[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

Korea Expose reveals Korea's unlikely (office) superheroes, consuming K-pop in North Korea could get you 5 years of hard labour, see how Korea's 'bali bali" culture informs its creativity, and why do many South Korea's believe their northern neighbours have horns?

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"South Korea's Impossibly Mundane Superheroes"

Do superheroes need to have super powers? In American popular culture, figures like Superman, Spiderman, the X-men and others are all endowed with amazing abilities that help them dispense justice like confetti. In Korea, however, a more mundane hero has emerged from the country's hierarchical culture: the office worker. This article on Korea Expose mentions a few examples from popular Korean culture then concludes: "That these characters are so popular is a sad testament to the reality of South Korea's corporate culture".

...READ ON KOREA EXPOSE

"N. Korea strengthens penalty for consuming S. Korean pop culture"

North Koreans caught with K-pop content, and other forms of "decadent [foreign] culture", now face harsher punishments after a new law gets passed. Such material would include ""images, photos, books, music and movies". The article notes that "The stricter penalty shows North Korea's stronger reaction to the increased dissemination of South Korean content in the country that could weaken the country's social cohesion". Those found guilty could face between five to ten years of hard labour...

...READ ON KPOP HERALD

"'Bali bali' style: A peek at South Korean creative"

What Korea has achieved over the past sixty years is incredible by any measure. They country lifted itself from conflict and divisions to become one of the most successful economies driving the twenty-first century. Some have put this down to Korea's "bali bali' work ethic (literally, "hurry, hurry"), but how has this notion affected the country's creative industry? In this post on Digiday, Yuyu Chen speaks with Taejay Lee from FCB Seoul (a creative agency in the capital) about three ways Korea's "bali bali" culture has influenced the nation's creative ambitions.

...READ ON DIGIDAY

"Why Do Some South Koreans Believe A Myth That North Koreans Have Horns?"

Do North Koreans have horns? Are they inherently demonic and dangerous? Elise Hu, writing for NPR, explores how and why some Koreans persist in such fanciful beliefs. "Even in systems that are considered free, long-indoctrinated beliefs can take generations to change", writes Elise. As Sheri Berman, a political scientist quoted in this piece, says: "It's very hard to change people's opinions once they've been formed early in life".

...READ ON NPR