[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

10 Magazine reveals 10 strange Korean superstitions, the BBC explores the cultural inertia leading to the recent political unrest, 3D print your own Korean cultural heritage objects, and the "Korean Schindler" honoured with a statue in Seoul.

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"10 STRANGE KOREAN SUPERSTITIONS TO AVOID"

10 Magazine has compiled this list of ten superstitions you may encounter in the Land of the Morning Calm, like don't write someone's name in red; beware of the number 4; whistling at night is not wise; and, perhaps most famously, don't fall asleep with the fan on and the windows closed ("fan death"). Do you know of any other Korean superstitions? What superstitions are prevalent in your country?

...READ ON 10 MAGAZINE

"Why South Korea's corruption scandal is nothing new"

Here is an interesting feature on the BBC about the recent political scandal and the cultural roots that underpin it. "There are also deeper roots, according to Professor Kyung Moon Hwang of the University of Southern California. Confucianism 'values not only hierarchy in social relations but also reciprocity, the idea that one must repay kind treatment'". What do you think about the recent political events in South Korea in relation to K-culture? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below...

...READ ON BBC

"South Korea's Cultural Heritage is Available in 3D Printable Format from 3Dupndown"

Modern South Korean cultural has done an incredible job of promoting itself in the twenty-first century, and one of the main reasons Korea has been so successful in marketing itself to the world is because of its tireless quest to innovate. According to this article on 3D Printing, the Korea Culture Information Service Agency (KCISA) has signed up with the 3D file-sharing platform Dupndown for an innovative project: "Under the agreement, 3Dupndown can distribute 3D files of Korean cultural heritage online for anyone to print..." The future is now.

...READ ON 3D PRINT

"Statue to honor 'Korean Schindler'"

Hyun Bong-Hak, the "Korean Schindler" (after Oskar Schindler who saved the lives of some 1,200 Jews during WWII), was recently honoured with a statue of his likeness in front of the Severance building in Seoul. During the Korean War, Hyun persuaded the US military to evacuate 104,000 refugees from a battlefield in North Korea. "Dr. Hyun's efforts to evacuate the refugees helped save more lives than Schindler himself, while protecting the value of freedom", said Kim Gong-hak of Yonsei University.

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD