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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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 Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:32 am Post subject: Korean satire- does it exist? |
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Have you ever seen Korea make fun of itself, or they way they are percieved in the world?
I found this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b75cl4-qRE&search=japanese%20traditions
which actually had me going for a while. Rather brilliant. It's long but you'll probably love it.
Do you know of anything similar that's Korean-made? |
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seoulsucker
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Satire and sarcasm aren't very common forms of humor here, from what I've gathered. And of all the Korean comedy I've seen on television, I have yet to see a true stand-up comedian. |
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sid
Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Berkshire, England
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Not sure about 'making fun of how they are perceived in the world', but I've seen a couple of shows in the little comic theatres around Daehangno and they were quite satirical. I'd also guess that the TV comedians are much ruder and funnier in their live appearances compared to the rather cute stuff they have to do on television. |
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Son Deureo!
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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The �ȳ� ����ü��ī sitcom poked fun at a lot of elements of Korean culture. The vampires were often used as a way of turning the whole age-hierarchy concept on its head and poking fun at it. It seemed like every episode was satirizing a different element of Korean society, education mania, pushy adjummas, a lot of the same things we make fun of.
���� ����, a comic strip, often pokes fun at different aspects of Korean society that the author was critical of, such as the obsession over Seoul universities, military service, preference for sons, companies forcing their employees into retirement too young, etc.
Gag Concert has a lot of silly slapstick, but in the "news" segments I've seen some satire.
As for Korean standup comics, I see them all the time on the Comedy channel.
Korean sarcasm and satire are out there. |
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seoulsucker
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Son Deureo! wrote: |
| As for Korean standup comics, I see them all the time on the Comedy channel. |
I've never seen a Korean guy get up and do a routine as himself. It's always in character, with props or an ensemble cast. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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| seoulsucker wrote: |
| Son Deureo! wrote: |
| As for Korean standup comics, I see them all the time on the Comedy channel. |
I've never seen a Korean guy get up and do a routine as himself. It's always in character, with props or an ensemble cast. |
They will sometimes, but it's most often in the guise of emcee in nightclub acts or as "super special celebrity guest" at non-entertainment functions (corporate party, product launch, charity benefit, college graduation ceremony) where they'll come out, crack a few jokes, grab their fee and then leave.
Korean-American comedian/actor Johnny Yune (never hugely popular in Korea or in the US, I think) tried out a "Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson"-esque Korean-language version of the standup comic, band, kibitzing w/the bandleader, etc. variety-revue thingamajig in .... the early 1990s(?) which didn't go over very well with Korean TV audiences. Not here in das Mutterland, anyway.
Why didn't Koreans like it? From what I heard, the complaints were what you might expect: The slower-paced format, geared toward older viewers, didn't appeal so much to the all-ages Korean TV audience, whereas Korean "gag" shows aim at everyone from toddler to toothless granny. It wasn't that Koreans were _wholly unfamiliar_ with the basic concept here -- everybody here had access to AFKN & Johnny Carson for decades -- and not simply that the material, the jokes themselves weren't funny. It just wasn't how Koreans wanted and were used to having their humour delivered to them.
From what I gather and thus may well be wrong, there was also an underlying (possibly even subconscious) anti-gyopo/anti-American sentiment or resistance toward the show & its star. IOW, however good or bad it may have been, Koreans weren't about to like it. Not to say there was resentment about the show being a Koreanised copy of a proven foreign formula (as though such artistic kleptomania was unknown & frowned upon in the pop music or game show genres) but specifically that this was an AMERICAN concept (and therefore inevitably regarded as something being) crammed down unwilling Korean throats by a JE-MI GYOPO, forgodsake. Wait... no, that precise gripe was actually expressed to me once, so I'm not just seeing something that wasn't there.
I think it isn't that Koreans don't "get" or can't appreciate standup comedy (or satire) while Westerners do, but that they don't prefer it. And why don't they prefer it? Obviously, because they lack our superior refinement and taste in such things. 
Last edited by JongnoGuru on Mon Apr 17, 2006 7:16 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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I think it's a throwback to when doing satire would get you in big trouble. Heck, it wasn't all that long ago when public critisism of the government was verboten, was it? Satire would be a form of this, so...
They just grew into that mentality. Laugh at the somehow deficient. Laughing at or making fun of leaders or people percieved as 'better than I' in some respect was (is?) unthinkable. Like making fun of a teacher or walking on their shadow.
They are also a prety proud bunch...they even protected Dr. Hwang after he himself said he lied. Satire kind of pokes holes in your own culture and people, like admitting that there are flaws. I'm not sure if Koreans would take to the kind of satire that could be delivered here. It may just cut too deep for them. |
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seoulsucker
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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| One thing I have noticed about Korean gag humor is how much it revolves around advertising parodies. The ad execs must love the free branding action they get from it. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Korea has no problem poking fun at other countries, cultures and races. That's a lost art in much of the West. |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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Everyday no face.
Enjoy your wife.
Have a glib time. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| I think it isn't that Koreans don't "get" or can't appreciate standup comedy (or satire) while Westerners do, but that they don't prefer it. And why don't they prefer it? Obviously, because they lack our superior refinement and taste in such things. |
Speak for yourself. I love a good well-placed fart or a dead baby joke. Gag Concert and crap like that would probably be a lot funnier if I could understand any of the jokes. |
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doggyji
Joined: 21 Feb 2006
Location: Toronto - Hamilton - Vineland - St. Catherines
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| Korea has no problem poking fun at other countries, cultures and races. That's a lost art in much of the West. |
Does the West include the States? In American shows, I think it's been pretty much a routine to make fun of other countries or cultures... but not just that race part. Maybe I'm misimpressed.  |
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laogaiguk
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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| doggyji wrote: |
| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| Korea has no problem poking fun at other countries, cultures and races. That's a lost art in much of the West. |
Does the West include the States? In American shows, I think it's been pretty much a routine to make fun of other countries or cultures... but not just that race part. Maybe I'm misimpressed. |
Have you ever seen a simpson's episode that made fun of another country???  |
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periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for posting that, Kermo. I really liked the towel part. I sent it to 2 of my cousins that are 1/2 Japanese. They'll dig it. |
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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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| doggyji wrote: |
| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| Korea has no problem poking fun at other countries, cultures and races. That's a lost art in much of the West. |
Does the West include the States? In American shows, I think it's been pretty much a routine to make fun of other countries or cultures... but not just that race part. Maybe I'm misimpressed. |
Yes, I remember Jay Leno (of the Tonight Show) caused a sh*tstorm over here in Korea a while back when he made this joke:
"A Korean speed-skater lost winning the Olympic gold medal today. Boy, was he angry! He kicked his dog ... and then he ate it." |
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