Perpetual Tourism

안녕하세요! Annyeonghaseyo!

In this update I discuss... 

• ...a new podcast venture
• ...young K-pop fans who utilize the musical genre for self-expression
• ...epic vocal groups and an epic musical
• ...and how living in Korea can feel like being a perpetual tourist

As always, thanks for reading!

Doing

My friends and I began a podcast! "Mix Coffee" explores topics related to or stemming from our experience living in Korea. Our first episodes include conversations about "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," the highs and lows of the K-Wave, cafe culture, and consumerism.

Lectures

I listened to online lectures recently to keep my knowledge of Korea sharp 💪:

• "Rediscovering Korean Cinema" by Professor Sangjoon Lee from Lingnan University
• (I'd love to buy the book of the same title, but textbooks are still a bit expensive for me.)
• "The Famous and the Nameless: The Lives and Afterlives of Chosŏn Catholic Martyrs" by Franklin Rausch of Lander University
• "The Perils of Interpreting: The Extraordinary Story of Two Translators Between Qing China and the British Empire" by Henrietta Harrison

K-pop Dance Competition

The local Korean American Association hosted dance groups from surrounding universities and academies in a high-energy competition. I may not want to jump on stage with the performers like I once did, but I enjoyed comparing what I learned about K-culture fandom at grad school with what I saw in real life.

The festival's most noticeable characteristic proved the performers' use of K-pop as a tool of self-expression, especially the expression of gender and sexuality. The chosen K-pop songs originate with all-boy or all-girl groups whose members' body types, gender performances, and ethnicities fall within limited categories. This contrasted the dancers at the K-pop Festival, whose diverse body types, ethnicities, and expressions of sexuality sent an inclusive message. (BTS' motto, "Speak Yourself," was on full display here.) These performers used K-pop to highlight their unique characteristics, rather than conform to a standard.

My initial interaction with K-pop felt just as liberating. Despite the on-screen bodies that looked different from my own, the gap in skill and talent, and language differences, K-pop validated me. I'm glad the genre does the same for others.

Listening

La Poem (라포엠)

I expected a pop song or ballad when YouTube recommended La Poem's song, "The War," but to my delight I instead discovered a group of classically-trained vocalists with extraordinary vocal ranges. The 4-member group, La Poem, debuted in July 2020 after they won "Phantom Singer," a competition show that features professional singers. La Poem performed concerts, appeared on various television shows, and sang with the K-pop band, ATEEZ after their win, but the performance I've played nonstop since I discovered La Poem is their arrangement of ATEEZ's song, "Answer," included below.

sEODo Band (서도밴드)

I learned about this second band with impressive vocals through "Poongryu," a competition show that highlighted genres combining traditional Korean and modern musical forms. sEODo Band 's unearthly performances, led by lead singer, sEODo, set them apart from other contestants.

sEODo Band's expressive performance of "Boat Song (뱃노래)," below, brings to life a deep yearning for home.

Other songs I enjoyed this month:

• "Enough" - Zior Park
• A song created for the drama, "작은 아씨들 (Little Women.)"
• New Thing - Zico, feat. Homies
• A song that blew up after dance group, The Leaders, performed it on "Street Man Fighter."
• The entire Coffee Prince soundtrack
• A soundtrack from the 2007 drama that always brightens my mood. 😊

Watching

Death Note the Musical

Yes, I talk about this musical too much, but I can't help offering another nod to this story.

After obsessing over Hong Kwang Ho's rendition of the musical's titular number, I went to see Death Note in person last June. I couldn't keep still the entire performance. COVID had surged again and audiences weren't allowed to cheer, but I had difficulty containing my awe for the powerful vocalists. Even more than the performances, however, I appreciated the musical's challenging tale of morality. Death Note is a popular anime with many adaptations and revolves around a gifted high schooler who believes true justice demands harsh punishment. The high schooler soon discovers a notebook that allows him to kill anyone simply by writing his or her name. Such a story raises interesting questions about the meaning of death and justice, the consequences of power in the hands of immaturity, and when to make the decision between who lives and dies. It also makes me wonder... if I discovered a power like the Death Note, how would I interpret it? Would I think some higher power had chosen me for an important mission? Would I assume I'm more suited to making life and death decisions than others? Would I destroy the notebook or hope it disappears on its own?

