[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

Seoul National University professor Kim Seong-kon highlights the capacity of Korean literature and films to bring about positive change in society, the 2017 Today's Our Manhwa Award ceremony celebrates the best in this burgeoning business, 10 Magazine chats to John Bocskay about how to handle K-culture shock, and catch Hugh from My Korean Husband enjoy a new cultural space in the heart of Seoul.

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"[Kim Seong-kon] What we can learn from Korean literature"

"Experts agree that literature and film are excellent cultural texts as well as important social documents that faithfully record and vividly mirror the contemporary society from which they originate", writes Kim Jeong-kon, a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. In another great feature for The Korea Herald, Kim argues that engaging with Korean literature and films opens up a fruitful perspective on how to make the country a better place by confronting society's "chronic issues" -- "If not, what is literature [and film] for?"

…READ ON THE KOREA HERALD

"Award-winning cartoons reflect present day society"

The 2017 Today's Our Manhwa Award ceremony recently took place at the Korea Manhwa Museum in Bucheon, an annual event established in 1992 that recognizes the best of Korea's burgeoning web-based cartoon industry. The rise of country's technological connectivity has allowed the art form to really take off, and more and more of these digital comics are even finding their way to the big screen. Here you'll find all the winners and information about their digital creations. Are K-comics, along with K-art in general, now forming an important part of the so-called Korean Wave? It sure looks like it…

…READ ON THE KOREA TIMES

"CULTURE SHOCK IN KOREA: Q&A WITH JOHN BOCSKAY"

John Bocskay has been living and working in the coastal city of Busan for almost two decades. He's also the author of a popular book on Korean culture for foreigners, "Korea: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette". In this post on 10 Magazine, Amy Baik catches up with John and asks him a couple of questions about his own personal experiences in Korea, as well as what advice, in a nutshell, he has for people coming to Korea for the first time. "More often though, I've found that culture shock is more subtle – more of a pervasive feeling that my norms are out of step with those of the people around me", said John. "It's an awareness that you're not sure how to interpret people's behavior, or how to conduct yourself in a new environment".

…READ ON 10 MAGAZINE

"From Old to New: Amazing New Spaces in Seoul"

Hugh, My Korean Husband, visits the Culture Repository Base for the "I Seoul U" festival. Now in its second year, the event takes place at what used to be an oil repository, that is before they remodeled the park into the attractive public space it is today. "It used to be an area for huge oil tanks, which the public couldn't access for 40 years. The tanks have now been transformed into cafes and art spaces and the surrounding area into parks". Click on through to My Korean Husband to watch Hugh (who recently became a father) and his friends enjoy everything the event had to offer.

…WATCH ON MY KOREAN HUSBAND