- One of the more fascinating parts of North Korea, in my opinion, is the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, a school largely funded and run by Christian Korean-Americans. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know one PUST founder Dr. Park Chan-mo — himself the former president of the Pohang University of Science and Technology — and interviewed him a few times, although mostly about science in South Korea. Anyhow, I don’t use the term “must see” very often, but I think if you are at all interested in North Korea, this doc is a must see, especially 5min-15min. (BBC)
- The power of Korean TV drama. An obscure children’s book gets mentioned in My Love From the Stars, and it turns into a hit, selling 100,000 copies in weeks. (Chosun Ilbo)
- The new KT boss seems to be clearing house. 52 of 53 affiliate heads replaced. Out with political appointees, in with (gasp) actual professionals. (Korea JoongAng Daily)
- I’ve lost track of the amusement park projects that have been “announced” but never built. Paramount. Universal. Now here’s one more, supposedly the size of Yeouido, coming to the island around Incheon International Airport. (Korea JoongAng Daily)
- Incidentally, I used to go to the beach on the far side of Yongyu Island, back when the airport was still under construction. You had to take a ferry there. But it was tiny and dead-quiet. Cannot believe what it has turned into.
- Fun little story about hot chocolate and Cacao Boom. There’s a branch near near my apartment, so I found it nice to read about its founder, Go Young-ju. (Korea JoongAng Daily)
- An interview with ex-T-ara member Hwayoung on trying to break into acting and her problems with the girl group. My original headline was “Bully for Hwayoung,” but the desk head made me change it; that made me sad. (Korea JoongAng Daily)
- While I’m happy that Seoul is tearing down most of its ugly overpasses, part of me feels strange to see the Ahyeon overpass go. I’ve walked past it so many times over the years, it feels like a bit of me. Still, I’m sure it will make that part of town much nicer once it is gone. (Korea JoongAng Daily)
Month: February 2014 (Page 2 of 2)
Sorry, I was all about to write a little column of links and whatnot when real life suddenly raised its ugly head and kept me busy all day. But better late than never, so…
- Great series in Hankyoreh about Korean companies’ troubling practices in Southeast Asia. (Hankyoreh)
- Honoring the supporting actors who helped build Korea’s amazing blockbusters. (Chosun Ilbo)
- Enjoy fighting with Japan over Dokdo? Get ready for a feud with China (or at least its fishermen) over Gyeongnyeolbiyeol, a couple of rocks 50km west of Taean in Jeolla Province. (JoongAng Daily)
- Three-month suspensions for the credit card companies that leaked customer info. While I’m pleased to see the government cracking down on that sort of irresponsibility from Korea’s big banks, I am also worried that the move could end up hurting people who do business with those banks. (JoongAng Daily)
- In a related thought, is it my imagination, or has there been nearly zero damage caused by those banking leaks? From what I’ve seen, nearly all the problems have come from people’s fears over their leaked data. I.e., criminals phishing and pulling other scams on people, telling them to send their personal info to protect themselves from the data leak.
- While it is great that plagiarism being talked about in the Korean media, I wish this article had a better understanding of legality, ethics and the like. After all, plagiarism is a moral issue more than a legal one. And you cannot copyright an idea, just its execution. For example, compare Harry Potter to Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea saga, or Neil Gaiman’s Books of Magic. The writer really should have reached out and talked to copyright/plagiarism experts outside Korea. (JoongAng Daily)
- Disney’s Frozen is still going strong. It topped 6 million admissions over weekend, zipping past Kung Fu Panda 2 to become the top animated movie ever in Korea. And in a sign of the wonderful tastes held by Korean audiences, the so-called “Korean” movie Nut Job (which really is not very Korean) did quite poorly — it opened in seventh on the weekend, earning about $2 million. (KOBIS)
- Also worth noting, The Attorney added about 280,000 admissions over the weekend to top 11.1 million. It looks like it might sneak past Haeundae to become No 7 movie ever in Korea.
Young-hee and the Pullocho
Young-hee stumbles into a magical world, where the fairy stories of her childhood are real and all the frustrations of her everyday life fade away — until her little brother is kidnapped by a goblin. The only way Young-hee can save him is by finding a magical plant called a pullocho, but little does she realize the fate of a whole world hangs in the balance.
On sale now at:
Amazon
Pop Goes Korea
Pop Goes Korea: Behind the Revolution in Movies, Music and Internet Culture (2nd edition) is the only English-language book to examine the whole of Korea's entertainment industry and how it became such a powerhouse over the past 20 years. With profiles of many of Korea's top stars (including Lee Byung-hun and Rain), Pop Goes Korea features chapters on movies, music, television, comic books, the Internet, and more.
On sale now at:
Amazon.com
Kobo eBooks
And hopefully more ebooks stores very soon.
The original edition of Pop Goes Korea is now out of print.
K-Pop Now!
K-Pop Now! takes a fun look at Korea’s high-energy pop music, and is written for its growing legions of fans. It features all the famous groups and singers, and takes an insider’s look at how they have made it to the top.
You can buy at:
Amazon.com
Chapters Indigo
Tuttle (my publisher)
Kyobo Books (in Korea)
Goodreads (not for buying, but still a good link)