[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

10 Magazine features one of South Korea's most controversial books on "comfort women", The Korea Times zooms in on Korean webtoons and the themes driving them, Yuval Noah Harari believes artificial intelligence could hinder reunification, and CNN explores the country's ski culure ahead of next year's Winter Games.

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"THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL BOOK IN SOUTH KOREA: COMFORT WOMEN OF THE EMPIRE"

South Korea's history with its neighbour Japan is a challenge to modern socio-political relationships; the past oppression and the human rights abuses that took place during Japan's occupation of the peninsula are more that scar tissue-they're wounds still in need of healing and understanding. Part of the healing process involves examining the history of the atrocities that occurred, and perhaps no issue is more pressing than Japan's use of "comfort women" used by Japan during their occupation. In 2013, professor Park Yu-ha released a controversial book, "Comfort Women of the Empire", that caused heavy debate around this ever-present feature of their relationship.

...READ ON 10 MAGAZINE

"Korean webtoon readership growing, themes need diversifying: report"

What are webtoons and why are they so popular in Korea? The Korea Herald has this feature on the phenomenon that explains what they are, as well as explores some of the themes that many of the country's leading series are tackling. Many of the popular comics, for example, explore pressing socio-culture issues like the country's work culture and dating, but the industry may need to diversify if it wants to reach a wider global audience. Are you a webtoon fan? Let us know what you think of them and their current themes in the comment section below...

...READ ON THE KOREA TIMES

"'AI to make reunification of Koreas more difficult'"

Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli historian and author of "Sapiens" and "Homo Deus", recently told The Korea Times in an exclusive interview that, "[t]he rise of AI might make any future integration of North and South more difficult, for both cultural and economic reasons". Artificial Intelligence has once again become a hot topic among some of the world's leading scientist and philosophers, and its potential impact on civilisation at large has become more and more important to discuss. Given how technologically advance South Korea is, how will AI change the nature of the relationship with its northern neighbours? Yuval's view will be a serious concern for those hoping technology will help lead to reunification: "AI is likely to transform the culture and even psychology of South Koreans, and if North Koreans do not undergo a similar revolution, the gap between the populations will become bigger than ever before".

...READ ON THE KOREA TIMES

"Pyeongchang and the South Korea ski culture"

CNN's Jean Lee explores Korea's ski culture ahead of the Pyeongchang Winter Games 2018. Although South Korea doesn't have the kind of natural features other popular ski destinations can boast, "what South Korea lacks in tradition it makes up for in efficiency: small, modern resorts with fast lifts and good snowmaking". The country is putting in a lot of effort to ensure that next's event will be a big success, and those planning to make the trip over will discover that Korea has a lot of offer visitors beyond the action taking place on its snowy slopes...

...READ ON CNN