[Heather Butler]

As a high school Visual Arts teacher I am always looking for ways to supplement my knowledge on different areas of the world, so that I can bring as much of the international world to my rural students. Many have never left the county I teach in, much less the country, and often aren’t exposed to the outside world, the way students in a city or a more wealthy area might.. The Two Koreas seminar helped to add so much to my very lacking knowledge about North and South Korea, due partly to the small amount of time that was spent on the Korean War in the US History curriculum when I was in high school and due partly to not having taken any history courses that dealt with the topics covered throughout my college career, especially since I was an Art Education major. I was fortunate enough to be taking an online workshop about the Arts during the Cuban Revolution during part of the seminar and it was interesting to be able to look at the similarities and differences between the rise of Communism in Cuba and North Korea, and the parts that the US played in both. 

 

During the pandemic, I had begun watching a lot of Korean dramas and listening to K-pop, and after learning about the soft wave from South Korea, I can make connections to popular culture with my students. I viewed the documentary, “I am Sun Mu” because I felt like it would be something that I could connect to my curriculum, and I think it would be really eye opening to students to see how artists are still driven to create art under oppressive regimes and how dangerous a choice it is  to be an artist, especially in some parts of the world. His quote, “I’m just doing what I have to do” really resonates with me and think it really reveals the power of art and the push to create. This seminar gave me a lot of background to be able to bring into my classroom, and to remind students of the humanity of North Koreans. 

 

Looking at visual culture, we can look at how the Arts can be used to depict some cultures a certain way, whether in Western or South Korean films or propaganda. In my courses, we often discuss art that relates to social justice, and I can connect to the #metoo movement and #escapethecorset which many teenagers who are dealing with their own body issues can relate to.  My unit will focus on North Korean propaganda, the art of North Korean defectors and refugees, like Sun Mu, and the use of the arts in social justice movements such as #escapethecorset and the programs that float balloons with messages over the DMZ. I intend for my unit to work together as a  look at modern Korean Art or to be easily broken apart and added to or to replace portions of topics and themes I already discuss such as censorship and social art.  This seminar gave me a lot to process and to pull apart and insert into my courses, which I am always picking apart and re-stitching together, since Art is such an immense part of the world and who humans are.  I am really thankful that I was able to participate in this opportunity for learning. It also has made me thirst for more knowledge about East Asia.

 

[Heather Butler]

Mark- That's interesting to know about Myanmar. Since we visited several different temples in Bangkok and in other parts as we travelled, it was interesting to note, that some times we could wear shorts and tank tops, sometimes, a t-shirt with a long skirt was appropriate, we took our shoes off inside of temples and climbing up the stairs that increased in depth, outside in a long skirt, was not the easiest thing. Our professor was very adamant about us understanding the culture we were going into and what was appropriate and what wasn't and I wish that more people travelling would do that, so as not to disrespect local architecture and art and belief systems.

[Heather Butler]

Tom- I would have no problem with you sharing my experiences. I have a lot of pictures from the Thai temples if you would be interested in any of those too. The Reclining Buddha statue is mind-blowing. My students have a super skewed view of Islam as well, even when we've had Muslim students, that were from Yemen move to my school. I don't always spend a lot of time on world religions in my class; it varies from semester to semester, because art is so broad, but I have probably spent more time on Islam, trying to dispel the stereotypes and tell the story of some of the artists and their culture.   I want to spend more time on Buddhist and Hindu art, and I think that music video is beautiful and I saved it to share in my class as well. Thanks.

