can remind the viewer of the feelings they had when watching the drama. Though, I can't think of any Kdramas songs off the top of my head, I am able to recognize the theme songs when/if they are parodied in other dramas or if I hear them somewhere else. My Girl and Full House's theme songs especially are kpop songs that left deep impressions on me.

Now below are some videos to enjoy!

CLON - Bing Bing Bing (the song for the performance I saw on the variety show)

First Love by Utada Hikaru (My fav jpop song tho' it seems to based on an english song)

Scandal - Kang Ta and Vanness (Korean version)

Scandal - Kang Ta and Vanness (Chinese version)

(and for good measure)

BoA - MOTO

Rain - I Do (with english subs!!!)

Hallyu doin' on TV?

2007-04-06T15:49:00.000-04:00

Hello Class. Today's post is about how Korea might dominate in Hallyu products like Korean dramas but regular Korean TV stations are having trouble globalizing like its drama counterparts. The lack of interest found out through Japanese viewers is that Japanese viewers aren't interested in "English-speaking" broadcasts. Although the Japanese channels later found out the importance of English speaking for globalization of their channels, interest in Korean channels are still minimal in the Land of the Rising Sun. Hence, I dont see a future for Korean TV channels in Japan since they will probably make programs of their own in English to expand upon. China just wants to piggy-back off the roads that the Korean dramas have made which doesn't surprise me. Basically, in the end, I don't see a bright future for regular Korean TV channels in other countries. The only reason why people would watch Korean TV would be for the Korean news which would be predominately Korean audience and maybe the funny gag shows like X-Man. However, people from other countries wouldn't understand the humor behind these shows since they don't know the celebrity status of the stars that appear on the show. I think most Americans would just kind of laugh at the ridiculousness of the games played and then they would get bored of the show. This brings up the problem of the type of Humor that is applauded by Koreans vs. the rest of the world. Sure, dramas can be subtitled and dubbed to evoke the same emotional turmoil that these shows are supposed to elicit in the viewers, but i'm not sure how effective korean comedy or korean news would appeal to the masses. So yea, check out the article here. Happy Easter everybody.

--deeKoh

One-way ticket?

2007-04-06T12:48:00.000-04:00

After reading Sung Kim's paper about backlash against Hallyu, I thought about the question of whether or not the Korean Wave is a "one-way" cultural and economic exchange. Kim quotes Samuel Kim saying that Korean production companies in China give the impression that they are only interested in exporting goods and do not share their "know-how" with locals. I was slightly confused by this because their "know-how" was not really explained but I assumed it meant their marketing and prodcution techniques. At any rate, why would Korean production companies want to share their strategies with local Chinese production companies which are international competitors. This is more of an example of modern capitalism than a way to justify the notion that the Korean Wave is a "one-way" exchange. I would argue that Hallyu is not simply 'Korean popular culture' clearly penetrating foreign markets for a variety of reasons that we have discussed throughout the semester.

From post modernist theories we learned that we can not think of Korean pop culture as something stable and singular in meaning. We learned about cultural quotation in pop music in particular so Korea often exports music that quotes foreign styles. Furthermore the meanings of songs are not created through production alone. Individul consumers approach and consume popular culture in different ways depending on their individual preferences and/or country of origin.

Sang-Yeon Sung's paper for example talked about how the youth in Taiwann have been notoriously discriminative towards Korean popular music. The paper mentions that Korean lyrics are difficult to listen to but that the Taiwanese valued lyrics greatly. There is no doubt that Korean production companies have had to modify their products to make them more consumable. This illustrates that Korean pop culture is not simply imposed on foreign consumers. There is in fact a give and take relationship between the two parties involved. It is a cultural battlefield in a sense where this constant negotiation and a multiplicity of meanings.

Hallyu Push for Food

2007-04-06T12:34:00.000-04:00

After reading about all the recent backlash to Hallyu, I was a bit worried that things might be slowing down... but never fear! A quick Google search revealed that Hallyu is alive and well with ever more backing from the Korean government. One article I came across which I thought was particularly interesting was entitled, "S. Korea chooses its dishes to broaden its marketing concept." In an effort to redefine the Hallyu wave in 2007 (presumably in response to the backlash we've been reading about), the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has placed its top priority on promoting new "content," which will include, among other things, food.

The government plans to spend 78 billion won (or $8.7 billion) over the next four years to globally promote Hansik (Korean food). The plan is to choose ten dishes that best represent Korean food culture, standardize the recipes, and distribute them to Korean restaurants overseas. In addition, the Ministry will offer consulting to overseas Korean restaurants to help restaurant owners better manage their businesses, and will offer scholarships to Korean chefs to go abroad and help teach their foreign counterparts to cook "tastier" Korean dishes. Finally, the government plans to produce commercials and documentaries about Korean food with the hopes of airing them on foreign TV networks.

I think this is definitely a step in the right direction for the Korean government's Hallyu strategy. As we saw earlier in the class, many of the popular dramas (especially Jewel in the Palace) created a demand for Korean food, so there is definitely a market out there for people who wish to consume and learn to cook Korean food. In addition, capitalist markets are all about creating new products to fulfill consumer desires, and while I doubt that the market for TV dramas and movies is saturated, I think that food is a great new arena for the Koreans to promote. After all, who doesn't love food??

My only qualm is with the Ministry's decision to try to standardize some popular dishes. One of the things that makes restaurants great is their individual takes on classic dishes. If every restaurant tasted the same, all the fun would be taken out of exploring new places and new foods. Also, I would imagine that there are some regional differences in Korean food, and standardizing recipes would destroy that uniqueness. While I think the government is right to promote certain dishes and offer a base recipe, I don't think they should be encouraging every restaurant to make the dish the same exact way. Granted, there's no way the Ministry can enforce this abroad, so I'm sure that each restaurant will do it their own way anyhow, but I just think it's unrealistic and counter-productive to even try to institute such rigid standards.

Regardless, overall I think this is definitely a positive push from the Korean government. I, for one, am certainly looking forward to the day when I can flip on the Food Network and find a Korea cooking show (even better if they make it something a la Iron Chef!). In my experience, the stomach is the key to anyone's heart (not just a man's as the old saying goes), and I think that Hallyu is wise to use this strategy.

Full text of the article is below:

S. Korea chooses its dishes to broaden its marketing concept
Mar 15, 07 , 12:03 pm
By Satish Gupta l eTN Asia
Even as Korea reiterates its focus on cultural marketing, the government authorities have decided to reach out to taste buds of people across the globe by promoting Korean dishes.Food along with traditional clothing, traditional home, rice paper and music has already been recognized as main tools for promotion of Korea. Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism has decided to place top priority on nurturing the fast-evolving content business and redefining “hallyu” or the Korean Wave in 2007.

Now Korean dishes are broadening Hallyu by expanding their presence in the international arena. As per the information available with eTurboNews, from next year onwards, Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will spend 78 billion won, or roughly 8.7 billion dollars, over the next four years to globalize Hansik. The decision to promote Korean food (or “Hansik”) comes at a stage when variety of Korean foods is gaining popularity globally.

There are plans to choose ten food items that can best represent Korea and promote them by creating standardized recipes for the items and distributing them at Korean restaurants overseas, according to the Ministry of Culture & Tourism Republic of Korea.

Further, ministry officials are acknowledging the need to upgrade Korean restaurants abroad to instill a better image of Korean food. It will offer consulting on how to successfully manage the restaurants and how to cook tastier Korean dishes. Furthermore, the ministry will designate an institution in Korea to invite chefs and managers from Korean restaurants abroad to train them.

The Korean government plans to produce TV commercials and documentaries about Korean food with the aim of airing them on foreign TV networks.

WoW!!! Starcraft Military Service? O.o

2007-04-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

As an addition to our topic discussion last week on the internet and how gaming in Korea has become a huge profession rather than a mere hobby, I found this article that talks about a new special unit that will be developed in the Korean Air Force. This article talks about how the KAF will now have a unit that is specialized in gaming and will be the test subjects for flight simulators and other various technological advances. I just think it's very interesting, yet unfair, that the majority of Korean males have to endure a long 2 year service of hardcore military training while the members of this small, but growing unit get to practically play games as their 2 year service. The members of this team are indeed the best of the best when it come to professional gaming, but does that mean they deserve this much special treatment? In short, this new unit is a slap in the face for many Korean stars/singers/maybe politicians. I know that Korean soccer players receive special treatment when it comes to military service, but starcraft gamers?? Super famous actors and singers still have to partake in the 2 year military service alongside everyone else, but basically Korea has put these gamers on a pedastool and has ranked these gamers as the top of the heiarchy. What do you guys think of this situation? Can there be any positive influence from this new special unit?

By Wohn Dong-hee Staff Writer April 4th, 2007

Korea’s Air Force is now going to have an entirely new unit, composed of people who are experts at playing computer games.The Air Force insisted that its plans were not a joke when it said on Sunday that it would create its first professional e-sports team. By coincidence, the announcement was made on April Fool’s Day. Yesterday, the official launch ceremony for the e-sports team took place at the Air Force Headquarters.This is the first professional gaming team to be created within the Korean military. The air force gaming team had previously participated in a couple of public events, but not as a professional team. There are many different categories for e-sports, but the Air Force unit will mainly focus on StarCraft. Developed by the American company Blizzard, StarCraft is a war game in which players acquire resources, such as minerals and gas, that are required to make progress. The name of the team is ACE, short for Airforce Challenge E-sports, and is made up of eight members. They include StarCraft legend Lim Yo-hwan, Kang Do-kyung, Seong Hak-seung, Choi In-gyu and Cho Hyung-geun. The young men are not new to computer games. They all had experience with professional gaming teams before they began their two-year mandatory service. Lim and Seong were teammates on SK Telecom’s pro-gaming team, T1. All team members joined the Air Force to focus on computer-related activities, not flying. Until now, they tested war simulation games and helped organize StarCraft tournaments as a form of entertainment for the soldiers.ACE’s schedule begins immediately, starting with the 2007 season Pro League championship, which is hosted by the state-run Korea eSports Association.The professional gaming team Pantech EX will also be participating in the Pro League championship this year, with the help of special funding from the Korea eSports Association. This group, which was funded by the cellular phone manufacturer Pantech, was scrapped by the company on the last day of March because the firm is undergoing financial difficulties.The association, however, came to the rescue after a series of emergency meetings. The association announced that it will take the initiative in searching for a company that will take over Pantech EX.

one-way street

2007-04-06T07:12:00.001-04:00

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200504/kt2005042117374410440.htm

One of the biggest criticisms on Hallyu is based on economics. In Sung Kim's essay on Hallyu and an article that I found both suggest that the "one-way" culture of this wave as one of the sources of the Korean wave backlash. This accusation that Korean production companies are only interested in making money rather than engaging in a cultural exchange seems unfair. The companies are companies. They are the machines that propel capitalism, they stay in business by making profit. Their primary goal is to compete in the global market. Sure, the promotion of one's culture can tag along as the companies try to lure audience into their "product" -- Korean dramas and celebrities. However, the fact that the critics are blaming these tycoons for making the Korean Wave too economically driven seems like finding a scapegoat.

Yes, capitalism has been seen as the whore of the city of Babylon along with industrialization and whatever challenges conservative values. If capitalism is guilty of everything, why pursue? Because communism only works in theory. People are greedy, they are out to make profit, and step above everyone else. There is no doubt that people engage in humanitarian causes, but altruism is not a natural phenomenon. I'm not suggesting that everyone's corrupt and insincere. That's not the piont here. What I'm suggesting is that economic exchange should not be the core of one's argument in criticizing the possible pitfall of the Korean Wave. Who isn't out there to make monkey, seriously?

If Hallyu started as Sung Kim's paper suggests, then it makes a whole lot of sense to put emphasis on the economic issues. Besides the economics, the heavy involvement of the Korean government has surfaced as one of the criticisms. What I don't understand is why wouldn't the government step in? If the government officials saw possible opportunities to generate revenue to robust the country's economy, why would that deserve such harsh criticism? Sure, the government's overt reaction might have been a shock to foreign countries. It should have been more sensitive to other countries' government's needs. However, this was an unprecedented phenomenon. It should be allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.

Although the thrust of the Korean Wave seems to have subsided, that should not dismiss Korean Wave as a ephemeral phenomenon. The possibility of resurgence remains as the producers of these shows venture out into different areas such as Southeast Asian countries.

Gender as a question of Nature vs. Nurture

2007-04-02T17:39:00.000-04:00

I want to cite the source I referred to in today's discussion of gender, as defined in the Queer Theory section of John Storey. I got my timeline somewhat confused, but I located the article about the male being raised as a female: it is the case of David Reimer (1965-2004). His story is tragic, and this information should be used to prevent such mistakes from occuring in the future. I am posting the article from "CBC News" (May 10, 2004).

I preface the article with this quote from Storey. See if you agree after reading this article.

"Therefore, the distinction between sex and gender is not a distinction between
nature and culture: 'the category of "sex" is itself a gendered category, fully
politically invested, naturalized but not natural'. In other words, there is not
a biological 'truth' at the heart of gender; sex and gender are both cultural
categories.

___

Summer 1965. In a Winnipeg hospital, Janet Reimer's lifelong dream comes true as she gives birth to twin sons, Bruce and Brian.

But within six months, both boys develop difficulty urinating. The doctors suggest they be circumcised.

On April 27, 1966, Janet drops her boys off for the routine procedure and her dream turns into a nightmare.

The doctors had chosen an unconventional method of circumcision, one in which the skin would be burned. The procedure goes horribly wrong and Bruce's penis is burned so badly it can't be repaired surgically.

Over the next few months, the Reimers consult with countless doctors. None can offer any hope. Bruce Reimer would have to live with his non-existent penis.

One night, the Reimers see a television profile of an American doctor and his theories on sex and gender. Dr. John Money of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore argues that boys – caught early enough – could be raised to be girls. Nurture and not nature determines a child's gender, the doctor argued.

Janet Reimer thought it was worth exploring. The family went to Baltimore to see Dr. Money, who decided that Bruce Reimer was a perfect candidate.

At the age of 21 months, Bruce's testicles were removed. What remained of his penis was left, not to interfere with his urinary tract. When Bruce was released from hospital, his parents were told to raise him as a girl. The family was told not to divulge anything to anyone. They went home with a girl they called Brenda.

"We relatively quickly came to accept that," Janet Reimer told CBC News in 1997. "He was a beautiful little girl."

Janet Reimer did her best to raise Bruce as a girl. She dressed him in skirts and dresses and showed him how to apply make-up. But the transformation was anything but smooth. Bruce Reimer didn't like playing with the other girls – and he didn't move like one either. He got into schoolyard fistfights. The other kids called him names like "caveman," "freak" and "it."

In an interview with the CBC's The Fifth Estate, Reimer said it got so bad he didn't want to go to school anymore. He felt picked upon and increasingly lonely.

By the time Bruce turned nine, the Reimer family was having serious doubts. Not John Money. He published an article in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour pronouncing the experiment a resounding success. It became widely known in medical circles as the Joan/John case.

Money wrote: "The child's behaviour is so clearly that of an active little girl and so different from the boyish ways of her twin brother."

The twin brother, Brian, remembered it differently: "The only difference between him and I was he had longer hair." "I tried really, really hard to rear her as a gentle lady," Janet Reimer said. "But it didn't happen."

By the time Bruce was reaching puberty, it became increasingly clear the experiment was not working. He started developing thick shoulders and a thick neck.

At the same time, the Reimers were under pressure from Money to take the final step: allow surgeons to create a vagina.

But Bruce rebelled. He protested that he didn't need surgery and threatened to commit suicide if he was forced to make another trip to Baltimore to see Money.

That's when his father broke down and told him everything.

Bruce Reimer said he had one thought at the time: to go to the hospital and track down and shoot the doctor who had botched his circumcision. In the end, he was unable to exact his revenge, but turned his anger on himself.

He attempted suicide three times. The third – an overdose of pills – left him in a coma. He recovered and began the long climb towards living a normal life – as a man.

Bruce Reimer left his Brenda identity behind. He cut his hair and started wearing male clothing again. He changed his name to David.

Earlier, the Reimer family had sued the hospital where the botched circumcision was performed. They settled for about $60,000, which was held in trust for David until his 18th birthday. By then, the settlement was worth about $100,000.

Initially, David Reimer only told his story from the shadows – he refused to talk about it if his identity were revealed. That changed in 2000, when American author John Colapinto wrote As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl.

A whirlwind of media exposure followed, across Canada and the United States.

Around the same time, research was sounding the death knell for the nurture vs. nature theory. Two studies – released by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center – concluded that it's prenatal exposure to male hormones that turns normal male babies into boys. The studies "seriously question the current practice of sex-reassigning some of these infants as females…"

Janet Reimer said it was a difficult thing for her son to go public with his story, but he wanted to help other children facing a similar fate.

David Reimer underwent four rounds of reconstructive surgery to physically make him a man again. The surgery enabled him to enjoy a normal sex life, but he was unable to father children.

"I'm not going to cry a river of tears over that, because I've got three great kids. I've got a wonderful wife. I've got a good home," he told CBC News in the wake of the release of the book.

Recently, David Reimer's life had taken another turn. He lost his job and was separated from his wife. His mother said he was still grieving the death two years ago of his twin brother.

David Reimer committed suicide on May 4, 2004. He was 38.

___

Source

This is a very interesting, although tragic, natural experiment. If the experimental treatment is raising a male as a female, there is even a control: the brother being raised as a male. Although every influence was conditioning this child to be a female, nature could not suppressed.

Here we see a failure of the gender theory put forth by Judith Butler. Culture undoubtedly has some determination in what defines "male" and "female", but nature always holds the trump card. Butler invoked biology in the defense of her theory, but in reality biology lends no support whatsoever. Remember that human beings are animals, and we are first and foremost subject to the laws of nature. Sex is not the result of intermingling political and cultural forces, but rather the more mundane explanation of simply the set of chromosomes in each cell.

Reflections upon IT and its Effects on Korean Popular Culture

2007-04-01T17:30:00.000-04:00

Sze Hui’s “Wired (and wireless) Korea: Information Technology and its effects on Korean Culture” was my personal favorite out of all three essays (judging from the blog postings of other classmates, its seems that a large majority of the class would echo my assertion). At first glance, the piece did not seem particularly promising—a whole essay about IT seemed like a trite prospect. But Sze Hui does a wonderful job of connecting two almost polarized elements: IT (scientific and objective) and Popular Culture (organic and interpretational).

Sze Hui observes that telecommunications are about “bringing the world closed together” It is extremely interesting to watch her outline the intricate relationship between IT and Korean Popular Culture. Communication technologies play an extremely integral and intimate role in the lives of Korean youth, surpasses the already heavy dependency that adolescents in America posses. She sews facts and analyses seamlessly together. It never seems that she is simply regurgitating boring data, but actively using her research to substantiate her claims.

What struck me most about the piece is the unique living conditions in Korea that make having such advance technology integral for facilitating the quotidian. Sze Hui highlights that “65% of all trips made in Seoul are via Mass transit”. Here in the United States, a commuter is satisfied with an MP3 player to provide entertainment to kill time while in transit; but in Korea, such mass quantities of time is wasted commuting that it is essential to posses technology that not only entertains but serves. The impressive array of Korean cell phone functions put the American Blackberry email-checking business man to shame:

The Korean cellular network is on the leading edge of technology, providing services that are at best 2-3 years away in the United States. These services include the ability to watch television on cellular phones, control home security systems and even home appliances remotely, conduct financial transactions such as banking and bill-paying, and browsing the Internet.

Another point that I find amusing (and kind of cute) is the inclusion of love-seats in local PC Bangs to allow “guys to play videogames while their girlfriends video-chat with pals.” It is no secret that Korean (and in fact, a large population of all Asian, as Teresa mentions in her post) males have a somewhat obsessive-compulsive approach to videogames such as Dota and Counterstrike. I have heard complains from numerous female friends that their boyfriends (some of them in their twenties even!) neglect them for Dota. Sad, but true. Needless to say, it is not very nice to be passed up for a computer game, and I think the PC Bangs have come up with an ingenious win-win solution that does not force either party to compromise. Even for non-couples, PC Bangs provide a place away from home (and the watchful eyes of parents) for teenagers to unwind, socialize and just enjoy being a teen.

I also appreciate Sze Hui’s objective view about the issue. It is hard to write without a personal bias, but she catalogues both the positive and negative effects of the IT boom in Korea. While the upsurge in communication technologies catapult Korea into twenty-first century as a booming Asian nation: rise in education and literacy rates, economic growth (from having the lowest per-capita GDP of $9,400 USD in 2001, to being the highest internet penetrating country, as cited by the ITU), innovative methods of communication and connectivity (PC Bangs, web-cam chat, cell phone), and overall lifestyle improvements (multi-tasking during subway rides), there are many dangerous pitfalls to being wired 24/7, such as death (“heart failure stemming from exhaustion), illnesses and assorted maladies associated with compulsive gaming. I think it is wonderful that “Korean game now include warnings, admonishing gamers to take a break every hour for the health.” It is understandable that games provide an escape and release from the stresses and harsh realities of life (which leads to my next point..), but everything should be done in moderation, and over-indulgence can lead to detrimental consequences.

My next point: my attempt at a cultural analysis of Korean/American youth and their dependency on the internet. The American perspective: after a long day at school, it is such a luxury to unwind in front of a laptop: download (legally, of course) a few new tunes, check your email, perhaps stalk your crush on Facebook/Xanga (just kidding… or not), order food online, browse sports webpages, check the weather, watch Korean dramas on YouTube, etc. Every one needs some personal “me time” to reflect and recollect. In Korea, the lifestyle of Korean youth is extremely stressful. Everything revolves around academics and school. After classes, it’s English lessons at “Hak Won”, a long hour and a half journey back home, homework, and up early the next morning for school. Furthermore, the education system in Korean is completely different from the North American system where creativity, finding your niche and love of learning are stressed… in Korea, schoolwork comes in copious amounts, emphasis is placed on memorizing and regurgitating facts, the standard of math and science are accelerated and everyone is extremely competitive, smart and/or diligent (taking the stereotype of the Asian nerd to the next level), struggling to get into top American universities. Needless to say, the competition is FIERCE, and on top of doing well in one’s subjects is the added challenge of learning a foreign language (English) and taking the SATs. In essence, Korean teens are living under extremely stressful conditions. As we’ve mentioned in our earlier music section, the energy of Punk Rock serves as a release, and an outlet to express frustration and discontentment. Similarly, the internet (PC Bangs, gaming, online blogs, chatting, etc.) serve as a leisure tool, and an outlet to unwind and distress. Because of the unique set of circumstance and high levels of stress that Korean youths face, the need for an avenue of entertainment/relaxation is heightened, and thus their dependency on the internet surpasses the American reliance. Or, it could also be that Asians tend to lack communication skills, and tend to be a little socially awkward due to hours cooped up in a room studying, and need to hide behind a computer screen to interact and socialize, but that’s a whole other topic altogether.

Online Critisms cause U;Nee to commit suicide

2007-03-30T23:42:00.000-04:00

How powerful can the internet get, even causing a person to die? Since Korea has the highest Internet penetration, as Hui states, there are certain sites that people gather and word-of-mouth becomes most effective if one thing is started on that site. In Korea, Yahoo is one of most popular hubs Koreans go to (the other is Naver), and one can leave comments on the things they liked and hated to give feedback and rant. When this innocent singer, U-Nee, was about to release her next album, people left negative comments about her revealing sexuality and the such. The easy access to millions of people's personal thoughts over the internet was the last straw for her existing depression and thus committed suicide. Now, the internet has become a murderer. What other roles can the internet become?

* * *

S Korean pop singer U-Nee commits suicide

2007-01-22 10:13:37
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/22/content_5635782.htm

South Korean actress and pop singer U-Nee was found dead from hanging in her home in Seo-gu Incheon, Sunday afternoon.

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- South Korean actress and pop singer U-Nee was found dead from hanging in her home in Seo-gu Incheon, Sunday afternoon.

U-Nee's grandmother found the body of the 26-year-old singer hanging from a door frame after she returned from a church service.

Police investigating the death have announced the case was an apparent suicide, though the singer left no note or will. U-Nee's mother has testified that U-Nee had been suffering from depression.

U-Nee's third album "Honey" is due for release on February 1. People have speculated U-Nee was suffering from the huge pressure associated with the release of the new album and was upset by online criticisms and attacks.

U-Nee came to the public's attention under the name "Lee Hye-ryeon" with her 1996 debut in the KBS TV drama "Grown-ups Just Don't Understand". She appeared in the movie "Seventeen" in 1998, then in the TV dramas "Theme Game" and "Tears of the Dragon".

