[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

Published on 2015/08/02

Would you spend part of your gap year studying in North Korea?, upper-class North Koreans are becoming increasing brand conscious, Korean men's fashion spotted in America, but who wears it better?, and how is the "Asian" identity represented in the music industry?

"Upper class North Korean women become increasingly brand conscious"

This is very brief, but I thought the question probed is interesting. The idea of such an isolated and oppressive country be brand conscious is at least one the needs some explanation or qualification. The English quotes here are taken from an article originally published in Korean, entitled: "North Korean women become brand conscious... 'designer knock offs' also gain popularity".

…READ ON NETIZEN BUZZ: http://netizenbuzz.blogspot.kr/2015/07/upper-class-north-korean-women-become.html (http://mykoreankitchen.com/2015/07/11/essential-korean-cooking-ingredients/)

"No sex, drugs or rockCha Hak-yeonroll – a North Korean gap year"

Alessandro Ford paid $4,686 for four months of schooling in the Hermit Kingdom as part of his gap year and in this article he shares some of his experiences of his time in North Korea: "My dad always used to joke 'If you don't make up your mind I'll ship you off to North Korea'''.

…READ ON THE GUARDIAN: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/north-korea-gap-year-student-sex-drugs

"Korean Men's Fashion vs. American Men's Fashion: Who Wore It Best?"

Strangely, one of the first things that struck me when I first arrived in Korea is how well-dressed a lot of the men were. Korea's fashion industry is robust, particularly its street fashion, and many of its trends and styles have (along with its food, films, dramas, music, etc.) influenced our countries and their culture. But who wears it better?

…READ ON AUDREY: http://audreymagazine.com/korean-mens-fashion-vs-american-mens-fashion-who-wore-it-best/#sthash.1tyOn23m.dpuf

"2NE1 And The (Racist) Definition of "Asian""

In this blog post Gaya tackles the issue of challenging what does, and does not, represent "Asian" identity in the music industry: "Many people, including K-pop fans, think that the problem is that clothing worn isn't culturally Korean; and that definitely is an issue. But there is also this ignorant line of thinking that often happens, where people believe they must go above and beyond to pay "respect" to a culture, just because they're using a 10-second clip of a pop song from people of that culture in a dance video".

…READ ON SEOUL BEATS: http://seoulbeats.com/2015/07/2ne1-and-the-racist-definition-of-asian/