This blog is dedicated to everyone who is interested in Korean culture so feel free to ask about anything that you might be curious about. I'll post photos and reports. Maybe a few recommendations as well. - Kinga, 22, Hungary.
The 12th Korean Film Festival takes place in four different cities and six different cinemas in Hungary throughout a week starting on Friday (25th of October, 2019). The event is organized each year with the help of the local Korean Cultural Centre located in Budapest. This time it included four categories of various genres, an opening and an ending movie that were chosen by the organizers. The opening movie happened to be Bong Joon Ho’s Golden Palm Award winner Parasite that drew such a big audience that it filled the biggest room of the capital city’s Corvin Mozi.
After the South Korean ambassador‘s speech, the movie begin and I have to admit that it was funnier than I would have thought considering the director’s unique filmography. While I was sitting beside my friends with a bucket of popcorn in my hands, we could hear the audience laugh out loud several times because of the mocking way of the director’s excellent social criticism. The movie portrays how obsessed people are with internet, how drastically the priorities have changed over the years and how vulnerable an acquaintanceship-based society can be.
Long story short, the Parasite is about a poor family that invades a wealthy household under fake names, with fake identities as the mother of the rich family is nice but very much simple. She believes that people who are recommended by someone that she already knows are more reliable than people unbeknownst to her. She once states that she doesn’t care about papers until the tutor or the art therapist she hires is complimented by another party whom she trusts in. This mindset is what the members of the poorer family takes advantage of.
As the story goes by and eventually all members of the poor family get a job at the mansion, there is a moment when everything seems perfectly fine. Well, that’s also when all hell breaks loose. When the wealthy family goes for a birthday trip and the mansion is supposed to be empty, the fired housekeeper knocks on its door and begs the current employee to let her in for a second. The mother of the poor family waits until her children and husband hides and lack of a better idea, she lets in the soaked woman who is standing in the downpour. This is when she basically throws their luck out of the window.
The story gets a tragical yet meaningful ending and there are very important messages that it conveys for example that life never stops no matter how screwed up it turns out to be. As the saying claims as well, man plans and God laughs. In my opinion, this is one hell of a logline that could describe this masterpiece. It’s strongly recommended to watch.
This week I show you my favourite Korean performances from the Night of Museums in Budapest which include a small part of a traditional song played on the Gayageum and four traditional dances - two with hand-fans, one with swords and one with some colourful textile.
Sadly I couldn’t upload video files from my desktop to this text-based post because it only allows youtube links therefore I decided to upload them all one by one to the blog and turn this post into a masterpost instead. I hope you will enjoy.
.:performance list:.
traditional song played on the Gayageum
traditional dance with hand-fan (one performer)
traditional dance with hand-fan (more performers)
traditional dance with swords
traditional dance with colourful textile
Have you ever participated in an event like this one? If you had the opportunity, would you learn traditional Korean dances?
This dance was performed by Hungarians as well. Even though I missed the explanation to this choreography which means I cannot tell what was it inspired by, it was my favourite right after the group dance with hand-fans therefore I could not leave it out of the list. (if anyone knows the origin or the name of this traditional dance, feel free to share the information with me)
The sword dance was also performed by Hungarians. The choreography was inspired by a talented sword dancer, Hwangchang, who had lived in the ancient Silla and had gotten executed by the military of Baekje after he had killed their king during one of his performances. According to the legends, people in Silla had showed their respect and sorrow at the death of Hwangchang by dancing with swords and a mask on their faces that had resembled the boy.
The other traditional dance with hand-fans was performed by the members of the dance class of the local Korean Culture Center. This choreography was originally created by a Korean emperor who had been inspired by the beauty of nature. When one watched it from the right angle, the fans formed flowers, butterflies and birds. It was amazing to see the patterns coming to life.
This choreography was performed by a Korean woman who was able to stay composed regardless of the mistake the Hungarian crew made with the mixed up music. The audience gave her a massive applause for acting so professional.
This song was performed by two zealous Hungarian girls who are still learning how to play the Gayageum well. They asked the audience in advance to bear with their mistakes and enjoy the melody that they chose especially for this event. They performed a lot more than one song and linked them with the help of a third girl who read Korean poems out loud for the audience.
There is an incredibly tiny museum in the heart of Budapest called Hopp Ferenc Museum that turned one hundred years old this year and was founded after the First World War by a Hungarian traveller who was also an enthusiastic collector of Oriental art pieces. In his last will and testament he left his collection of 4000 pieces and his home to the Hungarian State to establish a museum for different kinds of Asian cultures named after him. This is how everything started.
Last week during the Night of Museums in Budapest, along with dozens of other places, the Hopp Ferenc Museum was also free of charges once the visitors had paid for the relatively cheap ticket of the main event. For a night, those who are interested in the Asian cultures could watch not only the current exhibition but also the colourful programmes that the organizers arranged with the help of the local embassies and culture centres. The visitors could put on traditional clothes like the Korean hanbok, eat delicious meals and try their best to write down their own names or other words in Chinese or Korean.