Her debut album "Go" was released in 2003 and she gained even greater popularity with the 2005 release of her second album "Call Call Call." Her sexy dance moves and revealing fashions made her the favorite of teenagers across Asia.

The Internet and Popular Music

2007-03-30T22:27:00.000-04:00

The internet is certainly one of the most powerful and sometimes controversial mediums for distributing music. There are numerous web sites with English versions that sell Korea's popular music like yesasia.com and annyoung.com. There are also sites or forums where entire Korean albums have been uploaded and are available for downloading. This of course has been a subject of heated debate in the United States where the Recording Industry Association of America has tried to crack down on the sharing of copyrighted music.

I think that in Korea's case, the issue is more complex and interesting. The rapid growth of Korea's economy has created and interconnection between popular music and the internet. I think it is taken as a given that the internet is a place to explore music. There are forums where people tell others to download music, delete it after experimenting with it, and then go out and buy the music to support the artists. Although it is usually the most loyal fans who propose these procedures, I still think it is a unique and effective internet business model. I'm not sure if music companies in Korean have tried to stop illegal downloading but I have read about artists who promote the internet as an essential tool to help spread their music.

The sitauation in America is different because record companies remember the golden days when people had no choice but to buy the physical copies. For Korean on the other hand, the internet is extrememly effective in reaching audiences around the world who otherwise would have never even known that pop music exists in Korea. So because the Hallyu wave is as much about the rise of the internet as it is the rise of popular music, Korean record companies and artists have a distinct advantage in that the internet seems like the natural vehicle in which their music can make a name for it self.

Pros and Cons of the Internet

2007-03-30T21:24:00.000-04:00

Hello Class. Today's lesson will be on the internet. Yes, most of us would be very bored and not-well connected with the world with out the internet. And if you think about it, we have very few restrictions regarding the internet. Although the inception of the internet is not that recent, in relative terms, it is. Other than blatant offenses, most people can post anything to everything on the internet. One can easily go into google and learn access any type of information from how to make pipe bombs to how to cook an authentic Cajun Jumbo soup in 15 minutes. However, as more and more people start to take advantages of the internet "freedom" I feel that just like the restrictions on porn (So-Jin's blog), there will be more and more restrictions to come in the future. One way the government can impose such marxist ideals to control what's popular in the mass is by forming a business for everything. I found and article talking about how people can now watch movies on the internet by subscribing to this site. Before, savy techies would upload bootleg versions for free that lacked in quality; however, with the advent of these new internet businesses that offer legal products of high quality, more people are willing to pay for such novelties. This causes a problem for some whose business depends on non-internet accesss products: Korean video stores. Even our class, we watch bootleg versions of Korean dramas without paying for them. So I leave the class with a question. Are people going too far with this internet access products? Should there be some limitation to what things can be sold on the internet and some things that must be acquired through physical means? I feel like with everything at our fingertips with the internet, peopel are getting so lazy. True, technology is convenient but I personally think it also kills society. The popular culture of today's youth is not to go out and exercise but try to level up in a fictional computer game. So yea, don't spend too much time living in cyber world and go out peoples! This world has so much to offer.

Some thoughts on Sze Hui's paper and the Internet

2007-03-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

I found Sze Hui's paper extremely interesting. Two aspects I am especially interested are is the PC bang and gaming addiction.

My previous ideas of cybercafes were dark, sketchy places like the one I saw in China many summers ago. It was completely dark from the outside and you couldn't see inside with the exception of two lights and smelled of cigarette smoke. Therefore I found it interesting to see that the cybercafes can be a valid and much utilized social arena in Korea. The comment about a place to meet for dates was really interesting...how people who meet online can meet in person at the love seats in the PC bangs... Also interesting is how groups of friends would just go hang out there, and play online games together which brings me to the second aspect of the article I found interesting which was gaming addiction.

Gaming addiction is not just a problem in Korea but perhaps all over the world. Whenever I watch the Chinese news there always seem to be an article or report about parents worrying about their kids who are literally living at cybercafes gaming all the time. The anecdote about the person who died from gaming in the paper was one that I actually heard before and one used by my parents to prevent my little brother from gaming too much.

In addition, I have some comments about the internet in general. The internet seems to be a great way to get products of Asian (Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan) popular culture products. For Korean dramas with Chinese subs and other chinese language material http://bt.btchina.net is hard to beat. For Korean dramas in english http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/ is really good. Both of the above use Bittorrent, personally, I like to use the Utorrent Client (http://utorrent.com/) for english torrents and Bitcomet (http://www.bitcomet.com) for Chinese torrents. And for really rare stuff emule is really good.

Finally, let's talk about some recent sites and services that I liked relating to Korean pop culture. One interesting Korean service I found recently is clubbox which is like an online FTP. Though its totally in Korean the speeds are relatively nice at 52k and I use it to download Korean dramas. Also interesting is the website is the Soompi Forums (http://www.soompi.com/forums/) which has threads topics on Korean music, drama, and movies in English which I am also using for my paper because sometimes they translate excerpts about a drama from Korean news.

Korean government showing interest in Linux

2007-03-30T20:51:00.000-04:00

These two articles deal with an interesting issue that made a little bit of noise in 2006, but since Microsoft has recently released Vista, it will become relevant again.

The heart of the issue deals with the choice of which operating systems the world’s computers will run. Windows naturally owns the largest share of the OS market, but there are several curious issues that cause concern among countries that consume large amounts of these products, such as Korea.

Without digressing into an open source vs. proprietary software debate, there are several potential problems for Korean consumers of Windows, whether individuals or governments. The first and perhaps most serious issue is that Windows is not transparent: the source code for Windows is not viewable users. This is hardly a problem for personal use, but this may be an unsatisfactory policy for government agencies that use this software for critical issues. When these article were written, a sizeable portion of Korean Windows users were operating on Windows 98, and an announcement was made that Microsoft would no longer be offering security updates for this platform. This created a serious security issue for anyone using Windows 98, with very little recourse other than buying a more recent (and expensive) version of Windows. Lastly, all proprietary operating systems are embroiled in an endless battle with the latest malicious software being written all over the world. There is thus a small, but growing demand for an alternative, open source operating system.

The Korean Ministry of Information and Communication has developed a pilot project dubbed the Linux city/university. In this, they are attempting to increase the interest in open-source projects, which benefit from grassroots style development which allows anyone with programming knowledge to contribute. This is not a panacea for the problems listed above, but it bypasses the most serious issue of relying too heavily on what essentially amounts to a black box. Open-source systems are still a long way from becoming mainstream, but they are gradually gaining visibility.

While I personally cannot foresee myself using an open source OS in the near future, I can absolutely understand the desire of the Korean government (or any government) to shun the use of opaque software. There were some conspiracy theories when Vista came out about how it had some contingencies to allow the CIA/FBA/NSA etc… to monitor activities. This is an unlikely scenario, but any governmental system that handles sensitive or potentially secret information should naturally be suspicious of anything other than an open source OS.

The Internet is for ____?

2007-03-30T19:21:00.001-04:00

Well, for the starter, here's a song from one of my favorite musicals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtiGd58J0bY

I often wonder what my life would be like without the internet. The internet in my room has been acting up for the past couple of weeks. It's as slow as the highrise elevators or maybe even slower. I saw myself get frustrated over little things because the internet wasn't working. Then I realize how dependent I have become on the internet. I communicate with other people through the internet, I get all the news from the internet, watch tv on the internet, and waste time surfing the web. What is it about the internet that people are so addicted to? It could very well be the instant gratification that we get. It's definitely the quickest way to obtain all sorts of information, and it's only a click away. Convenience becomes a huge attraction factor. When I was reading Sze's paper, I wondered what would happen if the internet connections were to shut down for a day in Korea. It probably would bring the country into an utter chaos.

Recently, when two korean actresses committed suicide, articles circulated on the web blaming the "netizen" for egregious comments made on those actresses, which may have pushed them over the edge. Their managers and other celebrities targeted the netizens (net citizens) for leaving comments, on their home page or on other news portal sites' comments section, intentionally to hurt them. For other celebrities, anti-fans have emerged as a huge obstacle with the booming of the internet. It became easier for people to aggregate to support whatever cause they favor. When you watch Korean television shows with celebrities as guests, they will often discuss about how the internet has affected them. Also, for those celebrities who maintain their own personal websites, the number of hits you get per day or in total matters greatly. In essense, your popularity depends on the number of visitors. The internet, in Korea, has emerged as an integral part of the mass media.

The increase in demand and dependence on the internet isn't unique to Korea. Last year, the Time magazine named "You" as the persons of the year, in honor of one of the most frequently visited websites - youtube. Personally, I think we have come too far from going back to the time when internet was a novel thing. I know I have let it consume my life to some extent (as you can see, I'm blogging), and I probably won't be able to function normally in this world without the internet or my phone. Besides fostering my laziness and depleting my patience, the internet deals with graver and more serious areas as well. From Lucie Shin's essay, the question of freedom of speech in Korea surfaced as one of the issues with the burgeoning of the internet dependent society. The idea of selective dissemination of information goes back to Raymond Williams' cultural theory. The government functions as an agent that decides the appropriateness of information on the internet as well as other media outlets. The existence of media censorship (and even on the internet) confirms the fragmented nature of what we perceive as culture. Before reading her essay, I was not aware of the fact that censorship was imposed on the internet. The agencies with power then discriminately blinds you, but what is even worse is that you do not realize that you are being fooled.

And this last one's in honor of Dubya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MunMCO3uNdA

The Wave

2007-03-30T18:33:00.001-04:00

I found Sze Hui’s research paper entitled “Wired and Wireless Korea: Information Technology and its Effects on Korean Culture” very interesting and a good encapsulation of a phenomenon that is soon to sweep other countries as the Internet already has begun to.
One point which indicates that literacy in Korea facilitated the ease of the internet spread is noteworthy on a globalist scale. Although the infrastructure in 1996 was not there this made spread very feasible. This extends to other countries like China, Thailand, or other Southeast Asian Countries as although they may have the capability to actually build the fiber optic lines necessary for ICT, their languages may not easily support the catch on. As Hui pointed out, in China there are too many characters to represent on the keyboard for ease, but I was thinking more globally as literacy among citizens may not be set up to even read the emails they are sending to a potential client!
I think that also it is important to note that when “selling” or trying to get the internet to catch on in certain areas, it is important to phase it in as an essential utility as Hui brings up. Internet would be considered part of utility in the United States in most populated areas. Just consider how your cable company bundles high-speed internet as part of your TV package. It is important to stress to Koreans how the internet will facilitate unprecedented communication and essential.
PC Bangs are so cool! I have been to an internet café in Japan but nothing like what Hui describes in his paper. What intrigued me was how these places facilitated meeting in person places, almost like Starbucks. Instead of asking the girl next to you to join you for a cup of coffee you can IM computer #23 and ask her to join you on a love seat or for a cup of noodles. I disagree with how Hui organized the paper because in reality although people are less and less likely to spend face-to-face contact, the system is already setup in these PC Bangs to take breaks and actually meet face to face with the surrounding people.
In conclusion, Hui sheds light on a unique community and developing phenomenon. Possibly the best example of this explosion are the PC Bangs which point to the next generation, the youth who as the ultimate users will carve the way towards a more and more wired Korean future.

No online porn for you! (if you're Korean)

2007-03-29T18:19:00.000-04:00

Lucie Shin's paper on how the South Korean government regulated access to North Korea-related websites on the Internet prompted me to write about the recent news that South Korea will now ban access to pornography of foreign origin on the Internet (see also here and here).

A few things struck me about this situation:
1. This fits in very neatly with the ideas that Lucie brought up in her paper. The Korean government can't say that they're "censoring" anything because that would be unconstitutional, but they can "monitor" illegal activities. Issues about privacy and free expression can also be circumvented when dealing with youth since protecting them is of utmost moral import. In an attempt to connect this to the discussion about Marxism from last class, whatever myth is being supported--as part of an ideology the government (as an Ideological State Apparatus) is trying to defend-- definitely does not reflect reality. There are people who want to download porn and probably don't want to be "protected" by the government from its damaging content.
2. I found it interesting that private companies are joining with the government to uphold this new ban. This seems to reflect the close relationship that Internet companies have had with the government in the past (governmental investment in bulking up the IT industry in Korea) and the connectedness they still share.
3. I was intrigued by the specific incrimination of foreign porn sites, which makes me wonder about what domestic sex industries are like. Although we live in a time of globalization, and I can definitely believe that the sheer number of foreign porn sites would outnumber any Korean output, I don't believe that Koreans aren't and won't produce their own material.
4. This also makes me think about the nature of popular culture in South Korea. Keith Howard talked about how certain scandalous things that singers and musicians were doing or wearing were banned from TV broadcasts in the 1990s. It is easy to think about popular culture as things ordinary people do or consume, but we can't forget how bigger social, political, and cultural institutions affect what people have access to and how they can participate in popular culture. I wonder how Koreans will negotiate this new ban on online porn.

Korean BARBIE???!?

2007-03-29T13:35:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we watched the drama, "Beautiful Girl Choon H'yang". As it turns out the main character, Han Chae-young is planning to get married in a few months. What shocked me about this article was not the fact that she is getting married, but that she is called the "Barbie" of Korea. I had previously heard about this so called "Barbie Doll" of Korea, but definitely was shocked to find out it was her. She supposedly adopted this nickname due to her gorgeous figure, but I personally still don't understand how the name fits. Other than her chest area, she seems to mimic the body of just about 99 % of all other Korean actresses. I was especially shocked because while watching the drama, I just never noticed that she had a nice body. Is it just me or does everyone else find this nickname to be shocking as well??!??! O.O

[Talk of the town]KOREAN ‘BARBIE DOLL’ TO TAKE HER VOWS

Television actress Han Chae-young is planning to get married in May to a financial professional working in a Korean investment company, according to her management agency, Star J Entertainment.Known as the “Barbie Doll of Korea” for her glamorous figure, the 26-year-old actress has been spotted enjoying a recent vacation with her fiance in the United States. “Ms. Han and Mr. Choi Dong-jun met in 1998 when she had just debuted and they have been close friends for eight years,” the agency said in a release. “But it has been six months since they discussed marriage and engaged in a serious relationship. They are planning to hold the wedding in May or June when her movie is done.”Mr. Choi, 30, the son of a wealthy family in Seoul and a graduate of UC Berkley, currently runs a business of his own aside from his post as a financial professional at an investment firm. “He is a sweet man, sincere and reliable,” Han also said in the release. “I watched him for years and I came to believe I could spend a lifetime with him.”

There was also another right underneath this one that talks about Kim Yun-Jin, or better known as Sun from the TV show Lost. I just thought it was interesting to post this since we were discussing in our previous class about whether foreign actresses change their names for the purpose of publicity. Kim Yun-Jin has clearly not changed her birth name and has still been able to be successful in the US. This article states that she has even been awarded within top 30 of world class beauties. If Kim Yun-Jin can do it, why can't Jun Ji-Hyun, especially since she's a lot prettier.

ACTRESS KIM YUN-JIN A ‘WORLD CLASS BEAUTY’Korean actress Kim Yun-jin has been named as one of MSN’s 23 “World Class Beauties.”In an article entitled, “Hollywood is alive with cultural diversity, and these mega-talented stars have us in a trance,” the writer Kati Johnston described Kim as a doe-eyed actress with depth, an accomplished dancer and martial-arts practitioner. “Kim first became well-known to American audiences for her role as Sun on “Lost,” but she was already a huge star in her native Korea, where her nickname is ‘Woman Warrior,’ based on several spy-caper films she’s starred in,” the article said. Other beauties included on the list were Jessica Alba, Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, Halle Berry, Thandie Newton and Penelope Cruz. Among Asian stars, actresses Lucy Liu, Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li have been named.Kim has previously appeared on Barbara Walter’s talk show “The View” and demands to interview her are increasing in the United States, according to her agency. Kim immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of 10. Kim earned her diploma at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. From there, she studied drama at the London Academy of Performing Arts and later earned her acting degree at Boston University.

By Lee Min-a Staff Writer

The Internet and Your Mom

2007-03-26T21:12:00.000-04:00

I found a 2004 study on internet use in South Korea which showed that the most important factor determining whether or not a South Korean person used the internet was not their wealth, gender, or even age, but whether or not their family members use the internet. While this seems surprising at first, upon further consideration I believe this is actually a very logical outcome. The family, especially in Korea, is one of the most critical subgroups of society and can have enormous influence on the behavior of its individual members. Internet usage by a family member can encourage use by other family members in a variety of ways.

The family is characterized by many mechanisms by which to spread internet adoption. The first is easy access to expertise, in the form of parents being able to ask their children to show them how it works. Consider a family in which the eldest child, a teenager, is a frequent internet user. Seeing their sibling using the internet, younger childer in the family will naturally become interested, and then of course the parents will want to see what all their children are looking at. If the children can show the parents and even grandparents something interesting to them on the internet (the news, the weather, etc.) then there is a good chance that the parents and grandparents will want to use the internet again. As long as the children are willing to help their elders learn how to use the internet, or the parents can find help elsewhere, they are able to become frequent users themselves.

Having a source of free, easily accessible technical support (the kids) is a simple way to encourage the adoption of new, unfamiliar technology. In addition, if one family member is using the internet in the home, that means that the technology itself is easily accessible and can be used whenever desired. Once family members start using the internet more often, the family acts as a unit of social support for other family members. The internet becomes a integral part of the family's daily operations as both generations come to rely on it (Kid: "How do we get to the movie theater again?" Mom: "Google it.").

So although I was surprised at first that this study, unlike so many others, didn't conclude that youth is the main factor dictating internet adoption, I believe that the results of the study make sense. The more the people you are surrounded with on daily basis - and whose opinions you likely value the most - support a certain activity, the more likely you are to partake in that activity. I think this conclusion actually makes more sense than those which just say that kids use the internet and don't really explain why (beyond "that's what kids do"). I think without some level of support from parents (even if it's only financial - paying for internet access) youth could not have become as technology savvy and dependent as we are today.

Punk rock continued

2007-03-24T02:09:00.000-04:00

I have a few additional thoughts on the current state and future of Korean punk rock. I will refer to a few things from Epstein’s article and a few things that I forgot to mention during my presentation.

By all accounts that I have read, the punk scene in Korea has never stopped growing since its induction in the early 90’s. This is positive, encouraging news; while not everyone may be a fan of punk rock (and I suspect many may still be quite the opposite), a diverse music scene is an innovative and productive one. The sound will naturally evolve to fit the times and the discontent of the young, and growing fan bases will draw people from increasingly diverse backgrounds.

This makes the future of Korean punk delightfully uncertain. The two topics I want to discuss in a bit more detail are the gradual assimilation of punk into mainstream and the place of Korean punk in the global alternative scene.

The assimilation has many ramifications for the scene and society as a whole. For example, some of the classical punk fashions like dyed hair, unconventional piercings, screen printed t-shirts, etc. are losing their status as the trappings of punk lifestyle and increasingly appear among the laity. This is neither a good nor bad thing, simply an illustration of the fact that what can be called mainstream or underground is a moving target. However, punk music thrives by the fact that it defines itself as opposite the mainstream, so when bands like Crying Nut sell 60,000 records, a paradox of popularity is created. In the article Sandy posted last week, “Scratch Paper Thoughts on Korean Punk Rock,” this line appears:

“Of course, Korean punk rock is no exception to marketing, mainstream pop culture and/or “selling out” (whatever the f-ck that really means).”

The first half of the sentence is undeniable. I disagree with the last part of this, as selling out is a very real thing: it refers to the fact that as the growing popularity of the music attracts new fans, it often estranges old fans in the process. Success and popularity don’t necessarily distance musicians from their punk roots, but this is almost always the case. The Crying Nut example shows that the line between mainstream and underground can become blurry, which is problematic since the punk ideal can only thrive when among the discontent minority. If Korean punk follows a similar path as Western countries, a new punk will emerge from the rubble of what once stood for alternative.

The future of Korean punk, as I perceive it, is thus at a crossroads. It has clearly established itself well, as Korean youths have shown themselves to have abundant amounts of the requisite restlessness and individuality to carve out a niche for a punk scene. What will the music sound like in the future, and who will listen to it? To expand on 2 interesting quotes from Epstein:

“[The punk rock artists] have chosen to view their music first and foremost as a Korean version of the punk genre.”
“Korean youth proclaim that they maintain cultural identity while eagerly incorporating such foreign technology…”

It seems likely that in the future, Korean punk will become increasingly Korea-centric. I will cite historical precedent to support this prediction: Celtic punk, Viking metal, Folk metal, Oi punk, etc. In each case, what we see is a more general musical genre strongly absorbing and utilizing very local elements. The Irish punks sing about Irish issues such as the worker’s struggle; Viking metal constantly invokes the Norse gods and themes of warfare (and of course comes from Scandinavian countries). There is plenty of room for Koreans to carve their own, unique genre from the larger punk scene, and that is indeed what appears to be occurring. Korean punk will draw from common experience without becoming commonplace, and it will rock.

Arirang, etc

2007-03-23T23:49:00.000-04:00

To preserve or not to preserve? That is usually the question that many nationalities face when it is related to the nation’s history and culture. With this modern age setting in and everything is globalizing (which is essentially homogenizing) our everyday lives. We can lose our traditional identity if we do not work on preserving the arts and crafts of the olden days. In Keith Howard’s article, the Korean government’s attempts to preserve tradition “focused on securing the conservation of the oldest, most authentic form of any given art or craft…[and promoting them] as icons of national identity.” Another point that Howard pointed out was that “the more [the government] appoint[s], the less of [Korean’s] cultural heritance [they] will lose. But the more local folk songs are performed in the national arena the more they lose their local identity.” This is quite a balance that the Koreans have to strike. Because the Koreans’ folk songs vary from region to region, the government had a tough time on deciding how much of these regional folk songs they want to preserve since there were many to choose from.

Even with all of the stipends that the government pays to these appointed “holders” to pass their songs and arts down, the younger generation is simply not interested. One thing that I found interesting were the people who decides to break away from tradition and adds a little twist to the songs. Paek Ch'angu added modern instruments (guitars, keyboards, and bass) to pansori, which does not seem to be a typical mix. Other fusion artists, such as the SamilNori team even performed traditional music in jazz, pop, and even in rap form. I do believe that in order to appeal to the current generation and to make it more popular, first tie the folk songs to a contemporary medium that will create a segway into the younger generation's interests. Once it has created a fan base, they will want to trace to the original and will become to like the original once more. I am surprised through the dramas and movies that I have seen, the Korean traditional culture appears to be very embedded into the everyday lives. Perhaps preserving the songs has a bit of a way to go, however, the clothes and food do not seem to be fading away.

Here is one version of the Arirang sung by Jang Sa Ik.

Repackaging Folk Songs for Contemporary Consumption

2007-03-23T23:07:00.000-04:00

Keith Howard's "Korean Folk Songs for a Contemporary World" discusses a contemporary singer named Yong Woo Kim who studies and performs traditional Korean folk songs with the aim of popularizing them with today's youth. In his quest to reach younger audiences, however, Kim has found that he needs to modify the songs to make them more familiar to the audience, and thus more appealing. I contend that one way this can be interpreted is through a Marxist lense which, as explained by Theodor Adorno of the Frankfurt School, creates a mass culture in which music is standardized and promotes passive listening.

In order to attract a younger audience, Kim has found it necessary to change the folk songs he performs in some very significant ways. For example, the women's song and dance genre, kanggangsullae, which is generally performed exclusively by women, is sung on Kim's album by Kim with a chorus of men, with not one female voice present on the track. Also, many songs are performed a capella, replacing what traditionally would have been drum accompaniment, and similar artists have added synthesizers or electric guitars to songs, or changed them to have more of a jazz feel. Kim explains that in addition he must change his style of singing in every song to be different than the way the song is traditionally sung, since as he explains, "People say that mine is a familiar way of singing . My voice is easy to listen to, easy to appreciate. To make music easier to listen to is essential work for all contemporary musicians, and so my ability to do this is a merit. I focus on my listeners, not on what professional musicians think I should do."

I believe that one of the reasons Kim and other artists feel this pressure to alter the distinctive styles of traditional music is to meet the expectations of consumers of mass culture. In order to pass these songs on in some form, contemporary artists must reach today's consumers who are accustomed to listening to a certain style of music. Marxist philosophy can explain some of these expectations. Theodor Adorno of the Frankfurt School explains in his 2006 essay "On Popular Music" that popular music has been standardized and promotes passive listening. By standardized, he means that the music is "mechanical" and "a given detail can be shifted from one song to another without any real effect on the structure as a whole." (This is particularly relevant to our recent discussions of Korean ballads). Since the music is, in effect, "pre-digested", consumers are able to listen to it passively. The repetitive music confirms the world, instead of questioning or enlightening it. According to Marxist theory, this is because work in a capitalist society is dull, boring and straining, and workers are therefore too exhausted in their leisure to search for and consume "real" or "authentic" culture, and instead turn to popular culture to satifisy their craving for culture without requiring them to expend any more effort.

