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.
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?
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?
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.
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Can’t believe this really happened...I WENT TO KOREA!!
Check out my vlog to see some of the highlights of my trip. I still have more videos & photos to upload + articles to follow. This may also be helpful (and I hope inspiring) to those who are interested in becoming a Korea.net honorary reporter too.
Can't thank Korea Clickers Korea Net enough for inviting me and other honorary reporters to tour Korea. THE DREAM TRIP WITH THE DREAM TEAM! Everything was just amazing...from the company, to the breathtaking sights and of course I can't forget about the dishes that gave us a 'food baby' each day.LOL
