Gag Concert's 5th Week of Broadcast Cancellation

          Again, Gag Concert, has cancelled airing the long postponed episode this weekend. This is all in respects to the Sewol Ferry accident. But personally, I'm getting tired of the wait.

         It is true that many broadcasting companies have stopped airing their reality/variety shows that did not fit the mood of the nation with such a tragic accident over everyone's heads. After about a week, the shows started to come back on, tentatively. Now the airing of the weekly/daily shows have returned to normalcy, all but one, Gag Concert.

        Personally, I really miss Gag Concert. I looked up what other Koreans were saying about this, and they were in agreement with my own opinion. The Sewol Ferry incident is absolutely nothing to regard lightly, but how much more does the whole nation have to be forced to grieve? At this point, most people have been managing to move on with life, and this has been especially easier with all the other variety shows like Infinity Challenge, Running Man, and dramas have been airing according to their regular schedules. It's already been over a month since the accident, and frankly, Koreans need a show that is for the sole purpose of making its audience laugh.

        Korean netizens have been commenting that they've been depressed without the crucial presence of Gag Concert. It's true that shows like Infinity Challenge and Running Man are humorous and they're supposed to be for such entertainment, but Gag Concert provided the rich source of laughter. And it's continual cancellation of broadcasting has also been lagging the Koreans' recovery from the tragic accident. We just all miss Gag Concert.

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U-KISS and their New Member

          I know I just posted about KARA recruiting new members and now I'm about to talk about U-KISS and their new member, Joon, but bear with me, it's a different post, nonetheless!

         Although I became a fan of U-KISS with their hit song, "Man Man Ha Ni (만만하니)", so about a year after their debut, I would have to say, "we" go way back. They're just one of the groups that I really like and have a special place in my heart. I was devastated with other fans when Alexander and Kibum left the group and I was wary about the two new members, AJ and Hoon at first, but their debut song with U-KISS, "0330" was just too awesome that I couldn't not love them. What really dragged me down was Dongho's departure, and if you've been following my blog, you would know about this.

         But because U-KISS still has a substantial number of members even with one less member, I thought they'd be just fine promoting as the six. Not just because six is a strong number for a group, but because they've been around for a good amount of time now, and so they have that recognition piled up. So this sudden announcement of a new member was rather surprising for me. And I don't know how to feel about this exactly. Dongho was my favorite. I can't do anything about the fact that he's left the group and the entertainment industry for good. Plus with already three members that have left the group, and two replacement members in U-KISS' history, I'm not sure if I want to put up with another change.

         Like I said, I really like U-KISS, and it upsets me that they still have not gotten first place on music shows yet. But with this being the third time they've introduced a new member, I can't help but wonder if this may hurt any chance of them getting their long-awaited and desired win. What I mean is, what the Korean audience may view it as is, "They got a new member...again?" and that will be it, their interest in the group may fade. Of course, I'm not talking about their fans here, I'm just talking about the general Korean public, which is where U-KISS should be winning new fans from.

         So personally, I still haven't gotten over Dongho's departure yet, and so I'm not sure if I'm ready to accept this new member. I'm not against him, but I'm just wary. But AJ and Hoon could fit in with the group nicely with an awesome song, "0330", I have my hopes up pretty high about their comeback this summer.


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My Thoughts on KARA Recruiting New Members

          I found out something new today - KARA is actually finding members to replace the two members that have left the group, and you can read more about this here. I don't know how KARA fans are feeling about this, but I have my own opinions to share.

           Just based off of a different girl group (starts with "T", ends with "-ara"), it makes me uneasy that they're replacing their members. When the two original members left, I was appalled and asked my sister, "So is it just going to be three of them now?" and she had answered yes, because that's how it was at the time. But looks like the agency's changing their minds. Like I said, I'm not sure if this is a wise move - why can't the three just be KARA by themselves? KARA is one of those "original" K-pop groups of the 21st century, they've been around for a while now. Will their fans, and the remaining members, be accepting of the new members? That's just weird. I think just the KARA members themselves would feel uncomfortable, having to adjust to dancing and singing with these newbies and even rooming with them. Plus there's also the memories of KARA as the original five - haven't they been around for too long to kind of remake those memories?