This relates to Korean folk music in that the Korean people are the workers who crave cultural stimulation, but require it in a form which is easy for them to consume. When a typical young adult in Korea comes home from a long day of work, she or he doesn't want to relax to a traditional pansoori which, after listening to endless smooth, fluffy ballads, might sound grating and harsh. Instead, she or he would prefer to hear the story of the pansoori told in a manner which she or he is more accustomed to, namely something more ballad-like. And so artists like Kim, in order to capture younger audiences and pass on a piece of Korean heritage, must modify the folk song to make it more familiar, and thus more appealing, to younger audiences.

I can see many people denouncing this modification of traditional songs, however, I feel that it is probably necessary in order to keep these songs alive in modern culture. Just like the story of Admiral Yi Sunsin, the relevant parts of the legend - his accomplishments and courage and nationalism - must be brought to attention, while the less relevant (his style of clothing, for example) will likely be relegated to the history books. The traditional versions of these folk songs should certainly not be lost, but I believe it is unreasonable for anyone to expect the people of today, who with an ever-growing middle class are more used to comfort and pleasure than any past society, to make an exception to their musical tastes in order to consume folk songs performed in their traditional form. Instead, I believe the most relevant parts of the songs should be maintained, and the less important aspects should be modified so that modern audiences can better enjoy it. Only by doing so can traditional Korea expect to capture the hearts of today's youth and pass relics of the past on to future generations.

"Arirang" for Today's Koreans

2007-03-23T22:51:00.000-04:00

The thing that struck me the most while listening to Yang Hui-un's "Morning Dew" was how very much it sounded like an American folk song. Keith Howard describes how the norae undong ("song movement") that resulted from the 1970s' student democratic demonstrations drew inspiration from the musicality of people such as Bob Dylan. This fits very neatly into the ideas that Howard presents in "Korean Folk Songs for a Contemporary World." In this piece he shows how contemporary Korean singers and musicians who use the Korean folk tradition as a source see how change and fusion allow contemporary audiences to enjoy and "understand" folk songs. The "traditional"-ness of folk songs can be a turn-off for Korean urban youth, but by adding synthesizers or the equivalent of epic drum solos or making them dance-y allows folk songs to be relevant to modern listeners. At the same time, the meaning that singers and/or audiences put behind songs such as "Arirang" have also changed. While the original lyrics showcase a woman weeping for her absent lover, "Arirang" now has a nationalistic undercurrent and allows Koreans to show pride in their identity. Although contemporary presentations of folk songs are radically different from what the Korean government is preserving as Intangible Cultural Assets, they still represent a powerful and long-lasting folk tradition in which the Korean people make music that tell their stories.

Here are various videos to show how contemporary Koreans are using "Arirang" to showcase their Korean identity:

A guitar version
Korean fans at a World cup match
At a Korean concert for the 2006 World Cup (Isn't it great that national pride is best on display at sporting events?)
Something else related to the World Cup
A performance by a Chinese singer (So, "Arirang" doesn't have to have a nationalistic meaning since people of other nationalities can perform it too.)

Finally, just for fun, a fusion of Korean traditional instruments, Korean modern breakdancing and beatboxing, and Pachelbel's "Canon in D."

I bet you get these songs stuck in your head. I had Seo Taiji and the Boys' "I Know" stuck in my head all week.

Cultural Compromise

2007-03-23T21:47:00.000-04:00

I mentioned last week that it was difficult to think of Korean punk music as a completely individualistic and resistant movement from below because the 'punk' image is marketed and commodified in TV, magazines and other media. Storey's chapter on Marxism has helped me untangle the issue and realize that there does not necessarily have to be a singular path these cultural phenomena follow. I would aggree that there is what Gramsci calls 'a compromise equilibrium' in which both mass society and the capitalist class engage in a give and take relationship. In looking at Korean folk music, we notice a similar situation.

It seems Korean folk music has succumbed and finds itself in the realm of the popular similar to how Rastafari reggae began as oppisitional culture but now creates profits for Island Records. We see this in the example of Yong Woo Kim amd how he has systematically altered traditioanl Korean songs like "Ch'onando samgori" in order to appeal to a mass youth audience. Folk Music is different than punk in that it has roots in history but the compromising process is still similar. There certainly seems to be a large overhaul though of folk music. Not only does production change but the reason for production changes. Consumption changes as well as the reason for consumption. So the relationship or compromise between what is percived as high art or traditional culture and modern cultural industries is constantly evolving.

Take for instance even the many different cultural shows performed on Penn's campus. Most of them showcase some form of traditional dance or music but they are marketed at least on Locust Walk as forms of entertainment. No one will go up to a person and ask if they want to hear a traditional Korean song about Japanese resentment. So even though traditional or folk music is quite widespread, this may only suggest that the comprimising relationship is allowing such a thing to happen and that theories regarding increased nationalistic sense may requre careful thought.

Folk Song Still Today

2007-03-23T21:46:00.000-04:00

Keith Howard’s, “Korean Folk Songs for the Contemporary World” poses interesting points about tradition passing down and most importantly as I see it connects to nationalism. Folk songs traditionally are thought of as being passed down by oral traditions and things of the past, not always connected to the future. However, I think that with specificity to the country of Korea, one that is still reshaping its structure of democracy and the nationalistic pride of the people, I can see why such a folk song as “Arirang” is still in check today with its many versions.
To begin, one passage is on page 151. Howard, talking about the song “Arirang”, says “The song tells with sorrow about the passing of time, about… the sad situation of the people, deprived of their homeland by the Japanese imperialists and expresses, although not clearly, protest against the Japanese imperialists’ occupation of Korea, in which the Japanese are referred to as the root of all misfortunes…”. He begins by noting the Han with the sorrow of the people, painting the picture of a changing people recovering and restructuring from the past. If we look at what Howard’s argument develops into he states that folk songs are of the people.
This is interesting because it is in remembering that it is by the people that it still appeals to the people, remembering the ancestors as they hold on to what they can of the past. The Korean people have gone through a lot, constantly questioning their nationalistic characteristics, in such a short period of time compared to other nations. So this is why I think folk songs would survive in such a state in a nation unlike America where we do not really appreciate folk songs unless we are talking about those Golden Oldies! Lastly, I think that folk songs especially resonate still today because of the continuing political conflicts that are revisited with Japan’s war time political activities of recent times and lost retributions, that stem from the same sort of aggression and Han.

Post-Marxism and Howard's Korean Folk Songs for a Contemporary World

2007-03-23T20:48:00.000-04:00

Yay! My first theoretical post!!!

Post-Marxism draws 2 conclusions about way of thinking about culture:
1)World exists outside culture but only in culture can the world be made to mean
2) The making of culture is always a potential site of struggle and/or negotiation

These can be related to Howard's article as follows:

1)World exists outside culture but only in culture can the world be made to mean
Howard: Korean folk songs have existed, but are made meaningful in context of culture...
For example, Arirang is an icon of national identity in Korea, especially the Korean struggle against Chinese and Japanese oppression, and stands for Korea in international collections, yet one version song itself is about a woman waiting on the banks of a river for her love....(there were later versions that sing about the oppression by Japanese)...there seems to be nothing nationalistic about the lyrics.

Another example is the project by the Korean government to "recommend representative genres for conservation as intangible cultural assets and to appoint individuals as holders". Here Korean folk songs/arts/genres are interpreted to be icons of national identity and were promoted through urban stages and state-controlled media.

Yet, often times the folk songs were changes or adapted for the modern audience which relates to the second conclusion of Post-Marxism

2) The making of culture is always a potential site of struggle and/or negotiation
Example: Concurrently with the protests for democracy, university students would also visit villages and appropriate and develop folk songs to be incorporated it into mass culture. Specifically, the example of Yong Woo Kim is cited. He learned to sing folk songs from Cho Ulson (sole holder of Cheju minyo) and Cho Kongnye (holder of Namdo Tullorae). Yet his versions are very different from that of his teachers. For example compared to Cho Ulson's version of Pongjiga his version is slowed down, a synthesizer and hourglass drum is added (which didn't exist on Cheju until after the Pacific war...thus not original). The reason for these changes was that his audeince was the urban youth and he needed to made the songs relevant today by adding modern aspects. For example, another version of his folk song added in a capella which was popular in 1990s. Finally Kim and another contemporary of his Lee resonated with nationalist appeal by adding a vocal style that invokes han (resentment/grudge which is the result of oppression during six centuries under the Chinese, 35 years under the Japanese, Korean War and decades living under a military dictatorship by using aewan chong or sad voice, by favoring slow-paced songs, adding vibrato and pre and post-tone ornamentation, yet this kind of style is that of southwestern singers and may not reflect the region where the original folk song came from. This original folk songs were changed to suit the nationalistic sentiments of the modern Koreans

The negotiation is especially clear in this quote of Howard's "If the development of folk songs began as student protest Yong Woo Kim is evidence that it has been achieved by harnessing the success of the government's preservation drive...fusion necessary...state system attempted to maintain folk songs that had little place in contemporary life"

Finally the use of western influences (guitars, pianos, oboes) can be explained also as negotiation as to preserve tradition yet make it popular at the same time musicians needed to unite the two poles of nationalistic/conservative/Korean and international/progressive/Korean. Groups such as the Seugidoong used Korean folk songs as the basis yet made them relevant by using western instruments, wearing western clothes, setting the music to regular dance bets, rearranging the arrangements, etc.

Thus a negotiation was made between the government's desire to make traditional Korean music mass culture and the masses adapting the culture to suit their contemporary tastes...

Arirang Ringtone?!?!

2007-03-23T16:36:00.000-04:00

While I was reading this week's material, I noticed that we are supposed to listen to Arirang, which is a very famous and common folk song in Korea. If you ask any child who has either grown up in Korea or grown up with a very Korean immersed background, I am sure that the child has either heard of or knows the song Arirang. Arirang might be as famous as the Korean national anthem, just as the Pledge of Allegiance is as common as the American national anthem to Americans.

One thing I remembered from a few years back was a gold-copperish colored samsung cellphone I purchased from T-Mobile. As most people know, Samsung is a Korean company that produces cellphones for many different American carriers. The most surprising thing happened after I purchased the cellphone. While scanning through the ringtones I noticed that Arirang was made into a ringtone for this particular phone. I asked many of my friends who also had cellphones made by Samgung, but had other carriers if they also had Arirang on their cellphones and most of them replied that they do not. Although it may seem common that a Korean company would produce a cellphone with a Korean ringtone, I found this very odd since American people might not even know that the song Arirang existed. I also noticed that around the time that the cellphone was produced, many other Korean products were making their way into foriegn markets (such as stationary products and food products). Clearly the addition of the cellphone ringtone was a form of globalization from Korea. By buying this cellphone and knowing what Arirang was, I enabled many of my American friends to listen to this very traditional and old Korean folksong.

Nationalism and Popular Culture

2007-03-23T16:13:00.000-04:00

I believe that Korean popular culture is intrinsically tied to nationalism, especially for second-generation Korean-Americans (who might not have as strong a connection with their motherland), popular culture helps act as a tool to link them back to their home culture. Popular culture covers a wide variety of elements (as we’ve been studying in this course): music, drama serials, food, graphic novels, etc. While it may not always be plausible to hop on a plane and fly to Korean in an attempt to immerse oneself in Korean culture, a Korean-American may indulge in Korean popular culture to learn more about and forge a connection with his or her home culture.

I find that Penn itself provides a plateau for exploring the correlation between popular culture and nationalism. A myriad of Korean-interest student organizations exist: KSA, KAP, PennSori and LiNk. I think it’s pretty amazing how the number of Korean-affiliated clubs outnumber all other ethnic-related organizations. Furthermore, Korean popular culture acts as a gateway for non-Koreans to learn more about Korean culture. Personally, after taking this course I have become fascinated by Korean culture and have decided to take up Korean language next semester and a minor in East Asian Studies. On a more serious note, popular culture definitely spurs nationalistic vibes in the life of Korean-Americans. Take for example the Korean Culture Show that’s taking place at Hall of Flags which is a fusion of both traditional (Korean Fan Dance, singing of Korean national anthem) and contemporary (Korean acapella group, KSA movie) acts.

On an unrelated note, I was doing research for my final paper and I’ve included an excerpt from an interesting article I’ve found:

\IDENTITIES AS ACCOMPLISHED BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS

One important aspect of the discourse of agency is its focus on identities
as being negotiated between participants. While many models of identity
seem to propose a dichotomy between identities which are either self-ascribed
or other-imposed, the discourse of agency notes that identities
are composed of both conscious attempts at self-ascription, as discussed
above, and other-recognition:

TWO WAYS OF ARTICULATING HETEROGENEITY

___________

Mike We call people fobby
“You’re acting fobby” and stuff
Just like the way they act and like
( . . . )
Honestly you can probably tell just by looking at the
person
Whether they’re more Americanized
Or more Koreanized51

—————

Evelyn: We joke cause one of my roommates is Korean
And she was born here you know
She’s complete but
she is into the whole Korean you know s-
Only listens to Korean music
Only watches Korean dramas
Only
And so we joke you know “You’re a fob”
“You’re a fob” 52
By highlighting the importance of the observer, who looks at someone
and recognizes her/him as a certain kind of social type and/or explicitly
brands someone else with an identity label, the discourse of agency foregrounds
the interactive nature of the achievement of identity, requiring
both an enactment of the signs of identity by one person and a recognition
of that identity by another.53 The discourse of agency thus focuses on
the externally visible and externally recognizable significations of identity.

My topic explores what it means to be a second-generation Korean-American living in the United States, (tying in Korean Diaspora, the Hallyu and how popular culture acts like a tool to link Korean-Americans back to their home culture and with each other). The second part of my paper touches upon the conflicts resulting from the differences between Korean-Koreans and Korean-Americans. I plan to conduct my research and establish my conclusions through a combination of personal interviews and scholarly articles.

Any comments/suggestions?

folk songs and pop culture

2007-03-23T15:20:00.000-04:00

In Keith Howard’s Korean Folk Songs for a Contemporary World, he talks about how folk music has transformed itself into becoming pop music. Folk music such as Arirang became the epitome of Korean identity. It seems to have started with one but regional adaptations of Arirang emerged in the 20th century.

Howard begins his essay with an excerpt from T’ongil arirang sung by Yong Woo Kim. In essence, Howard lays out the trajectory of a simple folk song transplanting itself into a more mainstream culture, such as popular culture. This song, initially transmitted from generation to generation by oral tradition, has now become an integral part of technology dependent media culture. The song has taken more roles such as having a historical pertinence embedded in the song.

Using a folk song to rally nationalism is not to anyone’s surprise. Folk songs embody the notion of indigenousness. You can’t get more “authentic” and “nationalistic” than folk songs. The notions of shared value, collectivism, and homogeneity come to my mind when I think of nationalism. You are bounded by the love of your country, and everyone shares the same feelings. Popular culture has similar connotations, too. The word popular embodies the meaning of universality; the word popular suggests it to be a kind of culture that a lot of people engage in. Therefore, the fusion of a folk song, an instrument of nationalism, and popular culture create a whole new entity. It’s almost as if it’s the ultimate creation of cultural dissemination. It has the inherent aspect of one’s culture and it also can circulate at a fast rate to a large audience.

Personally, I think nationalism can be expressed through popular culture. It just boils down to deciding the limit of to what extent can you tolerate the use of popular culture to promote nationalism. I found a music video of G.C. Hammer singing “Club Arirang.” I don’t know if their intentions were to promote something “Korean.” This fusion interested me because I think the same phenomenon is also taking place in the U.S. Some of the artists (I can’t think of it on top of my head), use classical music and manipulate it to their style of music. Anyways, it’s just a thought.

Club Arirang by G.C. Hammer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHlqzyHQYXc

then there’s this guy….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcY0_woBpA

Why Jun Ji-Hyun? WHY!?!?

2007-03-23T00:21:00.000-04:00

Hello Class. Unfortunately, I have bad news. The pretty actress Jun Ji-Hyun recently announced that she is engaged to an undisclosed man. HA! Just kidding! But seriously, Jun Ji-Hyun has disappointed me by announcing that her on-screen name for English productions will be Gianna Jun. Yeah, the name is exotic, but so is her regular Korean name. It hurts me to hear that such a prominent actress like Jun Ji-Hyun would sell out like this and basically renounce her Korean roots by “Americanizing” what everyone in West will know her by. I guess one could argue that the new name as a form of glocalization to the English audience; however, there are famous stars that retained their Korean names: Kim Yun-jin from “Lost”, Sung Kim from The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift. Plus, think of all the Chinese stars that kept their Chinese names like Ziyi Zhang. If you’re going to change your name into something exotic and non-Korean, why keep the last name? By changing her name to some Italian-almost African name, Ji-Hyun is basically denouncing her Korean identity. Where is the Korean pride? Gahhh, somebody please tell me Gianna Jun is a whack name. Whack yo!

Jun Goes to Hollywood

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun advances to Hollywood.

Korea, say goodbye for now to Jun Ji-hyun. Hollywood, say hello to Gianna Jun.

Jun, one of the top Hallyu stars, is undergoing a name change as she makes her debut in Hollywood.

Her management agency SidusHQ recently announced Jun has been cast in the role of a vampire hunter named Saya in the film ``Blood: The Last Vampire.’’ The film is a remake of a Japanese anime film by Oshii Mamoru.

For her first Hollywood role, Jun has decided to change her name to Gianna Jun. This move has drawn mixed reactions from her fans.

Her agency said Jun will use the Italian-sounding name Gianna for her roles in the United States and other English-speaking countries. Jun will still use her Korean name in Asia, where she is already well known. .

Jun’s name change is in contrast to actress Kim Yun-jin, who retained her name when she moved to Hollywood. Kim stars in the hit TV series ``Lost.’’

Although ``Blood: The Last Vampire’’ is still in production and will be released in 2008, Jun’s involvement in the film has attracted a lot of attention. The action-packed film will be shot entirely in English. Jun has reportedly been studying hard to learn English for the past few months.

The film will also star Allison Miller, who has appeared in guest roles in ``Desperate Housewives,’’ ``CSI’’ and ``Cold Case.’’

Jun’s move to Hollywood has drawn comparisons to Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang, who attracted Hollywood’s attention with her role in the successful film ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.’’ Zhang is known for her marital arts roles in films like ``Hero’’ and ``House of Flying Daggers,’’ but has moved on to roles in English films such as ``Memoirs of a Geisha.’’ She is now considered one of the most well known Asian stars in Hollywood.

Jun started her career as a model and debuted as an actress in ``White Valentine’’ in 1999. However, it was her role in ``My Sassy Girl’’ (2001) that undoubtedly made Jun a star.

Since then she has not had a hit film. Her films ``The Uninvited’’ (2003), ``Windstruck’’ (2004) and ``Daisy’’ (2006) performed dismally at the Korean box office.

Despite this, Jun is still considered one of the top stars when it comes to advertising. She continues to appear in dozens of commercials for cosmetics, beverages and cell phones.

Jun may be hoping to leave behind her losing streak at the Korean box office when she goes to Hollywood.

Hollywood is already familiar with Jun’s works, such as ``Il Mare,’’ which was remade as ``Lake House’’ starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

The Hollywood remake of ``My Sassy Girl’’ is currently in production. Elisha Cuthbert, who is known for her role as Kimberly Bauer in the TV series ``24,’’ will play Jun’s role. Also starring in the movie is Jesse Bradford, who starred in ``Flags of Our Fathers’’ and ``Bring it On.’’ The film is scheduled to be released later this year.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

03-20-2007 20:00

Korean Punk Rock

2007-03-19T00:55:00.000-04:00

-It’s not very hard to find Western influences in Asia. But, Korean punk rock? Come on now. At first, it was so strange to me to find such an extreme Western idea in a solid Eastern environment. Two worlds colliding.

This article contributed a lot to my research, and shed some light on the obscurity of the Korean punk rock genre. I don't want to give away too much because I'm presenting on this topic tomorrow. But here's a discussion for the class to think about:

1.What are your thoughts/impressions about the genre of Korean punk rock?

2.Do you think this is a successful genre/would be well-received internationally?

Scratch Paper Thoughts on Korean Punk Rock

By Gena Yoon (SkunkLabel.com)

Though Korean punk rock rose as late as the nineties, it is surely a sign of the times.

"Oi Oi Oi! Oi Oi Oi!" The singer grabs the mike pounding his fist in the air, as the audience follows suit chanting to the chaotic music. The bass player’s five-foot high mohawk shakes to the noise of the drummer kicking in his crappy drums with his steel toed shoes.

No, I’m not at a Rancid show or watching a Clash cover band. Local pub with some sh-tty punk rock band? Nope, I’m in Seoul. I’m in some god-awful basement the size of my closet, moshing to music blasting through a static-ridden sound system.

It’s not very hard to find Western influences in Asia. I can walk into any household in Korea and easily find forks and spoons replacing chopsticks, bed replacing pallets on the floor, and even rare instances bread replacing rice.

But, Korean punk rock? Come on now. At first, it was so strange to me to find such an extreme Western idea in a solid Eastern environment. Two worlds colliding. Sort of like the Flinstones meet the Jetsons.

Granted, Japanese punk rock has been around for quite a while. Japan is known for their potpourri of extreme subcultures and Japanese punk rock (as well as anything else Japanese, it seems) has been a novelty in America for quite a while. Japanese punk has even found its way into successful punk rock labels, such as Fat Wreckords.

Let’s digress for a bit. One of my favorite shows is Star Trek: The Next Generation. Besides the fact Data is hot (yeah, I said, it…HOT!), I love how the show makes social commentaries by conceptually setting contemporary social issues into imaginary scenarios. For example, there’s an episode about an alien race with one gender. As it turns out, one of the alien citizens had a tendency towards the female gender. Her people ostracized her as unnatural and perverted, immediately outcasted her. Obviously, the episode was addressing the issue of homosexuality. However, isolating of this alternative lifestyle, stripping it naked and dressing it up into a totally different outfit, the issue can be perceived with a more clear-cut and unbiased eye.

Punk rock, stripped naked and dressed into a hanbok (Korean traditional-style dress), has sharpened its character into more clear cut lines. In mainstream pop culture (American, Korean, or Japanese), punk rock has easily become a type of fashion, rather than a lifestyle or life philosophy. I absolutely adore punk rock. However, let’s face it, you don’t have to be a virtuoso to learn to play it. There’s obviously a driving force behind the music that allows punk rock to thrive in countries all over the world—something beyond fashion and beyond popularity.

Let’s take the case of Korea. The last couple decades have been a whirlwind for good ol’ ROK: nuclear IMF debt crisis, accelerated economic prosperity, the internet phenomenon, presidential impeachment, and much more. Despite Korea’s instability, in my opinion, these have to be exhilarating times for Korean citizens. Think about it: They’re living history, they’re witnessing change, they’re living it all. It’s a time where anything seems possible, a place where the most insignificant gestures become great movements.

So then, like mold in a dark, damp room, punk rock grew in Korea during the 1990s. In a country recovering from a major civil war, decades of colonization, dependency on major powers, conforming Confucianism, Korea is finally taking its stand. The very existence of punk rock is proof that this is true. Of course, Korean punk rock is no exception to marketing,
mainstream pop culture and/or “selling out” (whatever the f-ck that really means). But, you can’t miss the few and bold who keep the music alive. Rebellion! Freedom! Independence! Passion!

If you want a proper introduction to Korean punk, check out We Are the Punx in Korea compilation album at: www.koreanpunk.tk which includes bands RUX, 18 Cruk, Captain Bois and many more!

“From August 2002, this compilation album was made by the bands in Korea. The purpose of this compilation is to rebuild our club…and further to expand our Korean punk scene. We want to let more people from the world to know more about the Korean local scene, produce good bands and passionate minded punks.

We do not want this album to be criticized by the quality of music or any other sphere. We just hope that at least some people can listen to this album and enjoy.”

Date Posted: 6/11/2004

Drunken Tiger

2007-03-18T18:48:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting article I found while doing some research for my presentation on Drunken Tiger tomorrow. It seems that at one point, Drunken Tiger was also trying to prepare themselves to make a wave through America (many, many years age), but was never able to fully cross the borders. Drunken Tiger is thought of as one of the most hybrid groups in Korea, partially due to their huge Korean-American fan base and ss one of my favorite of all time groups, I would have loved to see what they could've accomplished in America.

Tigers roar, who's listening?

