K-POP c.d.

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50 years ago Korea was compared to Ghana. Today is the fifteenth economy in the world. Trend for Korean products of mass culture began in the nineties. Then the country started selling the rights to series of Korean. Then Japan and China got to know the Korean pop music. Korean actors have gained idol status in these countries. The large numbers of Japanese began to visit the South Korean island: Namoseon, where the famous series Winter Sonata was filmed. Today the cultural industry is one of the four major industries of Korea. Country dynamically developing in all respects attracts investors and encourages others to buy domestic products, such as tablets or cars. The circle closes. The series often promote Korean brands, which only increases the demand for these goods...

Series, KPOP and computer games from South Korea conquering the world

Series, KPOP and computer games from South Korea conquering the world. That's the title of Gazeta Wyborcza's article. I came across this text quite recently. You can read the whole thing on the newspaper's website. It is available free of charge. I recommend. What sort of Korea it says? Cetainly not about Korea as a manufacturer of cars or phones. We're talking about a completely different sphere of life, namely we're talking about Korean pop culture. You don't know? Oh no ... I think that everybody knows Gangam Style ...which broke all records on youtube. The creators of the portal had to increase views limits, the program started freaking out and instead of adding, it started to subtract from the number of views. Gangam style achieved an impressive result of 2.32 milliard views.

But Korea has much more to offer. Gangam style is not the only Korean hit known throughout the world, or at least beyond the borders of this country within the Asian continent.

Koreans quickly understood that pop culture is an area that can be great advertisement of the country and can be a great marketing product supporting the development of large corporations and Korean brands. Development of pop culture has become a springboard for the country, which is appreciated not only in the world but attracts also people from afar.

I must admit that I am fascinated by the way of action of the entertainment industry in Korea, where great discipline reign. The prospects are far-reaching, and the birth of stars or singers or actors are not random.

http://wyborcza.biz/biznes/1,100896,18053341,Seriale__K_Pop_i_gry_komputerowe_z_Korei_Poludniowej.html?disableRedirects=true

Computer games...any problem?

Although computer games are the one of the largest and perhaps the most interesting export product of Korea, but the country has also a lot of problems associated with this. In Korea, as I mentioned in a previous post they are very, very popular. 90% of households in this country has access to broadband, which is one of the highest percentages in the world.  Internet addiction is, of course, this problem or and more specifically computer games addiction. Korea has been struggling with it for a long time. Many politicians are included in the debate on solving this trouble, because it affects a growing number of people. In Korea it's really a plague. In newspapers you can regularly read articles for exemple: A teenager who died from overwork, or parents who starved their infant baby because they played with abandon. These stories are real and not so rare..That's why the Korean government   often discuss on solutions. Recently they passed a law that prohibits minors to play after midnight. This is controlled arbitrarily and access to specific pages with games is blocked. Besides, there are plenty of social campaigns in which this issue is strongly highlighted.
It would seem that the problem is exaggerated. I asked Koreans what they think about this. Unfortunately they confirmed that.

National sport

Korea is perhaps a country like no other in the world right now in this respect. Probably is the only one country where computer games are treated so seriously. Korea is not only Samsung and Hyundai, it's also mecca of players. The greatest hits, the best games are made here, and this is where the biggest stars of this business born. Computer games are treated in Korea as a sport. Next taekwondo, games are the second the most important sport, followed with great verve by millions of Koreans. For the needs of the fans, special stadiums are built designed only for matches of computer games. They gather crowds in them. The most important events, tournaments, championships (for exemple: World Cyber Games) are accompanied by massive media interest. These events are organized by wile months. Anyway, the best players have the status of stars. They are idols of young and not only young Koreans. They earn considerable money. Of course, their success is often associated with much effort. But their trainers who often replace their families keep watch over their development and mental health.

Unfortunately, computer games have their other side of the coin. But more about this in the next post.

Korean English

If someone had asked me before leaving: Do Koreans speak English, certainly I would say that's for sure.. How wrong I was...

Korea reportedly has the highest degree of educating their society. It puts a huge emphasis on learning from an early age. Children, first in kindergarten, then in school and at the end: in high school, spend several hours learning there.. During my trip I was a witness of children in uniforms coming out of the school building about 7 p.m.! Yeah. The whole swarms of young people poured out on the streets. Although it's worth noting that the Asian streets are bustling and vibrant to very late hours at night. The city quiets down about 1 p.m./2 p.m., in contrast to our reality... There 7 p.m. is time for dinner, you can rest for a moment.

Going back to English, I have to admit that I was disappointed. Of course I don't mean something big, but the Koreans are rarely able to say anything in a language other than their mother tongue.  Sometimes it made our communication complicated, but in the end everything ended well. Despite the lack of familiarity of English Koreans gain many thanks to the extraordinary openness and willingness to help. With their help, often with their phones and electronic maps, we reached our destination. Korean streets are not so obvious ... :)

No kimchi no Korea

This year I visited South Korea. Country full of contrasts and surprises. Asia is great in many ways, but a it's long time to write. Now I can say: I will always associate Korea with a few things. Kimchi, pale pale and great mountains. Traveling in Korea is quite easy and safe. I think that this country is so underestimated, entirely groundlessly. Maybe or rather definitely because of the proximity of North Korea. But this small oblivion has got some advantages! Despite the fact that tourism is very well developed (although I know that this state of affairs is quite fresh, previously, before Korea has taken steps to develop this sector of the economy, it wasn't so hospitable) tourists from Europe we've met can be counted on the fingers. During almost three weeks it was maybe 35? Maybe...We felt very strange but also exotic. Korea has plenty to show and everyone will find something for everyone. For me it was: mountains, ancient civilizations, temples, and of course food. But if someone dreams of modern architecture diamonds, seeing the best players in matches of StarCraft or ... taekwondo also ll be happy. 

But returning to kimchi,what is that?Kimchi originally existed in ancient Korea--nearly 3,000 years ago. It's a dish and without it Korean cannot imagine a meal. It's not a korean meal unless there's kimchi and banchan on the table. Banchan is meant to create balance in the meal in terms of saltiness, spiceness etc. It's sade dish. The number of banchan varies greatly, from minimum 3 to... .Kimchi is the most important, basic banchan. It's a fermented dish typically  (like our cucumbers :) )consisting of vegetables, red chili peppers, and a seafood-based sauce, which is then put in a stoneware pot to ferment in the sun. The most frequent ingredient is cabbage. I liked very much these little side dishes, which complement incredibly the flavors.

Refugees few words

Refugees few words

That what happens on Polish streets for several weeks makes me scared. We hear: Muslims threaten us, so we do not let them. This violence and vulgarity bring to mind Germany before the War. That's what says professor Michał Buchowski- cultural anthropologist (University Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan). I agree with him.

When it comes to the number of refugees it's hard to compare Poland with others contries in Europe like Germany, Italy or Great Britain where newcomers constitue from 10 to 20 percent of population. In our contry is 1 percent what gives 380 000 people. It's quite big number next to 12 000 refugees which Poland could adopt.

People who fear of refugees, they often argue with statement that only men escape and it's suspicious. They don't know that refuge is full of torment. I can't imagine women with their children waden through the wire. Men escape because they are stronger and resistant. And certainly more than the fair sex. Few can decide to travel by miserable boat with dozens of people.

I don't understand my compatriots. All this fundamentalist slogans are awful and I'm ashamed for them. Poland still has a lot to learn in terms of tolerance. We are completely ethnically homogeneous country and each equality is seen as worse. Times are changing and Poland is becoming an attractive country. Also for refugees. We must take this into account.