Goong: A Fairy Tale for All

Soo Hee Park’s manga, The Royal Palace Goong, portrays a young girl who obtains a twisted fairy tale in real life. Goong is about how a high school girl must marry the crowned prince of Korea. Crowned prince of Korea? This may sound a bit awkward for Korea, today, has a republic, not a monarchy. However, Park spins a tale of fantasy where an everyday girl has a chance to become royalty. The main character, Shin Chae Kyung, finds out in her senior year of high school that she must marry the rude crowned prince, Lee Shin, who also attends her high school. At first she downright refuses for she overhears him proposing to another girl and she also realizes that he has a repulsive personality. However, after realizing that her family is in a swirling amount of debt, she agrees to marry the prince. Then what about the prince? Doesn’t he like another girl? However, the prince also agrees to marry her for he states, “Why would I subject a girl I like to a life living like a doll in the palace?” Chae Kyung replies, “What about me?” Shin then answers by saying nonchalantly that he agreed to this marriage for he doesn’t care about her. The story progresses from there. The wedding is set and Chae Kyung is to become the next royal princess of Korea by marriage. This manga created a huge sensation in all of Korea, it appealed to not the typical young girl, but also to adults, even grandparents. I believe that this manga appealed to such a variety of ages for it appeals to the aspect of a normal, everyday girl experiencing a fairy tale of where she becomes a princess, just like Cinderella. However, this storyline possesses a twist, for where this is not a marriage out of love. It is a symbiotic relationship in which marriage will give both characters a source of benefit. Chae Kyung’s family will no longer be in debt. Prince Shin will obtain a wife who he does not care about in the least, but will be protecting the girl he likes and at the same time, preserve the royal bloodline for the generations to come. However, though this marriage is first spun out of complete apathy for one another, involving no romantic feelings, their relationship begins to blossom as they both realize that there is much more underneath than what meets the eye.

Chun Hyang: Im Kwon Taek vs. Clamp

Unlike, Im Kwon Taek’s movie, Chun Hyang, Clamp’s manga, Legend of Chun Hyang, portrays Chun Hyang as a woman and heroine of strong independence and skill. In Im Kwon Taek’s movie, Chun Hyang, she is portrayed as a passive and docile woman, who only stands up for herself when she must preserve the dignity of her husband. However, within Clamp’s version of Chun Hyang, she is an extremely independent woman, who does not ever depend on men. She possesses extreme martial arts skills that frequently defeat men in combat. She is almost so strong-willed to the point of being frequently “violent.” For instance, Mong Ryung, her “companion,” would always say, “I keep asking you, if you’re going to use violence, you really have to warn me” (Clamp 95). I believe that these two differ extremely as a result of the difference in time period and target audience. By Im Kwon Taek staying true to the folk tale of Chun Hyang, he portrays the tale within the time period of the 18th century. During this time period, Korean women were very subservient to men for Korean was predominantly patriarchal society. I believe that Im Kwon Taek did not have a specific target audience. I believe that he tried to appeal to the older and younger generation. By creating a historical drama, it would tend to appeal to the older generation. However, by also incorporating teenagers as the main characters, it would also attract the younger generation. Clamp is a manga that targets young girls, such as teenagers. If Clamp stayed true to the original Chun Hyang, a person who tends to be very docile and subservient would not appeal to young girls. Therefore, they create a drastic change in Chun Hyang’s personality. She is a fighter who is very independent. She is a heroine who defeats evil with good and avenges her mother’s death. Also, she frequently rescues the villagers from the tyrannical rule of the yang-ban, a person sent by the government who is to become ruler of that certain location. I believe that it is these characteristics that appeal to young girls and make Clamp so successful, for it is the ideal idea of independence from men that is so alluring, for the majority of societies today are mainly patriarchal.

Keeping the Culture Alive

Up to this point, many of the blogs posted thus far have dealt with matters, theories, and topics that we have studied in class and read in the books. Therefore, I thought it’d be interesting to share with a post that is a little different. What is happening today in the Korean news? What is the culture like today? As I was browsing the news, I was surprised to discover a number of articles that were relevant to the things we discussed in class.

In the first article I read was titled “A Life Dedicated to Pansori”. I immediately noted the “pansori” in the title and so I was drawn into the article. The article followed a woman named Ahn Sook-sun, who committed her life to practicing and perfecting pansori beginning from the age of nine. The article about Ahn Sook-sun depicted her immense love for the art of pansori. The article listed the extensive music al background which Ahn Sook-sun came from, which included a second cousin, who played the daegeum, an uncle who mastered dongpyeonje, as well as an aunt who mastered gayageum. The article also described the enormous amount of practice that Ahn Sook-sun undertook. In order to perfect the sound of Korean classical music, Ahn Sook-sun took extreme measures. She recalls memories of practicing so much until the point where even her physical well-being was in jeopardy. Ahn dropped to a mere 39 kilograms (about 86 pounds) and at her first encounter with the gagayeum, Ahn played until her fingers bled.

In another article that was posted on joongangdaily.com,I read about a man named Kwon Moo-suk who had also dedicated himself to a practice: Korean archery, also known as gakgung. Similarly to Ahn, Kwon grew up with a background in gakgung. Kwon is part of the 17^th generation of a bow-making family. However, Kwon is different from Ahn in that he did not plan on doing gakgung; gakgung was not his original passion and he refused to learn the skill at a young age. Kwon held a job as a government official before he dedicated his life to gakgung. Kwon decided to give up his former life as a government official when his brother announced at a family gathering that he would be the last bow-maker in the family since his children refused to learn the skill of bow-making. What is most notable and admirable in these two articles is Ahn and Kwon’s extreme dedication and commitment to their art. Ahn expressed that she “felt as if the sky had fallen in if I wasted just one hour without practicing pansori”. Kwon, too, demonstrates great dedication by the act of giving up his previous life and job.