Asian rappers have more than "8 Miles" to go to be successful in the United States and in Korea.
Drunken Tiger, Korea's best selling and most respected Korean-American rap group, would be an automatic candidate for a lifestyle of "bling-blings" (diamonds), Lexus SUVs and a crib in the Hamptons, much like such successful African-American rappers as P. Diddy and Nelly. But the members of Drunken Tiger - DJ Shine, Tiger JK and DJ Jhig - will have to wait, realistically several years, for hip-hop fans to accept a serious Korean rapper.
Hip-hop's ugly side, consisting of racism, stereotypes and prejudice, stands in their way of being played on radio stations across the United States. No other excuse explains it, given the band's credibility with East Coast legend Wu-Tang-Clan, who asked Drunken Tiger perform with them this summer.
Their album sales are among the highest in Korea. All four LPs sold close to one million; a big number considering the lucrative Korean trend of downloading MP3s. On their quest, heads are supporting them from fan clubs in Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"I, myself, am Filipino-American, but pay so much respect to Drunken Tiger for their skill and what they're doing for Korean hip-hop and for Asian rappers as well," said Elsa, who runs a fan Web site. She's eager to help because Asians and other minorities still need a voice in the hip-hop industry.
"Artists from Korea have a harder time making it because they aren't fluent in English," said Kim Sang-kyoo, director of Master Plan records. But as Korean-Americans from Los Angeles and New York, Drunken Tiger can have the best of both Pacific coasts. That's their game right now on a smaller scale.
Speaking from a rooftop near Apgujeong-dong, Drunken Tiger said they're hungry for a chance at big contracts in the States, but how real this dream was "hard to say."
"A lot of things have to happen first," said DJ Jhig.
They already fought an uphill battle against Korean conservatives and liberals alike who viewed hip-hop as another foreign influence corrupting their youth culture. Nevertheless, Drunken Tiger's first album dropped in 1998 with lyrics pointing out the hypocrisy and utter wrongs of the society. Soon, a following took root.
They still get labeled as gangsters and drug dealers because of the image rappers like Dr. Dre and Tupac spread. "It holds us back," said Tiger JK, blowing off a lot of steam about the Korean music industry, who would rather see the trio wear make-up and dance like boy-bands.
"They want to treat us like puppets in a theater," said DJ Shine. "Artists here are so exploited. They sell them out like candy."
Making an unprecedented move, Drunken Tiger turns down offers, and the money, to appear on TV programs and compilation CDs that don't fit their image. Their biggest fear is being lumped in with Baby V.O.X., the Bubble Sisters, and other pop machines that Korean-Americans avoid like SARS. "Its embarrassing when they send these clowns down to the MTV Asia Awards to represent Korea who got no skills," Tiger JK said.
They came to Korea hoping to escape the racial umbrella that still arrests Asian artists in America. Tiger JK recalled in a previous interview about getting booed off stage and hearing racial slurs from the crowd. "I know I lost (emcee) battles due to the color of my skin," he said.
"As Asians, we are still seen as people who can only do martial arts, or study all the time. The stereotypes must be broken," said Eddie Lee of Columbus, Ohio who writes reviews of Korean hip-hop artists.
Most Asian rappers who emerged during the 1990s were limited to performances on college campuses and shows inside New York and Los Angeles record stores located in Asian neighborhoods. No Asian rapper has yet made it to the "big time" to share the spotlight with Jay-Z, DMX or Ja Rule. Only recently, Eminem was able to pave a road for white rappers to be accepted within a traditionally exclusive African-American art. Latinos are also having some success.
But industry watchers say a movement may awaken within two to three years.
"If there was going to be a time when the American public could accept and embrace an Asian American hip-hop star, it would be now," said Hyun Kim, an editor at Vibe, one of the rap world's biggest magazines. They're currently profiling Chinese rapper Jin, who is releasing an album this summer with the Ruff Ryders.
This has also been a good year for Asians with Yao Ming dominating sports headlines, Amerie (half black, half Korean artist) breaking into the R&B charts and Asian-American actors from the recent movie "Better Luck tomorrow" showing signs of clinching bigger roles.
Over a decade ago, Asians rarely listened to rap, says Drunken Tiger, but now it's the norm. Backpackers in Laos can find local DJs who can define rap terms such as "gat" and "player-hater." The "underground" scene, defined as a sub-culture of hip-hop with performances in small venues with artists not signed with major labels, has now given over to multiracial membership. Los Angeles can host entire shows exclusive to Asian rappers.
Furthermore, DJs of Asian decent have already arrived to backup some of the biggest stars in hip-hop. "They have been a part of the culture for a long time from behind the scenes... but now there is a push for Asian-American's to be in the forefront, to make their presence felt visually as artists," Kim said.
But Drunken Tiger says they don't feel that push here, as Korean clubs rave out to techno, and the rest play only American rap. Even Drunken Tiger was clueless on where they can go to hear their own music here. "When Koreans go to clubs, they don't want to listen to Korean hip-hop. They think it's the same as pop music, like boy-bands," said the manager of Club Saab in Hongdae.
Japan plays a sizable amount of their own rappers, as well as France. DJ Shine said America will not be interested in a rap group from Korea until they get lots of support from their homeland fans. "Look at Chow Yun-Fat and Jackie Chan. They made it big because they got props from their own country," he said.
"For a perfect example of a minority breaking into the mainstream hip-hop scene, it would have to be Eminem," Lee said. The Detroit rapper grew out of the underground scene where his biography shows he had to work twice as hard to get noticed. He's outlasted such white gimmicks like Vanilla Ice who Lee says had "charisma but no skill."
"It also helped that he was backed by one of hip-hop's biggest figures, Dr. Dre," he said. Drunken Tiger is still waiting for that sponsorship. What they have to offer is a rap flavor that's reminiscent of the genre's early 1990s days, before hip-hop was gangster and all 'bout the "Benjimins." "It's more about the art of the music, the craft," DJ Shine said. Even black groups like the Roots and Common promoting this aesthetic angle of hip-hop continue to wait out the flashier acts on stage.
This style, largely belonging to underground artists, outweighs the other forms on the international scene. Drunken Tiger says it's an arena that's color blind to backgrounds and stereotypes. "It doesn't matter what race you are, as long as you have talent and ambition."
The irony here is that hip-hop first grew as a platform speaking of the ills of racism, but now its own exclusiveness has become the victimizer. "We had no mission to be pioneers... it was sort of handed to us when we got here," DJ Shine said. "But hopefully we can open some doors for future Asian artists."

Han Sound

2007-03-18T09:30:00.000-04:00

This is an interesting article I came upon that discusses the sound of "han". We were talking about this the week before spring break while we were on the subject of the Chun H'yang and the pan soori that was used in the film. I know we are already past the subject of traditional Korean music, but I thought this article was interesting nonetheless. The article is very long so I will just post the link to it : http://www.jstor.org/view/07401558/sp040001/04x0005e/0?citationAction=remove&frame=noframe&charset=u&userID=a57b8f2a@upenn.edu/01cc99332100501b8f737&dpi=3&config=jstor&citationPath=07401558-sp040001-04x0005e&PAGE=0

X Man

2007-03-17T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hello Class. Since everything about Korean music and Korean music videos have been talked about, I'm gonna introduce a popular Korean comedy show called "X-Man." Basically, the show is a variety game show where Korean celebrities play weird games that are hilarious. A lot of the stars that appear on the show are music artists because in between acts, the stars sing or dance as punishment and who would be better singers/dancers than actual artists themselves. Hence, the shows is fully packed with fun games and cool singing/dancing performances. I highly recommend the show!

Something interesting I found about Korean celebrities is that, in general, they seem to be a lot more down to earth and are willing to participate in these game shows where a lot of the acts are very humiliating. True, there are shows in America like the "Surreal Life" however, the celebrities on that show are old, "have been" celebrities while the people on "X-Men" are people who are popular and hott now. Additionally, I've heard that the celebrities don't get paid or get paid very little to participate on this show, and the stars just do it to increase their publicity or just because it's fun. Artists like Kim Jung-gook and Minwoo from Shinhwa are regulars on the show and seem to have a good time, everytime they're on it.

For all you Rain lovers, here's a link to an episode where other stars try to imitate Rain's "I'm Coming". Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OY7N-g1Dlrc

-deeKoh

"An international hip hop consortium"?

2007-03-16T23:39:00.000-04:00

I will preface this post by saying that I am not that familiar with Korean popular music. In middle school when all of my Korean American (female) friends had their favorite H.O.T., SechsKies, and/or Shinhwa member/claimed future lover and the guys had the big furry mittens, I never got into Korean pop music because I felt I did not know enough Korean to follow along with the lyrics. Also, I couldn't help but laugh at the poor English featured in the songs and on the CD liners and the funny costuming choices. So, please excuse my ignorance when it comes to Korean music.

I found an interesting interview with Drunken Tiger from six years ago that I thought provided an interesting contrast to Stephen Epstein's findings in "Anarchy in the UK, Solidarity in the ROK: Punk Rock Comes to Korea." One of Epstein's claims was that punk rock was a space in which Korean youth could be uniquely Korean although punk rock was imported into Korea. This seems to fit in with the ideas that Lawrence Venuti discusses in "Local Contigencies: Translation and National Identities," one being that translation nationalism means that translation (would it be a stretch to say that punk rock is the translated text?) can be used to build up a nationalistic movement or create a cultural identity in opposition to others brought to light through translated texts. So, while the Korean punk rock movement that Epstein studied seems to showcase Koreans who have national pride (while not always agreeing with the status quo), Drunken Tiger does not seem to have that same love for Korea. This seems to be because the two members of the group are actually Korean Americans and seem to identify more with the hip-hop culture in America. Finding out that Drunken Tiger originated in the U.S. made their music video for "Do You Know Hip Hop?" make so much more sense. The song and music video seemed to be a lot more self-aggrandizing and sexualized than the other Korean music videos we watched in class and also seemed to fit more of an American hip-hop vibe. Would I be correct to make that assumption?

P.S. Did anyone else find the interview funny to read because of the way the guys talked? I couldn't stop laughing at the obscenities and use of ebonics.

Drunken Tiger - "I Want You"

2007-03-16T23:18:00.000-04:00

As I was browsing YouTube for other Korean music videos, I came across this one by Drunken Tiger, entitled "I Want You."

After watching all those sappy ballad videos last week, I struck by how blantantly sexual this video was. I thought the director did a nice job of juxtaposing the singer's stroll through the red light district with the cuts to a pretty, innocent-looking girl, and then later showing the same girl all dolled up like a prostitute. Her transformation is quite shocking. The lyrics to the song as also much more explicit than I would have expected:

I WANT YOU
*Translated By Eric Kim - http://www.drunkencamp.com/lyrics/trdt1-2.htm

Tiger is in the presence bam bam Upon the reggae is bam bam Tiger is in the presence bam bam Upon the reggae is bam bam

Even though we don't know each other that well, I could see us like a sweet couple. I want you, I wanna tell you this. The light in my eyes of how much I want you, are so bright.

I can make it feel like there was never futility. Now close the eyes of your heart. There will probably be an overwhelming happiness. Yes, I'm very happy.

Scent of your presence was true essence of your beauty Complexion luminescent be like blinding twenty twenty From the git go couldn't let go You had my heart mad looney tooney From the full moon to the crescent Reminiscing about your booty Feeling blue indeed

Like the time You didn't do me When I'm alone I'm in a love Jones Baby boo I'm truly yours Like honey dip from Gothem

You let me in for a pleasure Voulez-vous couchez avec moi? Now you drop your draws, uh!

I want you, I love you, honey. I remember all the times we shared. I could feel all of your love.

Even though we don't know each other that well, I could see us like a sweet couple. I want you, I wanna tell you this. The light in my eyes of how much I want you, are so bright. Now as I close my eyes and as the moon greets me. Come into my arms, and leave you with me. And tell me of the words of temptation that will come out of your mouth. I like the way you are now.

The honey that I love, do you know? Do you know my heart? Do you know that it's full of the thoughts of you? What is it of me that you don't like? I can make it feel like there was never futility. Now close the eyes of your heart. There will probably be an overwhelming happiness. Yes, I'm very satisfied.

The YouTube page where I found the video notes that this particular version of the music video was banned. I wasn't able to find anymore information about that online anywhere, but I believe that "I Want You" was one of the first popular rap videos in Korea, and coming from the era of completely unsexualized ballad videos, I'm not surprised that that was the general reaction. The video does, however, have some stylistic commonalities with the ballad videos, most notably the violent, tragic ending and the cinema-style storyline accompanying the music.

music and music videos

2007-03-16T21:03:00.000-04:00

In class we talked about how Korean music videos, as far as the ones that we've seen, seem to be produced as quasi-movies. To me, this seems like a good way for artists to extend their imaginative skills to create an entity of its own, distinct from the music itself. On the other hand, it does seem to deflate the significance of the song itself. While I was watching those music videos in class, I honestly did not pay any attention to the lyrics. I passively listened to the meoldies while I my mind was actively engaged in watching the actions taking place before my eyes. The fact that many artists resort to this disjointed approaches in disseminating the song and the stories depicted in music videos suggest that Korean artists are seeking different avenues to intensify despair. As Keith Howard suggests in Appropriation and assimilation in Korean pop music, even songs outside of ballad (in his discussion about Seo Taiji's song entitled this night, is deep, but)"conform to the anodyne romantic idyll, encumbered, as we might expect in a country infused with the notion of han, of grudge and repression, more by desertion and the loss of love than with successful union" (p.40). As we have seen in dramas, Koreans' obsession over love, lust, and complicated relationships are transplanted in songs as well. Hence, it seems reasonable for the artists and directors to use music video as an additional medium to create a unique production rather than an extention of the existing music.
It is not a new technique that songs are being used to project human emotions. Korean Ballads, for instance, is imbued with references to love, loss, death, and hopelessness. It seems as though they would have exhausted all the possible ways they could portray such emotions. Wrong. The lyrics might have a common theme such as a girl leaving for some other guy and the reject sings about his sorry life and how he will forever love her. The tunes might also be along the same vein: melancholy, string instruments, and what-have-you. Because the ballad singers do not have as many topics they can use as the theme of their song, (imagine a ballad about winning the lottery) they might resort to music videos to set themselves apart from each other. Whoever can have the most compelling, attention-grabbing, thought provoking, emotion surging, and sad storyline might be able to stand on top of everyone else as a successful artist.

No more ballads

2007-03-16T15:55:00.000-04:00

I will do my presentation on Monday on Epstein's article about punk rock in Korea. We will embark on a journey together to explore the worlds of punk, hardcore, metal and their various sub-genres in Korea. These alternative genres generally diverge strongly from the mainstream ballad, hip-hop and kayo music in many respects. Thematically, the principle themes tend to be ones of individuality, anti-establishment, the bleak realities of life and rebellion against societal norms. The presentation, instrument choice, rhythm and image are also radically different. I present now a few videos with a brief commentary that should help to make the transition from ballads to alternative as injury-free as possible.

A brutal auditory assault from the awesome K-metal band "Crash." They are old on the scene, formed way back in the early 90's. A catchy refrain with some nice double bass pedal, definitely a good video.

N.E.X.T - The Power. A slower, gritty punk video that uses war footage as a backdrop for this music video. Definitely has an epic feel to it, and has some nice fret work near the end.

Monkey Monkey, a silly name but there is nothing silly about that guitar and drum beat. Very energetic.

Oathean. This is a live recording, not a music video, but Oathean has such a brutal sound that I feel compelled to include it. These guys and Crash are my favorite K-metal groups that I've heard. This video has a bizarre interlude as well.

The Cockrasher, a new-wave sounding punk band. I confess to having no idea what they are saying, but the sound is pretty catchy. This style is typical of many punk music videos.

I like a lot of Japanese and Chinese punk/metal, but until recently I have not had much exposure to the Korean alternative scene. I have found plenty that I like though, and am always looking for more recommendations. These videos are just a primer, based on what I could find on YouTube. Keep on rocking out, Korea.

Sappy chinese ballads

2007-03-16T11:26:00.000-04:00

After last week's discussion of tragic korean ballads with music that doesn't relate to the music videos and sad stories on the videos I remembered seeing this music video on youtube by a Tawainese all girls band called: S.H.E. and they have done a music video called "I love you" where the song's lyric is irrelevant but the story is very emotional (it's based on a real story) however, the story is kind of told with words too in the music video. I loved this and wished that I could have played it in class last monday. I'd bet that this would be popular with korean audiences.

Below is the translation done by a commentor named on one of the pages:
Story starts in Shanghai 1949. The KMT (the Kuomintang or Nationalist Party) lost the civil war to the Communists and were forced to flee to Taiwan. The girl's family was probably high ranking KMT government/military officials. As they fled, she promised her bf that she'll return and all her "love" was kept in that box for him. He promised that he'll spend an entire lifetime waiting for her, many lifetimes if needed. 40 years later she has a family with many children and grandchildren. One day her son told her that he found her long lost boyfriend. Like promised, he waited for her all these years at the same place, never marrying, even that box was never opened in fear of losing her forever. After an intense emotional struggle, she decided to pack up and spend the rest of her days with him back in Shanghai. Her husband in Taiwan bought a house for them as a wedding present.

Trot Music as Popular Music?

2007-03-16T00:14:00.000-04:00

Synopsis and Opinion: Who would have thought that traditional music is making a comeback? Korean trot music, considered as traditional “Korean” music, sounds just like Japanese enka (a genre our parents would listen to) that are usually sung by older artists. However, Wikipedia claims that enka actually might have influences/roots from Korea or China. Although trot cannot replace the pop, rock, and rap that we love, it sure is attracting more and more audience, especially the younger crowd. I have posted a sample of Korean trot sung by Jang Yoon Jung, who is most famous for beginning this fad for the younger generation.

* * *

Young trot music stars bridge generation gap
By Lee Yong-sung
2007.03.16
[Source]

If you are a parent of a rap-obsessed teenage son or daughter and have ever tried to have fun with them at a noraebang (karaoke room), chances are, you have realized how difficult it is to bridge the generation gap through songs.

This cannot be the case in Korea only, but here, the emotional gap could be especially wide because we have trot music - arguably a traditional Korean pop music genre, which has long been popular among older adults but has largely been detested by young Koreans. Well, this was until the new generation of young trot singers exploded into fame, most notably Jang Yoon-jung, 27, whose debut single "Eomeona! (Oh My Goodness!)" has brought a lot of young people out to listen to trot music.

Although there were far younger trot singers than Jang (like Moon Hee-ok who made her trot singer debut when she was a high school student), the debut of the pretty-faced Jang with versatile vocal ability - she won the grand prize in a 1999 Riverside Song Festival in Seoul with the Latin dance number "Naeane Neo (You Inside Me)" - was sensational enough to encourage many more young and attractive singers to get into the trot music scene, including Park Hyun-bin, 24, and the girl group LPG.

(from left)Jang Yoon-jung, Super Junior T, Two Guys

"With simple and easy melodies and lyrics, trot songs are ideal vehicles to convey various human emotions," Jang said in an interview. "But more than that, (they are) the type of songs I've found pleasant to sing. Such unprecedented success of the young trot singer has even attracted Super Junior, a 12-man boy band best known for their powerful dance routines and harmonies, to the trot music scene. Half of the members - Lee Teuk, Sung Min, Kang In, Hee Chul, Eun Hyuk and Shin Dong - formed a group within the group, Super Junior T, last month and released their first trot single "Rokkuguh."

"I remember Kim Soo-hee's 'Aemo,' which is my mom's all-time favorite song, beat Taeji Boys' 'Hayeoga' to top a weekly KBS chart in the early '90s," said Eun Hyuk, 20, who once competed with his former schoolmate Xiah Junsoo of Asia's top boy band Dong Bang Shin Ki to be the best dancer in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.

"Trot is like the Korean version of hip hop music. It's always direct in tone of voice and message," added Kang In.

For many Super Junior fans, their trot singer debut sounded almost like an insult to the Korean rock spirit, if not a kind of cult comedy. It took, however, only three days for the new sextet to top the weekly album sales chart. Ironically, "Rokkuguh" (the reverse of "Guhkkuro," which means "reverse" in Korean) sounds like "Rock Go."

"Frankly, trot songs are not easy for me to sing because there are so many vibrations in them," said Lee Teuk, the leader of the entire Super Junior group. "But I think the songs have power to make everyone feel upbeat."

Many argue over the origin of trot music, saying that the genre was born under the heavy influences of Japanese Enka songs, and thus it falls short of becoming a traditional Korean pop music genre. "Highway Stars," a recent film about a rocker-turned-trot singer is in fact a remake of the 1997 Japanese film "Saran-Q No Enka No Hanamichi." The Enka singer in the Japanese film has been replaced by the trot singer in "Highway Stars."

Still, though, many argue that today's trot songs are in the tradition of Korean pop music because the style of singing in trot has transformed dramatically into something uniquely Korean over the past few decades as a result of ceaseless experiments by trot singers and song writers.

"Any musical element can be transfused into trot to create a new trend in trot music," said Yoon Myung-sun, who wrote both "Eomeona!" and "Rokkuguh," commenting on the current trot syndrome. "Traditional trot songs were predominantly about sorrows and tears, but recent trot songs of younger musicians deal with a variety of topics."

There could be more controversies about the identification of the genre as traditional Korean music, but it is undisputable that trot's popularity contributes a lot to bridging the gap between generations. At least it seems far easier for young singers to do trot music than old ones do hip-hop.

Korean tango in Japan

2007-03-16T00:09:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlhgP9S3H80

"Sad Tango" is one of my favorite Rain videos/songs and it is particularly relevant becuase it relates to many of the issues dealt with in Keith Howard's "From Dance to Rap". The song is quite unique on many levels. For one, it was Rain's debut Japanese single so the original version was Japanese but Rain has now since made an entirely English version which is featured on the link I provided. The music samples latin melodies which reflects the "tango" in the song's title. As for the "Sad" in "Sad Tango", the word suggests a lost love theme which is indeed expressed within the song's lyrical content. So after stepping back a moment, we notice a dynamic interplay amongst the song's elements. We have a Korean pop star singing a Japanese song which musically is a fusion between modern r&b and latin melody while lyrically it is consistent with themes found in traditional Korean ballads. Plus, it is to my knowledge the only Rain song to have an English equivalent.

One thing to note from my observations is the obvious appropriation of foreign musical genres similar to Kim Gun Mo's "Excuse". In looking at the actual video, we see not only the showcasing of dance but also specific dance sequences that often disrupt the video's continuity. These are consistent with findings in Howard's paper.

Finally, there were some other things regarding the interplay I mentioned earlier that struck me. Why was this song in particular chosen to be Rain's first Japanese single? Was it because that musically it is neutral in the sense that it is not quite American pop nor is it very similar to other Korean pop songs. So being neutral in this case would mean differentiating itself from both jpop/kpop and american pop at the same time. Also, why is there an english version to this song and not any of his Korean songs. Is it possible that in infultrating the Japanese market, Rain and his managers hoped they could reach more Americans or English speakers in Japan than in Korea?

Article in Korean Times - Women Bring Sexy Back to K-Pop

2007-03-15T22:04:00.000-04:00

Looking online I found an article about another type of Korean music videos that are more similar to the type of those in America. These videos focus on Korean women trying to be sexy, reminding of the American music videos of the Pussycat Dolls or Beyonce. Obviously most of these songs are not ballads but rather are dance music. But I feel that these music videos give another perspective into the Korean music industry. Something I found extremely interesting in the article was that the women who had done sexy videos like Lee Hyo-lee and Ivy are actually trying to soften their image now due to the negative backlash. I guess there are still cultural differences between Korea and the US and that it may be a bit too early for sexiness to become widespread in the Korean music world.

I also have some links to music videos below the article for songs or women mentioned in the article.

Women Bring Sexy Back to K-Pop
[http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200703/kt2007031316520011690.htm]
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Justin Timberlake may be singing ``I'm bringing sexy back,'' but in the K-pop scene, it seems the ``sexy'' concept is still alive and kicking. Sultry pop stars led by Lee Hyo-lee and Ivy, as well as newcomers like Seo In-young have released new albums and music videos, designed to send the pulses of the male population racing.

While this sexy image helps attract attention, it also distracts people from determining if these singers are popular because of their good looks or real talent.

Recently, the stars' skimpy costumes and racy music videos may have proven too much for some audiences, creating a backlash against sexy singers.

Lee is widely credited with starting the sexy trend and is still undeniably one of the most popular stars for commercials. She has recently generated publicity with a racy photo spread appearing on W magazine and the Calvin Klein ad campaign, but it seems this has only distracted from her music.

Lee's new digital album received mixed reviews from fans, although her single ``Toc Toc Toc'' is racing up the charts. Lee may be trying to soften her image, but it seems fans still want her to stay sexy.

Another pop singer who became known for her sizzling dance moves is Ivy, who scored a hit with the single ``A-ha'' last year. Ivy seems to be distancing herself from the sexy image during promotions for her second album, ``A Sweet Moment.''

