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06/20/2013

Body Image In Korea

Growing up surrounded by singers, it was inevitable that my career would also head in that direction. Over the years, I have seen how amazing the showbiz lifestyle is, but I've also witnessed all of the hardships that go hand in hand with it.

One of the main focuses in K-Pop is image. I've read too many articles where journalists have nothing better to do than to critising a singer for putting on a pound or for eating something other than a lettuce leaf. It wasn't too long ago where Wonder Girls were snapped on stage in America, with the words 'Chubby Girls' captioned underneath the photograph, despite the girls looking beautifully healthy. Not only did the article stick in my mind because of how shocked I was at the comments by the editor and their so called fans, but by how the article affected my best friend.

Before I delve further into the subject, I feel that it is important that I mention why a guy who hasn't had any weight issues is writing about such a sensitive topic. Well, one of the reasons is I've seen first hand of how celebrities are pressured to feel the need to look a certain way and are ripped to shreds over a tiny 'flaw'. I've witnessed people being rejected from auditions for the way they look or for not 'fitting the mold'. But the main reason I'm writing this article is because I've seen how their comments and remarks can affect other people, not only in the media but their fans too. My best friend in particular whose story I feel compelled to tell to show the importance of why wanting to look like a Korean celebrity is very unhealthy and unrealistic.

I've known my best friend for almost 19 years. We grew up together and we've been through everything - including being rejected by Korean entertainment companies and being criticized for our appearances. Even though she was born in Korea, she has never felt as if she fit in. She has blue eyes, brown hair and white skin, meaning that Koreans would often mistake her for a tourist and be amazed when she would speak fluently in Korean, even though unbeknownst to them, it was her first language. From as long as I can remember, she always felt like an outsider, and it was me who persuaded her to go for her dream and audition at a very famous Korean entertainment company. Despite all of her insecurities, she gained a third place in a girl group and this is where I noticed some worrying changes.

The two other members of the girl group were Korean born with Korean parents. Stereo-typically short and slim with dark hair and eyes. It was no wonder that my friend didn't feel like she belonged alongside them. She was a UK size 8, yet she would constantly moan about being a 'giant' compared to them as she poked her flat tummy.

It's no secret that training is very hard work, you often hear of idols fainting or being hospitalized due to exhaustion and being over worked and it was the same for the girl group in training. They would train everyday, having little time to eat, which worryingly resulted in my friend collapsing on a weekly basis. Eventually she became too ill to debut with them and the members went their separate ways. This was 5 years ago and since then, very little has changed.

It was only last year that trio singers 'Piggy Dolls' made their very controversial debut into KPOP. I'd read more than one article about their weight before I'd even heard a note of their music. I watched for myself the disgusting comments and watched their debut music video 'Trend'. It featured a fake news report with a student claiming she was being bullied for being overweight (even though she was slim) and had contemplated su***de. They seemed to be taking it light-heartily, as the first shot of the girls was of them sat watching the news reports and eating pizza. Their name 'Piggy Dolls' itself suggest they aren't to be taken seriously.

The vocals of the girl were mind blowing yet all the comments displayed below the music video were directed at them being 'over weight' even though they were perfectly healthy. I was intrigued by this new girl group and manged to work with them on their first full length album.

When I first met them I was amazed at their new look. All three members had dropped at least 2 dress sizes - whether it was due to an over working schedule or the fact they were told to lose weight, I don't know and I wasn't about to ask them. What I did know for sure was that were all stunning just as they were before they lost weight. It baffled me and still does at to why the way the singer looks is more important than how they sound. After all, Hyunah isn't exactly the greatest singer in the world but apparently she has the 'perfect' body, which is why she is so popular.

In my mind, it should be all about the singing and if someone looks great, than that's just a bonus. One of my favourite bands is Big Mama - again, a band whose name is taking the mick out of their own appearance.