One thing I noticed through the articles about the lives of Ahn Sook-sun and Kwon Moo-suk was the fact that long-established traditions like pansori, other forms of Korean classical/traditional music, and gakgung, were kept alive by the passing them down through the family line. (This could perhaps be correlate with the scene of Im Kwon Taek’s Sopyonje where the father is critiquing and training his children in the ways of Korean traditional music.) We can see that any tradition can be a vital aspect of a country’s identity and so, it is certainly crucial to keep these traditions alive and well, the way Ahn and Kwon clearly have done. Their efforts have paid off. Various aspects of traditional culture and tradition can be spot in the news and media. An example of this could be seen in the obvious fact that articles have been written to highlight the lives of Ahn and Kwon. This could be considered as proof that there is appreciation and respect for Korean culture and tradition, as well as to those who have kept it alive throughout history. We can also see Korean culture alive and well through the various renditions of Chun H’yang seen on TV dramas and through plays, numerous renditions of the life of Lee Sun Sin in a countless number of books, and mangas and dramas about the fantastical life of the royal family.

(I have no idea...how it got this long. Sorry guys)

Pop Culture Establishing a New Reality

I recently came across an article entitled, "Blood Type B Unlucky for would-be Korean Romeos," written by Jon Herskovitz, revealing that men with B blood types are being discriminated against in the dating scene in South Korea. Lee Sung-san, a 24-year old South Korean male with a B-blood type says, " 'I have had women tell me flat out they don't date blood type-B guys. They say we are selfish and hot-headed' " (Herskovitz).
In Korea and many other Asian countries, one's blood type is thought to reveal something about one's personality and the compatibility between two people. For example, people who have type-B blood are considered "goal oriented and strong minded individualists" and are compatible with other type-Bs or type-ABs. This phenomenon of blood-typing personalities is said to have originated in Japan in the early 20th century. However, it is only recently that that Type-B men are being discriminated against. In his article, Jon Herskovitz places blame for this new trend on Korean popular culture where Type-B men are portrayed as selfish, fickle and absolutely useless as caring and devoted boyfriends. They are seen as the "bad boys"--fun, but not suitable for long term commitments.
Kim Nang's book, "Dating a Type-B Man" is a guide for women of all blood-types on how to deal with the "pitfalls and pleasures of striking up relationships with type-B men." The 2004 song "Type-B Men," sung by Kim Hyun-jung, is about a woman who has a boyfriend with blood type B. From the lyrics, one concludes that Type-B men are "quick to get angry and quick to make up, but in the end, they will break your heart." The 2005 movie, "B-Hyeong Namja Chingu" or "My Boyfriend is Type-B" is a romantic comedy in which a Type-A woman and a Type-B man "meet by accident after a row over him ruining her cellphone. She believes they were destined to meet, but the problem is, he has blood-type B, making him spontaneous and emotional but unreliable" (www.imdb.com/title/tt0452972) .
Although the correlation between one's blood type and personality has been disproved, many still believe in the validity of this practice. This lead me to question, how can popular culture override a proven fact?
I think this could be explained by Dominic Strinati's "An Introduction to the Theories of Popular Culture." The mass consumerism of the book "Dating a Type-B Man," the movie, "My Boyfriend is Type-B," and the song, "Type-B Men" shows their appeal to the mass culture, which "celebrates trivial, sentimental, immediate, and false pleasures . . . preferring the undemanding ease of fantasy and escapism" (Strinati 14). This phenomenon also falls under Strinati's theory of postmodernism, where popular culture and mass media, ". . . govern and shape all other forms of social relationships" (Strinati 224). The reality of how we define ourselves and the world around us can become distorted through how the masses perceive the reality presented to us through popular culture (Strinati 224). Essentially, these forms of popular culture have shaped their view of male B-blood types and seems to have strengthened the idea of the blood-type personality theory into the consciousness of South Koreans.

Thoughts?

You can find the article at http://www.natashatynes.org/newswire/2005/04/blood_type_b_un.html

Heaven's Soldiers 2

As I watched “Heaven’s Soldiers” I was reminded of some of the material we read earlier this semester. In “The Past Within Us”, the author mentions “in Southeast Asia, the start of the twenty-first century has seen a boom in the popularity of movies depicting formative moments in national history,” while Thai historian Charnwit Kasetsiri states that there is “mass public enthusiasm for these popular representations of historical consciousness”. While Lee Soon Shin is not a formative moment in Korean history, he is a famous historical figure and thus “Heaven’s Soldiers” plays into this new wave of Korean films. As Jim Collins puts it in the introduction to High-Pop, it is “making culture into popular entertainment”.

As Malika mentioned, there is also the idea of national identity and national pride, and I think “Heaven’s Soldiers” has plenty of that as well. Lee Soon Shin is a national hero and by bringing him to a popular film and therefore a younger generation, his story continues to be passed on, but in a way that teenagers would probably find more interesting than a textbook reading in school. It is made additionally entertaining by the spin on the movie, where the viewers are seeing Lee Soon Shin before he is famous and when there is a possibility that he may never be, based on the interactions between him and the time-travelers from the future. However, the director does not take for granted that all viewers of the film would already know the story of Lee Soon Shin, as you can tell from some of the script (such as when the character says his name, that he did not pass the military test, etc. and the modern-day characters dramatically gasp and exclaim, “Lee Soon Shin has that family name and did not pass his military test either!” for the viewers who don’t know that already and might be so slow that they haven’t guessed it yet.) Or perhaps they are just putting lots of emphasis on the historical details so it is really drilled into the heads of the audience.

