33 Keys to Decoding the Korean Wave, Hallyu #11 Homo Ludens Koreans 

'Squid Game' and 'The Kingdom of Games'   

*한류를 이해하는 33가지 코드 #11 '오징어 게임'과 '놀이의 왕국' <한국어 버전, Korean version>

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Focus&document_srl=4077302 

Posters for the Netflix global hit drama series “Squid Game”

If 2020 was the year of “Parasite” for the Korean film industry, with director Bong Joon-ho, who swept the Academy Awards (best picture, director, screenplay, international feature film), 2021 was the year of “Minari” (director Lee Isaac Chung, and Youn Yuh-jung who won an Oscar award for the Best Supporting Actress).

Since the debut of Netflix’s nine-episode drama “Squid Game” on September 17, 2021, it  was viewed by over 111 million member households worldwide in 17 days, setting a new record for Netflix. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s “Squid Game,” which deals with the dystopia of survival of the fittest and the gap between the rich and the poor like “Parasite” with keen criticism, captivated the world. When Hollywood was immersed in romantic comedies or sequels of superheroes, Bong Joon-ho and Hwang Dong-hyeok penetrated the emotional target of people: the haves and the have nots.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who also wrote “Squid Game,” brought Korean children’s games in the 1970s and 1980s such as Ddakji (딱지), Red Light, Green Light (무궁화꽃이 피었습니다),  Sugar Honeycombs / Dalgona (달고나 뽑기), Tug of War (줄다리기), Playing Marbles (구슬치기), Glass Stepping Stones (징검다리 건너기), and Squid Game (오징어) for the chance to win a ₩45.6 billion (US $35 million).  Hwang stated in an interview with Variety, “I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life.” 

In the first episode of “Squid Game,” Ki-hoon (played by Lee Jung-jae) goes to the horse racetrack to gamble on his daughter’s birthday. Gambling is a pure Korean word for “norum,” a noun form of “nolda (play).” Money betting “norum (gambling)” is more dangerous than “nori(play).” Director Hwang Dong-hyuk predicted that more games will appear in Season 2 of “Squid Game.”

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk and actor Lee Jung-jae made history at the 74th Emmys. 

Officially the most-watched Netflix series of all time, “Squid Game” made Emmy Award (a.k.a. “TV Oscar”) history, becoming the first-ever non-English language series to be nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. In total, it picked up 14 nominations; Lee Jung-jae, Jung Ho-yeon, Park Hae-soo, Oh Yeong-su, and Lee You-mi in acting categories, and nominations for best directing, writing, editing, cinematography, visual effects, original main title theme music and stunts.  And "Squid Game" won a total of six Emmys for Best Director (Hwang Dong-hyuk), Best Actor (Lee Jung-jae), Best Guest Actress (Lee Yoo-mi), Best Production Design (Chae Kyung-sun), Best Visual Effects, and Best Stunt Performance. 

The lead actors Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon have emerged as global stars by winning the SAG Awards Best Actor and Actress (drama series). Lee also won the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Actor (drama series), and Critics Choice Awards. Oh Young-soo won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, the first Korean to receive the award.

And on September 9, 2022, four days before the Emmy Awards ceremony, the Los Angeles City Council officially declared September 17th as “Squid Game Day,” which Korean-American LA Councilmember John Lee introduced. The proclamation is part of AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) LA, a city initiative intended to amplify AAPI community voices, which reads “Squid Game marks another victory in the fight to grow representation of the AAPI community in film and entertainment, exposing audiences to Korean culture and traditions while paving the way for other AAPI communities to also have their stories told.”    

“K-Game” ... No. 1 export of Hallyu content 

Contents industry export scale in 2021 (Korea Creative Content Agency) 

When we think of Hallyu, K-Pop, K-Drama, K-Movie, K-Food, and K-Beauty come to mind. However, in fact, the number one contributor to Hallyu exports is the Game contents. “Made in Korea” online, video, and mobile game industries accounted for about 70% of content exported in 2021 from Korea. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the content industry exports in 2021 were $13.588 billion, up 13.9% from 2020. By field, K-Game recorded $9,435 billion (69.2%), far ahead of K-Pop (6.9%) and K-Movie (1.1%). Online games are the No. 1 content for K-Wave exports.

In the early 1980s, computer games started with Japanese shooting games such as Galaga and Xevious in electronic arcades in neighborhoods and universities. The first domestic computer game “The Legend of the Sword” was released in 1987. And in the late 1990s, as the infrastructure was built with high-speed communication networks and PC rooms, the game contents poured out, and Korea emerged as the master country of online games and the dominant country in eSports scenes.

Starting with “KIT MUD” developed at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 1996, the Big 3 of Nexon, Netmarble, and NCsoft have led the Korean wave of online games. From “The Kingdom of the Winds,” a graphic online game based on the legend of the founding of Goguryeo, “Land of Dangun,” “Dungeon & Fighter,” “Jurassic Park: The Game,” “MapleStory,” “Lineage,” “Fortress,” “CrossFire,” “The Legend of Mir,” “Ragnarok,” “Audition,” “Battleground,” “Black Desert,” and “Summoners War” have become blockbuster games.

