Sopyonje and Madame Freedom inhabit two unique cultural spheres of Korean Cinema. While both films show a glimpse into a “traditional” Korean world; they were produced in different contexts. Sopyonje, made in 1993, can be considered a romanticized “nostalgia” film that projects an image of a Korea that no longer exists in present day. The film focuses on the story of a non-blood related family who struggles to make a living by traveling through the Korean countryside performing pansori at parties and private homes. It follows the lives of a father, his adopted daughter, and his stepson through the 1930s to the 1960s. Many critics regarded the film as a revival of pride for South Korean culture. By projecting an image of “Koreanness” through the inclusion of traditional elements like pansori, which is considered an authentically Korean form of singing and the depiction of a false romanticized Korean countryside the film garnered national success. Unbeknownst to Director Im Kwon-taek Sopyonje would go on to become one of the most popular films in South Korean history. (Cho) “Ultimately this movie’s excitement comes from its Koreanness. Its greatest attraction is that it calls up a nostalgia for “[Korean] culture” which cannot be found in a contemporary hectic lifestyle.” These were the words of one of Hae Jong Cho’s students in a reflection essay about Sopyonje. The “Koreanness” that this student is referring to is the perceived ability of this film to unite Korean people
In the beginning of this film Dave Skylark and Aaron Rapport, creators of the TV show Skylark Tonight were mocked and judged of the fact that their news was unimportant. Not letting that stop them, they strived to go for bigger and better by contacting the supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un for an interview session. Surprisingly enough they were contacted back with the good news that the Supreme leader agreed to be interviewed on Skylark Tonight. Even after achieving the impossible, they were still mocked and were said to have made up the whole situation. Dave Skylark would say “they are just peanut butter and jealous”.
This book is about young Korean girls and its author is Korean as well. It illustrates to young readers that although the girls pictured my look different than they do, the issues and feelings they face are universal.
In order to be able to take a closer examination of North Korean cinema, I viewed and analyzed five different films that were released around the same period. The films that I viewed were: 불가사리 [Pulgasari] (1985), 네거리초병 [Negŏrich'obyŏng / A Traffic Controller on Crossroads] (1986), 홍길동 [Hong Kil-dong] (1986), 명령 027호 [Myŏngnyŏng 027 Ho / Order No. 027] (1986), and 도라지꽃 [T'orajikkot / A Broad Bellflower] (1987). The genres of these movies range from romance, entertainment, slice of life, to action, and thus also have different levels of propaganda messages that are told among them. Throughout this paper, I will give a glimpse into each movie, analyze the messages that each of the films provide, and compare the amount of usage and meanings behind the
I liked the book because it taught me about a new country and its situation. An aspect that I loved about the book was that it followed the lives of people with different backgrounds. Hence, I could see how the issues of North Korea have affected people of different classes. The book also explained how the six North Koreans defected and adjusted to life in South Korea. The way each North Korean adjusted to the new society reflected their values. And their adjustments highlighted the core differences in each culture, even though North and South Koreans are the same ethnic group and speak the same language. For example Mi-ran stated “The instant gratification of modern communication killed some of the magic between [Jung-sang and I]. [Our] relationship was one that thrived in the adverse conditions of North Korea. Emotions somehow meant more when they were handwritten on precious scraps of paper and conveyed on slow trains running out of fuel.”(283) This example shows how the privilege of the internet changed Ju-sang and Mi-ran’s relationship. Hence, it highlights how North Koreans are accustomed to traditional methods of communications due to North Korea refusing to enter the twenty first century and the surprise defectors face when they gain access to modern communication. One thing that was missing from the book was that it did not go into detail about the lifestyle and outlook on the life of the ruling class during the 1990 famine. If it had,
The current essay is a compare and contrast analysis of two persons whom the author interviews. Two individuals included in this study were my friends. Both are my college friends and belong to Korea. The girl is Jain Lee and she is studying at college with me. The name of the boy is Hyunbo Park and he is also studying at college with me. Being young students both represent the young Korean generation from their looks and appearances as well as likes and dislikes as is obvious from their photos below that. The author has reviewed and compared their personalities within the contest of culture. The Two Culture Theory as well as Individualistic and Collectivistic cultural theories have also been focused.