The facts don't lie, it is sadly proven that what classes as 'better looking' groups and singers are more popular than artist who are wrongly classed as 'big' or 'ugly.' It's just the same with male artists, it is becoming more and more common to see guys flaunting their very muscly bodies but with worryingly tiny waists. It is known that Korean's are naturally slim and smaller than western people, but there must be a time where being that thin is too thin.

I want to know your opinion on the subject. Does an artists appearance make you want to listen to them more?


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06/12/2013

South Korea Tourist Destinations for an Astonishing Holiday Tour

South Korea is a sovereign state in East Asia. It is home to many pre-historic sites, palaces, majestic forts, ancient shrines, national parks, cultural villages, waterfalls, verdant valleys and, golden beaches and islands. With so much to offer the South Korea tourist destinations have attracted many tourists from different parts of the world.

Seoul is the capital of South Korea since 1394. It is a sophisticated and bustling commercial center and is Korea's number one destination for foreign visitors. Changdokkung Palace is surrounded by Secret Gardens and the Chongmyo Shrine which is set in wooded grounds is home to the ancestral tablets of the Kings of the Joseon Dynasty. You can visit Itaewon district for fashion shopping and nightlife. Lotte World is a huge entertainment complex with theme park, sports facilities, luxury hotel and many more. Seoul is one of the major South Korea tourist destinations.

Andong is famous for its old culture and aristocrats. The Andong Folk Village and Folk Museum displays the relics of ancient Korean culture. In the restaurants of Andong you can have traditional Korean food. During the autumn Mask Dance Festival takes place in Andong. Busan is the second largest metropolis of South Korea. It is home to the Busan Tower in Yongdusan Park. From this tower you can view the entire city. You can also visit the UN Cemetery where many UN soldiers of Korean War were buried. Jeju Island is home to many lovely beaches, fishing facilities, scuba diving, waterfalls and hot springs. You can also visit the Jeju Folk Village Museum and Folkcraft and National Museum. Jeju Island is also home to the tallest mountain, Mount Hallasan which has a beautiful Crater Lake. Those who like nature will not be disappointed at all by South Korea tourist destinations.

Haeinsa is known to have the holiest Buddhist shrine in Korea. It is basically a ninth century Buddhist temple located in Gayasan National Park. It consists of 81000 wooden blocks which have the entire scriptures printed on them. These blocks can be viewed through a slatted window.

Korean cuisine is based on tofu, meats, noodles, vegetables and rice. Pekpan is a typical Korean meal which consists of rice and many side dishes like the Kimchi which is the fermented vegetable dish. Kimchi is also the most famous Korean cuisine and is served with every meal. Puulgogi is thin strips of beef marinated in onion, garlic, black pepper, sugar and soy sauce. Pajeon is a pancake made of flour and eggs with green onions, fresh baby clams or oysters cooked on frying pans. Those visiting South Korea tourist destinations should definitely try local Korean cuisines.

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05/10/2013

Sources of Entertainment Activities in North Korea----

The land of North Korea has gained significant popularity in the last few years with the upscale of modern architectural landmarks. The architectural landscapes of Pyongyang, the popular D.M.Z at Panmunjeom and an array of stylish Kim central scenic sights attracts visitors from different countries every year. The capital city of North Korea boasts of a wide array of world class food joints and multiplexes. Through out the year, the various art galleries and theatres are choc-a-bloc with multi-cultural festivities held during the festive occasion especially during 'Arirang' and on traditional Korean New Year.

The great leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung through his wide socialist ideas has been successful in creating a classless society. Through well structured education system, North Korea has been able to achieve high literacy rate which has in fact brought a radical change aided by infusion of good moral values in the earlier stages of education in majority of the educational institutes of North Korea.

Thus, the art and culture of North Korea truly represents the ethnic diversity of the country.

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04/29/2013

North Korea's ostracised leadership has little to laugh about these days, or so one might think, given the condemnation heaped on its outlawed nuclear and missile activities. But Pyongyang could be forgiven a quiet or even a loud snigger at the Crazy Gang antics of its main critics, the US, China, Japan and South Korea – who, regardless of the supposedly grave and imminent threat posed by the North, have been at each other's throats again this week.

If Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, is worried about strategic encirclement by a powerful anti-Pyongyang alliance, he can rest easy; these guys can barely agree what day of the week it is, let alone a concerted policy of negotiation, containment or regime change.

One bone of fierce contention is the Senkaku islands (Diaoyu to the Chinese) in the East China sea – to be exact, five islets and three rocks – that Japan controls but Beijing says are its own. This is one of many maritime disputes involving China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and others, but it is potentially the most dangerous, mainly because of numerous, provocative incursions by Chinese military vessels and planes.

Japanese ultra-nationalists, encouraged by hawkish prime minister Shinzo Abe's recent landslide election victory, are busy exploiting the issue. On Tuesday, after 10 boats carrying Japanese hardliners entered the area, an unprecedented eight Chinese patrol ships hove into view. A physical collision was avoided this time, but an outright clash, deliberate or otherwise, appears inevitable on present trends.

This perception has been heightened by details of an incident on 30 January, when, according to Japan's defence ministry, a Chinese frigate or destroyer activated its missile-guidance system and "painted" a Japanese maritime self-defence force ship with its fire-control radar – the first such contemporary "lock-on" incident involving the two navies.

"In response, the PLA [People's Liberation Army] said an investigation had concluded that no such incident had taken place," the International Institute for Strategic Studies IISS said in a briefing paper. "But the Japanese defence minister, Itsunori Onodera, said the radar lock-on amounted to a threat of force and violated the UN charter … Japanese commentators asserted that the incident marked a watershed in the island dispute,"

Saying Chinese military officials privately admitted the incident had occurred, the IISS suggested the PLA was operating beyond the control and possibly without the knowledge of the political leadership in Beijing.

It also warned that both militaries were worryingly inexperienced, that both sides had failed so far to create mechanisms to avoid an accidental conflict, and that Abe, who has authorised his ships to fire warning shots if challenged, was pursuing a highly political agenda ahead of upper house elections in July.

These latest island tensions came hard on the heels of controversy over weekend visits by Abe's cabinet colleagues and MPs to the Yasukuni shrine for Japan's war dead in Tokyo. This row pitted Japan against not only China but also South Korea, its supposed comrade-in-arms against North Korea. Doubtless to Kim's delight, Yun Byung-se, Seoul's foreign minister, cancelled talks in Tokyo on the North Korean crisis. Even as these events were unfolding, General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, was valiantly maintaining after three days of talks in Beijing that the US and China were on the same page when it came to curbing North Korea's nuclear activities. But he did not sound entirely sure.

"They have given us an assurance that they are working on it, as we are. But I didn't gain any insights into particularly how they would do that," Dempsey said.

Washington and Beijing have a lot of "issues", of course. And Chinese reticence on North Korea might have something to do with Dempsey's reassertion of Washington's determination to stick up for Japan in any future maritime conflict.

Even before Dempsey left, Beijing issued a statement condemning US-Japanese plans to hold joint military exercises in June off California involving the notional recapture of an isolated island.

China would not be intimidated by "provocative actions" and "foreign pressure", the foreign ministry said. Beijing also announced it was building a second aircraft carrier. Bottom line: China fears and resents American regional interference far more than it does North Korean misbehaviour.

While all this was going on, meanwhile, North Korea pursued its dangerous game of cat and mouse, shuffling missiles about and potentially holding hostage 175 South Korean managers stranded at the Kaesong industrial complex just north of the border from which most South Korean workers have been expelled.

Seoul's unification ministry warned on Thursday of "grave measures" unless the impasse was resolved, without saying what that might entail.

Kim probably feels he can afford to ignore such threats. This dysfunctional bunch of warring "allies" holds no terrors for him.

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01/15/2013

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12/19/2012

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05/14/2012

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This video is made by Catholic University of Korea students. Many foreigner feels that korean transportation system is difficult. So we make this video for h...

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11/04/2011

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11/04/2011

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11/04/2011

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