[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

The documentary "Alpha Go" explores AI's landmark victory against South Korean Go champion Lee Sedol, NPR wonders about the future of K-pop, foreign wives to Koreans feel the pressure during Chuseok, and where did North Korea's "sound of a barking dog" insult come from?

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"'AlphaGo': Film Review"

In March 2016, Google's gaming AI program AlphaGo played 18-time world Go champion Lee Sedol. Out of the five games they played, Lee was only able to win one against Google's Go algorithms. The computer beating us at our own game was a historic moment, one that is relived and commented on in a new documentary, "AlphaGo", about the event by director Greg Kohs. The game itself is one of the most complex board games in history has been rising in popularity in South Korea since the second half of the last century. John Defore, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, describes the film as, "An involving sports-rivalry doc with an AI twist".

...READ ON THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"A Record-Breaking Week Has Us Wondering: How Far Can K-Pop Go?"

K-pop has been massively successful at spreading itself around the world and attracting passionate new fans, but what does the future hold for one of Korea's biggest cultural exports? "[H]ow far, K-pop observers have long wondered, can this unabashedly glossy, visually oriented, and aggressively young music really go?" asks Colin Marshall, writing for NPR's The Record. Do you think K-pop has the stamina and charm to continue to ride the wave well into the future? Let us know where you think K-pop is going and how it can stay relevant moving forward in the comment section below...

...READ ON NPR

"Chuseok, a burden and time of loneliness for foreign wives"

Chuseok is an incredibly busy and exciting time in Korea. The country's largest national holiday gives the nation a much-needed break and a valuable chance to catch up with friends and family. The holiday can, however, be a particularly stressful time for many foreign women married to Korean men. Writer Ock Hyun-ju notes that this is largely due to the cultural differences and languages barrier. Interestingly, Ock writes that Chuseok puts pressure on Korean women because the society still values traditional relationships, but that "the burden falls most heavily on foreign women who are not used to Korea's patriarchal culture".

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD

"'Sound of a dog barking': history reveals the significance of this North Korean insult to Trump"

Insults have been flying back and forth between American President Donald Trump and North Korea of late. At a recent UN gathering, President Trump called the North's leader "Rocket Man" and made other verbal threats, to which the DPRK's foreign minister compared to the "sound of a dog barking". What is the cultural significance of this comeback? John P DiMoia explores the matter in this piece for The Conversation: "The Korean peninsula has a lengthy history of exchanging insults..."

...READ ON THE CONVERSATION