That being said, I think it would be interesting to look at the gender roles in this film. From my point of view the only woman in the movie was a comical character based on her actions and expressions and was kind of whiney, although she was also the smart one who figures out when the comet will return. I feel like the men, on the other hand, have a sort of male honor and bravery thing going on where in the end they all return to fight with Lee Soon Shin and die in a spectacular battle against evil. Any thoughts?

Heaven's Soldiers

Watching Heaven's Soldiers was an interesting insight into the Korean perception (though I'm not rushing to assume that all Koreans think this way) of Korea: North Korea, South Korea, and Korea as a united country.

The North Koreans in this movie were often portrayed as sometimes blind, but staunch and admirable followers of their leader (as exemplified by one of the North Koreans' ignorance of who Lee Soon-Shin was), whereas the South Koreans are portrayed as more friendly and humane. For instance, when the North Korean leader is attempting to weasel out the information from Lee Soon-Shin, they were clearly going to use violence, whereas the South Korean leader steps in and uses more humane tactics to persuade Lee. However, in the end, they all ended up fighting and dying together, which perhaps shows the underlying desire of "all" Koreans to finally have a united Korea.

Another thing I realized after watching the film was how nationalism is passed on to newer generations. Throughout the film I found myself laughing at many parts, and was often confused by the genre switching - from a war film to sci-fi to comedy and back to a war film again, but I enjoyed the experience. There wasn't any point in the film where I felt that I was watching a documentary or something "educational" - it felt like pure entertainment to me. However, I did feel a very strong sense of nationalism/pride emanating from the movie. If nothing else, I could at least understand that Lee Soon-Shin was a national hero who symbolized a united and strong Korea against a powerful and intimidating enemy. The director utilizes pop culture in order to inspire a new generation to be proud and fond of this legendary figure and to make him their "own" Korean hero - instead of him being an unreachable, detached figure in the distant past.

What do you guys feel about the images portrayed in Heaven's Soldiers? Or how nationalistic pride was shown in the movie?

Korea's Image of Women: Endurers of Suffering?

I found an interesting correlation between the portrayals of women in the forms of Korean media we have studied thus far. It's pretty neat because it seems so different from what one would expect of a Korean (or any culture's) image of women… As the article on Feminism focused on "how and why popular culture and the mass media have dealt with women and their representations in an unfair, unjust and exploitative manner" (Strinati, 160), one might think of the usual stereotypes—domesticated house wife, dependent on males, helpless, weak, their bodies depicted as objects, etc.—of women. It's amazing, however, that I did not necessarily find these stereotypes as apparent in Chun-Hyang, Goong, and Soppyonje.

I was first struck by CLAMP's comic book rendering of the story of Chun-Hyang. The yang-ban’s son says "She may be the honorable mudang of koriyo, Wall Mae… but she is still just a woman" (CLAMP, 48), an obviously sexist thing to say. Immediately I thought, 'Is this the image of women in Japanese or Korean society?' But I came to realize that there was a whole different image contradicting this. An obvious side is how Chun-Hyang is illustrated as defying all cultural or stereotypical norms of a girl—being rambunctious, outspoken, daring, and independent… but that may have just been the comic book version of the story. From what I know of the "actual" (I don't know if there even is an "actual" story, hence the quotation marks, since I know so many different version of the story exist… so correct me if I'm wrong but…) tale, Chun-Hyang is forced to endure a lot of pain and suffering for choosing the "righteous" path—that is, remaining loyal to Mong-Ryong despite his absence and despite the temptations presented to her by the other government official. Also presented (in CLAMP's version of the story) is a parallel theme within Chun-Hyang's mother; despite the death of Chun-Hyang's father, Chun-Hyang's mother chooses to remain chaste, preferring suicide over remarriage.
Anyways, what I'm trying to get at is that there is this ongoing image of women and how they, throughout history, have had to endure much suffering (' han'?). More than having a typical sexist view of women as inferior, I find that a lot of the Korean media we have looked at in this course have, on the contrary, revered women for their strength and endurance of the sufferings and oppressions they have faced.

Look at another example, Goong. We have already discussed the element of self-sacrifice evident in the main heroine's decision to marry the prince, against her will, for the benefit of her family. This image of the female character is more respectable, than degrading (despite her having to live a "domestic" life in the palace or, in the drama's case, give up her dream of becoming a fashion designer).

Im Kwon-Taek's Soppyonje, I feel, epitomizes my observation. We see the dramatic climax in the final scene between Song-hwa and her brother and, as we discussed, the meaning of the word 'han'. I'd like to draw attention mostly to the parallel between her and her singing the p'ansori version of the Korean folktale of Simchong. Both Song-hwa and Simchong submit to a sacrifice of some sort in order to fulfill the duty of a filial daughter. It's interesting how in this tale, and many other Korean folk tales, women are portrayed as heroines or main characters (ex. Chun-Hyang or Chae-Kyung). Simchong They are regarded as heroines for their endurance and for their strength in the face of adversity.