At a recent music show, Ivy performed ``Temptation Sonata" wearing a conservative but feminine suit, in sharp contrast to the hot pants she wore when she performed ``A-ha" last year.

With the image shift, Ivy seems to be focusing more on the music, rather than using her sex appeal to gain fans.

However, it is newcomer Seo who is generating the most controversy for her barely-there costumes and hot dance performances. A former member of the girl group Jewelry, Seo has just released her first solo album ``Elly Is So Hot.''

Her skimpy costumes have prompted three Korean broadcasting stations KBS, MBC and SBS to ask her to tone down her costumes for TV shows. Her costumes are one-piece outfits featuring cut outs that expose parts of her stomach and pelvis.

If this wasn't enough, Seo has also released a series of racy photos available for mobile phone downloads.

Other female singers are still expected to push through with the ``sexy'' concept by releasing dance tracks which allow them to show off their seductive dancing.

Chae Yeon is also planning to release her fourth album later this month. Her management agency Medialine said the title track of the album is a dance track, similar to her earlier song ``Two of Us,'' and will have a Latin dance version and electronic house version.

Mina, who is best known as the 2002 World Cup girl, will also come out with her fourth album in April. She has worked with Uptown member Jung Yun-joon on writing the title track, which is said to be similar to Lee's hit ``10 Minutes.''

Ivy - Ah-ha

Lee Hyo-lee - Toc Toc Toc

Seo In-young - I want you from Elly is so hot

Chae Yeon - Two of Us

Mina - Answer the Phone

Tragic korean ballads

2007-03-12T15:40:00.000-04:00

Today's music videos were all very emotional and going along this path, I'd suggest the music video "Because I'm a girl" by KISS, an all girls korean band, this music video fits perfectly into today's melodramatic music video theme. This story was quite popular when it first came out in 2002 and I cried the first time I saw it.

No iPods For North Korea

2007-03-12T14:19:00.000-04:00

Although this news is old, I just thought that it was humorous.

* * *

No iPods For North Korea
November 29, 2006 03:00 PM

The Bush administration reportedly plans to strike back at North Korea's Kim Jong Il for testing nuclear missiles by denying luxuries to the leader and his political allies through trade sancitons.

To punish Kim Jong Il for testing nuclear missiles, the Bush administration wants to keep iPods out of the hands of the North Korean leader and his supporters.

[...]

The list of items to be banned reportedly includes artwork, cognac, cigarettes, expensive cars, Rolex watches, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, personal watercraft, musical instruments, sports equipment, Segway scooters, and personal electronics, such as iPods and plasma televisions.

[cont'd in here]

Korean Sound Wave

2007-03-12T12:30:00.000-04:00

Those who might want something a little different than the "typical" K-Pop music might want to take a look at the following posts from The Turning Gate which is maintained by an American ESL teacher living in Seoul. It's a collection of lesser known Korean artists that don't get as much attention as their mainstream counterparts with brief descriptions and a few songs you can download and listen to. The intro and links are posted below.

“Is there any decent Korean music?” a friend asked me in a recent email. The answer is a resounding YES! Korea has some damn fine music, and it’s about time The Turning Gate took a few moments to recognize it. And so I ask you, turn your ears to the Land of the Morning Calm to explore some of the finest music I’ve found here.

The Korean Sound Wave Part I
The Korean Sound Wave Part II
The Korean Sound Wave Part III

my own Chunhyang is out there. wherefore art thou?

2007-02-26T02:10:00.000-05:00

Hello Class. Sorry for the really really late post. I was studyign ALL DAY prepping for my examination so that I can make something of myself and be reunited with the love of my life. >_<. ok. bad joke. Anyways, i thought the production was a beautiful "film festival" type of movie. I thought the pansori singer was well weaved into the movie. I know some of the non-Korean speakers in the class probably heard his voice projections as a miserable animal's last dying cries; however, I enjoyed the singer for that particular sound. The emotion and energy to sing like that is incredible. While walking back from the library, I tried to immitate the sound the singer made but I just wasted my energy trying to create that meloncholy sound. Something that caught me near the end of the movie is when Chunhyang's mother says "it's better to have a daughter like Chunhyang than a son." I was quite surprised by such a comment. I'm wondering if that's really a saying that people have put to the Chunhyang character or if it's just the voice of a contemporary korean individual. It is doubtful to me that Koreans back in the Chosun period would praise Chunhyang to the point of demeaning the ever-so-precious son. Another question I wanted to ask the ladies in the class if they were offended at all by the fact that Chunhyang-the female, was expected to be chaste and loyal til death to her man? Was it too chauvenistic or was the love story worth such a view of a wife. Just curious. Don't hate me.
-deekoh

Clamp

2007-02-25T16:44:00.000-05:00

I found this article in the New York Times and thought it would be helpful for people who were interested in learning more about CLAMP (the author's of Chunhyang).

By CHARLES SOLOMON
Published: November 28, 2006

The name Clamp may sound odd and unfamiliar to Western ears, but this four-woman studio ranks among the most successful creators of manga, or graphic novels, in Japan and the United States. Over the last 17 years these women — Satsuki Igarashi, Apapa Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Ageha Ohkawa — have produced 22 popular manga series, many of which have been adapted to animation, including “X,” “Chobits” and “Cardcaptor Sakura,” all available on DVD in the United States.
“Clamp have been an integral part of the manga explosion that’s occurred in the U.S. over the past several years,” said Dallas Middaugh, associate publisher of the Del Rey Manga division of Random House, in an e-mail message. “Their fluid, dramatic artwork and storytelling style struck a strong chord with male and female manga readers.”
More than one million copies of the “Tsubasa” manga have been sold in the United States, and next month Del Rey will publish a character guide to that popular series. The Houston-based FUNimation Entertainment recently announced that the 52-episode animated television program based on “Tsubasa” would be available on DVD in this country early next year.
When they discuss their work, the four artists of Clamp confer among themselves; then Ms. Ohkawa usually acts as spokeswoman.
Through an interpreter, Ms. Ohkawa explained in an interview that the studio began as a group of 11 art students who got together to create doujinshi, or fan comics: amateur publications that continue the adventures of popular animated and/or manga characters. No one remembers who chose the name Clamp, but it stuck, long after the group shrank to four members who became professionals.
The women seem both pleased and surprised at their popularity in the United States. “For some series, we do consider the international audience,” Ms. Ohkawa said. “But we wonder, when American girls read our manga, do the stories touch their hearts? Can they relate to the characters?”
Clamp has created a diverse body of work in an industry in which artists often specialize in a single genre. The sci-fi comedy “Chobits” involves a frustrated romance between a geeky college student and a disturbingly beautiful android. In “xxxHOLIC,” Watanuki, a psychic high school boy, blunders into the shop of Yuko, a sorceress who can supply whatever a customer most ardently desires. Clamp’s best-loved creation is “Cardcaptor Sakura,” the story of a fourth-grade girl who inadvertently releases a deck of enchanted cards, then has to retrieve them before they work mischief on the world.
Unlike Serena, the ditsy teenager who transforms into Sailor Moon, the heroine of another popular series, Sakura is a good-natured but never saccharine girl who learns and grows from her supernatural experiences. Her best friend, Tomoyo, makes cute costumes for her magical missions.
“It’s common in girls’ manga for a character to transform, as Sailor Moon does, and we wanted to incorporate that into ‘Sakura,’ ” Ms. Ohkawa said. “But many of them always wear the same outfit, so we wanted to add a twist. We feel it’s pretty sad for a girl to wear the same outfit all the time.”
Clamp’s manga are also distinguished by their diverse visual styles. Yuko, the sensual sorceress in “xxxHOLIC,” might have stepped out of a wood-block print. Kamui, the slender, androgynous hero of the dark fantasy “X,” seeks the advice of Princess Hinoto, whose hair flows in Art Nouveau swirls that recall Alphonse Mucha’s widely reproduced posters for Sarah Bernhardt and Job cigarette papers. The massed blacks and dark shading in “xxxHOLIC” contrasts sharply with the straightforward line work of “Cardcaptor Sakura.”
Ms. Ohkawa, who compares her role to that of a producer-director, explained: “I decide who does the characters, and what she’s going to do with them, as a director would pick his actors. I assign the roles, depending on the genre of the series: horror, comedy and so forth. I also choose the visual style: in the case of ‘xxxHOLIC,’ it’s derived from Ukiyo-e,” woodblock prints. “However, I’m not sure if the staff is satisfied with my direction,” she said with a laugh.
Many of the most popular manga on both sides of the Pacific are written and drawn by women, including Rumiko Takahashi (“Ranma 1/2,” “InuYasha”); Hiromu Arakawa (“Fullmetal Alchemist”); and Clamp. Their many hits have given the Clamp artists the power to create pretty much whatever they choose. “While it’s true that the number of female directors in the animation industry has increased over the years, it’s more common for women artists to present their work in manga,” Ms. Ohkawa said. “It’s a way for them to express themselves freely. Strong female characters have become very common in manga — Sailor Moon is probably the most famous example — but I don’t know that women in Japan have become stronger. We’re in a unique position: Clamp makes a presentation to the publishers about what we want to do, receive an approval and go to work.”
The Clamp artists were eager to discuss the differences between the Japanese and American approaches to the creation of comics and graphic novels, and the growing cross-pollination between the popular cultures of the two countries. “In Japan the artists on a manga don’t change until they complete the series, and when the artist passes away, the story ends; there’s just one artist,” Ms. Ohkawa said. “But in America, different teams work on different stories for ‘X-Men’ and other comics.” “It used to be difficult to find American comics in Japan, but they’ve become more accessible in the bigger bookstores,” she said. “As creators in Japan, we’re very curious about American work and are pretty sure we’re influencing each other.”

Intertextualiy in Goong and its larger ramifications of Hallyu

2007-02-25T15:43:00.000-05:00

Last class, we discussed the inclusion of Yi Sang's poetry in the Koreandrama "Goong". There were two polarized views about the incorporation of a"high culture" element into a "popular culture" medium. This week's reading from "High-Pop" ties in really nicely with the debate.

Intertextuality

-derived from the Latin intertexto, meaning to intermingle while weaving)
-the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts
-refers to an author’s borrowing and transformation of a prior text or to a reader’s referencing of one text in reading another
-the need for one text to be read in the light of its allusions to and differences from the content or structure of other texts

Support for intertextuality in “Goong”:
-introducing good Korean lit
-cultural exchange
-object becomes part of circulation of culture
-adds to the richness and complexity of the work

Criticism of intertextuality in “Goong”:
-artificially deep
-infidelity to original author and work
-ludicrousness and senselessness of incorporating “high art” in pop culture (Korean drama audience is looking for entertainment, not a literature lesson)

Before the reading Timothy Corrigan’s essay “Film, Fedelity and the Performance of Literature”, I stood on neutral ground and agreed with both sides of the argument with regards to the pros and cons of intertextuality. However, I am now convinced that intertextuality reaps many benefits; both for the work or art and the original source that is borrowed from.
Yi Sang's poetry appears in Goong as a “contemporary body, resurrected by and forcontemporary film culture". The goal of intertextuality: to enhance the meaning of the work and to elevate the drama above popular culture. It adds to the work, establishing it in a in wider context and garners a deeper sense of appreciation and understanding.

Furthermore, it helps to revive a “ghost of literature”. Corrigan argues that “the text and the book may be in the process of disappearing, drowning, or being irrevocably torn apart”. The producers may not necessarily be aiming to educate the viewers with Korean literature, but definitely exposing the audience to that [dying] genre of Korean art. The producers are “courting and claiming a massive youth market”; which are the next generation responsible for transcribing the works of the past into the future. Intertextuality helps works of the distant past stay meaningful in the present; if a poem written more than half a century ago can be used to enhance a modern day scene (ex. Yi Sang’s mirror), it further establishes the work as a literary gem and highlights the timelessness of the work.
Rebuttal for negative aspects of intertextuality:

Criticism #1: It is almost an insult to Yi Sang to include his “high art” poetry in trivial pop culture.

àthe point is not whether this is a mocking triumph of pop culture over highculture. What counts here is not the line and its appropriation ofmisappropriation but rather who performs that line… and [the] ability torecall and reactivate itCriticism #2: Borrowing from some one else’s work is a violation against the integrity of original work

-textual integrity vs. popularity
-textual singularity and authority

-culture is all connected, no solid divisions
-cultural studies has worked in recent decades to pressurize and undermine the notion of the singularity of texts and their authors by dispersing both into the filed of popular culture or daily culture at large

--> fossilized sense of individuality, wider social circulation of work (that dissipates their traditional authority)

Criticism #3: It is kind of pointless to include allusions to Yi Sang’s poetry because the majority of people will not be able to recognize that reference.

-it isn’t a wasted effort if the audience is unable to catch the allusion. One may simply appreciate it for its aesthetic appeal.
-as visible fragments or invisible subtexts, the literary text appears in the film as, in its numerous positions, an interpretive grid to control the instability of images through the designating power of words
-power of film to “spectacularize” literature: from a 2D piece of writing to a 3D scene
-the developing technological powers of film to crate more convincing representations of reality and powers of film to create more convincing representations of reality and the social context of an implicitly addressed audience.

Final thoughts:

-classic adaptations have become much less about textual fidelity and authority
-concentrates on the film and the audience’s ability “to perform” literature
-classic texts are ghosts, and film images are reminders of worlds that have vanished or never existed

How is intertextuality in Goong related to Hallyu?

-producers are extremely cognizant about the globalization of film market
-thus, the Korean drama can be used as a vehicle to educate/expose the world to another aspect of Korean culture (in this case, Korean literature)

Manga and Manwha

2007-02-25T02:26:00.000-05:00

I've always been a lover of manga ever since I was little (I read all of the sailor moon manga when I was in China) and thought this article was very interesting because it does make a distinction between manga (Japanese comics) and Manwha (Korean comics), generally I just use the term "graphic novel" because currently, there are a lot of good American artist who also draw in the "manga" style like Van Von Hunter . Unfortunately there are people who are very uptight about these distinctions and will be very upset if you called a comic "manga" if the creator wasn't Japanese even if it uses the manga style.

If you want to check out some more manga or manwha, Manganews.net has great links to scanlators and there's also a huge community of original online comics at onlinecomics.net (which is down at the moment, but should be back up soon). I believe the famous Megatokyo was the first online comic to be published and then it was followed by many other online comics, a friend of mine also has her own online comics and I hope she gets published someday too.

Publisher's Weekly Top Ten Manga and Manhwa for 2006

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6401291.html

Top Five Korean Manhwa

5) 0/6 by Youjung Lee (Netcomics)

Boys comics for boys.Moolchi, a classic high-school nerd who gets bullied on a regular basis, is sent a beautiful cyborg bodyguard to protect him and fulfill his every wish.Funny, sexy and gorgeously drawn.

4) Banya: the Explosive Delivery Man by Young Oh Kim (Dark Horse Manhwa)

Set during war in ancient Korea, Banya works as a messenger delivering messages to others.Kim's rendition of this service is similar to the Pony Express, but mercinary and ruthless.Kim does an excellent job illustrating the battle scenes.His drawing style is reminiscent of Takehiko Inoue's in Vagabond.

3) Audition by Kye Young Chon (DramaQueen)

Forget about boys love. DramaQueen licenses some of the best manhwa to come out of Korea. Audition is as gorgeous as it is entertaining.Chon flexes the cross-dressing muscle in this series as two friends/rivals (who dressed as boys in high school) re-unite to find five boys (some of whom have a strong feminine allure) that will be the future of boy bands in Korea.Anyone who thinks girlish looking boys aren't sexy and girls who dress as boys aren't hot, needs to read Audition.

2) DVD, by Kye Young Chon (DramaQueen)

Chon just makes good, funny, and beautiful comics. In DVD, Chon draws upon the newly forming sentiment of westernized youth in Seoul as two best friends DD and Venu take in Ddam Shim as a third roommate.Male readers will have no trouble seeing eye-to-eye with the male protagonists as they discuss the allure of long eyelashes and the delight of padded bras.Meanwhile, female readers will appreciate the beautifully drawn girls and boys and the tinge of heartbreak and betrayal.

1) The Great Catsby by Doha (NetComics)

Catsby is a solemn and beautiful testament to post-graduate life and love. Doha's anthropomorphic depiction of Catsby and his roommate Hondu is sincere and heartfelt.

Clamp's Manga

2007-02-24T17:52:00.000-05:00

Putting the words Chun Hyang in the title of Legend of Chun Hyang is deceitful. The characters, actions and themes are related to the actual Korean folk legend Chunhyangga in only the most tangential manner. As a result of the title, the manga begins to tread into the territory described by Emily Apter of poets like Rexroth, who created a fictitious basis for his poetry – does Legend of Chun Hyang really have any thematic or intellectual ties to the Korean folk legend?

In nearly every sequence, the manga departs precipitously from the canon, Korean Chunhyangga. We see a Chun-hyang who carries modern values of universal equality and female rights directly supplanted into Choson Korea, with awkward results. Traditional values of virtuosity and loyalty are no longer the central themes, as they are replaced by themes of individuality. Then, of course, there is the divine intervention of dragons and angels, and a sword-wielding Chunhyang who solves problems by confrontation and violence.

Since the original folk legend is distinctly Korean, it is worth noting that the authors of the manga are Japanese. This begs the question: why is a Japanese author basing manga on Korean folk legends? To rephrase – is there some perspective that a Japanese author can provide to this tale that the numerous Korean tellings have failed to provide? I feel that the manga has done no great service to the original, and that the title was merely as a ploy: to differentiate an otherwise standard, generic comic book by giving it some “legendary” background.

CLAMP's Shin Shun Kaden

2007-02-23T23:36:00.001-05:00

(Sorry, forgot to publish this) CLAMP has a history of using mythology or popular tales from other countries to form their basis of writing, including RG Veda (which is from Hindu scriptures), Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (which is pulled from Alice in Wonderland). They did write about a domestic legend, which was called Shirahime-Syo (Snow Goddess Tales).

After reading the Legend of Chun Hyang manga, I was left with a “plot-what-plot” feeling. It was only when I wiki-ed it that CLAMP actually did not finish this project, although they said they might finish this later on. If they truly wanted to, they should have finished this long ago since this manga was first published back in 1992. You can also tell from the art that it is a dated manga because CLAMP’s artwork style has changed and looks vastly different since the mid- to late-1990s.

When the wiki-article describes this manga having a storyline that is loosely based on the Korean legend, it really means loosely. In here, Chun Hyang is a very typical CLAMP heroine. She is around 14 years old and is headstrong, innocent, and short who loves to defy the authorities (the yangban). Mong Ryong appears as the other main character and some Korean terms were used. That is about as far CLAMP went with the legend. Since the manga was probably for a younger audience, the development of the characters was not emphasized but more on the action scenes fantasy elements. However, the KBS drama remained a bit more faithful, although their heroine also has most of the same qualities as well, probably due to adaptation for the modern audience. They focused more on the sappy love story between the two.

Separation Anxiety

2007-02-23T23:12:00.000-05:00

As I watched the film version of Ch'unhyang, I was worried that either Ch'unhyang or Mong-ryong would die in the name of love at the end of the movie. I noticed the numerous outstanding reviews on the DVD box and thought that one of the two characters must die in order to get such great reviews. I don't know how the true story ends but this made the film slightly more realistic for me simply because it did not deploy a technique that I think is used far too often in contemporary romantic films. On the other hand, I think the film is still only a film and should not be viewed as a true representation of the themes in the text itself. With this being said, I think it is important to separate the film's supposed "universal themes" mentioned in Kie-Chang's article and the actual textual themes.

I once did a paper on romantic films, and discussed how the most popular ones usually contain some forbidden love theme. Ch'unhyang is not any different. We have to ask though what makes forbidden love or other themes universal. Is it because many people across cultures can relate to it. Possibly, but there are an abundant amount of themes that people can relate to. I would argue that these themes are created, reinforced, and made universal through technological media and popular culture. For example, I have seen DVDs with chapters entitled "Forbidden Love". This allows viewers to consume certain scenes not only out of the entire film's context but certainly out of any former textual context. So the love story in Ch'unhyang the film may seem universal, but the themes in the actual text are most likely not. Was the text intended for a mass audience like that of a film? Probably not. So this really goes for all supposed universal themes. The actual themes themselves are not universal because they depend on the era, specific situation, and author/audience.

D'oh! The Simpsons, Animation, and the Koreas

2007-02-23T23:07:00.000-05:00

I think that when you look at the Korean animation industry, you can see globalization in a different way. Here is an interesting--but long--look at the history of animation in Korea during the 20th century (stopping in the '70s). It seems that Korean domestic animation was not as popular or as technically and stylistically advanced as foreign imports (mostly from the U.S. and Japan). It was interesting to me that early Korean animation relied heavily on classic Korean stories and legends, perhaps to provide the same sort of cultural legitimacy that canonical Western literature provided to films (as discussed in the High-Pop reading). Nowadays, it seems that many of the popular animated works in the U.S., such as The Simpsons, are actually drawn by Korean animation studios. Even North Korea is involved in this business of subcontracting animation projects. So, while the Koreas are heavily involved in the global animation market, it is not a uniquely or overtly Korean product that is being marketed and sold. Rather, Korean talent produces products that are actually culturally foreign to most Koreans. This is different from the dramas, movies, or music part of hallyu, which market Korean culture and identity in various forms to global audiences.

*Because I was curious, I found some information on Mazinger (Mazinga) Z, which is referenced in some of the episodes of the drama we had to watch for this week. There were a lot of Korean and non-Korean pop cultural references in Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang, including to Pretty Woman, Love Actually, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, and other t.v. dramas (Full House, for one). Definitely trying to appeal to a contemporary youth audience, no?

Manhwa & Reinforcing Gender

2007-02-23T21:16:00.000-05:00

I found the Chunhyang manga very interesting because it seems to simultaneously reinforce and challenge traditional gender roles. The main character, Chunhyang, is both sassy and strong while maintaing a very feminine appeal - she's outspoken, brave, confident, and a talented fighter, in addition to possessing more traditionally valued feminine characteristics such as beauty and kindness.

It's interesting, however, that while many of Chunhyang's traits seem to defy the typical Asian woman stereotype of a quiet, reserved, gentle, pretty female, many of those same traits can also be interpreted as displaying other female stereotypes. For example, Chunhyang is a great fighter, but she is also righteous - she fights only to defend others or stand up for herself, but never picks a fight with anyone who doesn't deserve it. Also, she is fierce and strong, but usually this is only displayed after she is provoked. And like the old saying goes, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Chunhyang certainly retains the traditional female emphasis on emotions. In addition to her fury, she also sometimes breaks down in tears (like, understandly, after her mother dies), and in her angst, turns to a broad-shouldered man to comfort her. Interesting, the photos above and to the right are spaced only two pages apart in the manhwa. Chunhyang therefore melts into a classic damsel in distress only two pages after whipping into a fiery-eyed warrior.

I think all of this comes together to create a complex, multi-dimensional character, but it also presents a very mixed message of the "ideal" heroine. Perhaps this is a reflection of the changing roles of women in modern society, and the way modern women are torn between wanting to fill traditional roles and wanting to break out of them. Regardless, this representation of Chunhyang does a great job of satisfying readers who prefer many different types of women, as Chunhyang's characteristics and behavior can be interpreted to be either traditional or modern or a nice mixture of both. I think this was very a entertaining story presented with beautiful artwork and engaging, lovable characters.

Article - useful viewing guide to the movie "Ch'unhyang"

2007-02-23T20:15:00.000-05:00

This article I feel will be an extremely useful viewing guide to the 2000 movie Ch'unhyang directed by Im Kwon-Taek. The writer raves about the universal themes of the movie and gives historical background to the original folk-story. Especially interesting about this article is his emphasis on universal themes of the movie, diversity of the audience (at the movie theater where he viewed it), and raves of the movie by western newspapers. It reminds me of the global culturalism idea that we were discussing last week. Though this movie came out in 2000, I haven't really heard of the movie until this week when we had to watch it for this class. It makes me wonder just exactly how successful this export is compared to say "Jewel in the Palace" or "Full House", Korean dramas that were especially famous and popular in Asia. Nevertheless I agree with the author that this movie gives the viewer a look into historical Korea and does have universal themes (AKA love) that western audiences can enjoy.

[http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/opinion/200211/kt2002112117203911340.htm]

[Hello Korea] Chun-hyang in Washington
By John Kie-chiang Oh
Professor Emeritus, Catholic University of America

I saw ``Chun-hyang'' the other night, and I was enchanted. Of course, I did not see her in person, but in a movie, shown at a commercial theater in downtown, Washington, D.C.
When I came to the United States in 1954 as a university student, I could not in my wildest dreams ever imagine seeing Chunhyangjon (the tale of Chun- hyang) at a theater anywhere in the United States.