Those who preferred to remain amongst the silent observers could watch the local and foreign performers from all around the Asian continent. The representatives of the Korean Culture Centre performed traditional dances with hand-fans and swords and songs played on a long zither with twelve strings called Gayageum. Even though most of the performers were Asians, the Korean unit included many zealous students of the Culture Centre who were seemingly proud to be able to show their talents and knowledge about the country.
Being a part of the audience, it was heartwarming to see how many people were actually interested in the programmes and how long the queues were in front of the tables where the visitors could learn a pinch of the Asian culture. There was literally no open space around the stage either that might have made the experience a bit uncomfortable but overall the provided show made up for all the inconvenient factors like the mass, the hot weather and the mosquito bites. I would have never thought that Budapest has such a lovely place to treasure and appreciate the beauty of the Asian cultures but I'm grateful that it exists.
Have you ever tried to learn Korean or the Korean alphabet? How is your name in Korean?
To start a wonderful tradition, I decided to share my favourite Korean series and movies with you this time, showing you that the Korean film industry indeed has its own gems that worth every second that one can spend in front of the screen of their computer.
Since finding quality websites is not always as easy as it sounds, I would like to recommend you the one that I found a few years back. Even though there are ads in the beginning and in the middle of the episodes, they are not that annoying. {click here}
The first series I chose is Goblin because this is one of those series I started while it was still ongoing and I usually don’t do such a thing. Yet, back then everyone was head over heels for both the plot and the characters of this kdrama (my favourite one was obviously the grim reaper) therefore I was curious whether it is really that good or simply just mainstream. It turned out to be both and being the first Korean supernatural series I saw it has a special place in my heart. Also, the poem about first love during the first part of the drama when Eun Tak marvels at the autumn leaves is pure beauty.
He’s psychometric is a pretty new kdrama that made me addicted within a blink of an eyes - although it’s true that the first episode I saw was the third one actually but where is fun in watching everything in the appropriate order. It is about a young man who is able to read objects and traumas of people and about a crime in which he lost his parents. It has dozens of interesting layers, it is well-structured and full of amazing characters and thrilling plot twists. The main leads (all four of them) made an excellent job and even the less important characters were fun to watch. Lee Ahn’s personality is charming, complex and easy to fall for.
Healer is first kdrama I have ever seen. This was that one particular series that sucked me in and kept me here ever since. I remember watching the first episode with scepticism and getting bored halfway then seeing the very last minute of it and falling. The plot was amazing, fresh, something that was able to keep me in front of the scene for hours. I think I finished it within four days and also made one of my friend watch it because it is a must. Thinking about it, I can feel nostalgia running through my veins. A story of the tragedy of parents, the liberty of speech, the power of love and lots of action. The perfect combination.
Train to Busan is not a series but a movie that might sound boring if we think about all the zombie movies that had been made during the past few decades yet is interesting to watch when one gives it a chance. I saw it with my best friend and we both liked it especially the ending since it was unexpected. Of course there were times when we exchanged knowing glances and sighed heavily at some scenes but overall it is still a favourite. The good guy is charming, the teenagers are foolish, the bad man is selfish. The writer, the director and every single actor made a good and realistic job.
Another first, this time the first Korean movie that I have seen. Truth to tell, the plot surprised me a bit since I did not watch the trailer in advance and those powerful scenes that the movie contains were also shocking. The suffering and the unnerving uncertainty that all the characters feel are very much real and fill the eyes of the audience with tears. Even though I could not recall the whole story, the feeling remained and that is what tells that it is a good movie.
What is your favourite kdrama or Korean movie? Would you recommend something you are still watching or finished currently?
When I was looking for the most suitable Korean dramas for my thesis a few months prior, I came across a plenty of them with quite similar plots that got me thinking whether in the endless ocean of cliche series it is indeed possible to find the pearls hidden in shells on the bottom. Therefore I asked around and soon realized that most people in my age know nothing about k-dramas with unique concepts and well-built characters which makes them think that the film industry of South Korea is just another Asian cliche factory with flying warriors and men with ridiculously long hair.
In Hungary there is hardly any Korean series on TV with Hungarian dub and those that are on air are mostly historical dramas for the older generation, broadcasted in the early afternoon when high schoolers and university students with part-time jobs are still in school or working. Due to their lack of time and suitable programmes, most students got the information about Korean series from their grandparents that gives the whole thing a slightly awkward feeling since having interest in the very same freetime activity as old people have is not something youngsters and young adults can bond with.
Even though it would be nice to break down the prejudice that young people markedly feel against Korean dramas, until the language barrier is a very much real obstacle for those who can only speak on their native language and the local movie industry does not feel the need to make dubs for series that could entertain a wider range of consumers, there is no way people will let go of their revulsion when they hear the word k-drama. They will stick to the mainstream, the well-known, the familiar, the American. And they will talk about Korean movies and series as if they were lame in general even though they most probably do not know anything about the industry.
Bandwagon effect means that people tend to follow trends that many other around them also follow even if those trends are not particularly close to their heart at first. The negativity dissolves thus things that are already popular remains on the top and less popular things never get too close to the spotlight. This is the same with western and eastern movies too. American films and series don’t have to have quality content anymore. They only need to be American to count as something fancier than Korean dramas. At least now, at least in Hungary, at least for people in my age.