I'd like to tie this in with a book I've read by Sook Nyul Choi, titled "Year of Impossible Goodbyes". Perhaps some of you have heard of it or even read it… if you haven't, I HIGHLY recommend it, it's a really easy read (I read it back in elementary school) but it's both interesting and informative. If you're into Korean history, it's definitely a must-read! ANYWAYS… to give you just a gist of it, the story follows the life of a young girl in Korea during Japanese colonization and all the adversities she and her family faced during this time. Her brothers are off at a training camp and her father is away at some resistance movement while she is at home with her mother and her aunt. Despite all the cruelties the Japanese soldiers impress upon them, these women endure and continue to struggle to survive without the presence of men to protect them. One scene in the book describes how the Japanese deceived the Korean citizens by selling them a sack of rice which was actually half filled with sand, making the sack seem heavier and more valuable. Throughout the story, the Japanese soldiers constantly harass the girl's mother and the women working in their sock factory, and in the end the women are taken away to be "comfort women"… etc… The novel is fiction, but the events are also autobiographical, which brings me to my next point.

In Korean culture, because of its history and background, there is an underlying understanding of the importance of women to society… perhaps the general population as a whole has a different outlook altogether compared to cultures that have not experienced these same events in their pasts.

What is Im Kwon Taek's deal?

I am completely shocked and appalled after watching Chuhyang the movie. I was excited after reading the comic – the Chun Hyang character so feisty and strong, portraying such a positive image of women. I was not expecting what I saw in the movie. I am hoping the different direction the movie took from the comic book is due to the need to please an older age group. Assuming that the movie was targeted to an older crowd (looking at the sex scenes), perhaps Im Kwon Taek thought in order for the storyline to be more relatable to his audience, stereotypical gender roles would have to be followed. This is good news for the younger generation, whereas in the comic book more pro-feminist characters are written.

In the comic book I was impressed that the two main female characters are indeed strong role models for girls. The mother is a highly respected medicine woman. She is extremely kind, opening her home to Myong Rong, and consistently supportive and affectionate of her daughter, Chun Hyang. The mother asserts herself and her own self-respect by killing herself when faced with the Yang Ban’s foreseeable rape. She raised Chun Hyang to be a strong, self-reliant girl even at a very young age. Never to be pushed around, Chun Hyang is always willing to speak up or physically fight when she does not agree with what is going on.

Unfortunately these powerful characters were not translated to the film. The mother is not a medicine woman, but instead a courtesan, a less than honorable position. The warmth of the comic book mother is gone, and she constantly reminds her daughter to submit to men in powerful positions. Chunhyang complies with her mother when Myong Rong asks her to marry him. She does not seem interested in him, pushing him away, having him forcibly remove her clothing. What surprised me the most was after they had sex, Chunhyang was suddenly in love with him! This sends a very dangerous message to viewers that there is nothing wrong with violence against women and that “no” really means “yes.” Along with their morbid courtship, I was sickened to see Chunhyang completely fall apart when Myong Rong told her he had to go to Seoul. She was weak, whiny, and perpetuating the stereotype that women are “emotional” and “crazy.” The only time Chunhyang had any strength in the movie was while being beaten for not sleeping with the new governor, she did not break down and give consent. Her strength came through her love and “duty to serve” her husband. The Chunhyang character sustains that women are subordinate to men, modest, and chaste.

What a disappointment the film was. Although I already speculated before why the comic book and movie contain such different storylines, why else would Im Kwon Taek choose this route?

Goong's Popular Wave

The fictional story of Goong is one that fascinated and enthralled Korean media viewers and readers with no prejudice to age. It is a story that "re-imagines" Korea, pretending that the Japanese Colonial period did not exist and that the Korean monarchy still reigned. This fiction glorifies what once used to be the Korean monarchy and with it the treasured but often neglected traditions of this prideful country.
It evokes nostalgia and pride for the older generation as they reminisce the time before they had to endure intrusion of the Japanese in their country. There is still a large number of Koreans who still feel passionately hateful towards the past Japanese Colonial period and wish that it had never happened; Goong fulfilled that wish. It is understandable why the older generation that would be expected not to be so zealous towards a drama or a comic book to be so heartwarming towards Goong and feel it to be such an endearing story.
Although the older generation feels a connection to the story of Goong, the younger generations who were born much after the Japanese Colonial period and would only learn of it from their parents or from textbooks were also intrigued with the drama. Of course they were attracted by the attractive actors in the drama or the beautiful drawings of the comic book and their generation is highlighted by the active media in their society, but if the content of the drama or the comic was substandard it is unlikely Goong would have drawn so much attention from them. The reason behind their adoration for the story could be traced to a trigger in their interest in their country's history for it arose not in the context of a tedious textbook, but a drama and a comic book, which they take up on their free time for their own enjoyment.
Goong called into importance the history of Korea, catching the attention of a wide range of audience. The older generation who remembered the Japanese Colonial period and wished to erase it from Korea's history felt a special connection to the story. The younger generation's interest was stirred by the resurrection of a distant time in their country's history they did not relate to and only learned about from older generations and from their schools. However, would this interest still be the same if the story of Goong was presented in the future when the older generation that could relate to this story was no longer existent and the younger generation no longer even heard about it from older generations? Would the younger generation feel it is too much of a distant past that does not seem relevant to them or even real to them? Also, is the story of Goong just something of a temporary interest like a new pop song by a new debuted artist?