            But I wouldn't say replacing members in K-pop groups always lead to disaster. I mean, look at the Wonder Girls and U-KISS (U-KISS is a whole another topic that I may touch on later as a separate blog post) - both groups introduced new member(s) and they've been easily able to maintain their popularity. However, for the Wonder Girls, this was all within the two years of their debut. For U-KISS, as much as I love them, but the harsh truth is, they're not that popular, at least not as much in Korea as they are outside of Korea (no hate!). KARA is just the opposite of both groups - they've been around for 7 years now, to introduce new members and expect the loyal fans to love them like they're the original two members may be for asking too much. Plus, KARA is one of those mega-popular groups, which means a whole glob-ton of national and international recognition.

           Frankly, for KARA fans, the departure of the two members hurt in itself. But I feel like the wounds would be better attended to if the remaining three members just promoted by themselves, rather than hurry on with new recruits. I mean, come on, don't you agree? I guess I am a fan of KARA, but I'm not a Kamilia. So if this was another group that I am more of a fan of, then, oh yes, I would be fuming. I would be like, "How DARE they even consider replacing my unnie/oppa?!" So let me know how you feel about this situation, so I can find out if I'm alone in these opinions or not. :)


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May: "The Family Month" in South Korea

          May is called the month of the family in South Korea, and, reasonably so, since May 5th is Children's Day and May 8th is Parents' Day. In addition, May 15th is Teacher's Day. Teacher Appreciation Week in America falls in the same week as Teacher's Day in Korea, which I find cool. Parents' Day is similar to Mother's Day and Father's Day that we have in America. What's different is Children's Day.

          Oh, Children's Day. The one holiday that my siblings and I have all whined about because we didn't celebrate it, my parents' reasoning being that we live in America, so we don't celebrate it. What is Children's Day, you ask? It's a day where there is no school and museums and amusement parks are free. Yes, you read that last line right, amusement parks are free that day. Plus a day of no school?! Wow. Not only that, children also receive presents, so it's a whole another Christmas for them.

         I'm not some Korean cultural expert, I just go by my own experiences, knowledge, and research, so I'm not sure how Children's Day started. But this holiday seems fit for Korea as children can be under a lot of unforeseen stress. Yes, even children in elementary school. Studying is always emphasized, ever since the child graduates kindergarten and goes into primary school. And I mean emphasized hardcore. Breaks and vacations are not really what they are in Korea, because you still have homework and you go to a separate academy or just study on your own or with a tutor or with the study materials your parents force upon you. Yes, even children as young as third graders go through this.

         Because the Korean word used for Children's Day seem to imply younger children, like those in elementary school, it's kind of awkward for older students, in terms of whether they should receive presents too or not. But they still don't have school that day, and this is the right move, because if children - including students in middle and high schools - have ever been pressured about education, it's in secondary schooling. So these older students sure do deserve treats.

        But what about us American students? I don't want to necessarily ask for the no-school feature if Children's Day were ever to be introduced to the United States, because I feel like we have plenty of breaks, especially in comparison with Korean students. However, it wasn't ever fun being left out of the Children's Day excitement as a kid in America, so whoever makes holidays should consider this for the land of the free. :D


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Why I Wish to be a High School Student in Korea for a Day

         As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I've been obsessed with a webtoon in which the characters are first year high school students in Korea. This has been heightening my desire to be a high school student in Korea. But long before reading the webtoon, I've always wanted to experience being a high school student in South Korea.

          However, when I tell my friend in Korea, who is a high school student there, she asks me why and cannot understand me. Same with my younger sister, who just knows that the educational requirements of a high school student in Korea is high. I know, I know - in Korean high school, you have to stay at school until 9~10 PM and study, so it's a lot of stress.

