[ParkLisa]

Hi!

Thank you for your response. Will the units be sent through mail or email? 

Was I suppose to get an email to confirm?  If you are still working on it, no problem.  Just wondering since it's been 3 weeks and I have not received anything yet. 

Thank you so much for your help!

[ParkLisa]

In scenes with the mother-in-law and daughter-in-laws, food is a way to show the hierarchy and the power dynamic.  The daughter-in-law is always the one who must make the food and serve and eat last while the mother-in-law watches, teaches, or relaxes.  However, there are some dramas that show the mother-in-law making the meal and delivering it to the daughter-in-law's house while the daughter-in-law works. That would be a family where the daughter-in-law comes from a wealthy family and has married the husband from a poor family. It's also interesting that during company drinking time, the workers who have had too much and say their honest opinions are excused because they have had too much to drink.  

[ParkLisa]

I have noticed students reading more and more webtoons on their phone.  Sometimes they are reading a translated Korean webtoon but don't realize it.  I only realized it when I saw Korean words on the webtoon.  As to esport, a lot of the students who play videogames know about famous Korean esport players. I think esport has become more legitimatized and as a result more accepted by parents who were previously anti-video games. Our school streams the esport competition when our team competes. 

[ParkLisa]

Lol! That is great! I think people are jumping on the BTS bandwagon to sell lots of products. Another lol moment.  We recently had BTS night and when I saw the announcement, I immediately thought of the group BTS, then realized it was back to school night.

[ParkLisa]

I think you bring up something interesting.  I think by stylizing everything, there is a sameness.  What you are saying is that by stylizing something, they are being unique and standing out of the group  But because everyone is now doing whatever was stylized, there is a sameness.  So for example, by having the skin ritual, Korean beauty stood out compare to the rest of the world.  But within Korea, most Korean women were following the skin ritual. Now, the rest of the world is trying it out as well.  I don't think the skin ritual was a conscious decision to stand out, but because of the results - great skin - the rest of the world trusted Kbeauty products: they worked. Is stylization a historically Korean trait? I think that's a great question that needs to be researched more!

[ParkLisa]

I remember when my parents would get VHS from the Asian market and watch til late at night. I didn't watch with them because they were mostly dramas about kings and queens.  But one time, they brought home something that was modern and I was hooked from then.  I forgot what the drama was but after that I watched Daejangeum, asking lots of questions about what was happening.  Now we have subtitles and Netflix and other platforms.  I never once thought Kdramas and culture would be this big. Even though I grew up in a Korean household, I never understood the culture.  By watching Kdramas and films, I understand so much more of why my parents said or did not say or do certain things.   

[ParkLisa]

I agree. When Black Pink dropped their tickets last month, students in my class asked if they could get time to get tickets.  I gave them permission as it was the last 15 minutes of class.  They got into the system 1 minute after the site opened and they were 2000 plus in line.  That is crazy.  How is it possible that within a minute of getting on the site, you are number 2000 plus. They were not able to get tickets.  All sold out! 

[ParkLisa]

I agree with you Taylor. American films have a formula where you can predict what will happen.  With Kfilms, they use flashback to tell you more about the character and their motivation. It's sort of like in Ratatuille when the restaurant critic comes in the restaurant, tastes the dish, and is immediately taken back to his childhood.  The audience feels sympathy towards this man.  I think Kfilms and dramas use flashbacks like that all the time so that just when you are about to hate the character, you learn about their childhood or background and it makes you pause and rethink your opinion on that character. 

[ParkLisa]

I agree. Korean dramas take you into a different world. When Extraordinary Attorney Woo came on Netflix, I was drawn into her world.  As a teacher, I've had students similar to Woo - he who could not deal with sensory overload and would have a melt down in the beginning of the year.  He also did the same thing with his hands like Woo did.  When the drama showed how Woo experienced the world, I understood what my student was going through.  That show was so enlightening.  Another show that helped me understand students with depression was Our Blues.  In the show, one of the character has depression and cannot get out of bed.  She sleeps and wakes up, only to realize the who day has passed.  Shows like Woo and Our Blues really helped me empathize with my students in a new way because I was able to see what they go through.  I think that's another reason why people love Korean dramas.  They allow you to learn about life and about people in a new way.  And what Lisa said - "find myself thinking about the stories even after they are done" - is so true.   

[ParkLisa]

I really enjoyed this class because not only did I learn from Professor Jung-Kim, but I learned from my classmates as well.  Transnationalism was something new to me, and Daniel’s inside information about the music industry was also very enlightening.  I attended the class because I am interested in developing a writing class that incorporates Korean pop music and drama as content material.  I’m still in the talking stage but after this class, I feel like I have more scholarly materials to use. Also, by finishing this class, I can  show that Kpop, drama, and films are being studied in a scholarly way in universities and that teachers all over the US are interested in teaching the material. I would like to use the Kdramas and films to show not just the Korean culture but also how directors and writers are writing not just for the Korean audience but for the world.  Themes and issues that are being presented in the Kdramas and films are universal. In a way, some of the Kdramas are like visual novels. Because dramas can be 12 - 16 episodes, they are able to delve into a character’s motivations and background. When dramas employ the use of flashbacks, not only does the audience better understand the characters, but the way the director uses the flashbacks reveals narrating techniques. The structure of the dramas have changed where it is no longer a  linear narrative but directors and writers are using flashbacks as plot twists.  For example, the drama Kairos is a great example of how the writer and director uses flashbacks to reveal the truth after the character has been killed and then brought back to life.  I would love to use these dramas and films to teach about structure of the story, unreliable narrators, and various other literary techniques that are being used in an amazing way to tell a story.  

[ParkLisa]

Hi Crystal,

Here is the Curriculum Project.  Thank you!

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[ParkLisa]

Crystal,

Here is my website review.  Thank you!

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[ParkLisa]

Hi Crystal

Here is my film review.  Thank you!

 

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[ParkLisa]

I agree wih you. When I first started teaching, people didn't really know a lot about Korea.  Now, when students know that I'm Korean, they will say hello in Korean.  When they find out that I watch K-dramas, they come up to me and we have this instant connection because we talk about something the student loves.  They tell me what they are watching and we share K-drama lists.  This never happened prior to K-dramas becoming so popular.  The "soft power" of Hallyu has given me another way to connect with students that never exited before.  

 

[ParkLisa]

I agree with you that now K-movies are human dramas set in Korea and acted by Korean actors.  As a result, more and more people in different countries are embracing Korean films. With more Korean actors learning English and even speaking English in dramas and movies, Korean movies mgiht become less and less "Korean" and more global. 

[Author]

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