“The Korean game Nyout may be regarded as the antetype of a large number of games which exist throughout the world.”

 -Stewart Culin, “Korean Games,” p. 75, 1895

 

Stewart Culin, Korean Games: With Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan

 

The first museum to open a Korean gallery (Arts of Korea) in New York was the Brooklyn Museum in 1977. Twenty-one years later, The Metropolitan Museum of Art installed the Korean gallery (Korean Art) in 1998. The Met Museum has a large collection of about 530 Korean artworks today, while the Brooklyn Museum has about 700 pieces. The Brooklyn Museum possesses the 14th century “Amitabha Buddha Triad,” Chang Seung-ob’s (1843-1897) painting “Geese and Reeds,” and the 19th century “Yongbongmun Dujeong” helmet and suit of armor believed to have been worn by the king.

 

How did the Brooklyn Museum open its eyes to Korean art early?  It was Stewart Culin (1858-1929), the museum’s curator of ethnology (1903-1929) who went to Korea, Japan, China, and India in 1913 to collect art.

 

Originally, Stewart Culin's primary interests were games. In 1895, when he was the director of University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Paleontology (PENN Museum) in Philadelphia, he published a book, "Korean Games: With Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan''. In the year of 1895, Joseon was chaotic due to the Sino-Japanese War, the assassination of Empress Myeongseong (Eulmi Incident), and the Danbal Order (the ordinance prohibiting topknots). In the meantime, the American Culin compiled Korean games.

 

 Chicago World’s Fair (1893) poster/ Joseon Exhibition Hall (right)

The World’s Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago in 1893 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World. Korea, which established diplomatic ties with the United States in 1882, was invited along with 47 countries including China and Japan. At Korea’s first World Expo, Jeong Kyung-won, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, and a ten member Korean traditional music troupe participated with a national title of “조선 (Joseon, in Korean)/ Korea (in English)” and the Taegeukgi, Korea’s national flag. The Chicago Expo was the first official stage to introduce the culture and art of Joseon to the world.

The Joseon Pavilion, which was modeled after a hanok, included a palanquin, folding screens, porcelains, official clothes, samhoejang jeogori (three color-upper garment for women), dopo (overcoat), manggeon (headband), gat(hat), beoseon (socks), fan, straw shoes, musical instruments (geomungo, yanggeum, haegeum, piri, daegeum, janggu, dangbipa, yonggo, saenghwang, etc.), and play equipment such as chess boards and kites were also exhibited. Five items of cloth, door prints, seat, mother-of-pearl and embroidery screens were awarded the medals of the Expo.

Most of the exhibits were donated to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and eight traditional musical instruments were donated to the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts. In 2003, PEM named a gallery as “Yu Kil-Chun Gallery of Korean Art and Culture” after Yu Kil-chun (1856-1914), a member of the first official delegation (Bobingsa) from Korea that traveled to the United States in 1884. After the official mission, Yu Kil-chun remained to study at The Governor’s Academy and became the first Korean student in the U.S. He went back to Joseon and wrote “Seoyugyeonmun (서유견문/ 西遊見聞/ Observations on Travels in the West).” 

The genre paintings of Kim Chun-gŭn, Korean Games, watercolor, 1886

The Chicago World’s Fair 1893 introduced more than 27 million people to many modern marvels such as elevators, zippers, Cracker Jacks (snack made of caramel popcorn and peanuts), the Ferris wheel, the first voice recording, to name a few. But Stewart Culin, who participated in the Fair, was a game expert, so he paid attention to Korean play collections at the Joseon Pavilion. After interviewing Pak Young Kiu, the interpreter at the fair and the future deputy ambassador to the US in Washington, D.C., and other East Asian participants living in the US, Culin wrote a book titled “Korea Games: With Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan,” which was published in a limited edition of 550 copies by the Archaeological Museum of the University of Pennsylvania in 1895. Taegeukgi was on the front of the book and the words “Four Seas of One Family (the world is one family)” in Chinese characters. 

In “Korean Games,” Culin compared the games of three East Asian countries, centered on Korea, and explained a whopping 95 traditional Korean plays along with 22 watercolor paintings by Gisan Kim Chun-gŭn/Kim Jun-geun (金俊根). The illustrations were assisted by Mary Shufeldt, daughter of Admiral Robert Wilson Shufeldt, who signed the Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation (Shufeldt Treaty) in 1882. Mary Shufeldt commissioned illustrations for the book in 1886 from a genre painter Kim Chun-gŭn who lived in Choryang-dong, Busan. These watercolor paintings are in the collection of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (PENN Museum).

Stewart Culin, “Korean Games: With Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan”, 1895 / Kim Chun-gŭn, Korean Games, watercolor, 1886

In “Korean Games,” Culin made the interesting observation: “The Korean game Nyout may be regarded as the antetype of a large number of games which exist throughout the world.” (p. 75). Nyout (Yutnori/Yut Play) is a board dice game with four wooden sticks usually played on the first day of the New Year. Five combinations of do, gae, geol, yut and mo determine how the board pieces are moved.  The team that moves all four pieces around the board first wins.