Recently, at a small bistro cinema, where a viewer can enjoy a movie while eating snacks or a light meal, I saw the Chunhyangjon, Korea's Academy Award entry.

I felt the genuine pleasure that I occasionally experience after enjoying rare masterpieces of either the East or the West. I am sufficiently bi- cultural, and I am certain that my satisfaction was not just a function of my nostalgia for fine things Korean.

It was the sense of having appreciated a timeless masterpiece of 18th century Korean folk literature. Im Kwon-taek skillfully and tastefully directed the movie in the versatile medium of contemporary cinema, with English subtitles.

That the tale of Chun-hyang was written during the reign of King Sukjong (1674-1720) of the Choson Dynasty was quickly forgotten as soon as I was engrossed in several universal and perennial themes. They knew no national or cultural boundaries. These themes included love and passion across the chasm of rigid class distinctions, faithfulness of a helpless girl against the capricious advances of a powerful and corrupt magistrate, the suspense, the last minute rescue by her true love who became a secret royal censor, and a happy ending.

These were some of the themes that resonate in the hearts and minds of people in all cultures across the centuries.

My quick appraisal of the audience in the bistro lounge confirmed this. There were more Caucasians than Asians. Further, some issues raised in the 18th century, e.g., power and corruption, devotion, and the eventual triumph of justice, transcend time, and had contemporary meanings for me.

The Washington Post movie critic exclaimed that it was "More than a romance. A perfect marriage between traditional form and contemporary issues."

Unlike the story of Romeo and Juliet, a romantic tragedy written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the identity of the author of the Tale of Chun-hyang is unknown, according to ``The History of Korea'' by Han Woo- keun (East-West Center Press) and ``A History of the Korean People'' by Andrew C. Nahm (Hollym Press).

It is possibly because an apparently gifted story teller, probably a member of the aristocratic (yangban) class, did not wish to be identified as a writer of commoners' literature in hangul, the Korean vernacular used by lower class people and women.

The author might have been a scholar who had failed the royal examinations mostly on Confucian classics required for appointment to official positions. These examinations were written completely in Chinese characters, just as French was the lingua franca in the diplomatic world.

The anonymous author's knowledgeable treatment of both the scholar official family and the former courtesan and her daughter, Chunghyang, indicate that he, or she, knew worlds of both the privileged aristocracy and the aging and still unattached courtesan and her pretty offspring. The loss of a literary talent from Korean officialdom probably resulted in a lasting gift of a folk literature to the Korean people - and now to the world.

Lee Hyo-jung and Cho Seung-woo attractively portrayed love and youthful passion.

Director Im had them engage in passionate love making - each daringly pursuing the other, slithering together from room to room, exposing erotic coupling for fleeting seconds. There was even a brief all-nude scene that was shot from the young lovers' curvaceous backs against a crimson bed sheet under full illumination. However, there was nothing prurient in the fairly long love scenes.

The heroine and the ardent lover appeared a bit too young to me to be such skillful love makers. But my notions about these love affairs in the 18th century Korea might have been outdated, and the movie producer probably had an eye on the box office, in Korea and abroad.

The movie exposed the harsh class separation between the aristocratic official's family and that of a former courtesan and her daughter. As in so many Western novels, it is love at first sight as the governor's young son, Mong-ryong, falls in love with a beauteous young maiden.

Unlike in Western literature in which a period of courtship would usually follow, however, the governor's son visits the commoner's house one night and tells the courtesan and her daughter that he desires her.

After writing several Chinese characters professing his devotion to her on her skirt, he frolics with her right there at the courtesan's home during his very first visit. What privilege for the young man!

But he was soon sent away to the capital to study for the state examination by his father who was posted to the royal court. As Juliet said, parting was such sweet sorrow for the young lovers, and Chun-hyang swore her fidelity to him and he pledges his return to her after passing the state examination.

The new magistrate who replaced Mong-ryong's father was a stereotypical local tyrant.

He capriciously demands that Chun-hyang serve him in his bedchamber. As Chun-hyang pleads with him in the name of her fidelity, the vindictive magistrate has her beaten savagely.

A pansori (folk music) singer masterfully narrates these long epic drama lines in the Korean commoners' music form. In scenes where a master pansori cantor superbly narrates the caning of hapless Chun-hyang, the movie shows how the audience is moved to tears. It was a Korean theater scene in a Korean movie, but the empathy with the suffering maiden was universal. Still, Chun-hyang is imprisoned.

When Mong-ryong, now the secret royal censor, appears at the old courtesan's house, disguised as a beggar, Chun-hyang's mother is a picture of pitiful disappointment and resentment with this failed young man who returned to her house in rags, instead of silken official robes as she hoped.

Upon seeing Mong-ryong, however, Chun-hyang simply rejoices at his return to her despite her knowledge that the brutal magistrate at the end of his birthday party would execute her. Tension and suspense mount accompanied with music by Kim Jung-gil.

In the midst of the most opulent birthday banquet that boasts ``a pond of wine and forests of meat,'' soldiers of the central government suddenly surround the elegant banquet hall, and Mong-ryong materializes as imperial secret censor. Thus comes the happy ending - thanks to the power of imperial authority. In the end, it is more of a victory of a just imperial authority rather than the triumph of love and devotion of two individuals. That was the limitation of the Tale of Chun-hyang.

Having suffered through several crudely produced Korean movies in the past, it was an unadulterated pleasure to see this Korean masterpiece. The Los Angles Times exclaimed ``Stunning! Exquisite! Triumphant!''

Chun-hyang remains a lovely and desirable maiden in every man's heart. Chun-hyang was lovelier in Washington.

11-21-2002 17:20

Manwha or Manga

2007-02-23T18:11:00.001-05:00

The comparison of The Legend of Chun Hyang and Goong Vol. 1 is very similar yet complex. In Goong, the female character is portrayed as “nimble”, quiet, confused and thrust into the most unfamiliar possible for a girl of her class in a modified modern day Korea. In The Legend of Chun Hyang, we find a polar opposite character; overzealous, heroic and headsprung. However, they share the same situation of being out of place in their society. Part of this is irony setup by the authors which makes each tale even more interesting and is the center of each drama. Even more though, the gender role of each is perhaps more striking. In Goong it is not as evident but it is the dream of becoming royalty, and in Legend of Chun Hyang; Chun defies the gender roles of being quiet and reserved, not to mention her mastery of martial arts. CLAMP clearly states her position and how out of place she is with the norm of society on page 25. Chun’s mother says “I’m sure you used your martial arts in the name of good, BUT YOU ARE A GIRL!” Furthermore, Chun is in a time when gender roles and inequality were even more widened than in the modern drama of Goong. This is what makes such a successful manhwa. There are so many manhwa (and manga) that deal with everyday life with twists and turns but I think that when gender is involved it not only attracts more readers but challenges the current gender roles of the status quo. It makes people question how gender stereotypes and positions are now and wonder what things could be like or if they should be challenged further.

One cool part that I found in the Legend of Chun Hyang as well was the use of Japanese characters in many frames. As we discussed in class, globalization has led to the spread of manga/manhwa outside of its native authorship. I think it is interesting that the translator kept the Japanese characters in the manhwa. I don’t know if this was intentional or if it was just too hard to remove them from each frame. Also on one page we can see Korean, English, and Japanese writing all in one frame; talk about cross-culturalism!

Legend of Chun Hyang and My Sassy Chun Hyang

2007-02-23T13:26:00.000-05:00

Legend of Chun Hyang by CLAMP and the TV drama My Sassy Chun Hyang are derivatives of the tales of Chun Hyang. Although the two works integrated the folktale as the underlying plot line, they present the story from different views.

While I was reading the manga, I could not disengage from the inherent “Japanese”-ness of the book. Despite the adaptation of a Korean folktale as the foundation of the story, I thought that CLAMP’s version of the legend engendered a different. The manga, in my opinion, used the story only as a vehicle to propel the story forward. In other words, I felt like most of the emphasis was placed on the martial and supernatural abilities of the characters rather than engaging in the essence of the folktale itself. All the fighting sequences and elaborate drawings of the dance are the all I remembered after reading the manga. In this case, the folktale came secondary to the actual activities that the characters endured/performed. Although the manga did contain comical drawings, this one differs from the manhwa we read for last week. The emphasis on martial arts and mystic and magical abilities of the characters seemed to trump the comical spin of the manga. Therefore, the focalization of this manga differed from Goong because Goong not only dealt with more lighthearted subject but also utilized lighter shades of black.

In the TV drama, it focused more on the development of romantic relationships among the characters than the resurgence of cherished Korean folktale. Hence, the folktale was at the backdrop, once again, similar to the manga. Although the parodies of the actual story at the end of each episode did provide a comic touch, I also felt that it diminished the value of the story because they focused on the character flaws. It portrayed Mong-ryong as an incompetent Am-hang-osa who simply pretends to be an honorable official.

After reading the manga and watching the drama, I felt that the artists and producers used the folktale as a vehicle to propel the stories with different agendas forward. Although the usage of the tale helps brand the folktale as a cultural object, it could leave distorted images and representations of the tale for those who are unfamiliar with the story. Hence, it is important to market and package Korean culture in a way that preserves the integrity.

Continuation on Korean Wave

2007-02-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

This is an article I found about the rising Korean Wave. Just as we have talked about many times in class about the Korean Wave hitting many countries worldwide, this article talks about Korean products being sold all over China. The Korean market is trying to expand into China and bringing their pop culture is just a start. This article talks about missionaries for Christianity are also trying to spread their scriptures to China. I think it is interesting how many of the things that have influenced Korea started with the U.S. Not only has music, movies, and pop culture made a great impact on Korea, but religion and the missionary movements have also been passed on.

By Norimitsu Onishi The New York Times

At Korea City, on the top floor of the Xidan Shopping Center, a warren of tiny shops sells hip-hop clothes, movies, music, cosmetics and other offerings in the South Korean style.
To young Chinese shoppers, it seemed not to matter that some of the products, like New York Yankees caps or Japan's Astro Boy dolls, clearly have little to do with South Korea. Or that most items originated, in fact, in Chinese factories.
"We know that the products at Korea City are made in China," said Wang Ying, 28, who works in sales for the local branch of a U.S. company. "But to many young people, 'Korea' stands for fashionable or stylish. So they copy the Korean style."
From clothes to hairstyles, music to television dramas, South Korea has been defining the tastes of many Chinese and other Asians for the past half decade. As part of what the Chinese call the Korean Wave of pop culture, a television drama about a royal cook, "The Jewel in the Palace," is garnering record ratings throughout Asia, and Rain, a 23-year-old singer from Seoul, drew more than 40,000 fans to a sold-out concert at a sports stadium in Beijing in October.
But South Korea's "soft power" also extends to the material and spiritual spheres. Samsung's cellphones and television sets have grown into symbols of a coveted consumerism for many Chinese.
Christianity, in the evangelical form championed by South Korean missionaries deployed throughout China, is finding Chinese converts despite Beijing's efforts to rein in its spread.
For a country that traditionally received culture, especially from China but also from Japan and the United States, South Korea finds itself at a turning point in its new role as exporter.
The transformation began with South Korea's democratization in the late 1980s, which unleashed sweeping domestic changes. As its democracy and economy have matured, its influence on the rest of Asia, negligible until a decade ago, has grown accordingly. Its cultural exports have even caused complaints about cultural invasion in China and Vietnam.
South Korea is also acting as a filter for Western values, experts say, making them more palatable to Chinese and other Asians.
Historically, Christianity made little headway in East Asia, except in South Korea, whose population is now about 30 percent Christian and whose overseas missionary movement is the world's second largest after the United States.
Today, in China, South Korean missionaries are bringing Christianity with an Asian face. South Korean movies and dramas about urban professionals in Seoul, though not overtly political, present images of modern lives centering on individual happiness and sophisticated consumerism.
They also show enduring Confucian-rooted values in their emphasis on family relations, offering Chinese both a reminder of what was lost during the Cultural Revolution and an example of an Asian country that has modernized and retained its traditions.

"Three Guys and Three Girls" and "Three Friends" are South Korea's homegrown version of the American television show "Friends." As for "Sex and the City," its South Korean twin, "The Marrying Type," a sitcom about three single professional women in their 30s looking for love in Seoul, was so popular in China that episodes were illegally downloaded or sold on pirated DVDs.
"We feel that we can see a modern lifestyle in those shows," said Qu Yuan, 23, a student at Tsinghua University in Beijing. "We know that South Korea and America have similar political systems and economies. But it's easier to accept that lifestyle from South Koreans because they are culturally closer to us. We feel we can live like them in a few years."

Jin Yaxi, 25, a graduate student at Peking University, said, "We like American culture, but we can't accept it directly."
"And there is no obstacle to our accepting South Korean culture, unlike Japanese culture," said Jin, who has studied both Korean and Japanese. "Because of the history between China and Japan, if a young person here likes Japanese culture, the parents will get angry."

Politics also seem to underlie the Chinese preference for South Korean-filtered American hip-hop culture. Messages about rebelliousness, teenage angst and freedom appear more palatable to Chinese in their Koreanized versions.
Kwon Ki Joon, 22, a South Korean who attends Peking University and graduated from a Chinese high school in Beijing, said his male Chinese friends were fans of South Korean hip-hop bands, like HOT, and its song "We Are the Future."
"It's about wanting a more open world, about rebelliousness," he said. "Korean hip-hop is basically trying to adapt American hip-hop."
Like many South Koreans, Oh Dong Suk, 40, an investor in online games in Beijing, said he believed South Korea's pop culture was a fruit of the country's democratization. "If you watch South Korean movies from the 1970s or 1980s, you could feel that it was a controlled society," Oh said.

Hwang In Choul, 35, a South Korean missionary in Beijing, also sees a direct link between South Korea's democratization and its influence in China. After restrictions on travel outside South Korea were lifted in the late 1980s, South Korea's missionary movement grew from several hundred into its current size of 14,000.
Hwang, who since 2000 has trained 50 Chinese pastors to proselytize, is among the 1,500 South Korean missionaries evangelizing in China, usually secretly. "Under military rule, it was simply not possible to come out of South Korea, and even our activities inside the country were monitored," Hwang said. "We had the potential to be missionaries out in the world, but we were constrained."
Until South Korea and China, enemies during the Korean War, normalized relations in 1992, North Korea had a stronger presence in Beijing, with its embassy, restaurants and shops. Back then, South Korea remained unknown to most Chinese, or suffered from a poor image.
The Korean Wave has been gathering for some time. Its roots are traceable to democratization, which kicked off with the South Korean elections in 1987, and the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Social changes that took decades elsewhere were compressed into a few years.

Special Lecture on Hallyu and Korean culture

2007-02-17T01:38:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to share a few thoughts about the special lecture held by Dr. Kim last monday about Hallyu and Korean culture for those who couldn't make it. It was a great lecture, which high complemented our course material. He talked about the Hallyu phenomenon in various Asian countries: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam. What was most surprising was the spread of Hallyu in Egpyt, South Africa and Eastern European countries (where the Korean dramas Winter Sonata and All-In were televised) and.. Kazakhstan (!) He also touched upon the K-pop stars Bi and BoA, the two representatives of the K-pop music scene.

Random interesting fact: NYC and LA have the highest Korean-American population (a total of 2 million)

Some quotes he shared about the Korean language:

-"The Korean Language is the most simple and yet elegant language in the world" (Pearl Buck)
-When considering the rationale, scientific nature and uniqueness properties of world languages, the Korean language ranks at the top" (Oxford University Linguist)

Dr. Kim also shared his innovative ideas for learning the Korean language. He commented that textbook materials were often too dry, and not imitate real life conversations, thus discouraging the learner. He offered practical tips and suggestions: using popular culture to facilitate the learning of a language, i.e listening to Korean music, watching Korean dramas, and of course having Korean friends, as the best way to learn a foreign language is in a natural setting from native speakers.

There was also a question and answer session at the end of the lecture. The questions posed were deep and meaningful, however, Dr. Kim's ability to articulate was much stronger in Korean than in English. A friend commented that it should have been arranged for Dr. Kim to respond to the questions in Korean, and have a translator to translate his responses. It would have been more time consuming, but it would have been worth it, as Dr. Kim was clearly passionate about the subject matter and obviously had a lot to say; but was not able to answer all the nuances of the question with his basic knowledge of English.

For Korean men it's beauty before age

2007-02-17T01:11:00.000-05:00

South Korea

is rightfully famous in Asia for its pursuit of beauty. Seoul's plastic surgeons, fashion boutiques, hairdressers and cosmetics merchants attract customers from throughout the region. People in the industry attribute the phenomenon to an ultra-competitive society, especially when it comes to jobs.

We've been discussing many aspects of popular culture: music, dramas, food, comics, but we've yet to consider plastic surgery, which I think plays a large role in Korean popular culture. Plastic surgery, especially double eyelid surgery is extremely popular amongst Korean celebrities who feel the pressure to improve their appearances to keep up with the demands of the highly competitive and fast-changing industry; and real women, who in turn, feel the pressure to measure up to the beauty standard. However, men are not immune to the obsession with beauty.

I was pretty surprised, and a little amused to find this article, and thought it would be interesting to share with the class. But more importantly, instead of just reading this as a piece of general knowledge, it is essential to consider what it speaks about the values of Korean popular culture and what it takes to succeed and be happy in Korea: youth and beauty.

Points to take note:

-meshing of two Korean popular culture icons: beauty industry and soccer

--> celebrity endorsement to promote product (soccer star Ahn Jung Hwan)

-according to the article, Korean men are precursors of the Western “metrosexual” type.

--> rumor that even Kim Jong ll colors his hair

-the most widely received audience of male cosmetic products are middle-aged Korean business men who feel that they “need to look younger to succeed”.

For Korean men it's beauty before age

Barbara Demick Los Angeles Times

The handsome young men walk past each other in the blinding sunlight in Seoul, South Korea. Their shoulders lightly brush, and they turn their heads for a closer inspection. "Wow, he's got great skin,'' murmurs one, while the other casually informs him, "It's just that I've changed skin lotion.'' The scene is from a television advertisement, hawking what is euphemistically called a "colour lotion'' for men. Actually, it's a liquid foundation designed, as the ad says, to "cover the imperfections.''

Cosmetics merchants in the West still fantasise about the day that men will wear make-up -- and presumably cough up as much money as women on their appearance -- but in South Korea, the future is the here. Colour Lotion was introduced last year with a lavish advertising campaign starring androgynous World Cup soccer star Ahn Jung Hwan – the David Beckham of South Korea. The lotion chalked up $4 million in sales in the first six months, surprising even its manufacturer. Meanwhile, the chairman of one of the country's largest cosmetics companies recently published his confessional memoirs with the title "The CEO Who Wears Make-up.'' "Why shouldn't men want to look beautiful and take care of their skin?'' asked Yu Sang Ok, 70, the head of Coreana Cosmetics. "Especially as they grow older, they have to wear make-up if they don't want to look shabby.''

In fact, Korean men have been touching up their appearances long before the term "metrosexual'' was coined by trend-spotters in the West to describe heterosexual men who willingly spend money on their looks. Most politicians older than 50 dye their hair. President Roh Moo Hyun and his predecessor, Kim Dae Jung, are distinguished by prominent heads of jet black hair -- as is North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, although his regime is sufficiently secretive so that one cannot say with certainty whether his hair is dyed. Kim Min Yoo, an Estee Lauder salesman at a department store here, says that prominent figures have been using makeup as well, but discreetly.

"It's always existed. Men would wear a little of their wives' or girlfriends' makeup. It is just that now it is out in the open and respectable,'' said Kim, who wears his hair streaked with copper highlights and admits to applying a little powder and eyebrow pencil on special occasions. South Korea is rightfully famous in Asia for its pursuit of beauty. Seoul's plastic surgeons, fashion boutiques, hairdressers and cosmetics merchants attract customers from throughout the region. People in the industry attribute the phenomenon to an ultra-competitive society, especially when it comes to jobs.

The advertising for men's make-up here features young, girlish models –called "kkotminam,'' or flower men. But market research indicates that the best customers are middle-aged businessmen. "We thought this would be popular with teenagers and men in their 20s, but we discovered to our surprise that it was men in their 40s who were most concerned about their skin being rough from the effects of aging, heavy smoking and stress,'' said Chong Pu Kyung, who helped develop Colour Lotion for Somang Cosmetics. "This is Confucian society that respects age, but men feel they need to look younger in order to succeed,'' she said.

Dramas and consumer culture

2007-02-17T00:42:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I thought about why some of the Korean Dramas have become so popular in many countries. So I thought about Jewel in the Palace for example and tried to think of a similar type drama in the US. All I could think of was a show called Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman which aired in the late 90s. It was quite popular in the US and other countries as well so I thought that maybe there was some innate desire to watch female-centered stories unfold. However now I think I have a better understanding of Korean dramas and why their content is more generally speaking appealing to consumers.

After the arrival of the drama, "Spark", Korean dramas became increasingly trendy and essentialy transformed into "pop" dramas. They are products in the physical sense but are also products of the popular or consumer culture. I'm currently taking a class in consumer behavior and we always talk about brands wanting to represent the consumer culture. So Nike tries to understand the athlete's culutre: where he goes, which sports he plays, for how long, etc. But ultimately Nike offers just sneakers which although may perfectly fit in with the athlete's culture, are still somewhat separate from the culture itself. Dramas and Korean Pop drams in particular are much different. Not only do they represent the popular culture but often are the pop culture. This is one of the reasons why I think that the dramas have become the most popular korean cultural export. So in Korea, the dramas may have a reinforcing effect. Consumers might watch the dramas and say things like, "Those are the clothes I wear. Those are the foods I eat. Thats how I have fun with friends." In other countries the content does not necessarily reinforce the pop culture but rather activates existing culture which is not expressed explicity. So in Taiwan for example, Spark was very popular especially among woman mainly because it included elements of women-centrism.

So the popularity of these dramas makes sense from a consumer culture stand point, but many dramas often dictate the consumer culture rather than reflect, represent, or reinforce it. Korean dramas especially are highly stylized and very materialistic. I once wrote a paper on materialism being the most dangerous part of American culture. I still believe that statement but it is also often the most profitable part of American culture and now Korean culture as well.

Hallyu Backlash

2007-02-16T22:35:00.000-05:00

There was an editorial last week in the Korea Herald about how countries such as Vietnam, China, and Taiwan are beginning to push back against the hallyu wave as they resent the "nationalistic messages" expressed by Korean dramas. They are placing restrictions on how many Korean dramas can be shown on their television stations and requesting that Korea import some of their dramas in return. This growing anti-Hallyu sentiment has sparked Park Jin-young - the singer-producer who groomed Rain for stardom - to call on Korean pop culture producers to "eliminate nationalism from Hallyu" in order to enable it to continue it's spread. In an interesting side note, Park Jin-young is engaged to speak at Harvard sometime next week about the Hallyu wave and it's geopolitical ramifications.

I think this is a very interesting consequence of the success of Korean pop culture, and I'm not surprised at the backlash from other countries. As we've discussed before, the Hallyu wave is certainly wrought with nationalistic sentiment and is a source of pride for the Korean people. The television and music coming out of Korea is very entertaining and has attracted a diverse, dedicated audience, all of whom are subject to the pro-Korea messages contained within the media (and as we've mentioned before, often anti-Japanese messages). It's only natural that the governments of non-Korean viewers would be concerned with any message which is nationalistic towards any country other than their own, especially when Korea has not been promoting the popular culture of other countries to its own people (granted, this is a probably a result of the dramas from other countries being of lower quality than the Korean ones, but I don't think that that is what the other countries want to hear from Korea in response).

Below is the full text of the article, with some notable quotes highlighted.

