Hello,
it's important for me to say where it all began. My fascination with Korean culture and its social aspects began with the example set by King Sejong for his people.
I visited the country, living in Songpa-gu (the Jamsil area), walking a lot and observing the daily life of Koreans. I also visited many important places and tourist attractions (Namsan Tower and its fantastic 360-degree view, Gyeongbokgung Palace and the beautiful Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, Insa-dong and Tapgol Park, where the revolution against Japanese oppression began, and of course the Olympic Park, rich in sculptures by artists from all over the world, Gangnam... and other places...)
Culture manifests itself in many aspects of life, and for Korea, food is a fundamental part of this culture. The names of the dishes are difficult to remember, but I ate several typical dishes (except for the still-living octopus and those smelly cow intestines), and the big revelation was the legendary kimchi. There are many side dishes available in Korean culinary culture, and I tasted everything with curiosity, and I never felt sick (there are many spicy things).
K-Webtoon:
As for webtoons, I've read several and generally check them out often. The typical structure of webtoons, which makes them endless, with lots of episodes, often makes me tired of following everything. But being an illustrator/comic creator, I've come to appreciate the narrative in terms of the “time” technically represented in webtoons. Vertical scrolling naturally implies the passage of time. In comic strips, we are used to time passing through captions. In webtoons, instead, time becomes a “physical” action. This is a major revolution in narrative technique.
If I'm not mistaken, webtoons were invented in 2012. These digital comics are read by 6 million people every day. These are impressive numbers compared to the old Western system and the attention that this unique medium is losing.
K-drama:
I watched a few K-dramas and movies, the legendary Goblin (도깨비), also known as “The Lonely and Great God,” the drama based on the webtoon “True Beauty,” and many others in the zombie genre. The last one was “Newtopia” with Jisoo, which was very funny.
K-Variety Show:
The shows I enjoy watching on YouTube are mainly “Knowing Bros” (my favorite host is Lee Soo Geun (이수근)) and several others related to K-pop.
K-Beauty:
I also buy Korean face creams through Amazon. We are certainly talking about excellence, compared to Western products (no offense intended).
K-Fashion:
Korean fashion is one of the most visually striking aspects. Beyond the stage presence of musical idols, where inventiveness and amazement are necessary and mandatory (we could compare this phenomenon to the fashion of Western glam rock bands in the 1980s), in reality, the fashion seen on the streets every day offers creative ideas even in simple clothes.
There is a large import of clothes from the West, and a practical example is the long “down coat” or “long puffer jacket” (I don't know which term is more correct), which necessarily reaches down to the feet to protect against the harsh winter. Lately, it's no longer a fashion trend but certainly remains a “typical example.” In general, the Korean tendency to mix and match is very noticeable.
As with food, the need to mix and experiment is an integral part of modern Korean culture. There is great curiosity in all aspects of life, and I believe this stems primarily from the Korean people's desire to “come out of their shell,” to rebel against the oppression they have historically suffered in order to experiment and grow independently, developing a unique identity.
I saw oversized sweaters, large writings, combinations of materials and shapes. Something that we in the West are really not used to seeing.
But in Korea, things change quickly; it's often about trends.
The visual effect is also unusual, because Koreans are generally smaller in stature (although we are now seeing big changes, with young people becoming more athletic and paying a lot of attention to body care in the gym).
Western trends dictate crop tops and ripped jeans, but it's easy to see how young women have no problem showing off their legs in very short miniskirts, because they always wear shorts underneath. Bare legs are often seen even in winter. The wonders of DNA.
Among the peculiarities in clothing, there are also slippers, in various shapes, often used as footwear (even when temperatures are close to freezing). While for us Westerners slippers are generally synonymous with relaxation at home or a typical item for the beach, for Koreans they are simply practical footwear, as they walk around barefoot at home, taking advantage of the heat coming from the floor (which is why they have a habit of sitting on the floor, even though they have sofas).
K-pop:
When it comes to K-pop, there is a lot to say.
Since the days of traditional Trot music, which emerged Japanese occupation, many things have changed. K-pop clearly represents the art of mixing cultures, colors, and “souls” in the modern era. Koreans are masters at this, offering probably the widest spectrum of musical entertainment in the world. While the West has defined genres and standards for the masses, Korea manages to mix everything together, creating something new and overwhelming. Korea is so “full” of K-pop that, in order to survive, it has been trying to approach the West for years now. While Hallyu (한류 - the Korean Wave) was initially a cultural necessity to show itself to the world, it is now more necessary than ever to maintain the entire industry. And people are liking it because it really offers something new that is starting to set trends.
I'm not a fan of Blackpink or BTS, but if Mr. Lee Soo-man (이수만) of SM Ent. was the ambassador of Hallyu, YG is, in my opinion, the best example of an innovative company. Yang Hyun-suk (양현석) the creator of YG, was, along with Seo Taeji (서태지) and the band “Seo Taiji and Boys,” the driving force behind the revolution that led to the media power of K-pop. I think Yang Hyun-suk is currently having a lot of fun with the Babymonster project. A new cycle of innovation, which openly recalls those times of experimentation by Seo Taiji and Boys. The Babymonsters are very young and very talented. Truly incredible in my opinion.
I think there are only two great miracles in K-pop music entertainment: Twice and Babymonster. Of course, there are many other examples of musical projects that have made history. From 2NE1, also from YG, and even though the “idol” phenomenon originated in Japan, SM Ent.'s band H.O.T. certainly set the standard for the modern "idol management system". H.O.T. was the first K-Pop group to achieve huge success and create a mass fandom, effectively paving the way for the international expansion of Hallyu.
I still have a lot to discover and I hope to return to Korea as soon as possible. Even though trends are increasingly turning towards America, standardizing habits and ways of dressing, there are still typical details to appreciate if you look closely.
I enjoyed participating in this initiative. Thank you for reading if you've made it this far. Ciao.