Things are heating up in Asia as China and Japan attempt to steal some of the sunshine that Korea is currently enjoying from the world. Governments are trying to brand their countries as fun and cool and going so far as to put limits on the import of Korean TV dramas to better compete.
A Japanese press article detailing the expansion of Korean brands into Tokyo’s Shibuya and Harajuku Districts as well as to Yokohmama city. The article specifically mentions the growing interest in Korean pop culture as a reason for the increased demand. It points out the fact that fashion seems to transcend the ongoing political disputes between the two countries.
One of the many Korean flags seen along Nonhyeon Rd in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
This weekend, flags were placed along the trunk streets of Seoul in honor of the March, 1 1919 Korean Independence Movement and Park Geun-Hye’s Inauguration Ceremony. Taegukgi (태극기) is the name of the Korean flag.
The holiday commemorates the quintessential non-violent demonstration of Koreans against Japanese colonial rule via a Declaration of Independence. Korea was a Japanese colony from 1910-1945.
The recently re-designed $256 million Seoul City Hall opened on August 27,2012 after three years of construction. The winning team of designers, iArc Architects, were selected from a competition. There’s an interesting contrast between the colonial Japanese era building, built in 1926, and the newly constructed glass building.
Interesting fact: The expansion consists of 7,000 glass panes that were later found to break city codes written for energy efficiency.
I like the contrast, but there were local TV reports claiming that many people felt that the new design didn’t have the proper harmony with the area or the existing structure.