"Hallyu, communication" - The Korea Herald - 2/10/07
The popularity of Korean popular culture in Asia and beyond commonly referred to as Hallyu, or Korean Wave, is being mined for all it is worth. The boom which started casually as Korean dramas that were aired in China attracted a huge following, has now become an all-out endeavor at the national level to push all aspects of Korean culture.
Singer-producer Park Jin-young's recent call to eliminate nationalism from Hallyu is timely as Korean popular culture is facing growing resistance from Korea's Asian neighbors.
Park, who groomed the singer-actor Rain to become Korea's world star and is at the forefront of the Korean Wave phenomenon, has been invited to speak next week at a discussion about the nature of the Hallyu phenomenon and its geopolitical ramifications in Asia at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
In an interview with a local daily ahead of the lecture, Park blamed the media for the Hallyu hype and the subsequent anti-Hallyu sentiment in other Asian countries. Politicians, he said, do not view popular entertainment as a form of cultural communication but put it in the frame of nationalism.
Nationalism in Korea became pronounced during the Japanese colonial period. Faced with the annihilation of Korean culture and language, nationalist sentiment was a natural response, becoming a focus of resistance against colonial rule.
However, we must now be wary of systematically pushing our culture on other countries. Many of the Asian countries where Korean pop culture enjoys a following are countries that have also experienced colonial rule. Needless to say, promoting Korean culture excessively in these countries will raise the specter of cultural colonialism.
Moves are already underway to counter what has been described as a Hallyu "invasion" by the Korean media. In Vietnam, authorities are demanding that Korean broadcasters import Vietnamese dramas to balance Korea's drama exports. In China, state reviews of Korean dramas are being delayed. Taiwan has moved to limit the number of Korean television dramas.
This should not come as a surprise. Consider how we react when a Japanese movie does well at the box office here or when Japanese books translated into Korean enjoy notable success. Immediately, there is a frenzied call urging people to be on their guard against the flood of Japanese culture.
Culture Minister Kim Myung-gon rightly said that Hallyu will now be a cultural exchange that includes the acceptance of diverse cultures as well as introducing Korean culture to other countries. In this age of globalization, communication and understanding among cultures is imperative. Park's remark that cultural communication in Asia may prevent such unfortunate incidents as World War I that took place in Europe is a food for thought.
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2007/02/10/200702100007.asp

Manga? Manwha?

2007-02-16T21:09:00.000-05:00

Whether you go into Borders or Barnes and Noble these days, you’d see at least several bookcases devoted to manga and manwha. Given if this was few years ago, these publications might have taken up only a bookshelf or two. About 80-90% still consists of manga rather than manhwa. An article [link] wrote that even though you see the manhwa is getting more popular in the US as well as overseas, the domestic market itself isn’t doing very well. The imported Japanese manga still dominates the Korean readers market. However, this is balanced by the ballooning manhwa export to other countries all over the globe. Even with this rise in exporting, the article below mentions that “manhwa is still a subculture rather than a primary culture” because the Koreans are missing the massive anime market that the Japanese has over them.

* * *

The Koreans Are Coming: Manhwa in America

[http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6403518.html]

It shouldn’t be a surprise to American comics professionals that manhwa, or Korean comics, have become an increasingly important component of the competitive and ever-evolving manga market here in the United States. After Japan, Korea is the second-largest producer of original manga-style comics, and for major U.S.-based manga publishers such as Tokyopop and Dark Horse, or for smaller indie presses like Central Park Media and Drama Queen, Korean comics represent a fresh source for potentially lucrative properties. For Korean publishers such as Netcomics and Ice Kunion that have come to the U.S. to set up shop, the U.S. market promises an opportunity to reinvigorate an industry undermined by faltering domestic sales.

If your interests run toward shoujo (girls’) or shounen-ai (boys’ love), both of which are typically targeted toward young female audiences, chances are that you’ve probably already picked up a manhwa at some point, though you might not have realized it. Manhwa generally looks and reads very much like manga, with serialized stories covering such genres as kiddie adventures, teen rebellion and gothic romance. Although manhwa is read, like English-based comics, from left to right, little else distinguishes it in terms of form or content from its more popular Japanese counterpart. Even the word “manhwa” is just the Korean pronunciation of the same characters that the Japanese pronounce as “manga.”

However, some claim that important distinctions do exist. Tran Nguyen, the owner of Drama Queen, an all-woman-run indie publisher that has made manhwa a primary component of its girls’ comics lines, explains that she was attracted to manhwa because “On the whole, female lead characters in manhwa tend to be stronger, more modern women than their Japanese counterparts.” According to Ju-Youn Lee of Ice Kunion, one of two Korean publishers of manhwa based in the U.S., Korean manhwa tends to be more personal than “industrial,” or studio-system Japanese manga. “The greatest power of Korean manhwa is that it is closer to the creators,” says Lee.

Korean manhwa is also less explicit in content than Japanese manga, due in large part to stringent censorship laws that have been in place in Korea until only recently. Those laws have relaxed over the past few years, but as Jeremy Ross, editorial director for Tokyopop, explains, “Manhwa meets the kinds of standards that are expected in America. You don’t run into the kinds of problems that you might with Japanese manga that would have to be shrink-wrapped [because of explicit content] in the U.S.”

Still, it’s the similarities between manhwa and manga that have made manhwa increasingly important. As more and more Japanese publishers are bringing their own titles directly to the U.S., manhwa has become a key source of new materials for non-Japanese publishers. “We don’t have the open playing field that we did when Tokyopop was one of two or three people out there,” says Ross. He estimates that since Tokyopop first introduced manhwa to the U.S., the publisher has gone from publishing one or two titles to 85 licensed series, of which 45 to 50 have already been released in the U.S. Roughly 20% of Tokyopop’s list now consists of manhwa. CPM has also been publishing manhwa for years, and Dark Horse, released its first two manhwa titles this fall. The Korean Culture & Content Agency (KOCCA), a government-sponsored organization that seeks to promote Korean culture and content abroad, estimates that about 100 manhwa titles are currently being distributed in the U.S.

Manga vs. Manhwa

U.S. publishers often find it easier to work with Korean publishers and artists. “I think Koreans think more globally than the Japanese,” Ross explains. “Just look at the culture—it’s much more focused on ‘how do we make products to sell to the world, how do we get things out to the world,’ rather than how do we create for the home audience.”

This translates into differences in licensing of rights: Japanese publishers tend to restrict rights to very specific media, while Korean publishers automatically include online rights along with print rights. For Tokyopop, this has meant more of the cross-media licensing and property development deals that Tokyopop sees as essential to its idea of manga as a global phenomenon. Probably Tokyopop’s biggest success with this kind of licensing has been Priest, a Wild West–themed gothic horror written and drawn by Min-Woo Hyung, which was sold to Sam Raimi’s production company, Screen Gems, and is scheduled to be distributed by Sony Pictures—possibly the first time for an Asian-style graphic novel to be made into a Hollywood film. “Korea is not as closed a market as Japan,” says Ross. “In Japan, the artists are almost bonded with their publishers and editors for life. It’s very hard to try and get them to do anything different. We’re seeing a bit more experimentalism and flexibility in Korea.”

A huge incentive for this increased openness has been the steady decline of the print market for manhwa in Korea itself. One factor in this decline has been the ever-increasing popularity of illegally scanned manhwa available on the Internet. Another important fact has been the proliferation of reading libraries in Korea, called manhwabang or “comic rooms,” where visitors can rent a manga for a fraction of a book’s purchase price. According to some estimates, the rental market for manhwa in Korea is three times that of manhwa sales. According to Drama Queen’s Nguyen, “Artists have an incentive to do well in the U.S. They know... they can get more revenue for their work.”

Getting manhwa into the U.S. market via licensing deals hasn’t always been easy. One overambitious U.S.-based animation distribution company was forced to cut series and return licenses after initially licensing whole catalogues. As a result, Korean publishers have been eager to get into the lucrative U.S. market themselves.

In October 2005, three of Korea’s largest manhwa publishers—Sigongsa, Seoul Cultural Publishers and Haksan—joined forces to create Ice Kunion. “Seeing how Viz was doing inspired us to start bringing Korean contents directly to the U.S. market,” says Lee of Ice Kunion. Ice Kunion currently has about 12 series out and plans to add a series each month, slowly increasing the numberof titles it will publish in 2007. Its bestselling titles include Angel Diary, written by the creators of one of Tokyopop’s most successful shounen-ai titles, Demon Diary. Its December releases includes Goong, a current bestseller in Korea that has already been turned into a TV show there. “We can provide the market with the newest titles,” says Lee.

Netcomics, another Korean publisher of manhwa, came to the U.S. in January 2006 with a slightly different strategy. Korea is one of the most wired nations in the world, with a broadband penetration of 80%–85%. Despite the problems with illegal scanning, online comics publishing offers new opportunities. “Web comics and online manhwa services have been flourishing in Korea,” explains Heewoon Chung, president of Netcomics.

While most manga and manhwa companies have been experimenting with different ways of using the Internet to market their titles, Netcomics has gone a step further by trying to figure out how to transform those Internet hits into profits. In response to the problem of illegally scanned manhwa, Netcomics’ parent company, Ecomix Media, began paying artists a per-page rate for their work. Netcomics has in turn constructed an ingenious pay-per-view system for its English-reading audiences: customers have access to the first chapter of a book for free and are allowed to read the rest of the book online for a charge of 25¢ per chapter. The total cost of reading a book online is usually about $1. Since U.S. customers tend to want to buy the physical books as well, this service has been combined with the print publishing program, with the most popular online titles being released as books.

“Our online service allows us to serially publish brand-new titles,” Chung points out. “With this, we can accumulate the contents and at the same time build a fan base before the title is ready for publication.” According to Chung, user response has been very good. “Since our service is the only one of its kind available in the U.S., they don’t have anything else to compare it with.” By the end of 2006, Netcomics had 58 volumes of a total of 25 series, the most popular of which have been the shounen-ai titles Boy Princess, Let Dai and Not So Bad. Netcomics’ books are distributed by Ingram to bookstores and by Diamond and AAA Anime to the direct market.

Manhwa in the U.S. Market

For both Ice Kunion and Netcomics, selling manhwa to the U.S. market has produced as many problems as opportunities. Even differences in the relative sizes of Korea and the U.S. can have unexpected consequences. Ice Kunion’s Lee explains: “Compared to Korea, the U.S. is a really large country. This means that it takes a longer time to get books out there into bookstores, and that we have to move way ahead to keep up the publishing schedule.”

Even more difficult has been getting books onto the already crowded manga shelves of major bookstore chains. “In Korea, readers are well aware of not just what’s being published, but also about authors and titles,” Netcomics’ Chung says. “So when some new title receives good reviews, word gets spread fast, and retailers will stock the title in response.” Readers in the U.S. have less influence. “In the U.S., the market is driven by the national bookstores. And if your books are not on their shelves, readers will just not notice them. Even titles that receive great reviews can still be almost unknown to readers if they don’t get shelf space.”

Lack of name recognition has been a problem for U.S. and Korean publishers alike. That’s compounded by the fact that manhwa are rarely turned into animated films, often an important predictor of a title’s success. (Manhwa are often turned into live-action films or TV miniseries. While these may be extremely popular in Japan and Taiwan, they often do little to generate sales in the U.S.) “Kids aren’t rushing out to learn Korean and translating and putting up scanlations [online English translations of popular series] in Korean as much as they do Japanese,” points out Tokyopop’s Ross. “Manhwa is still a subculture rather than a primary culture.”

Even so, manhwa provides an important model for the future of U.S. manga. This is certainly true in terms of technology, where Koreans have been at the forefront of digital innovation with cellphones and other mobile content as well as with the Internet. “We’ve seen the Koreans as forging the way in terms of both a creative programming paradigm and also a technological paradigm for being able to do [the kind of things] we want to do,” says Tokyopop’s Ross.

It’s also true of basic manga culture, which continues to grow and influence new generations of artists, writers and readers. Netcomics’ Chung puts it this way: “What we’re seeing now in manga is [the influence of] Japanese culture,” says Chung. But he quickly notes, “U.S. manga culture will have its own identity when manga is no longer foreign to general book readers. Americanized manga titles will create their own culture that is both similar and different from other manga cultures.”

Being Choosey

2007-02-16T16:50:00.000-05:00

As Raymond Williams warned the public, selection and interpretation play an instrumental role in concocting ideas, images, or even the essence of a culture. For one, those who directly engage themselves in the process of perpetuation will actively seek to disseminate a certain aspect of the society while neglecting other possible presentations. Dramas can serve as a medium to depict a filtered view of one’s society. After reading Kim Hyun Mee’s “Korean TV Dramas in Taiwan: With an Emphasis on the Localization Process,” the readers can see the multitudes of different ramifications depending on a particular portrayal of the Korean society. Hence, the topic of the drama becomes the nuance of that society. This finding should alarm the drama producers, writers, or people in the entertainment business because it suggests that dramas do not just provide entertainment; they can shape one’s view even if that view consists of erroneous ideas.

The media representation of a culture or an ethnic group has its historic roots. The events leading up to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II is such event that was unjustly depicted by the media. During the years preceeding Pearl Harbor, Japanese in America, aliens and citizens alike, contributed to the growing threat to national security in the eyes of the white Americans. The Memorandum proposed by the Commanding General and the Final Report by the U.S. Department of War reflected the brewing suspicion against the Japanese, which finally escalated to the internment. In echoing the climate of American wartime mentality of the 1940s, a Hollywood film entitled Little Tokyo U.S.A. presented the Japanese in America as untrustworthy and disloyal. This film functioned as wartime propaganda. A close examination of the film and the two articles revealed that these three works collaborated to disseminate the images of the Japanese as “un-American” and calculative people with only one goal in mind – destroying the United States as a part of their pro-Japanese agenda. By highlighting the cultural incompatibilities between the Japanese and Americans, and the potentials for sabotaging the U.S., the filmmakers collaborated with the writers of the proposals for an expedited Japanese exclusion.

The discourse of Korean dramas in Taiwan, although not as abominable as the Japanese internment case, revealed that dramas have the ability to instill distorted representations of one’s culture. It emphasizes the point that dramas should not be relegated to mindless entertainment with no grave consequences. As a Korean Wave behemoth, Korean TV dramas not only provide entertainment, but they also represent Korean culture to foreigners. The association of the elements of the drama and Korean culture may be done inadvertently. However, that does not excuse these dramas as one of the key players in disseminating “Korean culture.” For instance, Kim argues that dramas such as The Widow (Mimang) made an impression on the Taiwanese minds that Korea was still an impoverished country under male dominance. The stigma on Korean culture perpetuated with the import of historical Korean dramas. Because the early wave of Korean dramas to Taiwan dealt with more conservative and male-centered themes, the Taiwanese developed a biased view of Korean society as a male-centered society with a constant political turmoil. In order to erode this stigma, dramas that depicted a drastically different Korean society needed to be introduced. Spark in 2000 did the trick. This drama elevated women as key players, and this shift in gender power play became an icon in representing contemporary Korean society. As Kim points out this “new image of gender has been interpreted as a sign that Korean society has transformed itself from a male-centric society to a new womencentric one” (P.192). Her argument solidifies the question of the role of TV dramas. These dramas do serve as a representation of “contemporary” Korean society whether or not it is true.

This comment might be a bit disconnected but after writing my post, I thought about the earlier newspaper article on the obsession of the Japanese women on Korean men. The images these women have of Korean men were all created vis-à-vis TV dramas. Do these dramas really have significant amount of influences that the makers should be consciously aware of the topics that they use to make them? Or can we just resort to the fact that the viewers are gullible and pay no attention to it?

The translatability of Korean dramas

2007-02-16T16:35:00.000-05:00

I thought that "A Touch of Translation" by Samuel Weber was very applicable to Kim Hyun Mee's "Korean TV Dramas in Taiwan" and the idea of Korean dramas in general. Weber focused on how the goal of translation is meaning that transcends place, media, and language. But, something is always lost in translation because of the transformation in meaning that occurs because of movement and the shift in place. Because of this, some works are more "translatable" than others. Kim Hyun Mee talked about how Korean dramas became popular in Taiwan partly because they underwent a localization process. For example, the Korean background music in dramas was exchanged for Taiwanese pop songs and dialogue was dubbed and even intentionally changed. So, Korean dramas were not strictly translated on a very basic level. Still, they were able to become successful in Taiwan because they were translatable in Taiwanese contemporary culture on a deeper level. The Korean Wave that Korean dramas are a part of allows Asian audiences to participate in a culture that is an alternative to Western culture. Korean dramas are based on Confucian values that allow for "cultural proximity" (Kim 187). At the same time, while Korean dramas may not have been created to show "woman-centrism," that is how they have been translated to a Taiwanese audience, resonating with the daily experiences of Taiwanese people.

This idea of translatability also may account for the pockets of popularity that Korean dramas experience in the U.S. For the most part, it seems that Korean dramas are most popular in communities of Asian immigrants and their children. These dramas allow audiences perhaps to vicariously experience what they think life is like in Korea. At the same time, they are a more "wholesome" alternative to sex-filled, violent American media. In the following articles, it seems that this is part of the reason why even non-Asian Americans are feeling the Korean Wave.

"Korean Wave Washes over USA"
"Addicted to Love"
"South Korea Soap Operas Find Large Audiences"

Mo' Money, Mo' Problems

2007-02-16T15:51:00.000-05:00

Hello Class. Sorry to add another dismal blog but I think it is important for the class to understand the dark-side of Korean show-biz. In class, we see the glamorous, polished side of Korean dramas and Korean music; however, I think it is also important for the naive Hallyu enthusiast to fully understand the whole story behind the Korean popular culture business in order to completely appreciate what these celebrities do and what they put up with. Anyways, so yea, in the recent past, two Korean celebrities committed suicide within three weeks of each other. Had the powers of Popular Korean culture affected these women to the point where they resorted to suicide-a comment element in the melodramatic Korean dramas? Don’t answer that. Well, another thing I wanted to mention was that according to my Korean FOB friends, a lot of celebrities are involved with the Korean mafia to pay off the litigation problems the celebrities face. Hence, I wonder how and what the Management agencies are going to do to really protect their clients better. Sorry for the sad post. Enjoy Goong!

Showbiz Suicides Alarm Management Agencies
ChosunIlbo
Feb. 13, 2007

Alarm bells are ringing in Korea’s entertainment business after the apparent suicides of pop singer U;Nee and actress Jeong Da-bin within three weeks of each other.

Agencies are clearly worried. While the stars ostensibly enjoy wealth and fame, they are also more at risk than ordinary people because their kudos can vanish in an instant. The fickle nature of the business brings its attendant anxieties, especially for women, experts say.

The actress Choi Jin-sil recalls the envy of other performers when she was a teen star. “You may think that the happiest moments come with the ‘golden time’ of celebrity,” she says. “But the mental stress is extreme as well.” She admits she suffered from great insecurity not knowing if her fame would last.

Then there is the threat of litigation. As a star’s popularity soars and their fees rise, lawsuits become commonplace, especially from management agencies. Jeong was being sued for pulling out of a contract with her former management agency in February 2005. Already in 2002, she was accused of failing to hand over part of her pay to the agency. She lost. Min Sung-kil, a psychiatrist from Severance Hospital said celebrities in many cases are more exposed to stress than ordinary people. “As a last resort, depressed celebrities may choose to kill themselves.”

From left: Jeong Da-bin, U;Nee and Lee Eun-ju

Management agencies are reassessing their role to protect the celebrities they represent. Namoo Actors, the agency of the actress Lee Eun-ju, who committed suicide in 2005, is taking more time with its star entertainers. Fantom Entertainment Group, which represents the actresses Han Hyo-joo and So Yu-jin and singer Ivy, is taking particular care with its female clients, including ample consultation time.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Scientific Investigation (NISI) after a postmortem on Monday tentatively concluded the death of Jeong Da-bin was suicide. It said there was no evidence of foul play and Jeong’s body showed clear evidence of death by hanging. Jeong’s boyfriend, identified by his last name Lee, who discovered the body and called police, said the actress first tried to kill herself by cutting her wrist in Sept. 2006. Jeong’s family and her new agency had requested the postmortem, asserting that the scar on her wrist was the result of a suicide attempt in her teens, not last year, and saying she had no reason to kill herself.

Jeong’s funeral service was delayed by a day due to the postmortem and will now be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Asan Medical Center.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200702/200702130015.html

Monday's Hallyu Lecture

2007-02-15T19:53:00.000-05:00

I am writing about Monday's presentation by Dr. Jungsup. I was rather let down, since the lecture was disorganized and filled with statistics that he admitted to making up. However, I will focus primarily on the content.

Some of the lecture’s main points were sound, although fairly obvious. For example, it suggested that Hallyu, defined primarily in terms of dissemination of cinema and music, could serve as a vessel for transmitting Korean culture and raising awareness of Korea to the rest of the world. This is certainly true, as I suspect the majority-Korean audience already knew. It is also likely true that the rising international prominence of Korean entertainment will generate an increased interest in Korean language.

That’s about all I agree with.

I think his assessment of the current Korean language situation in the United States is very wrong. He used strong language to condemn the state of Korean language instruction in the US, which forces me to question his familiarity with the subject. To use Penn as a case study, the burgeoning participation in Korean language recently led to the creation of a new, separate department, on par with the Japanese and Chinese language programs. The suggestion was that there is an ambiguous “something” fundamentally wrong with current teaching techniques, a claim which the speaker did not substantiate and which I contest from personal experience.

I disagree with the idea that instruction based on Hallyu materials should replace current methods of Korean language teaching. The very simple reason is that the use of movies and music to teach language requires a large requisite amount of prior knowledge of Korean. An audience member asked a very valid question about how analysis of song lyrics, for example, would be productive for students that are just learning grammar fundamentals. This question was not answered. I think teaching Korean based on content from entertainment materials is generally an unsound practice. For example, extensive analysis of Daejanggum would teach me how to argue like a 16th century Chosǒn woman, but might leave me unable to ask a simple question like “Does the #53 bus stop here?”

Movies and music also typically commonly use colloquialisms or otherwise compromise grammatical integrity for the sake of rhyming and whatnot. As such, they should be viewed dubiously as mediums of language education, not openly embraced. There is also the issue of the tendency for some (not all) mainstream Korean pop artists to lapse into English for a chorus, whole verse, or even an entire song. I wonder how many people will actually start the arduous, lifelong road to learning Korean on the basis of appreciation of music, especially when considering that many popular hits are “bilingual.”

I do think that the Hallyu phenomenon can generate increased awareness and interest of Korean language and culture. However, these materials should be used only sparingly in Korean language education for all the reason I mentioned. In other words, music and movies should be an occasional complement to traditional methods, rather than a substitute as Dr. Jungsup suggested.

Korean manhwa and animation: Goong and Full House

2007-02-15T19:49:00.000-05:00

For this post I will talk about the manhwa (Korean comic book) and live-action dramas based on them. For general information about the manhwa art form read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhwa. I feel that they are really similar to Japanese manga (comic book) but the art style (at least the ones I read) are quite different...

As many of you probably know, the drama Goong is based on a manhwa (Korean comic book). What may be new to you though is the fact that there is another very popular Korean drama - Full House based on a Korean manhwa.

Full House is based on a premise that a girl's house is bought by a movie star without her knowledge and because the house was built by the girl's father she refuses to move out so she works for the movie star as a housekeeper and they live together and fall in love. The manhwa is by Sooyeon Won and I read it in Chinese (Lang4 Man4 Man3 Wu1) 2-3 years ago.

The drama is based on the manhwa with some changes... It stars Rain and Song Hye Kyo (who I think is one of the prettiest Korean actresses out there) and first ran in 2004 (though I watched it in Chinese in summer 2005). It was, I believe, the most popular drama of that year and in my opinion, is a classic for the Korean romantic comedy genre.

More interesting though are the changes they made when they adapted the manhwa into drama. The manhwa took place in England and Rain's character and his rival are both supposed to be British... In addition, there wasn't really a rival for Song's character (Kang Hye Won didn't exist in the manga)...as far as I remember. Therefore, it was interesting to see that the drama localized (made Koream) the manhwa (took out all the European references) and formulated the drama so it followed the 2 main girls and 2 main guys classic formula that I mentioned in my last post. Finally, there was no trip to China in the beginning and Song's 2 friends who betrayed her aren't in the manga either. Overall, however, I still feel that this was a good drama even with the changes.

The main point of this entry is to comment on the phenomenon of making comics into dramas which seems to be going on throughout Asia. As many of you probably know, Japan has been doing this for a while with its own comics (manga). GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) is a classic example of this. So is Gokusen, Kimi wa petto, Nodame Cantabile, etc (and it has been doing a very good job as these dramas are amoung some of my favorites). In addition, Taiwan, does this extremely often too, though using Japanese comics (as it really doesn't have its own comic industry...but if anybody is curious there is a decent, in my opinion, Taiwanese comic series called Youth Gone Wild) in the examples of Meteor Garden, It started with a kiss, Tokyo Juliet, and HanaKimi (which xiaokang mentioned last week). Even China makes dramas out of comics too if you think of Pink Ladies (涩女郎) which is based on a comic by a Taiwanese artist 朱德庸 (Zhu1 De2 Yong1).

So the question remains is why are so many dramas being made out of comics? Are these countries trying to promote their own comic book industries? If so why are Taiwan and China jumping on the bandwagon since they don't really have comic book industries? Finally, does anybody have an opinion on the future viability of Korean manhwa. Do you think if will be as popular as the Japanese manga and be able to as Korean dramas are these days, replace the Japanese medium/version of it?

PS. if anybody wants to read some Korean manhwa in english you can look at http://koreanmovies.free.fr/, to download some free, UNLICENSED (thus hopefully NOT illegal), korean scanslations though you might have to use IRC.

