Tag Archives: tension

From Seoul to Venice: Park Chan-wook’s 20-Year Vision Comes Alive

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Legendary (and our favorite) director Park Chan-wook (박찬욱) premiered his long-awaited film “No Other Choice (어쩔수가없다)” at the 베네치아 영화제 (Venice Film Festival). The movie, based on a novel, highlights 고용 불안 (job insecurity) in an 인공지능 시대 (AI era). With star actor Lee Byung-hun (이병헌), the story mixes 블랙 코미디 (black comedy) and 사회 비판 (social critique).

Director Park Chan-Wook

With a 9-minute standing ovation, viewers praised its 긴장감 (tension) and 도덕적 갈등 (moral conflict). This shows how 한국 영화 (Korean cinema) continues to explore 보편적 주제 (universal themes) with creativity and depth. Truly a 걸작 (masterpiece) worth watching.

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South Korea’s image takes a hit

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TourWith all of the recent drama between North Korea and the world, tourism at the DMZ is flourishing. The tradeoff is that the slander and constant threats from the North are tarnishing South Korea’s image. And that’s exactly what the North wants.
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North Korea’s bluff

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Excellent New York Times article that rationalizes North Korea’s strong rhetoric, explains the calm South Korean attitudes, and discusses why the international community shouldn’t be overly concerned.

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Easy to Learn Korean 348-349 – Combat and the Gaeseong Industrial Complex

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North Korea suspended operations of the joint venture Gaeseong Industrial Complex this week. The site makes low-tech goods such as appliances in additional to clothing. According to the Korea Times, 123 manufacturing companies employee 479 South Koreans and 53,000 North Korean factory workers.

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(Updated) Life as usual under tense North-South relations

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Update Things are still okay here, even with North Korea warning foreigners in South Korea to evacuate. No warnings have been issued by the US State Department or the local embassy. If you’re living in Seoul as a foreigner, it’s a good idea to register with your embassy in case of an emergency. The US Embassy in Seoul offers phone and emails alerts to citizens.

http://seoul.usembassy.gov/acs_emergency_preparedness.html

Anyeong-haseyo! Just returning to Korea from a long business trip to Shanghai, one of my favorite places to visit outside of Korea. We’ve been receiving a lot of concerned emails from family and friends regarding the escalating tension on the North Korea peninsula.
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