           But I just want to wear those uniforms they wear! I want to be able to go eat somewhere or just buy food at a local convenience store after school with my friends. I want to be walking distance from home, from the local convenience store, the marts, etc. I want to have access to the Korean snacks and drinks I like. I know that the second half of the list doesn't necessary require being a high school student in Korea, as I can go to Korea at any age and be walking distance from places. So maybe you're sitting there thinking that I just want to live in Korea, which holds truth, and you wonder, so why do I demand being a high school student?

          Here's the thing, though. I'm getting old. Which I know it's not all that true, but, in Korean age, I'm in my last year of high school right now. I'm not in my last year of high school in America, but I am in Korea. So after this year, I won't ever be able to enter a Korean high school as a student. Not that I realistically think that I'll really have a chance to fly over there and shadow a high school student between now and the graduation of my class, but if I did have some kind of chance, I don't have much time left. As a Korean-American who's pretty darn Korean for someone living in the United States, I have a good measure of both cultures in me that is possible for me to have given that I've lived in the U.S. my whole life. But then there's experiences like attending high school in South Korea that I just have to miss out on. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my school and love my time there and the teachers and fellow classmates there. And I definitely do not feel any regret about leaving school everyday at least before dinner time as opposed to at around 9~10PM in Korea. But the little things - buying some dduk bokk ee (떡볶이) and banana milk and wearing a uniform - are the stuff I don't want to miss out on.


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The Return of g.o.d

          g.o.d is a Korean boy group that debuted in 1999 and you can read more about them here. They released a new album in 12 years and it has been super successful, and I personally like their song, Ugly Duckling, as well. What I want to focus on in this post is about the member Yoon Kye Sang, and his contribution to the making of this album as he had left the group back in 2004.

         K-pop is a crazy world. If you are into it, you may either know of this or you may not know it because you just look at the fun it offers. But behind all the glamour and fun-filled stages of K-pop artists is lots of untold secrets and stress, which Simon and Martina of Eatyourkimchi, Canadian vloggers in Korea, talk more about here. So within this crazy world of Korean pop music, there are the on-screen dramas that are shared with the public, such as a member leaving the group.

        It thrills me that Yoon Kye Sang had put in his voice into Ugly Duckling - it's a surprise, really. I watched an episode of a show where him and all the g.o.d members were on and they were talking about their misunderstandings and resentments they had held against each other. And really, Yoon Kye Sang did not have any intention of doing anything g.o.d-related, only because he wasn't sure he could with all the fans he had disappointed. But now, the group had just released a song as the full, original group just two days ago! I'm not a huge g.o.d fan, I hardly know their music, I've seen them on variety programs a lot when I was about 7 or 8 years old. But I was simply way too young to listen to their music back when they were coming out with hits. Nonetheless, their return excites me and I've got another reason for that.

        I would have to say the representative disbanded group today that fans are still divided over is TVXQ (DBSK). Now this is an area that I'm more familiar with. As one of the fans who have seen them debut, it's such unfortunate that they had to split. Many support the split, however, because of the mistreatment of JYJ when they were in the company as TVXQ. So this whole topic is pretty controversial. So there's people who like the split but then there's people who are still hoping for a reunion, and I happen to be one of them.

         While the remaining two members of TVXQ have said in the past that they were shocked by JYJ's departure and there's all of this tension, looking at g.o.d and how they could figure out the misunderstandings and reconcile with each other, I say there's still hope. It's unlikely that the original five members of TVXQ will gather and do something in the near future with the two members still being a part of SM Entertainment, but, who knows. That day could still come.


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The Frustrations of a Bilingual Komerican

           This time, I'm going to talk about my nearly-lifelong struggle: growing up in an English-speaking country and wanting to speak in Korean to the solely English-speakers. Don't get me wrong, I love the English language. (I'm Korean-American!) But I also love the Korean language.