Coffee Prince: Views on Gays in Korea

Just recently I finished a drama series that many people have heard of including my mom. (She's the one who suggested it to me.) The series is called "Coffee Prince" and is pretty much follows the (love)life of a girl who many mistake for boy and the opening of a coffee shop called the Coffee Prince.
This is a typical drama in the sense that there is a complex web of who likes who and the conflicts between all of those relationships. The twist in this movie is that the main character, who is a girl, is mistaken for a boy. A wealthy man (Han Kyul), who originally hires her Eun-Chan (thinking she's a man) to be his lover to get out of blind dates his grandmother sets up, hires her again (not knowing she's a woman) to work at Coffee Prince, and then falls in love with who he thinks is a man. Han Kyul is not gay but is falling in love with Eun-Chan thinking she is actually a he.
So Han Kyul tries to get over Eun-Chan because he doesn't want to be gay, but ends up professing his love to her. While the two are together Han Kyul still struggles with the fact that Eun-Chan is a man, but because he loves her so much, he's happy anyways. Then, he finds out that Eun-Chan is actually a girl. Of course he's initially upset because she lied to him about being a male so his trust in her takes a blow, but eventually he's happy to be with her as a woman. He keeps on saying "I'm glad you're not a man." when he finds out about her real gender.
I know Korea to be not conservative to gays, and I still think that generally holds true. Although Han Kyung professes he likes Eun-Chan when he thinks she's a guy, he's very relieved when he finds out otherwise. Yes the drama brings being homosexuality into the forefront, but it is something that seems to be dreaded in the drama as well as in the Korean culture. The drama shows that Korean pop culture has started to be more aware, but I have yet to be convinced that the culture is accepting of homosexuality.
What do you think?

Chastity and Chun Hyang

I found Clamp’s The Legend of Chun Hyang to be a fascinating representation of a Korean tale about chastity and loyalty. I was unsurprised to find that Chun Hyang had been injected with brimming self confidence and combat ability, because this makes her a classic comic book hero/heroine. However, I was somewhat puzzled by the manner in which the authors dealt with themes of chastity in the traditional telling of Chun Hyang. I was surprised that the authors chose to make Chun Hyang so young (fourteen), because her young age itself justifies her attitude towards sex in the comic book. When Mong Ryong (who is given no age but appears 5-10 years older) flirts with Chun Hyang, she seems perfectly justified in retorting the advances of this older guy. Chun Hyang’s reactions to Mong Ryong in relation to her mother and the bathing sisters make her appear juvenile more than they construct her as a role model. I have to wonder whether the authors consciously made Chun Hyang laughably disgusted with sex in parody of the traditional tale.

By contrast, in Im Kwon Taek’s film about Chun Hyang makes the themes of the tale more heartfelt by fleshing out Chun Hyang’s character. In the movie, Chun Hyang has the life of an ordinary person, and she is not above the actions and emotions of an ordinary person (as displayed by the sex scenes). What makes Chun Hyang a heroine is her ability to stay true to her emotions in spite of what other people try to force her to do. Im Kwon Taek’s film is primarily about loyalty and staying true to one’s values more than it is about sex.

On another note, after watching the movie of Chun Hyang, I noticed that the main character of the movie really seems to be the governor’s son, and that I felt much more in tune with the emotions and thoughts of the governor’s son than with Chun Hyang. I felt like there were more close up shots of the male characters, and that Im Kwon Taek revealed the governor’s son’s thinking and personality more than that of Chun Hyang. Did Im Kwon Taek have a reason to do this?

Asian Images

As I watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s and write this post I can’t help but think about our readings and discussions of the relation of a text and image. What exactly happens when we bring a piece of literature to the screen or television? Do we lose or do we gain? And what remains of the literature that was adapted?

Timothy Corrigan talks about fidelity to a text in adapting literature to a film. Adapters often want to create or recreate their own interpretation while still maintaining some semblance of faithfulness to a text. In looking at the difference between the films discussed in Corrigan’s essay and the T.V. series adaptation of Goong, I can’t help but wonder if the same standards of fidelity apply to TV as to film. Goong the comic book has so many images and details that it’s hard to image a completely faithful representation of the book on screen. Comic books may be excluded in this since the images are already interpreted for us by the drawings (where as in a novel there are no pictures). Do you think a lot is lost in the translation from one medium to another? Do we look at Goong the same after see the images interpreted for us on screen? And if we did create Goong into a film, would it bring a piece of literature in a “low culture” as Corrigan suggests? Would this be making the assumption that all literature is high culture or is only classical or canonical literature high culture?

Another note on images, when we read a piece from NYT a few classes back, the article mentioned that Japanese characters were drawn with Caucasian features, something we noted was true for the characters in Goong (big round eyes, lighter hair, etc). Characters that were bad or needed to be vilified were drawn with Asian features. So in adapting Goong for TV, shouldn’t the characters be much more anglo-looking? If Caucasian features are considered most desirable, then why don’t directors use more anglicized characters versus very Asian characters? Are the characters we saw on the Princess Hours considered anglicized Asians?

Breaking Down Goong as Pop Culture

I have to agree with Melanie in that, I am also very glad Goong was included in the syllabus for us to study. It was obviously very pleasurable to study as I had absolutely no problem “taking a break” from my other school work to spend extra time to finish the first episode on YouTube, and was able to breeze through the comic. :)

Throughout watching and reading Goong, the answers that came up in class regarding the question “What is pop culture?” proceeded to turn up in my mind. The mediums in which Goong is presented not only are forms of current Korean pop culture, but the very plot itself can be thought of as a result of pop culture.

We identified pop culture as something that is mass produced, and accessible to the general population. The forms of comic and television drama in which Goong is presented are clear mediums that are examples of this. We also defined pop culture as something that is directed toward a specific age group or group of people. My guess is that Goong is most appealing to the pre-, adolescent, and young adult populations, as the characters fashion current styles and use certain contemporary lingo and slang. And Goong is most definitely a work that evokes pleasure and a realm of escapism, as the story starts off with the creator allowing us to imagine a modern Korea with a monarchy. “Yes, let’s imagine… …Instead of an empty, cold palace… …One that is made vibrant by the lives of the royal family” (Park 3).