[Heather Butler]

When I took World Religions in college, we were required to visit a religious center or temple outside of our own practices, so I attended the Soka Gakkai center in my hometown. Soka Gakkai is a part of the Nichiren tradition of Japan. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo was a main part of the service and practitioners talked about their needs, physical and financial as part of the service. I also visited several temples in Thailand as part of a Study Abroad program; each  temple was slightly different, with different versions of the Buddha and throughout major cities like Bangkok, you could find different statues as well. A certain amount of modesty was required at many of the temples, as in we had to wear skirts and have our shoulders covered, depending on which temple we were at. We took our shoes off inside of temples and tried to not point our feet or step over other people. When I have talked about these experiences in my Art classes in the past, some students were very offended that these were practices and said that they wouldn’t do that if they were in those types of settings. I have tried to explain that these were part of being respectful to other cultures and religions, but because of where I teach, in a low income rural area, students haven’t had a lot of exposure to many other cultures or religious traditions.

 

The information that is discussed in this session, gives me a better foundation for teaching about Buddhist art in my classes, by beginning with the foundations and dispersing of Buddhism throughout East and Southeast Asia. By having this context and history, students can better understand the symbolism in the statues and paintings created, why the look of the Buddha varies, as well as make connections to their own religious beliefs. I can also connect the spread of Buddhism, with the Silk Road and the arts, culture and language being spread via that conduit.

 

[Heather Butler]

I never really considered how much a nation’s soft power impacted their diplomatic relationships with other countries. I wonder if the soft power of the US has decreased a lot in the last several years, due to international and domestic issues connected to our president, as well as how the world is looking at how the government is responding to protests around the country, detainment of immigrants and how COVID-19 is being handled. 

 

I started watching dramas in late February on Netflix and now I subscribe to a couple Asian entertainment streaming services and listen to lots of K-pop and K-drama OSTs on Spotify, so I definitely can see how different areas of Hallyu build off of each other.  In my Art classes, we could definitely talk about cultural transmission and how cultures share ideas, look at art made by Korean artists giving context from culture and history, and make connections to how K-pop is influenced by hip hop made by African American artists. We can look at bicultural artists and other parts of the world, and how their art tells their story and reveals their identity. In the arts, we gain deeper understanding by learning about the influences, expectations and culture of the artists, music ties in easily to visual art and there is a lot of overlap between them. 

 

I think it is really important to remember that consumption of pop culture from a place doesn’t always lead to any kind of indepth understanding of a culture.  For example, I have a friend who is a community college professor, she and her fiance are really into anime; as part of her job they have travelled to Japan through study abroad programs with students, so they have learned more about the culture creating anime. On the other hand, many of the students in the Anime club at my school, easily attach themselves to the tropes in anime, without really trying to understand Japanese culture and traditions.

 

[Heather Butler]

Hello everyone! I am a high school Visual Arts teacher in Williamston, North Carolina. I have travelled to Thailand in a study abroad program in college  and was just in a seminar about the Two Koreas through USC-China. I have been an anime fan since right after high school and watch a lot of C-dramas and K-dramas now. I think it's super important to bring as many cultures and as much historical context into my high school Art classes, and I have been the sponsor for the anime club at my school for about 5 years. I was able to take an Asian Art History class in college, but due to the expansiveness of Asian Art we primarily focused on Indian Art through temples and Chinese painting.

[Heather Butler]

I think that North Korean people have become more humanized in South Korean popular culture, while the government and leaders are still depicted as villains. This is especially prevalent in American films. Through dramas like Crash Landing on You, we see the North Korean soldiers as a diverse group, some of them are villains, but many of them are just regular young men trying to survive to be able to go home to their mom when their mandatory service is up. The people in the town look out for the people in the town whether by filling their larder or protecting each other when their loved ones get taken; the ahjummas run the village, scolding their kids all together. Looking at the literature, music and art that is being produced in North Korea; they are still painting it as the “happiest place on earth”, which if you look at the art and literature produced by North Korean refugees, this is pure propaganda. Watching the clip of “Crossing Heaven’s Border” I am reminded of the poem, Home, by Warshan Shire when I think of the girl saying, “If I get caught, I’ll kill myself.”