           Aside from the obvious differences that these two languages have, another difference that stands out is that Korean can be such a strong and blunt language. I touched base on this in my post about hate comments in Korea. So in the case of un-watered down hate comments, the bluntness of the Korean language can be bad, even deadly. However, I don't mean to say that the Korean language is an ungodly language - like any languages, you can make it ungodly with your word choice.

         But even with good, appropriate diction, Korean phrases can just be more straightforward and harsher. For example, in the Korean singer Lee Hi's song, "1,2,3", there's a line that says "남 걱정하지 말고 너나 잘해" which can be translated into English as, "Don't worry about others, and just take care of yourself." Now, you who I'm going to assume cannot speak Korean, didn't that English translation sound...not so bad? Maybe almost sweet, even? This is the frustrating thing! UGH! It's not a sweet line at all!! There are no ways in English to directly translate the meaning of this line! Okay, okay, an alternative way to translate it into English would be, "Don't worry about others, and you do good". That's just awkward. But the Korean denotation and connotation of this line is more like (not to directly translate it), "Don't be so busy worrying about others when you should be worrying about yourself, you do your own thing"... It still does not match up the harshness even when I try to elaborate... I said it's both the denotation and connotation that displays the harshness of this line, and it's true, some denotations in Korean doesn't even seem to exist in Korea. For your information, I'm an experienced Korean-to-English transcriber and translator, so it's not like I'm deficient at translating. 

         So with the Korean language being able to be straightforward, but still appropriate (like, PG), I've wanted to use it on so many English speakers. You know, for good comebacks that will  make the other person speechless, for cunning-edge remarks, or to be direct. I'm not saying I want to speak rudely all the time, but sometimes, speaking Korean would allow me to stand up more and uh, other purposes that I won't name. Aside from the Korean language being all direct and potentially harsh-without-cursing, maybe because of it's ability to be all direct, it's also a language that allows you to be really close with whom you talk to, as long as you're talking informally, of course (the Korean language consists of formal and informal words/phrases). Like, I guess to try to explain this in British terms, you can call your close friend a bloke all you want. I feel like in America, even if it was your close friend you were talking to, this would be crossing the line. Now I know of some incomprehensible, still-need-to-grow-up teenagers who call their friends all sorts of names (which I won't name) and there are some Korean teenagers who do this too. But I'm not talking about calling names because you're supposedly best friends. I'm talking about, just this closeness that the Korean language can offer. Not distance, but just, a sense of closeness. Oh, just go learn the Korean language and culture and you'll see what I mean. 


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Korean Webtoons

           Something that Korea has but America doesn't - webtoons, or comic on the website, hence the same. So it's like manga that's available online 

          As I live in America, I know the prejudices that the majority of American students have against manga. Unless you read manga, they're just looked down upon as some comic book that too-old students read. But actually, these are not mere comic books, as the content is not always suit for some little kids. Not only that, it's not accurate to say manga isn't a good read because you assume that the difficulty level is low. So I just wanted to shed light on this fact for those of you who may have these kinds of prejudice.

        Anyway, manga is actually a Japanese term and they are Japanese. But manhwa (만화) is completely Korean, and although they're not as popular worldwide as mangas, they still exist. 

        I'm bringing up manhwa because our 21st century has allowed for a new way of viewing manhwas, and it's through the Internet. Webtoons. Unlike manga-readers in America, manhwa/webtoons are not just read by certain cliques in Korea, it's pretty safe to say everyone has read at least one volume of manhwa before. Of course, people who don't read it, just don't read it, but unlike America, it's not necessarily a set group of people that read it only. (Unless of course we're talking about rated-R manhwas here, then yes, a set group of people read it.........)

        Webtoons have been revolutionary. I did my research, and although other popular Korean portal sites like Daum and Nate do offer webtoons, Naver has the most popular ones so far. This may also be because out of the three, Naver seems to be used more, it's the Google of Korea, and I personally am a Naver user. The webtoons are drawn and posted by normal Koreans who can draw and it's tremendous how these ordinary Korean citizens debut through Naver and become so successful. Naver webtoons are revolutionary because some have been so widely read that they've even been considered turning into a drama, such as Fashion King. Fashing King the drama is not the same as the webtoon, but I heard a drama titled "Gangnam Style" will be same as the webtoon. 

