In keeping with the idea this was a cultural visit rather than a holiday, wet days offered an opportunity to go and see some museums whilst also exploring other neighbourhoods. This post briefly covers museums visited. I don't try and provided huge detail because that's all available on line for those interested. Rather I touch on some small or other notable points that caught my attention for whatever reason. Palaces Museum Having ventured out in spite of what turned out to be 3 days of pretty constant rain, The Palaces Museum, adjacent to Gyeongbokgung, was my first museum stop. Sadly an entire floor of permanent exhibits was closed. However, amongst other things, I came across an excellent digital immersive rendition of a very famous exploratory narrative from the 16th Century, captured in a folding screen landscape painting of the 19th Century. Follow the link to look at the picture more closely. Of interest, although I may be making a connection that doesn't exist, ...
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Korean Drama
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K Drama has been my gateway to thinking about Korea. Its extended history; its national culture and the extraordinary recent history of a nation divided by war and ideology. South Korea's Korean Wave approach to spreading its culture globally has propelled it to first world status in just a few decades, with K drama consumption by a global audience (I am not alone!) regularly placing K dramas in several of the Netflix top 10 streaming spots. And, whilst I realise that not all K dramas will be to everyone's taste, I'm certain that every taste is catered for.
But first .....
By way of musical provision to play in the background, here's a YouTube playlist of a recent K Drama entitled Castaway Diva, starring Park Eun-Bin. Renowned for her great on screen presence and off screen personality, her singing in this series, telling the tale of a teenager escaping an abusive family life to attend a singing audition, exposed a previously untapped dimension to her talents.
So much more than Squid Game
If you mention watching Korean dramas it's quite usual for the response to be "Oh, like Squid Game and Parasite.....?" often reflecting the limit of peoples' Korean viewing. And whilst they are excellent productions, they aren't really typical.
Idols and fandom are a fundamental part of how the Koreans see their actors and actresses. In the west one often hears of top stars having difficult relationships with fans, or their stardom giving a license to behave badly. The impression I have of the Korean version is that the drama is but one component of the industry. The way in which drama storylines develop is often influenced by the reaction of fans; and fans, agents and sponsors expect high standards and role model behaviour. Fan events are big parts of the overall package.
If you've browsed my K Drama scrapbook you can reasonably question whether my time is well spent, but you won't be able to question my commitment! My experience has made me a big, no huge, fan of many of these Korean stars. One such is Park Eun-Bin. A highly watchable and talented actor, this article from the South China Morning Post echoes my sentiments entirely.
Park Eun-Bin: Extraordinary Attorney Woo; Do you like Brahms?; Castaway Diva, The King's Affection
Browsing the internet and online databases makes it easy to collect material. Here are two more examples, these of Ji Chang-Wook and Park Gyu-Young:
Ji Chang-Wook: The Sound of Magic; Welcome to Samdalri; Healer; The Empress Ki
Park Gyu-Young: A good day to be a dog; Celebrity; Dali and the Cocky Prince
History
I've always been a fan of costume (historical) dramas. Whether the aim is to address significant historic events, or tell a conventional story set in an earlier time period, the cultural settings of the period add an interesting and entertaining dimension.
From the earliest days of Korean nation building, through the ability of a tribute woman to rise to become an Empress, via depicting the way historical events were recorded, or one which showcases traditional art styles, through the grit of resistance to the growing threat of Japanese annexation; all with an entertaining story of great characters scratching their existence and living their lives.
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung; Mr Sunshine; Empress Ki; Lovers of the Red Sky; My Country: The New Age.
Fantasy
Fantasy features in all cultures, whether reflecting immortality, magic, aliens, folklore or more. Even Shakespeare ventured there. Within K dramas, we find Grim Reapers, immortals usually living out an extended punishment, reincarnations, goblins, mountain spirits, mages and the odd alien. Whilst characters are often depicted as having questionable morals, superpowers are a long way from the Marvel depiction, whilst charm and romance and tragedy is abundant.
Hotel del Luna; Memories of the Alhambra; See you in my 19th life; Goblin, the great and lonely god; Alchemy of Souls; My Demon
I could add sections on comedy, melodrama, revenge, business, or any number of other themes. But you probably get my drift............................
After two weeks sailing instructing I've rather taken my eye off my trip in order to earn some money to help fund the trip! And with one week to go I'm aware I've not posted anything here for a while. When in Korea I hope to make more regular posts based on actual experiences and activities. In the meantime, here are a few extracts from my activities on Essential Korean from the last few months, where the range of interests and learning resources could keep me engaged pretty much full time. K Drama Club online meeting Having the fun task of leading / curating the EK K-Drama Club, the series Welcome to Samdalri was the subject of our inaugural K Drama Club meeting. A series selection process considered a range of options, followed, in the lead up, by some further notification and publicising of the event. Something of a new experience for me, I spent time scripting discussion points to ensure we could maintain momentum. In the end n umbers were modest, but since i...
Namsan Tower by night Still very much awake after overconsuming sugar (sticking with the sweet shop idiom from the previous post), I decided I should set off to Namsan park and tower via the major bright lights of this part of Seoul, to get a night picture or two. This was a brisk walk and climb, followed by a late supper of spicy beef soup, at a sitting on the floor place, accompanied by an EK colleague who agreed to meet up as she was on her way back from the southern side of Seoul. EK Tour in Jeongja-dong This tour provided an opportunity to 'Immerse in the bustling, everyday rhythm of Jeongja-dong and the vibrant Jeongja 'Cafe Street', where the essence of middle-class Korean life unfolds.' We explored and considered such things as: the difference between pure high rise residential blocks, mixed commercial (office and retail) and residential, and office blocks with single studio accommodation for office workers; the meaning of the many boardings on the outsides of ...
Accommodation My Solo 10 days were based in Gangnam. I used my 1 bed studio apartment on the 5th floor of a high rise, about 3 minutes walk from Gangnam Subway Station (당남역), as a base to explore parts of Seoul not yet explored and also revisit some of those with which I was beginning to feel a little bit more familiar. Doorstep Shopping Rather than post in a chronological order, from hereon I'm going to post on more functional aspects, beginning with the Gangnam area itself. The subway station has a transfer between 2 lines, a north south and an east west. I suppose I'd walked between the lines and the exit nearest my apartment (Exit No 6), about a dozen times before appreciating, whilst following the signs to the exit or the platforms, that I'd never actually covered the same ground twice. By chance I came across a map that explained the reason. The montage below shows two views of Naver Map (like Google Maps but Korean, with some very clever bells and whistles). You can...
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