Depictions of North and South Korea

Again, real interesting reads this week. I am also currently watching "Mr. Sunshine" on Netflix. It's amazing. I ended up going down the Internet Rabbit Hole last night after episode 2 in order to find out more about the Joseon Period and Dynasty and the 1871 American expedition to Korea that went horribly and tragically wrong (I think it's been called Shinmiyangyo, which translates to The Western Disturbance). I'm surprised Korea ever traded with America after our country's gross misunderstanding and violent reaction. What I'm trying to say here is that "Mr. Sunshine" is beautifully filmed and well-worth a few hours of your time. It's an excellent period drama. 

Next, the excerpted chapter "The Girl with Seven Names". Was this fiction or a memoir? I appreciated getting a glimpse into what it is like to prepare for one of N. Korea's pageants, which are called "The Games". The card exercise under the threat of a "single slip" is fascinating, especially being a school teacher and understanding the challenge of coordinating lots of kids to do anything collectively and with flair. Also, I really need to know what was the item that burned up in the house fire of the main character/speaker, the thing that could have led to her family being dangerously implicated with illegal activity? The excerpt left us with quite the cliffhanger. 

The North Korea Girl Band Moranbong. It's interesting that Kim Jong Un entered the K-Pop trend with his own highly political female version. And the lead singer Hyon Song Wol seems to have a personal relationship or at least an influential relationship with Kim Jung Un, considering the rumors and the delegation she led to South Korea to find a concert venue for North Korea's Art Troupe. I forget which text intimated that Kim Jong Un is trying to impress the world with not only his nuclear strength, but also his country's musical aesthetic, but I find this idea so fascinating. And I wonder if he spreading this message to his own people through propaganda. 

And Jennifer, your chapter or piece about South Korean films during the Sunshine Period was a nice surprise this week. As a teacher who is currently introducing her IB diploma students to a long-term, research-based inquiry project, your chapter is a perfect example of an academic exploration of a topic through a well-organized argument structure, replete with footnotes, referenced works, and bibliography. I would like to talk more tonight about South Korean citizens' attitudes toward the US Military and its bases there in South Korea. I'm sure there's an awful lot of historical baggage when it comes to our American soldiers being stationed there. The other aspect of your paper I'd like to know more about is its exact focus. Are you looking at how S. Korean films starting changing their depictions of N. Korea BECAUSE of the Sunshine Policy or are you looking at how S. Korean films changed the way S. Korean citizens viewed N. Korea WHILE the Sunshine Policy was happening? And maybe these two directions aren't even mutually exclusive in your paper. 

Looking forward to tonight's discussion.