Stewart Culin saw Korea as the cradle of games early on. “Korean Games” included 95 Korean plays:  nyout, taldeung (toys and lanterns), snow mireuk (snowman), gaksi play (puppet play), shadow play, kite, kite-fighting, playing with a wolf, playing house, clown, and pulley , srami (bungbung), bamboo bell, mammoth turn, ragweed, thread knitting, spider web, horse teasing (stilts play), yangban play (horse riding), rinse Jiggle, jigeumjil (play with kaekeumfoot), jump rope, swing, tug of war, wrestling, taekgyeon, jegichagi, multaekgyeon (water game), bank fight, fist strike, water wall hitting, ring finding game, asking and finding, hide-and-seek, tag-catching, leg-counting game, black-catching, kodorongkkaeng, barbarian flower catching (grass fight) play), stinging, cherry-chilling, scalloping, apricot chigging, clam fighting, ball chigi, tangja throwing, gonggi nori, metal chiming, money chiming, arm chasing, side-fighting , archery game, jjakbakgi (shoe shooting), bangtongi (tuho play), Jonggyeongdo, dice, ssangryul,  baduk, wellgonu, fourbatgonu, obatgonu, yukbatgonu, gonjilgonu, goal plate, hopae, pair matching, attaching tail, goalyes, dragon paddle, turtle paddle, shinsujeom, five spheres, fighting game, old bat, dongdang,  riddle, character guessing, goal matching, chojungjong, etc..

However, many traditional Korean games disappeared during the Japanese occupation.

Korean plays for the 24 seasonal days 

Kim Hong-do (1745-1806), Ssireum/Wrestling (Danwon Genre painting Album), late 18th century, Treasure No. 527, National Museum of Korea

Dasan Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836), a Silhak (practical science) scholar from Joseon Dynasty, wrote a book, “Mokminsimseo (Admonitions on Governing the People: Manual for All Administrators),” (1821), in which he mentioned: “Farming is the main source of life for the people of the world,” and unfolded his view of the agriculture. Since the Neolithic Age, Koreans, which have been an agriculturally oriented society, have revered the sky, which governs rain and drought, because they relied on the weather. 

Among the “Three Kingdoms” written by the Chinese historian Jinsoo in the 3rd century, “Yeonggo” in Buyeo (Ancient Country), the “Dongmaeng” in Goguryeo, and “Mucheon” in Dongye, which appear in Dongyi chapter from “The Book of Wei,” are the origins of the Korean folklore. The customs of offering sacrifices to heaven were closely woven with farming for each season, and various rituals and games were performed and food was served.

Shin Yun-bok (1758-1814), Dano Pungjeong (端午風情, Hyewon Genre Painting Album), early 19th century, National Treasure No. 135, Gansong Museum of Art

During the agricultural season, New Year’s Eve, there were plenty of Sesi-nori (seasonal customs). New Year’s Day’s play begins on New Year’s Eve (of the Lunar calendar). Start with flying a kite on the morning of New Year’s Day, we ate rice cake soup, and enjoyed playing yut, neolttwigi (jumping from seesaw), playing with Seunggyeongdo (government official game), and donchigi (playing with money). During Daeboreum (Jan. 15, lunar calendar), stepping on earth, juldarigi (tug-of-war), stepping on bridges, raising rice poles, barley plowing, high fight, wooden iron fight, Dongchae fight, seokjeon, manguri spinning, torch fight, stepping on bronze bridge, tile-tapping, mask play, stone battle war, and jwibulnori (setting fire) took place. The lion dance is famous in Bukcheong, Hamgyeong Province in the north and Deulnorieum (mask play) and Ogwangdae (five clowns' mask performance) were popular in Gyeongsang Province in the south.

On the third day of March, when the blooming spring comes and the swallows from Gangnam/south return, they went out to the mountains and fields to play all day in the mountain (Flower Outing) such as flower viewing, arranging flowers, making willow flute, and eating azaleas pancakes. On the third day of March, they made and ate bell-shaped mountain rice cakes, gori  and mugwort rice cakes, and also brewed alcohol with various flowers or fruits in each region, such as Dugyeonju (azalea wine), Byeokhyangju (rice wine), Gyedangju (distilled liquor with cinnamon and honey), and Seohyangro (flower or fruit wine).

On the Buddha’s birthday in April, a lotus lantern festival and going around the pagoda were held in the temples, followed by shadow play, manseokjungnori (puppet play), waterplay, and fireworks at night. On Dano (Suriday, 5th day) in May, the day when yang energy is the most abundant of the year, a ceremony was held to pray for a bountiful harvest. And women washed their hair in iris water and made her hairpin to ward off evil spirits. The village youth went from house to house collecting straw to make a swing, and men and women dressed up to play on the swing. The elders played or watched Ssireums (wrestlings) in the yard. Mask dances and mask plays such as Bongsan Mask Dance, Songpa Sandae Nori, and Yangju Byeolsandae Nori were performed at the market in each region. Gangneung Dano Festival was registered as Korean Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 13 and UNESCO Oral and World Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2005.

There is a custom of washing hair in the water flowing to the east and bathing to prevent and purify the water on the day of the full moon in June. On the hot day (Bok Nal) they played Takjok (濯足), where they dip their feet in the water or a stream under a mineral spring or waterfall, and enjoyed a picnic. In Jeju Island, a water bathing ritual, held during the full moon, is believed to cure illness, and the water is also drunk as medicine.