I guess what intrigued me the most, regarding the works of Goong being pop culture, was applying Raymond William’s definition of culture- defined as “a particular way of life of people or period of group”- to Goong. The story of Goong includes a historical culture of the Korean monarchy, and it’s interesting to see how the writer/creator incorporated this “particular way of life” into a modern time setting. For example, such traditions as the queen’s quarters being separated from the king’s quarters, and the formal discourse and language style used by the royal family are kept within the plot. But contemporary dress is combined with traditional dress, as the men seem to consistently wear suits, while the royal women are in tradition clothes. This merge of folk/historical culture and modern culture gave me a clearer idea of what pop culture could be defined as. If taking William’s definition into the context of Goong, it could be seen as taking a historical way of life and merging it with a contemporary way of life that creates a certain fusion that could be called pop culture. .?(Or am I stretching it a little too far?)


On another note, did anyone else have a hard time getting through High-Pop, “Style and Perfection of Things”? I really struggled with the text... hopefully we’ll cover it in class?

Goong: Gender, Tradition, and "Koreanness"

I am SO glad that Goong, both the graphic novel and the television show, were included on the syllabus! I found them both to be very enjoyable, funny, and fascinating to study. The issue of gender that was brought up in class (regarding the HOT and g.o.d music videos) is also relevant in relation to Goong (in both mediums.) In the comic, the young male characters are physically portrayed as feminine. Prince Shin Lee’s long, styled hair, his well-shaped eyebrows, long eyelashes, and voluptuous lips are all feminizing features. His cousin Yul is drawn similarly. However, the older men in the comic, such as the King and Chae- Kyung’s father, are portrayed as masculine. What does this say about what younger generations find attractive? During the counter culture revolution in America in the 60s, it was stylish for men to grow their hair long, as a form of rebellion and going against the grain. Is the same true today in Korea? Is appearing feminine a way for a younger generation of men to set themselves apart from their parents? Perhaps it is also a reflection of South Korea’s political situation. Unlike in previous eras, this generation of Korean young men are not growing up during wartime (such as the Korean War), or during major upheavals (like the Kuanju riots). Could the popularity of a feminine look for males stem from the fact that they are not being asked to prove their “manliness” through fighting in a war or demonstrations? This idea may be a bit of a stretch...

In the television version of Goong, it is true that both Prince Shin Lee and his cousin have long hair, but in appearance, they do not exude the same kind of femininity as they do in the comic book; however, it is still interesting to examine how some of the male characters act. Chae-Kung’s father is the most gender-bending character in the show. He wears a flowery apron, pink cleaning gloves, and is domineered by his over-bearing wife. The fact that his wife is supporting the family and he is the one who is responsible for their debt exhibits un- stereotypical gender roles for television. Goong the television show is very much female-centered, and has many powerful female characters. Chae-Kung’s mother leads the family, and only empresses rule the palace (excluding the Princes, all of the male royalty is dead). In the comic, Chae-Kung’s grandfather is alive and involved in the marriage arrangement, but his character is absent from the television show. Maybe this change reflects modernity- where as historical monarchies were usually very male centered, this monarchy reflects modern Korea and women's emerging power?

This leads to thoughts about “Koreanness.” Although Chae-Kung’s father is depicted as a bumbling, silly character on the television show, both versions of Goong express the traditional Korean value of filial piety. The reason for the Prince and Chae-Kung’s marriage is to honor a promise made by their grandfathers; yet, simultaneously, Goong also exhibits the idea of changing Korean values. Doobo Shim, in Hybridity and the Rise Of Korean Popular Culture in Asia, writes, “The fact that Seo Taiji was a high school dropout but managed to earn a social respect and succeed financially influenced parents’ ideas about stardom. In a country where the average family viewed university entrance examinations for children as being of utmost importance, stardom came to be considered a new option for success” (37). This phenomenon is reflected in the fact that in both the comic and the television show, Chae- Kung is a very poor student, and in the television show, she attends an arts school for those wanting to be artists, fashion designers, dancers, and filmmakers.


- Melanie Lubin

Populist-Elitist Paradox

While reading An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture by Dominic Strinati this fall break, I began to wonder if the theories of populism and elitism are not a contradiction, but instead a paradox in constructing popular culture. The author describes that through populism, popular culture is not viewed as “an imposition, but as a more or less genuine expression of the voice of the people” (234). Populism understands popular culture gives the public what they are asking for. On the contrary, elitism is one theory that perceives the public as powerless to the influence of the media and popular culture. Strinati states “[elitism has] often seen audiences as full of passive unthinking dupes, open to manipulation and ideological control by the mass media and the culture they spread” (236). Through the elitist lens, there is a shift of power from the public to the media. Now we are amidst a battle – who is in charge of popular culture?

The new idea is that both, ordinary people and the influencing media are equally powerful but perhaps each group vests their interests in different aspects of popular culture. Strinati argues in a postmodern world, “we increasingly consume images and signs for their own sake rather than for their ‘usefulness’ or for the deeper values they may represent” (207). As a whole style and aesthetic appeal have become more and more important, swaying the public in what they choose to consume or not to consume. Possibly in packaging is where the “voice of the people” is being heard and represented. We want beautiful, thin, flexible pop stars. In our favorite television dramas, the characters are well-dressed and live in equally trendy apartments. The packaging has embodied exactly what we would want for ourselves. But as Strinati questioned earlier, what about the content?

