[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

10 Magazine outlines 8 cultural differences when it comes to dating in Korea, fans lose a little faith in K-pop, Korean officials assure the public that Donald Trump won't do anything rash, and was Han Kang's award-winning "The Vegetarian" the birth of K-Lit?

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"8 CULTURAL DIFFERENCES TO EXPECT WHEN DATING IN KOREA"

Looking for love in Korea? 10 Magazine's Sebastian Harris has eight cultural differences you may not be aware to help you adjust to Korea's dating scene. Sebastian notes that, for example, you should expect to get introduced to a lot of people, and you may not end up spending lots of time with just you and your partner at first. Smileys and messages also go a long way. And, "Yes, Kissing in public is frowned upon, but showing your affection with smileys, text messages, and regular phone calls is completely normal".

...READ ON 10 MAGAZINE

"Report Shows Fading Popularity of 'Korean Wave'"

Is interest in the 'Korean Wave' waning? According to a recent report by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, there was a 10% decrease in the optimism respondents had towards K-pop's future. The biggest reason given was the content's "uniformity and banality", which 19.6 percent cited. Interestingly, however, South Korea also recently rose to 19th in the World Economic Forum's survey of tourism competitiveness (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Ec_detail.htm?No=126598). Do you think the K-Wave is receding? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below...

...READ ON THE KOREA BIZWIRE

"South Korea Seeks to Assure Citizens U.S. Won't Strike North Pre-emptively"

South Koreans have been on edge after a series of tweets by the US president, Donald Trump. In a recent tweet, Mr Trump suggested that if North Korea "is looking for trouble", and China decides to assist them, then they [the US] "will solve the problem without them!" A spokesman for the South Korean Foreign Ministry, Cho June-hyuck, has now assured the South Korean public that the United States "will not take a new policy or measure without consultations with us".

...READ ON THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Move over K-Pop, the next Korean culture wave could be K-Lit"

Han Kang's novel "The Vegetarian" won last year's prestigious Man Booker Prize, and one of the key ingredients to the book's international success, according to PEN International's new South Korea President, was the high quality of the translation: "Korean literature should reach a wider audience, but the lack of quality translation has prevented Korean literature from resonating with readers in other languages [...] The translators need training in understanding the implications in poems, which are different from everyday language", says Sohn Hae-il.

...READ ON SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST