Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Smee]

There's an article in the Times today about Arirang, whether it will be absorbed by KBS World, and whether it serves a purpose. An excerpt:

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Arirang: a publically funded Korean TV station that no one who can speak Korean would ever bother to watch, and no one who is not Korean can stomach to watch. What a winning combination. I hope it dies and is some day used as a model of how not to run a TV station.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

I get both Arirang and KBS world on my cable package here in Jakarta. The former, I am inclined to watch when I want to increase my blood pressure, and the latter is a more benign form thereof. The nasal, whiny, valley girl tones of most Arirang presenters are apoplexy inducing and if they ever wanted some credibility, they would do well to look to Australia Network, DW TV or the BBC, rather than being a straight-up propaganda channel where Korea is presented as a realm of leprechauns and rainbows. KBS gives you your fill of Korea-ama without the nauseating bollox associated.

[ChinaBoy]

I watched Arirang when I was in Thailand. Wasn't too bad. Of course, I only watched a sit-com here and there.

[soviet_man]

Cho Eun-Jung = Hot!

Put her in the anchor chair, they could save Arirang

[okokok]

[GoldMember]

If Arirang ceases to exist I'd feel gutted. Where else am I going to get my Korean comedy fix.
As laughs go its better than Cheers, Seinfeld, Monty Python, and Black Adder all rolled into one.

[doublejj]

Korean culture is best.

[Robot_Teacher]

What is Arirang TV? Does it play the Arirang songs all the time? I mean if it plays Arirang music all the time, it must be one proud and highly successful TV channel. I don't watch TV except on a treadmill, but I see this movie channel, food and farming shows, K pop, and on stage comedy where they dress and act weird for laughs. No Arirang TV channel nor traditional performances shown.

If it plays Arirang and other traditional songs, it's my students most hated channel as they hate having to learn and play all this Arirang music. I think Korean traditional music and art is beautiful, but some of my students hate me for acknowledging I like what they hate as they really hate traditional anything. They just want to be Westerners. I feel bad for setting an example that screams, "You should be like me," but that's a big misconception and it is what they expect and seek to be. They got mad as hell when I played a very beautiful Arirang video off of Youtube as they were expecting a Western video and I was forced to send one boy out of the room for punching walls and going berserk. I won't put up with disrespectful out of control behavior, but just stamp it out by sending it out of the room and continue on as if nothing happened. So much for Arirang and traditional style anything as it's quickly going out the door.

[Yaya]

I certainly hope Arirang TV dies. I know many who have or still work there, and even they say it's SO LAME!

Plus, it takes up taxpayers' money.

[wylies99]

The closer you are to Korea the more you realize that it's the "K-Pop" of TV channels- no substance.

BTW, where will all of those kyopos who work on camera go now? Who will spend an entire hour interviewing vapid K-Pop celebs? Who will report on the "hottest trends" in Seoul?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[bluelake]

I've been on it a few times over the years (coincidentally, I am supposed to meet with them this weekend to discuss something they're working on). The people I've worked with have been pretty good folks, although I haven't been completely pleased with some of the end products (lots of inaccuracy, to put it mildly). Yes, it is the propaganda outlet for Korea and, as such, paints a rosy picture of the country.

[bluelake]

I met with the person from Arirang today. Really nice lady. I asked her about the report in this thread and she said that type of thing comes up every time there is a new administration. She doubts it will happen. One reason being, Arirang is aimed at non-Koreans, while KBS World is aimed at Koreans abroad. So, the report of its demise may be premature. Anyway, that's what I heard.

[wylies99]