As I already mentioned it in my previous post, the pop culture of Korean music is far beyond BTS therefore I decided to make a list of my top5 favourite bands and artists including Day6 with short explanations and personal stories.
So let’s start the list with Day6 as they were my ultimate example of unique bands on Saturday. The song I chose from them is not a brand new one and shame on me I only got familiar with it on the concert in Berlin but it’s one of my favourites ever since because it has a really powerful refrain. I was literally searching for it for days after the event just because of the impact it left on me. Even though the lyrics is far from happy - Day6 has dozens of amazing break up songs for the record -, somehow it always makes me want to dance and smile or just walk down the streets with a headphone atop my head, humming. Not to mention the members’ amazing skills. They are just splendid in the best way possible.
The next kpop group is IKON and the song I chose isn’t their newest either but rather the first one I fell in love with. That time a few months prior I couldn’t tell the members from each other yet but both rappers are so gifted that I couldn’t care less about who is who. They stole my heart within a split second. Maybe it’s because of my Eminem era back in the good old elementary school years but most of the time when I start fancy a group I pay attention to the rappers more than the singers although talent comes hand in hand. With this group it’s also true. Their (late) leader Kim Hanbin is a born prodigy. He produces and writes a lot of songs, sings and raps as well. They deserve to have millions of fans, that’s something I’m 100% sure of.
Another talented group of seven that I started to stan when my best friend showed me a hella lot of music videos and with my eyes closed I asked her to tell me the name of the member who sings a certain part of one of their songs. It happened to be Kihyun and I have a weak spot for him ever since. Of course my rapper lover ass soon started to like Jooheon too and all the other members as well but the fact that he is the first kpop singer (other than Jungkook) who impressed me more than rappers do will always have a special place in my heart.
Hyuna is the first ever female idol whose songs I started to frequently listen to because before her I mostly listened to boy bands and I still do. I don’t know why is it a thing that I prefer male artists although giving it a second though it might be because most girl groups are too girly for my taste. Hyuna on the other hand is badass with such a strong on-stage persona that watching her you want to be just like her. She is sexy, wild and straightforward. A true role model.
Speaking of girly girl bands, MAMAMOO is one of the few exceptions. Their music is unique and the song I chose is in my head for weeks now. It’s not a new one either nor the first one that I listened to when I get familiar with their work but it’s sure catchy and easily to like. Every single member of this group is amazing, they are talented in many aspects and fun to follow through social media. Solar’s youtube channel is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. She always makes me smile which is a good thing if you consider how unhappy my generation is in general.
Do you have other kpop groups that you stan but didn’t make it to my list? Send an ask, write a recommendation or just simply the reason why you happen to like them. I’m more than curious.
Most people around me have this shallow way of thinking when it comes to Korean music. All they see is fancy clothes, glitter, colourful hair colours and idols jumping on stage as if they would suddenly forget that music in general has dozens of different layers as all genres are unlike the others. Maybe it is because people who usually listen to American or other English-speaking music already understand the lyrics therefore they can identify themselves with their messages easier or they simply do not care about the Korean culture enough to give less popular bands a try. But what is true is true, ever since BTS became a worldwide phenomenon, people tend to associate Korean music with them as if other genres and bands wouldn’t exist. Their amazing performances became the core of a stereotype that seems to be incontestable thus those who do not know where to search will probably never find bands like Day6 who are far from typical Korean idol groups.
In late January I had the chance to attend a Day6 concert with three of my friends in Berlin and ever since that day the first word that comes to my mind thinking of them is breathtaking. Since I am still a university student with all its perks and mishaps I usually do not spend my money on concerts let alone a concert in a foreign country but somehow my friends found a cheap flight, a cheap accomodation and well, the concert tickets for my biggest surprise were also affordable compared to other famous performers’ concerts therefore I was willing to give it a go. And how grateful I am that I did. The live show they gave us was absolutely worthwhile.
A few years back I went to a music festival with some other friends and I remember how disappointed I felt when the artist was ten minutes late, performed six or seven songs then said goodbye as one finished their job on a tiresome Friday afternoon. Well, Day6 wasn’t like that. They markedly enjoyed themselves, joked around between shorter sessions and danced like there was no tomorrow, occasionally speaking in English to make themselves understood by those who had traveled a lot just to see them yet don’t understand Korean. They sang a lot like more than twenty songs in total with the same passion and never once acted as if it was a job for them or as if the audience should have been thankful for their efforts. The way they treated their fans as if we were a part of their band was fascinating and did bring each member of the fandom a bit closer. For those few hours we became a part of something magical and it was okay to not understand each other’s language or even the band’s language. They made it happen through emotions.
And this is what music should be about. It is supposed to connect people and not drift them apart because of all those stereotypes people have nowadays. Instead of pointing at someone laughing at them because they listen to kpop, you should ask why do they like those particular songs that they are fond of and what do those tracks bring to their lives. Most likely there is something meaningful behind the catchy words that most people cannot even tell from each other.
Do you also have a story about one of the Korean performers you like? Feel free to share it with the world.