In the film, there are bombing campaigns everyday, separation between families, and everyday struggles people faced. I really enjoyed how each Korean American Survivors of the war expressed their feeling of the war. I can create the image of the life they encountered during the war in my mind when I heard their stories. How they separate from their family and some of the family members are force to go to North Korea in order to help for the war. I can clearly remember the image shown in the film about people walking on the road in order to get to a safe place. The image and sound provided by the film were really strong and convincing. The limitation of the film was that the length was only about one hours, it is very hard to understand the true feeling of those four Korean American survivors true feeling about the Korean War and it was hard to understand the entire story without any knowledge of the war ahead of
The importance and symbolism of this theme is food. Food is important part of national identity. It is also an important part of Korean culture. For example, Gang Do worried that his daughter might not have anything to eat. Huyn Seo and Se-joo discussed what they will eat after getting out the sewer. At the end, Gang Do and Se Joo (his new son) are at the food home. They were watching television and eating the dinner. However, Se Joo said that there is nothing good on the the news and asked his father to turn off the TV. Then, they can enjoy their dinner. I think it is the message that the director wants to send to Korea. Koreans should focus and remain the culture of South Korean instead of consuming America culture.
She states, “Children of immigrants are living paradoxes,” and from her experience, this is proven to be true. Her parents, moving to American in hopes of creating a better life, desired Hwang to become one with American culture. However, they also desire her to stay true to what makes her herself, which is her Korean culture. Internalizing Hwang’s pain, her parents told her one thing, but expected her to do another. The emotional confusion is overwhelming. Hwang explains her parents “knew they were embarking on a rough trip,” however, if they knew the way in which Hwang feels they may not have went about the move in they way they have. “I identify with Americans, but they do not identify with me,” (13) is how Hwang feels living in America. She is split between not being Korean enough and not being American enough. She stands on the line between the two, but that line is extremely lonely and
Manners represent an individual by the way they dress, behave, communicate, and their etiquette, while customs refer to the traditional way that a culture is practice individually, or by a group of people. Workers are expected to bow to their seniors when they greet them, and to use only formal language to their seniors, as it is rude to speak informally to someone of higher rank. In Korean businesses, meetings are often held in evenings at a restaurant or bar. Drinking is part of the Korean culture, as Koreans believe that drinking helps to bond colleagues in the company, and an offered drink must never be refused as it is considered to be rude. Along with drinking, Karaoke is a popular activity after meetings. People who attend the meeting are usually expected to sing a solo song.
South Korea is a place one would be proud to call their home. The welcoming nature one feels upon moving to Korea is a warmth that this essay has tried to portray. This author could go on and on about why South Korea is so fabulous but that can only go so far. So, in conclusion, one should visit South Korea for themselves. They will not regret it! Though South Korea may be a small country, the style of cuisine, community culture, and generosity are just a few uniquenesses that outshine its stature.
My return to Korea in the summer of 2001 was nothing short of a culture shock. I was in a country I thought I had learned by heart. It was the country I always rooted my identity and pride from. I wasn’t ready for the shock. I
South Korean love their country very much that they tend to buy national made products than foreign products. For example, a Germany brand called MCM able to regain their status after been taken over by South Korean company after it went bankrupt in 2005. They prefer Samsung over iPhone, LG over Philips, Hyundai over imported cars.
South Korea appears in the first quadrant of Figure 2.2 in which states that the country has a culture with relatively larger power distance and lower individualism. South Korea has a relatively large power distance due to the country’s strong emphasis in respecting for one’s elders and superiors. This cultural belief is deeply
When I was my 15 years, I watched my first Korean dorama. Then I did not know how it would exert an impact on my fate and view of life. This was the world-famous “Boys over flowers”, which became an occasion of my acquaintance with the country of morning freshness. I strongly believe that my life transformed for better and blossomed after watching this Korean dorama was watched by everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. It drew me in this world – the world of Korean drama, Korean pop and Korean cinema. Knowledge about Korea was increasing more and more gradually and new sides of Korea were opened. I found out the country is famous not only of the Korean wave, Hallyu, but also of kimchi, various traditional food, colorful nature and combination of tradition and modernity. And some pieces of the Korean culture and language are quite similar
So, if I make the fried Kim-chi with the Kim-chi from a market, it is just not tasty as much as the one that my mom made. Yet, however the taste of it, every time I eat Kim-chi, it reminds me of my mom’s caring for me and the fact that I am Korean. Because when she tried to make me eat Kim-chi, she always used to say like ‘oh, Koreans should eat Kim-chi.’ By that time, however, what she said did not really come across my mind. Since all the people around me were Korean, I did not really know what being Korea means. But now I am in America, and being ‘Korean’ becomes one of the unique characteristics that represent me.