 

no one leaves home unless

home is the mouth of a shark

you only run for the border

when you see the whole city running as well

If North Korea was “the happiest place on earth”, no one would want to go through all the terror and danger to escape it;  through searches, harassment, dangerous water and treacherous jungle. The Mansudae Art Studio is a powerhouse of putting out North Korean art, primarily propaganda in nature, Moranbong performs and sings their leader’s praises and the Choson Writer’s Union produces all major works of literature. There are people in North Korea,  in the art and literature world that support Kim Jong Un and continue creating state sponsored art, because there are always artists on both sides in the push and pull of politics and culture. There are also artists and writers that oppose the oppressive regime, and if they have fled from North Korea you can see it in their works, such as Sun Un, Choi Sung-gook and Kang Nara. Artists like Song Byeok previously created portraits of Kim Jong Il and now uses his art to criticize the regime. Pop culture and art, along with media portrayals help to shape our opinion of North Korea and it is really important for our students for the North Korean people to be humanized and have a chance to tell their own stories.

 

[Heather Butler]

Due to a long history of patriarchy, South Korean society is facing many challenges. Low fertility rates and an aging population causes South Korea to face many of the same difficulties as Japan. South Korean women face societal pressure to stay young and beautiful, while at the same time fighting an imposing glass ceiling that keeps them from advancing in political and business spheres. South Korean female students also felt unable to fight agains sexual harassment and assault in schools in the past due to the power held by teachers and administration over them getting into college. LGBTQIA+ members of society are bullied in the military and have little legal protection.

 

Despite these challenges, there is a hopeful outlook for Korean society. There are artists such as Chris Sim creating artwork that promotes multiculturalism and there have been laws passed since 2005 to promote diverse families and immigration to South Korea. South Korea uses soft power through everything from Samsung phones, Korean dramas and K-pop to create a positive image globally. Boy groups like BTS and Monsta X create this concept of a more caring, “pretty” metrosexual, that is not less masculine. “Flower boys” is not just used for K-pop members and actors that fit that “look”, but that male aesthetic, in general. Girl groups like Blackpink and (G) I-dle offer various feminine representations, whether sexy, cute, innocent, sporty or powerful. Since getting into Korean dramas this past winter, I have been getting into K-Pop as well, and I find the crossovers with Western artists interesting, as well. The #MeToo movement has helped women to be able to call out men who harassed and/or sexually assaulted them, from the schools to the government offices, with actual repercussions happening. The Escape the Corset movement is also helping women to reclaim their bodies and choose not to conform to societal beauty standards. South Korean society in general has become more supportive of LGBTQIA+ people and the Seoul Queer Culture Festival celebrated it’s 20th annual parade in 2019. Through grassroots movements and government acts that embrace more of the members of Korean society, South Korea has the opportunity to become a more inclusive and diverse society.

 

[Heather Butler]

Thanks for the article. So even if the North Korean government has been able to keep coronavirus from entering their country, the lack of trade because of the virus and the sanctions being placed on them are crippling them economically. This means the people are still suffering tremendously. Also, there are probably less goods coming in via the black market too, since South Korea has had a surge of coranavirus.

[Heather Butler]

I found it very interesting that this younger generation has less loyalty towards the government, but don't seem to be in any rush to rise up against it. That they seem to be drawn to the foreign pop culture, but are less concerned with breaking out from the oppressive regime is a complex issue for me. Since everything is so limited, even spending the night at other people's houses and texting and phone calls are monitored.  It makes it really hard for a grassroots type of movement, in the way that Arab Spring happened in the Middle East or the protests in the US currently, where social media is a major technique used. So I wonder if there is some kind of underground movement that just hasn't gained much ground yet or is there really no one trying to destabilize the government in this way.

[Heather Butler]

That quote stood out to me as well. With more knowledge seeping into North Korea, I feel like Kim Jong Un definitely should be concerned about how his people see him and the outside world. But also, how much of "the god interacting with humans" did the North Korean people see I wonder, how was that twisted in North Korean news media. Also, does humanizing Kim Jong Un cast him in a positive light for the North Korean people or is this depiction not shown because it makes him fallible.

