In Thailand, students applying to college will soon have the option of using Korean as their foreign language. This move comes amid growing demand for Korean language learning in Thailand, where Korean pop culture products are wild successes.
There are many arenas where the United States and South Korea work together outside of the military alliance. Here are five surprising places where these two countries collaborate.
Amid plunging exports, Korean cosmetics brands are defying the odds.
Halloween as we know it in the United States is still not widely celebrated in South Korea. Trick or treating is limited to kindergarten parties and English hagwons, and you’re unlikely to see many jack-o-lanterns or skeletons decorating peoples’ homes.
A young defector summed the allure of pop culture to North Koreans best: “No matter how many people die, the sensational popularity doesn’t die…that is the power of culture.”
For newbies to the k-craze all the way up to seasoned veterans, these five books can help provide new perspectives on the Hallyu phenomenon.
The broadcasts avoid criticizing the North Korean government directly – instead, the key point has been “subtlety.” So, hidden among news reports and information about Kim Jong Un’s health conditions, the broadcasts contained some unusual content – pop music.
According to at least one poll, South Korea has a higher opinion of the United States than the United States has of itself.
In a June article, Foreign Affairs magazine decried the “decline of international studies,” citing a broad trend of “the scaling back of a long-term national commitment to education and research focused on international affairs.”
To address the growing crisis on the Korean peninsula, concerned countries need to use all available means, including engagement of the North.