You may have noticed that Korean traditional games originated from folk beliefs. Our ancestors believed in gods who protect nature and their lands. Exorcisms were performed to increase crops and animal well-being; singing and dancing were popular activities.

On the 7th night in July, Koreans held the Geolgyo Festival, where they set up sewing and fruits in the yard and pray for improvement in our sewing skills by looking at the stars. The full moon in July is a quiet time after the third weeding is over. On Baek-jung Day (15th of July of Lunar calendar) farmers reward good farmhands with allowances to eat, drink and shop in the market. And the best servants of the household with the best farming are selected and put on cows to play around the village. Dure (collective labor) workers who were hired for farming enjoyed playing "Dure-eating" (hanging homi, Putgut, drinking and eating) all day to relieve the fatigue of labor.

There’s a saying “Farmer in May, Hermit in August.”  May is the busiest season in farming, and August is the time to spend leisurely like a legendary hermit living in the mountains. Since the full moon in August and Chuseok are harvest seasons, they ate songpyeon, half-moon shaped rice cake, made from fresh grain, held a ceremony, and enjoyed cooking using pine (matsutake) mushrooms. Plays include Ganggangsullae (circle dance) under the moonlit night that symbolizes abundance. Also Kwaeji Nachingching (tug of war), Jishin stepping (treading the god of the earth), palanquin fighting, Dongchae fight, weaving game, bullfighting, mask game, ssireum, bullfight were played. In the central region, there were plays in the form of a cow or a tortoise mask game, both appearing in Ten Symbols of Longevity.   

On Jung-gu (9th day of Lunar calendar) in September, when swallows from Gangnam return, farmers took a break from busy harvest season, eating chrysanthemum wine and chrysanthemum pancakes, and enjoyed the autumn leaves. October is the best month (Sangdal) to give thanks for the harvest. It is said that all ancient Jecheon rites (ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven) were performed in October. In Sangdal, they picked an auspicious day and performed Gosa rites to offer a sacrifice to spirits. Seongju-gut (shaman ritual) was held in Honam region, Dodang-gut in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, and Mangok Grand Festival in Jeju Island.

Elizabeth Keith(1887-1956), Korean Kite, 1922

On the winter solstice day (Dongji, December 22 or 23 of the Solar calendar), when the night was the longest, red bean porridge was made to dispel the bad luck. On the last day of the year, on New Year’s Eve, the court held a ritual “Narye” to ward off evil spirits and to pray for the peace of the country and people. Meanwhile, the people set fires to chase away evil spirits as well. After midnight, there were female Bokjori (hanging bamboo strainers for blessing) sellers on the street. It was believed that if you put money, food, matches, or a long string in Bokjori and hang it in the corner of a room or kitchen, good luck will come. Family and relatives gathered to play yut and enjoy flying kites.

Koreans have always balanced labor and play through games on holidays, market days, sports events, and festivals. Although many customs were discontinued during the Japanese colonial period, some plays have been passed down in their original form to this day, while others have evolved according to the times. Even for the digital savvy children in the 21st century, traditional games have physical, intellectual, emotional, and social values that cultivate traditional cultural consciousness, develop physical strength, enhance language and expressive abilities, and help social skills. 

The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes Korean plays such as Ganggangsullae, Namsadangnori, Yeongsanjae, Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut and Cheoyongmu (2009), Jultagi-tightrope walking and Taekkyeon-traditional Korean martial art (2011), Nongak-community band (2014), Tugging rituals and games (2015), and Ssireum (2018).

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, superstar of video games

#Happy_Faker_Day @Hideonheart0507

“The Land of the Calm Dawn has mastered the art of war, and emerged as home to the most renowned StarCraft players on Earth. Do not arrive idle to this melee.”

- Players Online 2,512 (at the introduction of the Korean server for the multiplayer video game StarCraft, 2017) 

Korea’s world-leading IT infrastructure has enabled almost every home to have broadband Internet access, turning every home into a potential gaming station. In the field of e-sports, which competes through video games, Koreans boast the best gaming skills in the world. Korea has become the ultimate e-sports country. Korean gamers took the top 15 of the 2013 best-selling PC real-time battle game StarCraft series, and it was recognized as the “Korea Game Bureau.” There is a saying that “pro gamers are more difficult than entering Seoul National University.”

In 2019, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok (1996- ) ranked No. 1 in the game world. As of September 2022, he has earned a total of 1.36 million dollars from 59 e-sports competitions, and Mr. Lee's net worth is said to be 10 million dollars.

In 2016 ESPN, an American sports TV channel, named 20-year-old Lee Sang-hyeok compared to “the emperor of golf” Tiger Woods, basketball star LeBron James, and soccer star Lionel Messi in the article “Junior year: Faker’s achievements vs. LeBron, Messi and more.” In 2019, Forbes magazine selected Lee as one of the “30 Under 30” in the Asian entertainment/sports category, saying, “Nicknamed god of computer game ‘League of Legends,’ Faker is generally regarded in the gaming community as the greatest LoL player of all time. He led his team, SKT1, to three League of Legends World Championships, received the 2018 David Yan award for most beloved gamer and powered South Korea to international dominance in the game.  Last year, he signed a contract to remain with SKT1.”

