[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

Get an inside look at one government organisation that's tackling smartphone addiction, Seoul has new slogan to consider, South Korea set to standardise its history books, and are the country's elders being looked after or forgotten?

Advertisement

"Tackling teen smartphone addiction in South Korea"

South Korea is one of most technological advanced countries in the world, but the rise of digital telecommunications has led to a dangerous increase in the number of citizens suffering from internet addiction. Students in Muju, Nother Jeolla Province, can now enrol at the country's only state-run institution that tackles this dangerous twenty-first century phenomenon: "What's waiting for them is group physical exercise sessions, guitar lessons and art therapy classes".

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD

"'I.Seoul.U' is new slogan for Seoul"
   
South Korea's capital city has a new slogan: "I.Seoul.U". On Wednesday the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the winning slogan chosen over two other options: "Seoulmate" and "SEOULing" (the previously the slogan, "Hi Seoul"). The final three options for the new slogan was selected from a pool of 16,000 submissions, with the winner coming from a philosophy student, Lee Ha-rin.

...READ ON THE KOREA TIMES

"South Korea's history is getting standardized"

You may have noticed the tension between South Korea and it's big neighbours (China and Japan) over such things such as the name of Yellow Sea, claims to islands off its east coast, and the recognition of war-time atrocities that occurred during the first half of the twentieth century (e.g. 'comfort woman'). Next year South Korea will introduce a new, standardised version of its history textbooks that will be taught from elementary to high schools around the country. As George Orwell once said, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past".

...READ ON THE DAILY CARDINAL

"Forgotten: South Korea's elderly struggle to get by"

South Korea really has pulled itself up by its bootstraps since the second half of the twentieth century. But that rapid expansion and growth has also negatively affected not only the youth of today (suicides and depression are still serious social problems), but also the elderly. CNN takes a look at South Korea's elderly, the forgotten generation, and the trials they face in the twenty-first century.

 ...READ ON CNN