Archive for the ‘Pop Culture & Society’ Category

Pop Culture & Society
Help a reader out: Seoul recommendations
by | October 19, 2008 | 63 Comments
Reader Sheryl is heading to Seoul soon and wrote in to ask for recommendations on great places to visit. Since it’s been a while since I’ve been to Seoul, I thought I’d open up the question to everyone here. Help a reader out! She writes: Any recommendations (sights, food places, random music cafes) for a... More »


Pop Culture & Society
Happy Chuseok weekend
by | September 12, 2008 | 16 Comments
Geez, how fast time flies — I can’t believe it’s been nearly a full year since the previous Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving, which is among the biggest holidays of the year. The actual day falls on Sunday, but the holiday weekend kicks off today, which means lots of traditional Korean foods and desserts (like the... More »


Pop Culture & Society
Swimmer Park Tae-hwan awash in congratulations
by | August 10, 2008 | 23 Comments
As we know, Koreans sure have a fierce sense of cultural pride (sometimes to uncomfortably myopic degrees). So it’s no big surprise that all are elated with Olympic gold medalist Park Tae-hwan‘s win in the 400m freestyle on August 10. In about the half-day since he’s won the medal, his cyworld mini-homepage has amassed over... More »


Pop Culture & Society
Pageant drama!
by | August 8, 2008 | 17 Comments
Ooh, more Miss Korea drama. (There’s always drama surrounding a Miss Korea pageant, isn’t there? Or, I suppose, any pageant.) First there was all that shrewish chatter that winner Na Ri wasn’t pretty enough. Now, Kim Hee-kyung, one of the recent finalists (Miss Korea mi, or 미), is facing some swift and harsh criticism now... More »


Pop Culture & Society
Passing the Miss Korea torch studded tiara
by | August 6, 2008 | 24 Comments
2007 Miss Korea Lee Ji-sun crowns the new Miss Korea, Na Ri. The 52nd Miss Korea Pageant took place on August 5 in Seoul, at which Na Ri was awarded the top prize. Additionally, the two Miss Korea sun (선) finalists were Choi Bo-in and Kim Min-jung. The four Miss Korea mi (미) finalists were... More »


Pop Culture & Society
Miss Korea hopefuls walk the runway
by | August 1, 2008 | 8 Comments
Prospective Miss Koreas lined up on August 1 to participate in the 2008 Miss Korea Hanbok Fashion Show & Cultural Performance. The event, which took place in the Grand Ballroom of Seoul’s Namsan Hyatt Hotel, precedes the the 52nd Miss Korea Pageant, which kicks off on August 6. The reigning Miss Korea 2007, Lee Ji-sun,... More »


Pop Culture & Society
Mad as hell over mad cow
by | May 18, 2008 | 23 Comments
Thirty thousand citizens gather for the “Candlelight Vigil Protesting U.S. Beef Imports.” Some sentiments: “I’m not anti-American. I wear Nike shoes, Adidas tees, and I eat McDonalds. But having been called a red Commie, I came out.” “I came because President Lee Myung Bak isn’t doing the right thing.” Celebrities in attendance included singer Lee... More »


Pop Culture & Society
Modernizing the hanbok
by | February 2, 2008 | 63 Comments
I don’t really care about fashion much, and I don’t blog about it, but I saw various mentions on the interwebs of Canadian actress Sandra Oh‘s above tribute to the hanbok, or traditional Korean dress, which she wore to the SAG awards earlier this week. The look was deemed worthy fodder for fugging on Go... More »


Pop Culture & Society
Is celebrity education really education?
by | November 5, 2007 | 32 Comments
(Singer-actor Eugene) Shortly after posting this entry about Tim’s educational background, I saw the following (edited) transcription of the “Star News report” (you can watch the video clip of the segment at that link as well), which discusses celebrities and the way in which they gain admissions to universities in Korea. It’s a topic that... More »


Pop Culture & Society
Korea just got a little pornier
by | October 29, 2007 | 11 Comments
Newsen reports that Penthouse is coming to Korea. Porn lovers rejoice! Penthouse Media Group has made a contract to enter into an exclusive license with Korea’s own adult media corporation, N Tree Media. This new media enterprise between the two groups marks a first step in advancing into the large potential Asian adult entertainment market,... More »