Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Stalin84]

I'd never call myself one. Do you know when you're in ______ Eastern European / Middle Eastern country and you hear local music that sounds like it was heavily influenced by American music, albeit with some local flavour? When I hear K-pop/see K-fashion I think exactly the same thing. It doesn't really stick out to me at all and when it does it's just a matter of it being catchy enough to hold my ears for a few listens before being forgotten about forever.

I don't like R&B to begin with and I find most K-pop borrows heavily from that genre. That and boy bands, rap, etc. To be honest I find all of it to be so contrived that it's really annoying. People react to it in the same way they reacted to Big Bands in the US back in the 50s. It's hopelessly manufactured, no diversity or "soul" whatsoever.

I work with another foreigner who became infatuated with Korea before even coming because she's just obsessed with Korean culture in the same way Westerners are obsessed with Japanese culture. If I were to be an anything 'phile', I guess I'd be on the Japan side as I've liked Japanese everything since I was old enough to crawl (about the time I got a Nintendo). It's not even that I like Japanese stuff because it's Japanese, it's simply because a lot of the stuff I like just so happens to come from there.

Anyway, can someone explain this phenomenon to me? Did it influence you to come here?

...and why oh why is it getting so popular in other Asian countries? What's with this "Korea is the new Japan" business? Give it 20-50 years, then maybe.

One thing, though, Korean cinema *is* generally pretty good. I've seen a few Korean films I'd call classics. Just like with anything, though, the fans aren't watching the classics, they're watching those terrible, melodramatic soap oper--*ahem*, dramas.

[placeshifter]

I know a lot of Koreaphiles -- mostly younger European girls into K-Rock, K-Dramas, K-Films, Korean culture, and Korean guys.

There's also a subset into Korean films from an art house perspective.

Much larger number of Japanophiles though. I even know European girls who go to Japan specifically to hook up with / marry Japanese guys. And these girls are hot!

[Gaber]

I remember a Canadian girl who was here with her white boyfriend who really loved K-hop (?), but generally they seem rare to me.
To me a lot of Korean pop-culture seems derivative and lacking the unique streak that you get in Anime or Kirosawa movies. It still is very entertaining, but international audiences aren't usually going to be drawn to the same themes and techniques they saw a couple of years back re-presented with a subs.
I think in our generation we will see some internationally respected auteurs emerge from this country. Pak Chan-ook is well on the way. But Korea needs to break from some of the communalist mores if innovation is going to flourish. In other fields they are doing great with refining and improving existing techs, but in the so called creative fields, it is just that, creativity and original thought that gain respect. Japan and Hongkong earned their Sinophiles and Japanophiles with exciting new movie making techinques - Japan with it's Anime and HK with it's kinetic action and martial arts movies. The psychological drama of Pak Chan-ook's movies has a lot of potential, but doesn't seem like the sort of thing a 'wave' is made of.
I do love this country, but I'd never call my self a 'Koreaophile'.

Also, if anyone can recommend a quality modern Korean author who has been translated into English I'd be very appreciative. That's starting to feel like something I'm laking.

[crossmr]

Mostly I can take it or leave it..but movies..
I've got 2 external hard drives with about 500 Korean movies on them..
on average I find them to be far more entertaining than western films.

[kinerry]

[Murakano]

I studied at Sogang University for a while and you will find many Koreaphiles there (not surprisingly!)....

[peppermint]

I know a few, and they all seemed to be attracted to the conservative aspects of the culture, more so than pop culture trends

[janafromfrance]

[UknowsI]

The only real Koreaphiles I've met have actually been girls. They were completely in love with the handsome Korean men from their favourite K-dramas. K-dramas might be a bit away from reality though...

[mayorgc]

a couple of K movies off the top that I really liked and that I thought were quite original:

My Sassy Girl
Old Boy

[crossmr]

[Hightop]

If this is gonna become a Korean movie thread I want to give some big ups to Peppermint Candy 박하 사탕. The best Korean movie I have seen, one of my all time favorites.

[redaxe]

I was a Koreaphile before I came to Korea. Now I just live here. I have developed an intense love/hate relationship with the place. But I still dig Korean cinema. My favorites are 거미숲 (Spider Forest) and Happy End. I also like any movie with Song Kang-ho in it. That guy is awesome. And Jeon Do-yeon is a fantastic actress, anything with her in it is good too.

[SeoulMan99]

Taegukgi was one of the best war movies I have seen. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys war movies.

[doggyji]

You will find there are fans of diverse ethnic backgrounds from all over the world if you get involved in any big international Korean entertainment forums. In many cases, they are young and they almost "grew up" with K-entertainment. K-pop has some catchy tunes but what they really like is usually the celebrities themselves. From what I have seen, if they are non-Asian, they usually get introduced to K-pop shortly after they first come across J-pop (after getting into anime most likely) as there are quite a few popular K-celebs in the J-pop scene. When it comes to live performing while dancing, I think Korean pop singers do better than their Japanese counterparts in general. As for K-dramas, it's all about finding the good original ones because they can be quite entertaining. You have to be selective as Korea makes just too many dramas and it's hard to know better if you don't read any forums. Chuno (The Slave Hunters) on KBS2 is very popular these days. Korean cinema tends to have followers of more gender-even and age-diverse demography and many of you guys seem to already know something.