On May 7, 2019, a Chinese fan club posted a happy birthday advertisement with Lee Sang-hyeok's face on a billboard in Times Square, New York. He was only 24 years old. As of September 2022, there were 1.65 million subscribers and 338 million views of Faker’s YouTube channel (T1 Faker).

The spirit of play and K-culture

"Squid Game" Photo: Netflix 

Johan Huizinga (1872-1945), a Dutch cultural historian who focused on the study of games, festivals, and rituals, in his book “Homo Ludens” (1938), said, “Play is older than culture, for culture, however inadequately defined, always presupposes human society, and animals have not waited for man to teach them their playing.” So for him, play is a human activity that precedes human language, law, war, philosophy, art, etc. In other words, play is a human activity older than culture and is the origin of all cultural phenomena. 

He claimed that culture itself has the character of play. Play has a cultural function. Play accompanies music and dance and evolves into a play. Play is also ceremonial, associated with festivals and religious ceremonies. There are rules in play, and it creates a competitive spirit that separates winners and losers. Play is the prototype of various sports, as well as American TV game shows, quiz shows, and reality shows such as “Jeopardy,” “Survivor” and “American Idol.” Play evolves into quarrels and litigation disputes, and play also turns into war.

One of the popular programs on Korean TV in the 1970s was “Joyful Blue and White Battle” (MBC), a game program in which celebrities competed with sports and games. Byun Woong-jeon, host of the show, established himself as the top host of the game shows and continued to host spin-offs like “Stunning Parade” and “Merry Sports Day.” In 2021, the cable channel TV Chosun revived a variety game program “Hwayo Cheongbaekjeon (Tuesday Blue and White Battle,” which adds a song contest to it.

The reason Korea is achieving outstanding results from K-Pop, K-Drama, and K-Movie to the K-Game today is probably because the spirit of play, the archetype of culture, is embedded within our people. The Koreans know how to create games and enjoy them. The Netflix blockbuster drama “Squid Game” is one of the proofs. 

“Squid Game” has become a cultural phenomenon around the globe as it spread from the game “Red Light, Green Light” (무궁화꽃이 피었습니다), “Dalgona” (달고나 뽑기), and “Squid” (오징어) which Korean children played in the 1970s and 1980s.  But the children’s plays in the “Squid Game” have been sublimated into a metaphor that satirically compares the fierce competition and inequality of capitalism. Although it is composed of simple shapes of a circle, a triangle, and a square (○△□), our traditional play with profound meaning has spread to social media (SNS), TikTok, YouTube, and games, and even entered an elementary school playground in Belgium. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix is said to be developing a video game adapted from “Squid Game.”

With the success of “Squid Game,” K-Drama, K-Game, and K-Food created a synergistic effect. Korean restaurants, including Cote, a Michelin-starred Korean BBQ restaurant in New York, put Dalgona candy, a street snack of nostalgia, on their menus and held a “Squid Game” themed dinner event. Other trendy Korean restaurants also followed the “Squid Game” concepts. YouTubers made videos such as Dalgona recipes and a survival game called “Squid Game Candy” was held on TikTok. Now, things Korean have become K-Cool culture.

Sukie Park

A native Korean, Sukie Park studied journalism and film & theater in Seoul. She worked as a reporter with several Korean pop, cinema, photography and video magazines, as a writer at Korean radio (KBS-2FM 영화음악실) and television (MBC-TV 출발 비디오 여행) stations, and as a copywriter at a video company(대우 비디오). Since she moved to New York City, Sukie covered culture and travel for The Korea Daily of New York(뉴욕중앙일보) as a journalist. In 2012 she founded www.NYCultureBeat.com, a Korean language website about cultural events, food, wine, shopping, sightseeing, travel and people.

33 Keys to Decoding the Korean Wave, Hallyu! 

한류를 이해하는 33가지 코드 

CONTENTS

#Prologue: 국풍인가, 국뽕인가 Dynamic Korea, Sparkling Koreans

Overview of Korean culture, which has enjoyed a cultural renaissance over the past 20 years, distinguishing itself in film, drama, K-Pop, classical music, opera, jazz, ballet, theater, art, literature, restaurant industry, and golf. Understanding why Korean immigrants succeeded in the greengrocery, dry cleaners, and nail salon sectors.

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Zoom&document_srl=4068567

 

 

A Few Things to Know about Koreans

 

#1 비빔밥 정신 The Spirit of Bibimbap

The secret of K-Wave's success, including K-Pop, "Parasite", "Squid Game",  Ik-Joong Kang (artist), Young Jean Lee (the first Asian female playwright in Broadway), Unsuk Chin (composer), and David Chang (chef), probably originated from the blending of Korean bibimbap. Koreans are good at genre bending. Nam June Paik, "The Pioneer of Video Art," praised Korea's bibimbap spirit a long time ago. 