As the public has created and satisfied itself with a lovely sense of style, I suggest that the mass media and larger institutions of power (government, churches, etc) have been able to fill are beautifully crafted vessels with whatever they choose. Popular culture in America is still loaded with messages promoting a patriarchal, white dominance. That issue is too large to delve into here, but in the diverse culture we live in, I question that those are messages the public demanding. It seems like an ideal opportunity for the dominant culture to sneak in and fill the empty space with its own agendas.

The populist-elitist paradox is maybe nothing more than supply and demand. It will be interesting to see whether the public takes complete control of popular culture, fully realizing the populism theory, to demand more than good-looking outer appearances.

Modern Concepts and Traditional Views - Personal Contemplation

“If the Pop Art period was, to a great extent, a matter of academy-trained artists taking forms of popular iconography into the rarified realm of museum art, high-pop represents the reversal of that flow by transforming Culture into mass entertainment” (Collins, 6).

As I read this statement in Jim Collins’s High-Pop, I immediately thought of G.O.D.’s music video of their song To My Mother. As Im Kwon-Taek used Sopyonje to acknowledge and modernize p’ansori, it seems that G.O.D. is using their music and popularity to keep Korean tradition alive. The song’s undertones of Confucianism, a defining part of Korean culture over the centuries, mixed in with the very urban, hip sounding music results in a unique Korean ‘high-pop’ sensation.

Contrast that with H.O.T.’s Candy. It obviously has no cultural significance, only aesthetic appeal… Right? I may be looking too far into this, or giving the boys more credit than they deserve, but I think that they’re almost a rebellion—straying as far from the cultural norm as acceptably possible (they don’t want to be too extreme, though, that would lose them their audience). First, take a look at the group members. Do any of them look masculine at all? No. One of the most appealing features of H.O.T. is their androgyny. Even the female that appears in the music video for Candy looks somewhat androgynous, with a curve-less body and a masculine jaw structure. Not to mention the western origins of the woman. It seems to me that Candy’s music video is the antithesis of translation tradition, nationalism, etc. in Korean culture.

With that in mind, I find it slightly ironic that H.O.T. and G.O.D. were rival boy bands. It’s almost as if the bands represented different political standings of that decade’s youth. G.O.D., the slightly conservative conformists, and H.O.T., the rebellious counter culture.

Differing Definitions of Nationalism in the Global Age

The content of the article read in class about Japanese comic books portraying Chinese and Korean populations negatively ties in a lot with chapter five of Im Kwon-Taek. In the age of globalization, the Japanese response has recently been to try to prove their own culture’s worth by painting other nations as inferior to them. In this way, Japan attempts to define its own sense of nationalism in a fast-paced and competitive industrialized world by claiming that they, as Asians, are far more like Western nations; therefore, they are superior to other Asian nations, and worthier of the fruits and successes of Western living. The negative effects of this course of action are that it is ironically degrading to the entire Asian continent, the Japanese included. In essence, rather than trying to define themselves as differentiated from (though perhaps not superior to) other Asian countries, the Japanese are insisting that they are really a part of the West, thus denying their heritage to a certain extent. In this way, they consider the attainment of Western ideals to be their goal, thus implying the West’s superiority.
The Korean nationalism described in “Sopyonje: Its Cultural and Historical Meaning” runs in a direction that is both diametrically opposite yet strangely similar in its ideology. The movie Sopyonje inspired “nostalgia for ‘our culture’” (p. 140) in Koreans at a time, the 1990’s, when the Korean movie and television industry had experienced a decline (p. 137). However, with this nostalgia comes the temptation to define one’s culture in ethnocentric terms of what the West does not have (p. 142-143). In this way, one still allows culture to be controlled by the Other. If all Korea can aspire to be is what the West lacks, then there can hardly be any room for original development and Korean identity becomes merely a silhouette of opposition to the West. Furthermore, what about all of the positive technological advances being imported from the West? Are they to be shunned by the Korean population? Doing so perhaps implies that technology and modernization are distinctly Western in character and cannot be comprehended by Koreans, rather than that Westerners merely invented some tools first which can then be expanded upon by Koreans.
In essence, it seems that a culture must be developed in independence of but not isolation from those of other cultures. A country should not try to instate an identity based on the denigration of other countries, especially those that share commonalities with it. Doing so merely implies that the Western identity is the more favorable one and that only the “fittest” Asian culture is worthy of that identity. A country also must not define itself in opposition to the West as that also gives Western ideals hegemony, in that they dictate what is not allowed in Eastern cultures. Ultimately, a culture should strive to see itself not in terms of what is Eastern or Western about it, but rather try to harmonize between modernization and tradition, retaining what it prizes while shifting to accommodate progressive changes that will benefit its people economically and technologically.

Traditions, Globalization, and Nationalism

Inventing Traditions by Eric Hobsbawm was an extremely interesting article and gave me a lot to think about in light of the other readings. Cho Hae Joang’s article on Sopyonje stated that “…the desire to find tradition and, within changed circumstances, revive it.” (138). This made me think, can a tradition that was “lost” be found and revived in the customary sense or does it become an invented tradition?

It’s important to define invented tradition, which Hobsbawm says is something which invokes or represents the past but is presented in a novel or new situation. A custom would be more of a historical ritual without the change in context. Does this mean that reviving p’ansori in a new and globalized culture makes it an invented tradition?