[Heather Butler]

I think that the concept of cultural exchange is really important. It is really easy for people especially our students to look at countries like North Korea as monoliths, if they don't learn about the actual people that live there. Sports exchanges are one way.  As an Art teacher, I am really curious about the art that North Koreans are producing, because I am not find a lot that isn't propaganda online. The art that people make especially under a regime like this tells us so much about the people and their stories. But then is just anyone allowed to make art, or art supplies restricted, like is there a blacklist that certain people have gotten themselves on because they made one sketch sometime that criticized the government or were pro-capitalism or pro-South Korea or pro-US. Graffiti art is one type of art that people that feel oppressed embrace, especially young people, but because of the limited, less limited now access to outside information does this still hold true here?

[Heather Butler]

I agree that propaganda was crucial to the survival of the regime. By having these larger than life leaders made as heroes in giant sculptures, portraits, songs, children's storybooks and textbooks etc., and prevalent in every aspect of their lives, it makes it really hard for the people to escape from it. I think of this quote from Josef Goebbels,"The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succomb to it utterly and and can never again escape from it." When I was in college, I did a study abroad to Thailand, which is a constitutional monarchy, and they have images of the royal family everywhere, on every light post and in their homes, the king or queen or prince or princess, is depicted, even in small villages. Mow looking back I realize it is sort of the same thing, because now I know that it is illegal to criticize the monarchy. Kim Jong Il and his father's use of propaganda also make me think of this quote from Thomas Mabry of the US Office of War Information, "People should wake up to find visual messages everywhere, like new snow- every man, woman and child should be reached and moved by the message." It is much harder to change people's minds when ideas become imbedded at a young age and constantly reinforced.

[Heather Butler]

I also found the strong impact of Hyundai interesting. Bringing those cows to the north, was probably very beneficial to many people in the short term, but I am curious in the long run how impactful it actually was. I think it really depends on if they set up breeding programs, or if they were used for beef or dairy purposes.  And were the cows taken to be used for feeding the military or for the rest of the country?

[Heather Butler]

Since gaining power upon his father’s death, Kim Jong Un, began a complicated and turbulent path for his regime. He has been involved with multiple summits and talks with the United States, China and South Korea, yielding little results from any of them. He has heightened the surveillance of his people and taken after his grandfather’s role of visiting factories and giving “on the spot” advice. He has taken care of possible “problems” such as his uncle, brother and an American college student through government sanctioned murder. He is pushing for economic development, but because of not yielding to pressures to denuclearize, North Korea continues to have economic sanctions placed on them, Yet he and president Trump are pen pals, which legitimizes him as an international leader. He has done flowery showings of friendship with South Korean President Moon, where they planted a pine tree, hugged and walked back and forth across the DMZ, but has done nothing to denuclearize North Korea. North Korea spends 22% of the GDP on the military and continues to mine uranium and develop warheads and missiles, much in the same vein of his father.

 

North Korea still poses a threat to the US and their neighbors, because they are still developing and hiding nuclear weapons. Kim Jong Un has shown to keep a tight leash on the information, with multiple levels of censorship, although thankfully more of what is actually happening in the rest of the world is leaking in through contraband.  If enough people become dissatisfied with current conditions and the isolation from the rest of the world, Kim has reason to be afraid. It is difficult for groups of people to gather and organize, with texts and phone calls being monitored, and travel being limited. As far as the human rights abuses, poverty and censorship, in North Korea, we should be very concerned about what is happening to people.  With so little actual data coming out of North Korea related to these issues, people are suffering, because of their oppressive government. I am actually curious, although we will probably never find out the actual data, how North Koreas are faring during the pandemic, because some science is allowed into the intranet. Is the government enforcing rules that will help the people and the people are following them because they can’t protest, and the numbers are going down or are they faring worse because of misinformation and the high levels of poverty?

 

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