Korea Music: K-pop

Korea Wave

'Psy, 빅뱅, EXO, 동방신기, 소녀시대, 슈퍼주니어......'

Have you ever heard these names before? If you have interest about Korea music, above names will be very familiar. They are famous Korea singer and groups. These days, such Korea music has become popular not only in Korea but also outside of Korea. They called Korea music as K-pop. We can easily see that lots of foreigner fans are enthusiastic to them in overseas performances. Many foreigner fans are even coming to Korea to learn Korean and Korean culture through K-pop. Today, I will focus on those passionate K-pop fans in this posting.

Fandom of K-pop

Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. In music, the people who love same singer make fandom and call themselves as unique name like 'Bigbang': V.I.P, 'Shinee': Shinee world, 'Super Junior': Elf and so on.... In Korea, fandom culture becomes huge in size and scale, and foreigners also actively participated in K-pop fandom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKx3kZAsOCQ

 Positive 

Some fan's excessive gift for star has been issued. One fan club posted advertisement in bus or subway to celebrate their star's events like album releasing, birthday. Its expense exceeded 100 million won. Another case was Super Junior got pure gold trophy that costs also over 100 million won from Chinese fans. Chinese rich fans often present expensive gift like building, apartment...to their star.
 Nowadays, such gifts are experiencing change of form. Many fans are donating for their star's name in some speicial day to increase their star's reputation instead of just giving high-price gift directly. Such change is spreaded and makes good impact not only Korean fans but also oversea fans, and now many donating acts are done throughout the world.

 Negative  

Anti-Fan

An anti-fan is someone who enjoys writing, discussing or in some cases making derivative works about a piece of media, but solely for the purpose of railing against or parodying it. Anti-fans usually specify the fandom they are opposed to within their name, e.g. Anti-Twilight fans. It is common for large anti-fandoms to gather in groups, usually on forums and sites, to share their mutual aversion. These are coined anti-fan clubs, and some are substantial enough to become anti-fan sites. For one example, 유노윤호 of 동방신기, one of the most famous K-pop star got orange juice terror from anit-fan. The glue was added in the orange juice, so he was troubled with it and suffered mental disorder for some time.

 

 

 

Stalking-Fan

Korean famous singer especially some 'Idols' are suffuring stalking fans. They are violating star's privacy and give big damage to their daily life. Right picture is one of fan trespassed star's home and took his sleeping picture. Also, they sell star's underwear that stealed from their home, hair, personal information and so on. Other country's stalking-fans are also being serious. They spent lots of money to see Korean stars, so they think principal and acts more mindlessly.






As Korea music(K-pop) gets more popularity, more various mondial fans are loving them and its number will increase for many years to come. That much, we need to establish sound fandom culture for development of K-pop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your reding ^^ 

Plastic Surgery Tourism in Korea

Korea Plastic Surgery

 

Do you Know Gangnam Style?

In Korea, plastic surgery is regarded as normal and many people are doing it that much. Especially, Gangnam is famous for lots of plastic surgery. Maybe you have heard 'Gangnam sister'. It means when you go to the Gangnam, you can see similiar face's beautiful women who did plastic surgery.



Look at below graph. Korea ranks world top 1 in the rate of plastic surgery per population. This number includes foreigners who did plastic surgery in Korea. Korea has the best technology of plastic surgery all over the world because Korean put emphasis on apperance and they are very strict to it. Standing with this reputation, more and more foreigners are coming to Korea for their plastic surgery.

Plastic Surgery Tourism

Plastic surgery is becoming one course of Korea tourism. Especially, as the K-drama '별에서 온 그대' has been popular in China, many China people want to be like the role's appearance of that drama, '천송이' or '도민준'.

 

 

China tourists

Korea government is also welcoming the tourists of China. That is china tourists's expenses in Korea for plastic surgery can help economic stimulation. They do plastic surgery, and buy luxury sunglasses and cosmetics in department store. Also, plastic surgery tourism is usually long-term tour, so its revenue is far much than others. Even, some chineses come periodically and spend lots of money in Korea. So, Korea Toursim Organization is marketing Korea plastic surgery tour actively in China.




 The number of such tourists are becoming more and more pile up. For last 5 years, its number is increased about 5 times.

 

 

 

 

O Thank you for your reading O

 

Multi-cultural Family in the country

Multi-cultural Family

In the past, Korea regardes as a single-race nation, but nowadays, many foreigners are coming to Korea for lots of reasons such as working, education and so on. The family that consists of one Korean and one foreigner parent is multi-cultural family. As the number international marriage is increasing since 1990's, the rate of multi-cultural family becames more and more larger as below graph.

 

 

 

Then, what is problem?

Lots of multi-cultural families in Korea consist of foreign female of Southeast Asia or china and Korean man who are living in country. In country, there are not many young women, so men are hard to marriage and finally, they buy their wife from Southeast Asia that the level of economy is low than Korea. Below table shows the ratio of international marriage men and women in Korea. You can easily find female is far larger than male.

 

 

 

Then from now on, I will focus problem of the multi-cultural family that is composed with international marriage of Korean country men and Southeast Asia or China women.

 

Family Violence

 

 

Some Korean men violent their foreigner women or their child because they mostly didnot marry with true love. 

 

Discrimination

Multi-cultural family can experience race discrimination because of their apperance.

Economic Problem

 



As you can see in this chart, most of multi-cultural family can not earn lots of money. The biggest part of their family income per month is 1 million ~2 million won. This is very low compared with others. Foreign women are hard to get a job because they cannot speak Korean well, so they easily suffer from economic problems.

