[HanCinema's Digest] Culture Corner

South Korea and Nepal bond by flying high together, the Diplomat tackles corruption in Korean culture, take note of Korea's national holidays for 2017, and the Korea Herald discusses the past, present and future of alcohol in Korea.

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"One Sky, One World"

Kite Flying is one of the oldest games in the world, and the potential of the sport to bring countries and cultures together is not lost on the Nepalis and South Koreans. November saw a number of professionals and enthusiasts take part in a kite flying festival organised by the South Korea Embassy in partnership with Kathmandu University. There were traditional kites on display, professionals demonstrations, hobbyists, and–of course–the kids got involved too, because who said kite flying was just for grown-ups!

...READ ON THE HIMALAYAN TIMES

"South Korea's Corruption Culture"

Does South Korea's emphasis on loyalty have anything to do with the current political crisis? South Korea's political climate is highly charged at the moment and in an attempt to understand the socio-cultural forces that led to it, Justin Fendo, writing for the Diplomat, explores how one aspect of South Korean culture may have influenced some of the political tensions the country is currently working through. "The Korean corporations recently suffering scandals – Hanjin, Lotte, Korean Airlines – are built as tight oligarchies, with virtually all key positions held by the friends, relatives, or classmates of a single family..." The protests, which are currently in their fifth week, are the largest public demonstrations the country has seen since 1987.

...READ ON THE DIPLOMAT

"2017 NATIONAL SOUTH KOREAN HOLIDAYS"

Koreans are well known for their gritty work ethic, but everyone enjoys time off now and again–especially when there's something special to celebrate together! On that note, here is a page to bookmark from 10 Magazine that contains all South Korea's public holidays for 2017. If you're planning a trip to Korea next year and you want to catch the country on a high, you'd do well to diarise these dates so you can join some of the festivities...

...READ ON 10 MAGAZINE

"[Weekender] Traditional liquors diversify, enrich tastes in Korea"

South Korea's liquor industries (and the country's drinking culture in general) has seen some interesting changes of late. In this post on the Korea Herald, you'll discover some of the history of liquor in Korea, as well as some of the new trends and regulations that have emerged to shape the country's relationship with alcohol moving forward. "The interest in our time-honored drinks has gone up sharply in recent years, particularly among young people and foreigners", said Lee Hyun-joo of Sool Gallery. "Many of them are savvy learners and brew their own beverages at home using original recipes. They also actively publicize and share the information through online blogs and communities".

...READ ON THE KOREA HERALD