Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ihavenolips]

I know that many of you will automatically assume that this thread slags korea. But, I am being serious. All foreign teachers have seen at least one or two creative moments in Korea. There are times when I must admit that a student has a original idea that makes me think. What are some of the moments where YOU have witnessed creative energy among Koreans?

One thing that comes to mind is ice cream. Whoever designs the frozen ice cream at grocery stores has some creative ideas. I tried a variety which was vanilla ice cream, dipped in chocolate, coated with corn flakes, with a berry center. Yesterday, I tried a cone of fig ice cream with a chocolate coating and some crunch stuff inside. It doesn't even matter that the cone immediately broke in half or that everything dripped out of the bottom of the cone. My point is that the type of ice cream was original. It was an example of creativity in Korea.

[vlcupper]

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

Jimjil bangs are a creative way to fascilitate healthy relaxing family time in a great environment ...

[vlcupper]

What are jimjil bangs?

[schwa]

[vlcupper]

Public bathhouses?? After the last experience I had, I've never been back to one. They can't all be THAT dirty, can they?

[matthewwoodford]

I've been to a lot of bathhouses and came across *one* that was disgustingly dirty - the rest were sparkling clean. Try again somewhere else.

[vlcupper]

Three letters...



UTI, dude, UTI.

<shiver>

[Guri Guy]

I agree 100% Koreans can be very creative and ice cream is an excellent example of that. I also think fashion is another example. Even if it looks god awful sometimes I will give them full credit for trying something different. Some of those dyed fake fur coats look sub optimal in my opinion but at least they are trying something new. Koreans may be accused of having a herd mentality but at least that herd is moving in a different direction than the rest of the world.

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

[mindmetoo]

The Korean movie industry I find is quite creative. They don't have the big Hollywood bucks to bait and switch story/characterization for FX and car chases where the two buddy cops both yell because they think they're going to die. Oh I love that ever present scene as much as I love the "cat scare" where our movie's hero wakes up and thinks the demonic werevampire has broken into his basement. Oh dear, the basement light has burned out. Odd that! He grabs a candle (and not the cordless nail gun he'll use in Act III to kill the demonic werevampire) and slowly creeps down the stairs to investigate. The music and tension build and then, boom, a cat jumps out of no where and screams. Everyone in the audience jumps and then breathes a sigh of relief. It's usually a cat but sometimes it's Carl the estate handyman who was rummaging around the basement looking for some black candles and a pentagram stencil he thought the previous owner stored here before he mysterious vanished, leaving only a pool of blood and a severed hand that was transplanted onto the arm of a serial killer. Oh no one told you about the mysterious death of the previous owner? And the one before that? And the six before that? I guess the Indian burial ground under the tennis court wasn't in the listing either huh? Century 21 Realty, I curse you!

So, lacking money for FX or cat trainers Korean film makers tend to concentrate on the plot, drama/comedy, and characterization.

Korea makes a lot of advances on the technology front. Advances aren't made without creative thinking. Koreans have been leading some list regarding new patents (number 1 if you remove those nations where people don't spit on subway stairs).

My children, alas, can be a real disappointment, answering "I don't know", parroting back my example, or saying "ddung". But I keep trying.

[igotthisguitar]

The Korean "creative" spirit in 5 words or less ... ???


























>. Keep it "inside" the box.

[Zenpickle]

I was impressed by Korean works at the Museum of Contemporary Art at Seoul Grand Park. I have also noticed a lot of modern and post-modern sculpture everywhere I go.