         I tried reading Fashion King, and I read a few episodes and then stopped because it didn't meet my own style and the plot line was getting a little weird, and based on the comments, I wasn't the only one weird-ed out. Nonetheless, Fashion King remains as one of the most popular webtoons. Two that I read that I still have special spots for in my heart are "My Young Cat and Old Dog" (내 어린고양이와 늙은개) and "Bittersweet Life" (달콤한 인생). The first one consisted of episodes of the author's pet dog and cat and it was both touching and humorous. "Bittersweet Life" was just a comical and relateable set of episodes of singles and couples. I wish they were transcribed into English, because they were well worth the read. Then after finishing these two (with a lot of sadness), I started another one, but that one was only like a preview in webtoon form for the book. I was really frustrated when I was left with a mega-cliff hanger and left with the option of paying money for the book or just finishing it so I picked the latter choice (shipping globally is also expensive and my parents wouldn't have allowed it anyway). 

          Then after not reading any webtoons for awhile, I got bored after finishing my homework just three days ago, and I was looking at the the list of popular webtoons on Naver and I came across "Dating Revolution" (연애혁명). I actually didn't know what the title meant until I looked it up on the dictionary just  now for this blog post and wow. The title, epecially in English, does not give a sufficiently good outlook on the webtoon as a whole. So far only 35 episodes are out, an episode comes out every Thursdays (Korean time), and on that day, I read 33 out of the 35 episodes. Then I read the remaining 2 episodes the next day. I am terribly obsessed with this webtoon and the wait for the next episode is nearly killing me. This webtoon, I found out, is popular for a reason, it's just so good. There has been news articles related to this webtoon. So yes, webtoons are a big deal in modern-day Korean culture.


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South Korea Subway Trains Collide

          I was surprised to see that the popular search items underneath the search bar on Naver, had some other news topic that wasn't related to the Sewol ferry accident. Less than a day ago from today, there was another public accident in South Korea, which you can read more about here. 

         First off, I am super thankful that it was an infinitely minor accident in comparison with the ferry incident, where the search for remaining passengers is still ongoing. The article above says that about 150 passengers of the subway were injured, but according to @Reuters more like 170 people were injured. But nothing severe, which is absolutely something to rejoice over.

         The article I linked above doesn't forget to mention the Sewol incident which still rings in the minds of Koreans. It shocks me that another public accident occurred not too long after the Sewol incident. I don't know, Korea has been quiet in terms of world news, some political blah-blahs here and there that I can't even understand, and then boom! I wish everything were quiet. Lim, who was interviewed, seemed to have represented the rest of the passenger well, at least in my own opinion. It's not hard to imagine how panic one would be when evacuation orders are not given right away, when you know what delayed orders in an emergency situation led to and the toll it took on the hearts of the nation. 

         My prayer is that things will die down. I know we don't live in a perfect world. But even though this subway accident is super minor, it's still a blow to the stomach, after the tragic ferry accident. From my viewpoint, it looks like Korea is recovering very slowly from the shock of Sewol, of course not at the same pace as the affected family members and friends. Yellow ribbons can still be seen. I was surprised when artists started releasing their postponed albums and thought they were brave. All of Korea have been excessively sensitive, so even laughing in public would have gotten cold stares and some curses in such a national tragedy. So it was brave for the few artists that have boldly made the effort to start things back again. I don't know if that would be the same for the television programs, whether the popular weekend shows will be broadcast again starting this weekend, but we'll see. I won't forget this accident, along with other Koreans as evident since many have shown their promise that they won't forget either. So by things dying down, I'm not saying, hey let's forget about it and be merciless, heartless people, but we shouldn't be an eternally depressed nation on earth forever, either. 


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