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Zoom&document_srl=4069551

 

#2 빨리빨리 문화 Culture of Ppalli Ppalli 

Korea was successful in quarantine at light speed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the secret of many Koreans' success is efficiency and "quickly, quickly (ppalli, ppalli)" spirit. How the once-called "Land of Morning Calm" became a master of economic growth and speed warfare today.

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Zoom&document_srl=4070443

#3 눈치의 달인들 Homo Nuncius Korean

A history of Korean-specific sixth sense and superpower "nunchi," and commentary on "Parasite" director Bong Joon-ho praising Martin Scorsese at the Academy Awards.

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Zoom&document_srl=4071064

#4 저항의 민족 People of Resistance

 Bong Joon-ho and Hwang Dong-hyuk of 'Parasite' and 'Squid Game' were once blacklisted. Korean movies and dramas contain a spirit of social criticism and a strong sense of theme/message. Why? In the history of the ordeal, Koreans have consistently resisted colonial rule and dictatorship, and the candlelight vigils that impeached President Park Geun-hye have the spirit of resistance of Koreans. Bong and Hwang were both named to TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" (Bong Joon-ho in 2020 and Hwang Dong-hyeok in 2022).

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Zoom&document_srl=4071840

#5 한(恨)과 한국영화 르네상스 Country of Trauma, Culture of Drama  

Koreans have a unique sentiment of 'han'. The ethnic trauma of Koreans, such as separated families due to the division of the two Koreas after the war and the Ferry Sewol disaster, were more dramatic reality than the movies. Koreans who share their national sad feelings want more dramatic narratives and unforgettable characters. We are hungry for that. It is also the reason why Korean directors such as Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and Hwang Dong-hyeok have developed brutal aesthetics.

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Zoom&document_srl=4072876

 

#6 쇠젓가락 유전자 The Magic of Metal Chopsticks

Koreans use metal chopsticks unlike Chinese and Japanese. Metal chopsticks, which require high concentration and sophisticated technology, are the open secret to success in Olympic golf, semiconductor, IT, plastic surgery, piano performance, cooks, and nail salons, etc.

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?document_srl=4073422&mid=Zoom

 

#7 세탁의 장인들  Masters of Laundry

Koreans immigrated to the United States and succeeded in the dry cleaning business. In the snow fields of Korea, they also did laundry next to tanks during the war. Korean passion for washing also leads to art. Park Soo Keun, who recorded the highest auction price for modern Korean art at Christie's New York, enjoyed painting laundry scenes. Nam Jeong-ho's masterpiece dance 'Pallae, Womanhood Story', musicals, poetry, and even movies were inspired by washing clothes. Julian Kim and Peter S. Lee directed “Happy Cleaners (2019)”, a film about a Korean-American family's strife.  

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Zoom&document_srl=4074468

 

#8 복(福)을 싸드립니다: 보자기, 보따리와 보쌈 Bojagi, Bottari, & Bossam

Korean patchwork, multi-colored textile cloth reminiscent of Mondrian and Klee, a bundle moved by world-renowned artist Kimsooja and Momofuku chef David Jang's bossam all have a symbolic meaning surrounding good luck, "BO". On the philosophy of wishing the blessings of Koreans which have become motifs in art and food.

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Zoom&document_srl=4077066

 

Joseon, Corea, Korea

 

#9 고요한 아침의 나라 In the Land of Morning Calm 

The potential of Korea as a cultural powerhouse was recognized a century ago as seen in the Korean documentary "In the Land of the Morning Calm" (1927) discovered by a German priest who stayed in Joseon during the Japanese occupation in 1925.

#10 호머 헐버트와 세계인들의 한글예찬 Hangul, the Korean Alphabet 

About the Korean alphabet (Hangul) praised by linguists around the world, including Nobel Prize winning novelist Pearl Buck. Homer Hulbert, a missionary who went to Joseon in 1886, wrote, "King Sejong's creation of Hangeul is a brilliant achievement in human history," and "It surpasses the English alphabet as a medium of communication." Hangul is one of the key factors that led Koreans to the top in the digital era.

#11 '오징어 게임'과 '놀이의 왕국' 코리아 'Squid Game' and Homo Ludens Koreans

Korean games appear in the Netflix drama 'Squid Game.' American ethnologist Stewart Cullin has already claimed that Korean Yut Play is the prototype of many games in the world in a book that explored 95 Korean games in 1895. Korea is currently a powerhouse in online games.

 

#12 모자의 왕국 Oh My Got!

Korea's hat craze, which became a hot topic on social media after Netflix released its Korean zombie thriller "Kingdom" in 2019. In 1883, astronomer Percival Lawrence Lowell's book "Choseon: The Land of the Morning Calm" (1886) described the Joseon hat over 17 pages. Korean hats inspired fashion designers such as Carolina Herrera.
 

 

Eat, Drink, Sing & Dance

Since ancient times, Koreans have enjoyed eating, drinking, singing, and dancing. The origins of the K-Wave today will be discussed here.

 

#13 음주가무-먹고 Eat

From the memoir "Crying in H Mart," by Michelle Zauner's bestseller in 2022, and "Jewels of the Palace," a period drama about a royal chef, which created a K-drama sensation in Asia in 2003, to "Cookin," an off-Broadway long-running Korean musical, Koreans' passion for food is the inspiration. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Washington Post ran a story about Korean food philosophy.