I love stories that make audiences examine their own lives, much more than stories that mindlessly entertain. If I ever create something larger than a blog, I hope it will inspire and challenge whoever comes across it, just as stories like Death Note challenge me.

Below, a duet between the Death Note musical's protagonists, played by Kim Junsu and Go Eun Sung.

Thinking 

Passage from Choi Young-mi's "At Thirty – Party's Over"

"Now I confess that what I liked were

The friends in activism rather than the activism

The intimate atmosphere of drinking rather than drinking itself

Quiet and sad love songs when I felt lonely

Rather than protest songs begin with "Comrades!"

And I wonder why all these were things to be ashamed of"

My variation:

"Now I confess that what I liked about K-culture

Was its affirmation that I could live differently

Rather than its celebrity and fanfare.

What I liked about cafes

Was the communal space they offered

Rather than their trendy aesthetics.

What I liked about busy Seoul

Was the ease with which I could see the things I loved

Rather than the city's constant novelty.

And I wonder why all these

Were things to be ashamed of"

Part of a Snapchat I sent in 2016 when I first arrived in Korea.

I left Korea for now, but that hardly means I'm tired of the country (on the contrary!). I rather left because I felt like a perpetual tourist. Korea asks individuals to love it by promoting its achievements and enjoying its pleasures, but while I grew starry-eyed at celebrity, beauty, and novelty, these were superficial attractions. In the end they couldn't make me stay. My favorite moments were those where I felt like I could share space with others without either of us considering the other's utility.

Until I know how to move forward with my interest in Korea, I'll sit back and wait.

Seeing

A friend sighting in Myeongdong

Street art near Hanguk University of Foreign Studies

An anxious but encouraging friend 

A scene from the Han River

Myers-Briggs is having an extended moment in Korea. If you meet someone new, they'll likely ask, "What's your MBTI??" alongside questions of age and occupation. Companies now send MBTI tests when hiring new recruits, types come printed on clothing, and I even found sticker sets that customers could mix and match. Though I think MBTI testing has gone a bit far, I feel validated to know others share my personality.
Some of the stickers that suit me best are "It's dangerous outside the blankets (I)," "Did I...do something wrong (N)?" and "Check meticulously (J)!" 😅

A coffee stop at a famous take-out joint in Dongdaemun. 🤎

An abandoned coffee cup! Though you can't tell from the photo, these gates are full of holes just the perfect size to abandon a plastic cup.

These flower briquettes are part of a performance art installation by Lee Hyo Yeol (이효열). I read about the flowers but never noticed one in person until this past July when I walked around Jongno. The message here reads, "roses bloom in heat," perhaps meaning good things come through adversity.

Volunteer groups often give briquettes in the winter to individuals in financial need, but the heating agents are also used to complete suicide. I interpreted the rose as a gift for both the individuals whose lives are saved by briquettes and for those whose lives are lost.

Additional photos: 꽃 연탄 예술 : 네이버 이미지검색 (naver.com)

In my search to understand the flower installation I learned about Rim Min, an artist who paints fun faces on briquettes. Making these used items into art saves them from immediately going to a landfill and also creates super cute decorations!

There weren't many places I wanted to visit before I left Korea, but I knew I had to visit a Caffè Benè with the original branding. The coffee chain used to be the largest in Korea, beating out Starbucks and expanding around the world. Haven't heard of it, you say? That's likely because Caffè Benè declined by 2007 due to financial and managerial missteps. Before then, Caffè Benès peered from every street corner and appeared in prominent dramas like "Secret Garden." Caffè Benè now represents a romanticized, bygone era. I don't hear about these coffee shops anymore, but when I entered this slightly neglected branch with spiderwebs and lingering Christmas decorations, I felt a wave of nostalgia and satisfaction. 

끝까지 함께 해 주셔서 고맙습니다. 다음에 또 만나요!

(Thanks for reading to the end. Let's meet again next time!)