[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

See how a North Korean defector uses webtoons to breakdown barriers, Asia-Pacific examines whether or not Korea is returning to its authoritarian past, DMZ guards take up ballet to relax and stay frosty, and see how 'soft' masculinity is depicted in Asian pop culture.

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"[Interview] North Korean defector uses humor to spur 'cultural reunification'"

Choi Seong-guk, a North Korean defector, is using the curious power of comedy to help encourage a unified Korea through webcomics: "The ups and downs of Yong-cheol's experiences illustrate the differences of culture and attitude between North and South Koreans, and many of the responses describe the comic as both instructive and highly entertaining".

...READ ON THE HANKYOREH

"South Koreans fear return to authoritarian past"

Is South Korea in danger of returning to its authoritarian past? Song Jung-a examines the fear as well as the facts in her analysis of Korea's current socio-political climate. "Censorship has become more widespread across the cultural sector under the current administration", says Kim Jong-gil, an art critic. "Many artists have a fear about expressing themselves freely through political satire or parody".

...READ ON ASIA-PACIFIC

"South Korean soldiers practice ballet to relax after guarding the world's deadliest border"

What can the U.S. learn from South Korea's military culture? Chris Weller covers a group of South Korean soldiers who are taking up ballet to relax after their shift along one of the world's most dangerous borders, the DMZ: "By putting on thin, padded shoes and learning the graceful art, they forge deeper relationships with one another and ease their minds after dealing with turmoil".

...READ ON TECH INSIDER

"The new face of masculinity in East Asian pop culture"

The previous story suggests that maybe South Korea's ideas around masculinity are slowly shifting, but what about in Korea's pop culture? Geng Song takes a detailed look at what's happening in Korea's idol scene: "Pan-East Asian soft masculinity has its roots in the Confucian tradition of scholar masculinity shared by many East Asian cultures, such as the "wen" (literary attainment) masculinity in China or "seonbi" (scholar-officials) masculinity in Korean history..."

...READ ON TODAY ONLINE