 

#14 음주가무-마시고 Drink

BTS made a shocking hiatus announcement at a dinner party on their YouTube channel this June, starting with alcohol talk. Director Hong Sang-soo's 27 films, which won the Berlin International Film Festival for three consecutive years, all feature scenes of drinking. Director Bong Joon-ho said after winning the Oscar, "I will drink until tomorrow morning." Korean liquor has even entered the Michelin two-star tasting menu in New York.

#15 음주가무-노래하고 Sing

The first Asian lead in the history of the Metropolitan Opera in 2007 was Korean (Hei-kyung Hong and Wookyung Kim). Although the population is much smaller than that of China and Japan, Koreans are taking big roles in the world's opera companies and chorus as well as at the international vocal competitions. In the 60's, Korean TV broadcasted singing contest programs for the children and later for the college students and even at the military camps, decades ahead of "American Idol". From traditional Korean one-person opera Pansori to "Korean Idol" and "Housewife Singing Contest," to political protest, Koreans always sing. 

#16 음주가무-춤추고 Dance
"The Figure Skating Queen" Yuna Kim (*TIME 100 in 2010) has the DNA of a dancer, and the only Asian principal dancers at the Mariinsky Ballet (Russia), Kimin Kim, and at the American Ballet Theater (Hee Seo, and Joo Won Ahn) are Korean. Korean dancers have been winning awards at international ballet competitions and breaking dance competition "Battle of the Year''. Of course, dance is an essential part of K-Pop.

 

The Power of Koreans
 

#17 미 태권도의 대부 이준구 대사범 The Father of American Tae Kwon Do, Jhoon Rhee

Taekwondo has made inroads into the world from every corner of the American neighborhood to Africa. The roots of the original Korean Wave are the Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee (1932-2018), who is called the "The Father of U.S. Taekwondo." He opened his first Taekwondo gym in Washington, DC in 1962, and taught self-defense techniques to lawmakers in the National Assembly. President Joe Biden, Muhammad Ali, and Bruce Lee learned Taekwondo from him.

 

#18 김치와 고추장의 힘 Fermentation, The Flavor of Time

 Koreans are known as the "Ppalli Ppalli People," but they are people who strictly observe the aesthetics of slow food. Kimchi and Gochujang (red pepper paste), which are important in Korean food, contain the taste of time through fermentation. Now, kimchi can be bought in small grocery stores as well as in the U.S. big supermarkets. Kimchi was selected as the Health Food 10 and was listed on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage. Famous chefs, such as Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin, use kimchi and gochujang in their recipes. California, New York, and Virginia have designated Kimchi Day (11/22).

 

#19 한국 여성 속의 여신들 Goddesses in Every Korean Woman

Korean society is still patriarchal, but there have been numerous female role models in Korea's long history. From "The Korean Queen Hatshepsut," Queen Seondeok of Silla, "Korea's Joan of Arc" Yoo Gwan-sun (1902-1920), Joseon-era female artists, and Jeju island's Haenyeo which were listed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, these are role models for Korean women.

#20 82년생 김지영 도서 한류 열풍 K-Books and Korean Feminism

 Cho Nam-Joo's novel "Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982" (2016)   has now been published in 17 countries around the world, and examines the current status of Korean women's human rights. There are many proverbs that disparage women in Korea, a country of Confucianism, but the world-famous female writers are Korean women or Korean American women (Susan Choi, Min Jin Lee, Choi Don-mee, Kathy Park Hong).

 

#21 그린의 여왕들, 골프의 여신들 Queens of the Greens, Goddess of Golf 

For more than 20 years, the women's golf world has been dominated by Koreans. Since Se Ri Pak won the U.S. Women's Open and the LPGA Championship in 1998, "Se Ri's Kids" swept the top 10. It analyzes seven reasons why Korean women golfers have become the world's strongest.

 

#22 풍자와 해학: 강남 스타일, 기생충과 마가렛 조 Korean Satire & Humor

 From the black humor of Psy's "Gangnam Style" and Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite", to the 1994 sitcom "All American Girl" (ABC-TV), the first Asian family sitcom in the U.S., Koreans love humor. Margaret Cho, standup comedian, opened the door to Asian TV actors and the next generation of stand-up comedians.

 

 

The Korean DNA 

 

#23 세종대왕과 레오나르도 다 빈치 King Sejong The Great Vs. Leonardo de Vinci

 If there was a genius Leonardo da Vinci in the Italian Renaissance, there was King Sejong the Great in the Joseon Renaissance. King Sejong invented Hangul, and numerous scientific tools. He composed music and wrote literature. Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl Buck and "Star Trek" author Joe Menosky compared King Sejong to Leonardo da Vinci, and Menosky wrote a mystery novel "King Sejong The Great" in 2020.

#24 '비디오 아트의 선구자' 백남준과 후예들 Nam June Paik and His Descendants 

 Cosmopolitan Nam June Paik was the 'The Pioneer of Video Art' and has influenced numerous contemporary artists including Joan Jonas, Bruce Nauman, Bill Viola, Tony Oursler, Christian Marclay, Doug Aitken, Pipilotti Rist, and the tragically killed Korean-American artist, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha whose work was shown at the 2022 Whitney Biennial).