2007-02-12T13:58:00.001-05:00

test

cartoon to drama

2007-02-11T02:30:00.000-05:00

Kim Hyunmee’s “Korean Dramas in Taiwan” really reminded me of something else I'm watching on youtube. It's actually a new Taiwanese drama called Hua Yang Shao Nian Shao Nu (花樣少年少女) which is based on a Japanese Manga: HanaKimi about a girl from the United States who saw a high-jumper on television and goes overseas to be able to be closer to him. Unfortunately the school this high jumper is in is an all boys school and drama ensues when this girl have to pretend to be a guy. The main characters are Taiwanese music stars (Ella from S.H.E. and Wu Zun and Jiro Wang from Taiwanese boy band, Fahrenheit) Personally I think this is an amazing show and highly recommend to those who enjoys kdrama since it seems to follow the formula. However, back to Hyunmee's article, it was very impressive on page 186 that South Korea earned US$12,356,000 worth of broadcast programs by exporting to other Asia countries. Although it's not suprising that 20.1% of this sum is to Taiwan because Taiwan has been more open minded to new pop culture and the people there seem to be very modern minded and very much like the South Koreans today but I'm also happy to see that Taiwanese companies are working with other Asian countries to collaborate on projects like Hana Kimi.

South Koreans Search Far for Wives

2007-02-10T12:22:00.000-05:00

Towards the beginning of the semester, I posted an article that talked about the implications of Hallyu and its impact on the rising status of Korean men; how Korean men, like Korean everything, were being elevated on a pedestal. I found another article that acts as an interesting counterpart to the aforementioned article. This articles gives an interesting glimpse into what is happening in Korea in terms of the marriage market: it is ironic Korean men are highly sought after internationally (or at least in Asia, but with Daniel Kim on ABC’s Lost, the diaspora may be even further spread), but have a hard time finding a local wife at home.

“Despite the obvious pitfalls, South Korean men increasingly are going abroad
to find wives. They have little choice in the matter unless they want to
remain bachelors for life.”

It is interesting to note the reverse-action taking place in this article.

Some thoughts about the article:

cultural differences: the problems the Korean man and his Vietnamese wife face stem from their language barrier and complete ignorance of each others’ culture. But I think the larger problem at hand is each person’s unwillingness to make an effort to learn about the other foreign culture. In today’s globalized society, mixed-marriages are extremely common, and cultural differences are starting to be a thing of the past, as information is so readily available and widely accessible. I know a mixed-couple, where the girl is learning Russian for her boyfriend, and the guy is learning Chinese for his girlfriend; but then again they already had English as a common unifying bond, so it’s probably easier on their part than the Korean/Vietnamese couple who have no way of communicating whatsoever.

economic implications: The wife shortage is having a devastating effect on the agricultural communities, already threatened by urbanization and free trade. Without wives, young men won't want to stay on the farm. Without wives, there are no babies to replenish the stock of farmers.

It’s just sad to see that the main motivation of marriage is.. for agricultural/economic gains. There’s something very backward/primitiave about that concept; but when your livelihood depends on having babies to work on the farm, things are different. I guess the luxury of being able to choose who you want to marry freely because of love is something society tends to take for granted.

cultural globalization in a different form: The marriage market in Asia is becoming rapidly globalized, and just in time for tens of thousands of single-but-looking South Korean men, most of them in the countryside where marriageable women are in scant supply. With little hope of finding wives of their own nationality and producing children to take over the farm, the men are pooling their family's resources to raise up to $20,000 to find a spouse abroad.

commercialized arranged marriages/mail-order brides: I feel it’s rather degrading and cheapens the sanctity of marriage; and even if the marriage is successful, the marital bliss is non-exsistant—the relationship after is just an unhappy union of cultural differences and language barriers.

On roads cutting through the fields, marriage brokers advertise their services on billboards. "Vietnamese marriage," reads a billboard in shocking pink on an otherwise quiet country lane.

South Koreans Search Far for Wives
Facing a shortage of prospective rural brides, many men are forced to look
abroad.

By Barbara Demick, L.A Times Staff Writer
September 21, 2006

NAMWON, South Korea — It was the constellation of acne across her cheeks
that made No. 242 stand out from the other young women who were paraded
before him in a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Jeong Ha-gi, 46, flew to Vietnam on a tour organized for South Korean
bachelors. He was looking for a wife who would be tough enough to withstand
the rigors of life on a rice farm. Trying to distinguish among all the women
with the numbers pinned to their shirts, he decided the one with a bad
complexion might be made of sturdy stuff. They were married three days
later.

Today, they live together in sullen silence, a chasm of cultural differences
between them. She speaks no Korean, he no Vietnamese. They communicate —
barely — with a well-thumbed phrase book. Nguyen Thu Dong, who turned out to
be only 20, doesn't like getting up at 5 a.m. to do the farm chores. She
turns up her nose at kimchi.

"We have a lot of issues between us," said the burly Jeong, who in his
undershirt resembles a Korean version of the young Marlon Brando. "Our age
difference, our culture, our food. But I wanted a wife and she is who I
got."

Despite the obvious pitfalls, South Korean men increasingly are going abroad
to find wives. They have little choice in the matter unless they want to
remain bachelors for life.

The marriage market in Asia is becoming rapidly globalized, and just in time
for tens of thousands of single-but-looking South Korean men, most of them
in the countryside where marriageable women are in scant supply. With little
hope of finding wives of their own nationality and producing children to
take over the farm, the men are pooling their family's resources to raise up
to $20,000 to find a spouse abroad.

The phenomenon has become so widespread that last year 13% of South Korean
marriages were to foreigners. More than a third of the rural men who married
last year have foreign wives, most of them Vietnamese, Chinese and
Philippine. That's a huge change in a country once among the most homogenous
in the world.

To some extent, the globalized marriage market is having a trickle-down
effect, exacerbating the shortage of marriage-age women elsewhere,
particularly China.

"There is a long-standing son preference throughout Asia, but now it is
happening in the context of this 21st century marriage market," said Valerie
M. Hudson, a political scientist and author of "Bare Branches: The Security
Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population."

The preference for sons has translated in South Korea into 113 male births
for every 100 females. Ultrasound became widely available here in the 1980s,
and the first generation screened for gender before birth is now coming of
marriageable age.

But perhaps an even larger factor in the disappearance of young women from
the countryside is their tendency to move to the cities in search of careers
or urban husbands or both.

"South Korean women don't want to live in the countryside. They don't want
to do hard labor, getting their skin brown in the sun. The cities are less
traditional, less patriarchal," said Yang Soon-mi, a social worker with the
Ministry of Agriculture.

The wife shortage is most severe here in the southwestern region of Jeolla,
the traditional heartland of Korea. This is one of the few swaths of South
Korea where the rice paddies have not yet been cemented over for gray slabs
of high-rise apartments. On a hot August day, the air is thick with the
chirping of the cicadas, and red peppers are drying in the sun on the
pavement.

On roads cutting through the fields, marriage brokers advertise their
services on billboards.

"Vietnamese marriage," reads a billboard in shocking pink on an otherwise
quiet country lane.

The wife shortage is having a devastating effect on the agricultural
communities, already threatened by urbanization and free trade. Without
wives, young men won't want to stay on the farm. Without wives, there are no
babies to replenish the stock of farmers.

South Korea and Taiwan are tied for the lowest birthrates in the world, 1.1
per woman, according to a study released last month by the Washington-based
Population Reference Bureau. Unlike China, South Korea does not limit
births, and is in fact offering tax incentives to encourage more children.

Many of the villages around Jeolla are virtual ghost towns, with a sparse
population of elderly residents and hardly a child in sight.

"There are only old people around here," said Le Pho, a 22-year-old
Vietnamese woman who married a South Korean a year ago and is now pregnant.
Her child will be the first born in the village, Seogok-ri, in more than 20
years. Despite a regulation, widely ignored, prohibiting doctors from
divulging the sex of the fetus, Le knows already that she is having a boy.

"My husband and mother-in-law are very happy. They've treated me very well
since they found out the baby is a boy," Le said. "The neighbors too. When
they see my belly, they are amazed."

I'm totally diggin your 'Han Style'

2007-02-10T11:06:00.000-05:00

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

Korean Soaps

2007-02-09T23:42:00.000-05:00

When I was reading Goong the manwha, I was expecting all of the scenes from Goong the drama. Of course, since something that is on paper cannot always work for something on screen. The manwha was really funny, especially when we get to see all those characters' embarrassing thoughts (Shin was told that he has to marry at his innocent age of 17, and he was hoping to enjoy his life with "waves of beautiful women"). I think Goong was the second Kdrama I've seen, and it made a great impact on me because it was truly the first time of my exposure to the Korean traditional culture, whether it was the formal language that they used or the way they were dressed to their furniture and education.

* * *

I also found this article comparing Korean dramas with American dramas on production and such:

Korean Vs. U.S. Soaps

Devotees of U.S. soap operas are increasingly voting with their feet, watching them not only on cable or satellite TV channels but engaging in such illegal activities like posting episodes of popular dramas with Korean subtitles online just a few hours after they are broadcast in the U.S. Pundits say as their number explodes, the viewer ratings of Korean dramas are shrinking. More than 1.5 million such fans are estimated to be out there online, more than three times the number three years ago. The cable channel OCN posted two or three times higher viewer ratings than usual on its “CSI Days” in June and October, when it aired seasons of the U.S. crime drama “CSI” 24 hours.

Why do people love U.S. soaps so much? It is mainly because they offer something different from the familiar fare of domestically produced dramas. The Chosun Ilbo asked translators of subtitles of U.S. dramas to compare shows produced in the two countries.

What you can find only in U.S. soap operas

Professions: Medical dramas in Korea are only about love between doctors and nurses, but that is not the case in the U.S. No matter what kind of professions they deal with, U.S. dramas depict their professional world realistically. “Nip/Tuck,” which features two plastic surgeons, as well as “CSI,” “Grey's Anatomy” and “ER” take us by surprise with their detailed and realistic description of the professions they feature. By contrast, most dramas except historical and period dramas in Korea are centered around romance.

Suspense: Korean dramas are filled with secrets, but viewers either know or easily guess what they are. Watch just the first few episodes and you know who will end up with whom and who will kick the bucket. In American soaps, the twists and turns are genuinely surprising in many episodes and viewers can have fun discussing the riddles. Cases in point are “Prison Break” and “Lost.” That is why is many cannot tear themselves away once they start watching.

Seasons: U.S. dramas are made based on thorough preparation by producers right from the planning stage, so they can be shot and shown in several “seasons.” But in Korea, there’s not a big enough pool of actors and they act both in movies and dramas simultaneously, making it nearly impossible for dramas to last several seasons. In the U.S. stars usually have a home either in TV or the movies. If the Korean soap opera “Damo (Female Detective)” were produced in the U.S., it would have run over five seasons.

Episodes: U.S. dramas are centered around events but Korean dramas around relationships. That is why U.S. dramas have titles for each episode, which mostly tells a complete story for 60 minutes. In Korea, the relationships among characters unfold at a leisurely pace throughout the whole drama.

What only Korean soaps offer

Family: Korean dramas put much emphasis on relationships, especially on blood relationships. There are often three generations living under one roof in Korean dramas; that is rare in U.S. soaps. The main reason is cultural differences, but also because U.S. dramas focus more on what characters do rather how they live.

Writers: U.S. soap writers are not as powerful as their Korean counterparts. Usually, one drama season is produced by 10-20 writers together, and you can feel the difference in the language characters use; such differences come up even in a single season. For example, if you hear newly-coined words, it is because young writers wrote the lines. But emotional language has become a unique characteristic of Korean dramas, hard to find in U.S. dramas that focus on particular events. In many cases, U.S. shows even have different directors who attempt to put their stamp on the episode, and sometimes famous movie directors such as Quentin Tarantino in “CSI” and Tobe Hooper in “Taken” have a hand in producing them.

Stars: U.S. dramas do not cast famous stars when they start. The mega-hit sitcom “Friends” ran into trouble when the stars it made tried to command more money after its mid-point. But when it was first aired, all except Lisa Kudrow, who previously starred in one or two B-movies, were still unknown. Kim Yoon-jin who rose to stardom in “Lost,” now commands some W30 billion (US$1=W930) per season or W1.2 billion per episode but was paid less than W100 million per episode in the first season. By contrast, Korean soaps tend to depend on the power of celebrities.

Incurable Disease: U.S. dramas deal with incurable diseases but only as incidental in such medical dramas as “House” and “Grey's Anatomy.” In Korean dramas, however, incurable diseases like cancer and leukemia and memory loss play a critical role in moving the drama along. U.S. dramas rely more on clockwork plots than affliction.

Source

Rain goes commercial

2007-02-09T23:36:00.000-05:00

This is not related to Dae Jang Geum but interesting none the less. It seems that Rain's commercial success has epitomized itsef in the form of a jumbo jet. There are plenty of singers and actors in America and across the globe that have their own jets, but I cannot think of any that have their own portraits painted on the plane. Even American hip-hop stars who seem to take eveything the nth degree have not tried anything like this to my knowledge. Is this simply an over the top marketing tool for Rain or can we think of it as a defining moment for Korean Pop culture in general. Its certainly not the same as a billboard or concert in New York City because it is much more mobile.

An ode to Spam (sort of)

2007-02-09T23:11:00.000-05:00

Food is an easy way to access a culture (as the wife of the Chilean consul to Seoul has also said). As a Korean-American who's never been back to Korea, Korean food has been the constant reminder in my life of my heritage. But, until reading the John Heffer piece on Korean food, I had not thought about how much it has been impacted by globalization and cultural and political processes that often occur very far from South (and North) Korea. So, I suppose the quote by Bourdieu in Toby Miller's "From Brahmin Julia to Working-Class Emeril" about diet as the "choice of destiny, but a forced choice" is true (qtd. on p. 76). Examples of this forced choice in South Korea are farmers selling their rice and buying cheaper foods to eat and the creation of budae chigae as Heffer outlined. When my parents go out to eat, they really only like to eat Korean food, and so we go to Korean restaurants often. I think that is why I always thought jajangmyun and tangsuyuk were purely Korean dishes. But, Heffer says that during the 1960s and 1970s these Koreanized Chinese dishes were a way for Koreans to have a taste of the "foreign" when international choices were limited (24). Maybe that's part of the reason why my family gravitates towards Korean-style Chinese restaurants when going out to eat -- because when my parents were growing up, eating Korean-style Chinese food represented a treat.

I think that Spam's journey to Korea and its lasting significance in Korean food culture is a great example of cultural globalism. In the article below, it talks about how Korean Spam actually has less sodium than the American version, which is an example of the "glocalization" that Heffer describes when talking about the Coca-Cola company and its worldwide success. On a more personal level, I have always loved eating it in my mom's kimchi chigae, and I have great memories of my mom frying up some Spam dipped into egg for breakfast with some rice and kimchi. And, I plan on going to the Spam museum in Minnesota one day (in an ironic sort of fashion, of course).

P.S. This has nothing to do with Korean food, but Heffer's discussion about the use of bad English in Korean advertisements made me think of this article.

(The following article about the Korean love of spam is from 2005, which is why I can't find a proper link for it.)

When Only Slabs of Pink, Jellied Byproduct Will Do
By Barbara Demick, LA Times Staff Writer

SEOUL — Stroll into an expensive department store and walk straight past the $180 watermelon with a ribbon twirled just so around its stem. Don't bother with the tea in a butterfly-shaped tin for $153, or with the gift boxes of Belgian chocolates or French cheeses.

If you're looking for a gift that bespeaks elegance and taste, you might try Spam. The luncheon meat might be the subject of satire back home in the U.S., but in South Korea, it is positively classy. With $136 million in sales, South Korea is the largest market in the world for Spam outside the United States. But here, some consider the pink luncheon meat with its gelatinous shell too nice to buy for themselves, and 40% of the Spam is purchased as gifts.

Especially during the holidays, you can see the blue-and-yellow cans neatly stacked in the aisles of the better stores. South Koreans are nearly as passionate about packaging as the Japanese are, and the Spam often comes wrapped in boxed sets. A set of 12 cans costs $44.

"Spam really is a luxury item," said Han Geun Rae, 43, an impeccably dressed fashion buyer who was loading gift boxes of Spam into a cart at the Shinsegae department store before the recent Chusok holiday.

Chusok is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, and the biggest gift-giving occasion of the year here. On this holiday alone, Korean distributor CJ Corp. estimates, 8 million cans of Spam change hands.

Han's intended recipients were her employees, among them a young single man and a married woman with children. "Everybody loves it," Han said. "It is so easy and convenient."

She was expecting to get her own complement of Spam as well — in previous Chusok seasons, about a third of gifts she received were food sets that contained at least one can of Spam. "My children are in high school and they love it," she said. "I cook it in jjigae stew with kimchi.

"It goes very nicely with red wine," said another shopper, 44-year-old Kim Hwa Yeon, a stockbroker in a crisp navy blue suit and pearls, who said she was buying for clients.

Spam's success in South Korea is one of those cultural mysteries — a bit like the reverence for Jerry Lewis in France — where an image is improved in translation. South Koreans take their Spam quite seriously and seem mystified as to why it is a subject of parody among Americans.

"I can't understand what is funny about Spam," said Jeon Pyoung Soo, a CJ Corp. executive who is brand manager here for Spam.

Jeon recalled a recent visit to Austin, Minn., where Spam's manufacturer, Hormel Foods Corp., has created a museum devoted to the history and cult of Spam. Highlights include a 1970 Monty Python skit in which a group of Vikings drowns out all other conversation with a chorus of "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam." (The skit is credited with the word "spam" coming into use to mean unsolicited e-mails that likewise clog a computer's inbox.)

"Everybody was laughing and smiling but me," said the 27-year-old Jeon, who went to business school in the United States and is fluent in English. "I knew all the words, but I didn't get the joke."

Not coincidentally, Spam is also popular in Hawaii, the Philippines, Okinawa, Guam and Saipan, all places with a history of a U.S. military presence. The "Miracle Meat in a Can," as it was touted after its launch in 1937, was a staple of the GI diet during World War II and the 1950-53 Korean War.

Until 1987, South Koreans had to buy black-market cans of Spam that had been diverted from U.S. military bases. Then CJ Corp. bought the rights from Hormel and began producing its own version at a factory south of Seoul.

In the postwar years, Spam was a special treat for South Koreans, who could rarely afford meat and didn't have refrigeration at home. It is harder to explain its cachet today in the world's 11th-largest economy, where there is no shortage of fresh meat and things associated with the U.S. military are considered low class.

Moreover, other American brands haven't done well here, perhaps because South Koreans have a strong attachment to their own cuisine, as is evident to anyone who has seen them carrying their own stocks of kimchi while traveling abroad.

"There are so many cases where foreign brands have failed. Kellogg's cereals, for example. It was not possible to pass on American breakfast tastes to Koreans," said Kim Tai Joon, the head of the processed-meat division of CJ Corp. "But we have adapted Spam to the Korean food culture to the point that people think of it as a Korean food."

The South Korean version of Spam has less salt than the American recipe, and somewhat different spices. Koreans don't eat it in sandwiches like Americans do, but rather fried with rice or in a soup or stew. Sometimes it is rolled into kimbab, the Korean version of sushi.

"It is easy for old people and children to chew," said Choi Hyun Ju, a 28-year-old sales clerk who was wearing a red miniskirt and high white boots to promote Spam at the Shinsegae store, when asked to explain Spam's popularity.

Back in Minnesota, even some Hormel executives find it difficult to explain why their product is so admired abroad.

"It is a curious thing about Spam that in the Far East, it is taken very seriously, while in the United States, particularly on college campuses, it has this quirky, kitschy retro feel to it," said Julie Craven, public relations manager for Hormel.

Long ago, the company decided that since it couldn't elevate Spam's image at home, it might as well embrace its cult status. The company runs a Spam fan club, sells products ranging from Spam pajamas to books such as "The 100 Best Spam Jokes," and has released collector's-edition cans to mark last year's opening of the Broadway musical "Spamalot," which lampoons both the meat product and the Monty Python movies.

"When it comes to Spam," Craven said, "we get the joke."

Drama, drama, drama

2007-02-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

I’ve watched some Korean historical dramas outside of class and some for class. I want to make a few comments about what they do well, not so well, and then just some opinions.

One thing all of the dramas I have seen have in common, and do quite well, is they vividly and thoroughly recreate historical settings. The research and attention paid to the hanboks, hairstyles, dwellings, social climate and even food results in a rich atmosphere of immersion. Koreans do make dramas well in general, and I imagine that at least a facet of this is the calculated effort to show off traditional Korea to both other Koreans and especially foreigners. In that respect, the dramas are very successful. I notice they tend to center on just one specific event or institution from Korean (typically Chosǒn) history, which allows for a complete and imaginative recreation of that aspect. Hwang Chini respectfully and impressively brings kisaeng to a modern audience; Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin paints an intriguing and decisive period of Korean history, running a gamut of themes from conspiracy and betrayal to victory and nationalism.

I think even the most diehard Korean drama fan can admit that the shows aren’t flawless. Some of these complaints apply to serialized drama in general; some are specific to certain Korean shows. The plots are utterly one-dimensional and predictable. Antagonists spend all their screen-time scheming and watching schemes coming to fruition, usually accompanied by foreboding music to vanish any doubt that the characters shown are, in fact, the antagonists. Protagonists are typically innocent victims of these malevolent forces, but will ultimately overcome hardships through purity, wit and friendship. Another flaw, noticeably in Daejanggum but possibly in other shows as well, is the frequent visual and auditory flashbacks, sometimes of events that were on screen just minutes ago. As a result, the drama does not require or even encourage any thinking or contemplation. If the writers are trying to communicate a central theme, subtlety disappears in a puff of repetition and spoon-feeding. The accessory actors often grossly overact their parts with comical effects, a fault of which from time to time the principal actors are no less guilty.

If the previous paragraph sounds overly harsh, I do enjoy the dramas in spite of their shortcomings. Some of the problems are simply emergent properties of serial drama genre itself. I am not sure about how they are broadcast in Korea, but in the United States and other countries, these types of drama are broadcast midday to a very wide audience. As clearly evidenced by their popularity, the writing and acting doesn’t have to be Shakespearean to be popular and enjoyable. The shows must be carefully crafted to appeal to different tastes, generations, and even nationalities which are the target audiences of most dramas. I tend to avoid the majority of drama for this reason, but the Korean dramas maintain enough charm and appeal to make me keep watching to find out what happens next. And in the fundamental goal of the drama, which is to entertain, they do not disappoint.

Korean Popular Culture

2007-02-09T20:02:00.000-05:00

Korean Popular Culture

Food for Thought

I think that Julia Child brings up interesting points in her response to the cultural globalism of food. I never really thought of how the medium of TV and satellite INTERNATIONAL TV can really have an effect on a global scale. It is not just the medium of TV that has allowed technologically the “word” of food to spread, it is the dedicated time that more and more people around the globe spend watching TV.

Globalization is usually referred to with respect to technology or other vibrant booming fields of commercialism. However, with fast food chains making leaps across seas as can be seen in any developed countries, food is jumping the borders. Child highlights these “jumps” (to say) very well and her argument is very well constructed. I personally connected with the McDonald’s examples. Having traveled quite a bit to these countries I don’t even really notice it out of place to see a Mac on the corner of a street in Shanghai or in a rural area of Kanto. However, it is with the advent of TV that drives the interest abroad and allows marketing to be done by itself just by people being exposed to international satellite. In other words, the market in a foreign country has already been exposed and is familiar with the popularity of Mac so it is not necessary to heavily advertise. Furthermore, it is important to realize that each segment of the market in foreign countries can greatly differ. Their image is also very tied to cultural globalization but really tied to their own cultural norms and boundaries that companies may not realize nor recognize. For example, Mac in Japan is more of a location of hanging out rather than necessarily eating the bite sized burgers. Yet, they have been exposed to Mac through TV for long times.

One point that Child makes on page 79, notes about imported cuisines. First, this is an interesting because we need to consider cultural popular cultural scopes. As with the commercial global expansionism that we discussed a few weeks ago, we need to remember that having more globalism, especially of food, is a daily cuisine that is essential for daily survival. A lot of restaurants will be forced to go out of business because of the new Mac around the corner. Many nationalists and patriots view that as a takeover of their country and we cannot just excuse the fact that these people will not embrace these foreign brands with open arms. The government might put a stop on the influx of foreign cuisine RESTAURANTS not necessarily the cuisine. There is no reason why these restaurants that currently culturally cannot adapt globally and serve a wide variety of food, even though they don’t want to they may have to stay in business. Thus, in conclusion, I feel that the globalization through TV of cuisines needs to be examined from many different angles taking into account cultural boundaries and customs set by restaurants and the countries in which they exist.