By Choe Chong-dae
When I visited Europe last year, I was surprised to see many groups of young people who were dancing and singing to K-pop music. Wherever I went, there were fans of K-pop. I was amazed to learn how deeply K-pop has spread among young people in Europe and other parts of the world.
The past two years in particular can be summed up as years of Korean wave fever. It is surprising and flattering that Korean films and K-pop music have become popular art that transcends age, ideology, space and time. At the forefront of the trend was BTS. The pop stars were musical guests on "Saturday Night Live," a late-night TV show in 2019 in the U.S. BTS's appearance on the show is considered an epoch-making accomplishment in music.
As for the world of cinema, Korean blockbuster film "Parasite" was awarded best picture at the Academy Awards. It was the first time a non-English-language film has won the Oscars' most prestigious prize. It also won for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. The film portrays South Korean class disparity through the eyes of a down-and-out family working in the home of a wealthy family.
International media has praised Korea for achievements in popular music, TV dramas and films.
Korean people are very musical.
Our ancestors have loved romantic music, dance and epic poems since ancient times. This penchant for artistic expression is reflected in diverse cultural forms such as mural painting, and bronze and stone sculpture in the ancient tombs and temples.
What inspires me the most among them all is the bronze bell embellished with a pair of flying angels playing wind instruments, found at Sangwon Temple in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. It is one of most intricately molded, melodious, distinctive ancient bells in Korea. It was cast in 725 A.D, Silla Kingdom, even before the famous Emile Bell in Gyeongju.
The ancient Korean kingdoms Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje, adopted cultural and artistic elements beyond the Korean Peninsula. These influences came from China, Japan and the Arabic world including Central Asia, and created a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan culture. After unifying the Three Kingdoms, unified Silla embraced an open attitude toward foreign culture. When Silla culture was in full blossom, prominent Korean scholars such as Choe Chi-won, Hyecho, Wonhyo and Jang Bo-go journeyed to China and other countries to undertake higher studies. They returned to Korea and brought about remarkable progress in culture.
The accomplishments of Silla culture were handed down to the succeeding Goryeo Kingdom which became widely known across the globe. It gave Korea its current name. Similar to the cosmopolitan culture of ancient Korea, today's K-pop culture sparkles with creativity, openness and originality.
Riding the enthusiasm for the Korean wave abroad, Korean business leaders should adopt creative and innovative strategies, too. We ought to encourage the entire spectrum of Korean pop culture. We need to increase the visibility of our global enterprises, and our well-deserved pride in things Korean.
Choe Chong-dae is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association. He can be reached at choecd@naver.com
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The past two years in particular can be summed up as years of Korean wave fever. It is surprising and flattering that Korean films and K-pop music have become popular art that transcends age, ideology, space and time. At the forefront of the trend was BTS. The pop stars were musical guests on "Saturday Night Live," a late-night TV show in 2019 in the U.S. BTS's appearance on the show is considered an epoch-making accomplishment in music.
As for the world of cinema, Korean blockbuster film "Parasite" was awarded best picture at the Academy Awards. It was the first time a non-English-language film has won the Oscars' most prestigious prize. It also won for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. The film portrays South Korean class disparity through the eyes of a down-and-out family working in the home of a wealthy family.
International media has praised Korea for achievements in popular music, TV dramas and films.
Korean people are very musical.
Our ancestors have loved romantic music, dance and epic poems since ancient times. This penchant for artistic expression is reflected in diverse cultural forms such as mural painting, and bronze and stone sculpture in the ancient tombs and temples.
What inspires me the most among them all is the bronze bell embellished with a pair of flying angels playing wind instruments, found at Sangwon Temple in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. It is one of most intricately molded, melodious, distinctive ancient bells in Korea. It was cast in 725 A.D, Silla Kingdom, even before the famous Emile Bell in Gyeongju.
The ancient Korean kingdoms Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje, adopted cultural and artistic elements beyond the Korean Peninsula. These influences came from China, Japan and the Arabic world including Central Asia, and created a more sophisticated and cosmopolitan culture. After unifying the Three Kingdoms, unified Silla embraced an open attitude toward foreign culture. When Silla culture was in full blossom, prominent Korean scholars such as Choe Chi-won, Hyecho, Wonhyo and Jang Bo-go journeyed to China and other countries to undertake higher studies. They returned to Korea and brought about remarkable progress in culture.
The accomplishments of Silla culture were handed down to the succeeding Goryeo Kingdom which became widely known across the globe. It gave Korea its current name. Similar to the cosmopolitan culture of ancient Korea, today's K-pop culture sparkles with creativity, openness and originality.
Riding the enthusiasm for the Korean wave abroad, Korean business leaders should adopt creative and innovative strategies, too. We ought to encourage the entire spectrum of Korean pop culture. We need to increase the visibility of our global enterprises, and our well-deserved pride in things Korean.
Choe Chong-dae is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association. He can be reached at choecd@naver.com