#25 K-클래식: 정경화에서 임윤찬까지 콩쿠르 강국 The Korean Musical Mystery 

Piano, violin, cello, voice, composition. Korean classical musicians have won the world's top three competitions and the Van Cliburn competition over the past 20 years. At the "Piano Olympics" Van Cliburn competition held in Texas every four years, Koreans won the gold medals in 2017 and 2022. Belgian director Thiery Loreau directed the documentary "The Korean Musical Mystery" (2012) to investigate the Korean phenomena.

#26 비틀즈 Vs. 방탄소년단 The Beatles vs. BTS

A comparison between the 1960s Beatles and today's boy band BTS. Billboard No. 1, HOT 100, best-selling album, and Beatlemania & BTS ARMY.

#27 입양한인 예술가들 K-Adoptees Shine in the Art World 

"Blood is thicker than water." Korea was once notorious as an exporting country of war orphans. Today the adoptees are displaying outstanding talents in music, dance, art, film and cooking with Korean DNA. The stories of six K-adoptees, four of whom I interviewed including bass Andrew Gangestad, ballerina Jennifer Whalen, painter Sara Sejin Chang, Deann Borshay Liem, Grammy-winning violist Richard Youngjae O'Neill, and chef Danny Bowien.

 

K-Culture Renaissance 
 

#28 K-Food 한식 엑스타시 The Wide Spectrum of Korean Taste Buds

The Wide Spectrum of Korean Taste Buds: Koreans' passion for food is also proved by the global popularity of YouTube's "Mukbang", which shows eating performances. While the late Anthony Bourdain introduced flavors around the world with "Parts Unknown" (CNN), Korean veteran actor Choi Bool-am explored the tastes from all over Korea. As cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead pointed out, Koreans divide beef into 120 parts. Korea has expanded its spectrum of flavors by developing rich recipes and storage methods from season to season.

#29 K-Art 단색화 부활하다 The Revival of the Korean Monochrome Painting  

The Revival of the Korean Monochrome Painting: In the 2010s, the world art community rediscovered the Korean monochrome abstraction 'Dansaekhwa'. Monochromatic painters, who began under Korea's dictatorship in the 1970s, are now in their prime at the age of twilight.

 

#30 K-Fashion 백의민족에서 글로벌 패셔니스타로 K-Fashion Rocks 

 Koreans, formerly called the 'white people,' have now emerged as an important stage in the fashion world. Members of the K-Pop girl band BLACKPINK (Rose, Jisoo, Lisa, Jenny) have been appointed the global ambassadors for Tiffany, Chanel, Saint Laurent, Dior, Celine, and Bulgari, etc. K-Pop is affecting not only singing and dancing, but also fashion. It analyzes the reason why K-fashion has gone world-wide with the success of fast fashion chain shop "Forever 21."

#31 K-Beauty 성공 신화 The Myth of K-Beauty

 The New York Times reported that following the waves of Psy and K-Pop stars in 2014, "Now comes the latest import from South Korea: a formidable array of beauty products." The global beauty companies L'Oreal and Estee Lauder have acquired Korean indie cosmetics companies, and Korean cosmetics are creating a global craze for technological innovation, creative ingredients, low prices, and customized skin care.

#32 K-Spa '한국 스파의 디즈니랜드' 찜질방 Jjimjilbang, The Disneyland of Korean Spa 

The bathing culture of Koreans is unique. They are masters of detox. The Korean sauna is called "Spa's Disneyland." The jjimjilbang culture, which includes scrubbing, skin care, massage, food, computer rooms, karaoke rooms, and mini movie theaters, is fascinating to Americans. In January 2020, CBS-TV anchor Gayle King interviewed the Jonas Brothers, who went to a Korean sauna in LA, and comedian/host Conan O'Brien visited a Korean sauna in LA with Korean-American actor Steven Yeun as a guide in 2015. 

#33 K-Quarantine 기생충, 킹덤과 코로나 팬데믹 K-Quarantine: "Parasite" "Kingdom" and Pandemic
Bong Joon-ho's movie "Parasite" (2019) and the Netflix zombie drama "Kingdom" seem to have foretold the COVID-19 pandemic. "We live in Bong Joon-ho's dystopia," the New York Times said in a review of Parasite.  We had to maintain a six-foot "line" during the pandemic, like the lines of Parasite. New York Magazine said in July 2020 that Kingdom heralded the pandemic under the title "Kingdom Feels Like a Nightmare of Now."

 

 

#Epilogue 멋진 신세계! 한류 신드롬은 계속된다 The Brave New World! Hallyu Syndrome Continues

Baekbeom Kim Gu, a cultural nationalist and cosmopolitanist, seems to have predicted today's K-Wave. A small island-like country that is a peninsula but cannot go north because it is divided, and the Korean people who once struggled in the scars of war are envied by the global community today. Korea, where K-culture rises like an active volcano, has established itself as a cultural powerhouse. 

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?document_srl=4079538

 

 

*한류를 이해하는 33가지 코드: 차례 <Korean>

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Focus&document_srl=4072494