Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yaya]

Since 1999, the KBS comedy show called �Gag Concert� on Sunday nights has been required viewing for those wanting to be part of the cultural zeitgeist. It�s often called Korea�s �Saturday Night Live� for its influence, though obviously not its format or time.

Now, cable station tvN, which mainly broadcasts variety shows and entertainment-celebrity news, is starting a weekly comedy program called �Saturday Night Live Korea.�

And it will be both live and on Saturday night. The show starts this Saturday.

It will have a cast of 16, nine men and seven women. A celebrity will host each week and there will also be musical guests, just like the original SNL on NBC in the U.S.

In recent months, podcasts and Internet-uploaded videos have become increasingly popular in South Korea as a way to satirize politics and business with more stridency than TV broadcasts are allowed to do.

�Saturday Night Live Korea� will also push the boundaries, a spokesman for tvN said, �There is no limit to what the show is going to make fun of,� the spokesman said. �Society, economy, politics and politicians, any issue can be satirized.�

tvN has committed to an eight-week first season of �Saturday Night Live Korea.� Whether the show goes on beyond that will, of course, depend on the ratings, the spokesman said.

http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2011/11/30/live-from-seoul-its-saturday-really/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=koreareblog

[fermentation]

[Yaya]

We'll see just how Korea will let the show go beyond boundaries. If the past is any indicator, it'll be a short boundary.

[cj1976]

I'm not sure Korea is ready to stray too far from visual gags just yet. Expect a bit of mild ribbing and cheesy impersonations with a healthy dose of slapstick and gurning.

[Steelrails]

Don't worry, Koreans can do more subtle comedy as well. Just watch Attack the Gas Station or The President's Last Bang.

[ThingsComeAround]

I expect to see the four guys in tights trying to hide their giblets

Did they have to go and use the name SNL? Slow day in the marketing dept...

[The Floating World]

[Who's Your Daddy?]

Are there Korean stand-up comedians? Are there comedy clubs? I only see man-wearing-a-dress type comedy.

[Steelrails]

[Yaya]

[nathanrutledge]

If you look at what SNL has done over the years, it has really pushed the limits of what is acceptable. Humor wise, some periods are better than others, but even then there are some gems that you just say "how could they do that?!?"

I remember last year, there was an opening bit that had Obama and Hu Jintao at a press conference, and Hu spoke in Chinese, so his interpreter was speaking for him, and it was all about how the US owed China all this money, and Obama said they'd get paid. Jintao asked for Obama to kiss him, because he likes getting kissed before he gets screwed. Then a bit later, he asks for him to buy him dinner, and finally, he just bends over in front of Obama asking for it.

Now, can you imagine that kind of humor going over here? I just think that the repression of free speech has reached a level that we're not going to see THAT much boundary pushing.

[Yaya]

Mel Brooks, who is Jewish, had a spoof of the Inquisition in his film "History of the World Pt. 1." I'm sure he angered many Jewish groups by parodying a serious matter but nobody urged censoring that part of the film.

I don't see the same kind of free speech in Korea, however, or in Asia for that matter.

Weird thing is, Korea wants Japan to remember the latter's atrocities committed in the past, yet has run TV commercials with Nazi themes, including one VERY disturbing one with a likeness of Hitler chewing gum.

[jvalmer]

I can see them poking fun at various cultural and political things, probably mostly at the current party in power. However not taboo subjects like Dokdo, or Korea-Japanese relations that makes fun at Korea. It would akin to SNL making a skit on 9/11.

[Yaya]

I wonder if any memorable characters or skits will be created in the Korean version of the show, like "James Brown's Hollywood Hot Tub," "Mango," "Canteen Boy," "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," or "Debbie Downer."

I say make a skit about how an ajumma goes from benign to ballistic in a millisecond, a Korean ajussi goes from stiff as a board to a dancing fool after a few drinks, or a Nigerian in Itaewon harasses every girl he sees, etc.

[Joe Boxer]

I really hope they poke fun at chaebol owners.
Maybe a skit where they all show up for a meeting to decide how they should continue running the country. You could insert a little gag where one of them shows up in a wheelchair. Then he says, "sorry, I have a court appearance later."

Haha, the writers for this show will probably study SNL tapes and have Korean Pat, Korean Stuart, Korean Super Fans, etc.