Child Education

 Multi-cultural family child used to learn their language later than others because mother cannot use Korean well, so it affects to children's development of education level.

 

 

 

 

Jeolla-do Province                       

 

In Jeolla-do Province, there are lots of country still, so the rate of international marriage is most high in Korea. Actually, large rate of multi-cultural families that I treated in this blog posting are linving in this province.  

 

 

Thank you for your reading~^^*



North Korean Defectors in Korea (Paju)

 North Korean defector

These days, there are many people who came from North Korea and settle in South Korea. We call them as North Korean defector. The number of these people is increasing constantly.

 

How they adapt to South Korea?

Korea government try to help those people to adapt well in South Korea. Let's look some ways of it.

 

1. North Korean refugee school

Korea manages school for those defector students. In this school, they can get some education needed to adapt well for free.

 

This is a program '남남북녀' that South Korean man and North Korean woman do as they are getting married. In this program, they visit North Korean refugee school.

 

 

2. Support fund

They can get support fund from government when they come to South Korea. They will get 20 million won for resettlement aid, 13 million won for housing funds, and 7 million won for their living expense.

 

 

3. Settlement Support Center for North Korean Refugees(Hanawon)

Hanawon is a institution to educate defectors to settle in South Korea social belonged to NIS.

 

 

 

4. Unification Village in Paju

Paju is a city located most closed with North Korea in Gyeonggi Province. In there, South korea government makes unification village that some North korean defectors are living.

 

 

Other Sights of Paju

1. Imjingak Pyeonghoa-Nuri

This is a complex cultural space meaning the reunification of North and South over the peace and reconciliation. Taking opportunity of the World Peace Festival in 2005, Imjingak became big national tourist resort with wide lawn plaza, pleasure dome and Imjingak Observatory and so on.

 

 

2. Provence village

 A village of fashion and romance in Paju

3. Wisdom of the forest library

This library opens for 24 hours and all the books in this library consist of donated things.

 

4. Jaunseowon Confucian Academy

This is Historic Site of Yulgok with his portrait.

 





 

 

Thank you for your reading:>

 

 



Gumi: Techno City

Gumi

 Do you know Gumi, located in Gyeongsangbuk-do? Then, do you know where our cell phones or computers are came from? Actually, lots of electronic products including Smartphones, computers are made in Gumi!! Gumi is not very famous for tourist, foreigner and probably to some Koreans, but Gumi is working very hardly even at this moment.

 

 Industrial complex

In 1970's, Gumi National Industrial Complex are built, and now it is the largest inland industrial and High-tech exports complex in Korea. Many companies like Samsung, LG factories are located in Gumi. Such companies,that is in Gumi, also contribute to Gumi's development in the aspects of culture and education by giving some benefits to this city by way of return.

 

 

 

 

Home of President Park Chunghee 

 President Park was born in Gumi, so he tried to develop Gumi. 

 





 

 

 

The Sights

Geumosan Provincial Park

You can see the panorama of Gumi. It also has cable car and near this mountain, lots of tasty restaurants are.



Thank you for your reading ))

Korean Education City: Cheongju

Cheongju

 This city is located in Chungcheongbuk-do, and actually Cheongju was famous for high quality education since long time ago. There are some reasons why we call Chengju as education city. 

1.   Iron Flagpole of Yongdusa Temple Site          

 

This was a temple site of Koryo dynasty, and in there we can see the letter of a man of title: 학원경(學院卿) and 학원낭중(學院郞中), that means superintendent of educationthe in that era. This indicates that Cheongju was the place that had main national education institue and grew talent since Koryo dynasty.

 

2. Jikjisimcheyojeol

 

 Jikji, existing world best metal print book, was published directly in Chengju. Jikji is the evidence of high level education.

 

3. Cheongju hyanggyo, the Confucian temple and school to teach local students in the Joseon Dynasty period

 

Cheongju hyanggyo was known for one of the best. This succeeds its existence until now.

 

4. In the time of enlightenment, starting region of modern education in Korea

 

 

As you saw until now, in the aspects of Korean history,

Cheongju has been the city of education. 

 

*FOOD*

1. Dotorimuk

 

2. Olgaengi Soup

 

Thank you for Reading^^

 

 

 

 

Korean Food City: Jeonju

Jeonju

 Jeonju is UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Jeonju was one of the represenatative cities in Joseon era. It was dynasty city that had shrine of king. Also, it roled as the logistics hub of Jeolla that was breadbasket. Nowadays, Jeonju is typical culture city of traditional Korea and traditional foods.

  Food Festival

 Every year, Jeonju holds food festival as their reputation of food city. There are lots of foods and experience programs.

 

 

  Street Food

These days, many tourists find Jeonju for their street food that became famous through social network like Facebook. Following pictures are what I ate among various foods during my Jeonju trip.

 

  Jeonju Bibimbap

Jeonju is the city of bibimbap. Bibimbap has developed adjusting to region, but among them, jeonju bibimbap is the most famous thing for their taste and history. Especially, the harmony of various vegetables and yukhoe is great. They even hold bibimbab festival.

 

 

  Sightseeings

1. Hanok Village(Korean traditional house village)

 

2. Jeondong Church

3. Gyeonggijeon Hall

 This is the place that has the portrait of the first king of the Joseon Dynasty, Yi Seong-gye.

 

Thank you for reading:>