Also intriguing is the desire to revive a dead or dying custom at all. Like the step son in Sopyonje, it can seem pointless to perform an art which there is no longer a demand for. The art may have changed or disappeared completely, but there is no reason to continue a medium which essentially doesn’t exist anymore.

I think that the almost-debate going on here about nationalism and globalism can sort of be understood through the idea of invented tradition. As globalism takes hold, a nation and culture changes. This in turn can inspire a revival for more traditional culture, inventing traditions if you will. People begin practicing their old traditions in a new environment and perhaps in a modified way (for example, using modern amplification techniques when performing p’ansori) and invent a tradition. You can celebrate your national culture and identity through this created ceremony. It’s sort of like the hybridization that we read about a few classes ago. I don’t think nationalism and globalism have to be at odds.

But this does raise another question, if it is true that when an environment changes and a new tradition is revived or invented which invokes or represents the past, can we really hang on to any of our customs in their true forms?

Any thoughts?

Analyses of P'ansori Contradicting Gi Wook-Shin's Paradox of Korean Globalism

Contrary to Melanie, I actually found it even more difficult to agree with Gi-Wook Shin’s The Paradox of Korean Globalization after reading Im Kwon-Taek. Shin’s argument is basically that Korea’s desire to globalize goes hand-in-hand with Korean nationalism. Shin’s point on “nationalist appropriation of globalization” discusses how nations aim to globalize is, in Social Darwinist terms, a way of ensuring well-being of the nation… meaning that these opposite ideas are both goals of the same journey. Yet the two ideas are such polar opposites that it is not paradox but impossibility... It makes sense, yes, but it just seems far-fetched. It’s like saying, “I do not enjoy tobacco. I will rid the world of tobacco by smoking all the cigarettes in the world until there are none left.” (Excuse my lack of a better analogy…) Is Shin arguing that the two concepts of globalization and nationalism can be one in the same? Because I can still only think of the two different entities as black and white with no grey area in between.

In Chapter 5 of the reading in Im Kwon-Taek, we learn a little more about the movie and its plot in more detail, beyond the short clip we’ve seen in class--which shows the boy and girl being trained by their father. We learn that the boy leaves home because he sees p’ansori as financially unbeneficial and a way of the past, while the daughter/father remain faithful to the art. The boy holds the mindset of those in favor of globalization in a gradually westernizing society. In a sense, the boy can represent globalization as a whole while the girl represents nationalism--sticking to her roots and traditions. The two are separate, conflicting entities.

The movie then follows with the brother’s search for his sister again… After having been torn from his roots (the nationalism symbolized by the girl), perhaps he understands that there is something missing from his life, a part of him he left behind when he left his family. On a larger scale, it means that with globalism, it is inevitable for a piece of one’s national identity to be lost in the process. Yet in the end of the movie, the brother and sister part without even knowing one another’s identity… in the end, they are not united even after the brother’s search for her. It is a strange ending, yes, but it makes sense in this interpretation. Ultimately, the brother and sister cannot live an existence together… their values, their beliefs, their beings are too different. They cannot coexist.

I do, however, understand and agree Shin’s argument that “globalization can also awake people to their own local/national culture” (Shin, 9), as in the case with Im Kwon-Taek’s film. The boy’s search for his sister is a result of his decision to sacrifice his past way of life in order to start a new “modern” one. But can anything be done about it after the deed is done? Indeed “National identity becomes more important as globalization proceeds” (Shin, 9). This argument is legitimate, and even confirmed by what we have read from this week’s reading of Im Kwon-Taek. However, my interpretation of this relationship between the two ideas differ. While Shin argues that Globalization can promote Nationalism, the only way I can see that happening is if people realize how detrimental the former can be to the latter, leading to an attempt to counter the process of globalization as a whole to return to one’s roots. In this case, the two ideas are still contradictory… they may share a cause-and-effect relationship, but never a unified, mutual relationship.

Availability and High Pop

After reading High-Pop: An Introduction, I became much more aware of the integral part that marketing techniques and accessibility play in creating popular culture. Author Jim Collins explained how the manner in which products and people are marketed in combination with technology creates culture that is popular due to its availability. I was especially struck by Collins’ example of “opera stars…promoted like pop stars but singing the classical repertoire”(Collins 8). Classical music is a prime example of the elitist culture, which is seemingly completely contrary to popular culture. However, performers within the realm of a roped off culture can break into the mainstream with the right marketing techniques. Without a website, print stories, and music in digital format, any artist would have trouble succeeding in today’s market. However, by utilizing the available technology and putting products out in the public’s view, artists that would have been ignorantly passed over can reach out and develop a fanbase. In fact, classical music has been able to thrive online with the help of music download services like iTunes. Sales statistics have shown that classical music has been able to increasingly turn a profit because the Internet makes it more accessible.
(See http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/arts/music/28kozi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin).Without high ticket prices and social stigmas, the Internet has make listening to classical music an equal opportunity pastime.

Additionally, I believe the example of classical music can be easily translated to the so-called “Korean wave”. Marketing and the Internet allow Korean artists to project their work out into the world and find audiences beyond their home country. The film Sopyonje made p’ansori performances more marketable, thanks to Im Kwon-Taek, who made a touching, well made film that found audiences across the world. By using a mainstream medium, film, to raise awareness about p’ansori and Korean traditions, Im Kwon-Taek successfully made those traditions more appealing to his audience. The example of the film Sopyonje makes me think that seemingly any tradition or product can be made popular with the right approach. I am much more aware that it may not be the products or ideas themselves, but rather the way they are marketed which determines their popularity, and the manner in which they are regarded by the masses, the elite, and the critics.