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[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

Discover Korea's quest to get kimchi and 'Arirang' recognized by UNESCO, learn more about Korea's weird and lucrative K-pop scene, CJ Group hopes to ride the Korean wave into the future, and Elise Hu reveals the dark side of Korean pop music.

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"Kimchi and Pop Songs in Pyongyang"

Pop Matters examines some of Korea's national treasures (e.g. kimchi and 'Arirang') and the quest to get them recognized by UNESCO for "Inscription on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity".

...READ ON POP MATTERS

"Hallyu, K-pop! Inside the weirdest, most lucrative global frenzy in music"

As part of the K-wave, K-pop has to be one of the most phenomenal cultural movements of the twenty-first century. From the outside, Korea's popular music scene seems a little bazaar, and from the inside, it's just as crazy, energetic and perhaps a little weird, too: "To understand K-pop's maddening grip on so many non-Koreans, you have to know one fundamental thing about the genre: Nothing is authentic. The songs and videos? Carefully crafted. The dances? Rehearsed. The personas? Taught and trained at boarding-camp-like schools..."

...READ ON QUARTZ

"CJ takes Korean culture as key to future"

The CJ Group, one of Korea's largest food and entertainment conglomerates, is looking to the Korean wave in order to sustain its own brand, as well as help spread the culture around the world: "Citing the unrelenting popularity of the Korean wave worldwide, the CJ Group said that the country's pop culture would be a major vehicle for the firm's future growth. Its culture-related businesses currently account for 16 percent of its overseas revenue, but the group plans to expand this to 50 percent by 2020".

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD

"For Women In Korean Pop, 'Making It' Can Mean A Makeover "

Elise Hu pulls back the glitz and glamor of Korea's K-pop scene to reveal a highly competitive sector that pressures young women to strive to reach that ideal look. She does this by speaking to Park Boram about her experiences as a K-pop ideal: "The pressure to fit in could explain why as many as one-third of women in Seoul have gotten cosmetic surgery procedures..."

...READ ON WUWM

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