|
A "Hot Patriotic Wind" is sweeping across Korea.
กก
That wind is the aftermath of the success of films like "Silmido" (which drew over 10 million viewers) and "Taegukgi," as well as the "Lee Seung-yeon Comfort Women Nude" controversy that enraged the entire nation. This series of incidents, which have become the hot issues of the day, have awakened young Koreans to our history and the pain our race has endured, and is instilling racial consciousness in the minds of youth.
Around universities, "Patriotic Blind Dates" are the fad. Before going out on a "Patriotic Blind Date," the couple must remove articles of clothing and accessories, such as watches or shoes, which are made in Japan.
During the date, the couple does not go to coffee shops that play Japanese music, do not eat Japanese food such as udon, or go to Japanese restaurants like Robatayaki-style pubs. They are careful only to eat Korean food and drink Korean alcohols like soju and dongdongju.
It's not just Japanese "hardware" that's refused, either. The couple mustn't sing Japanese songs at karaoke clubs, and if one of the them slips and uses a borrowed Japanese word like "ip-pai" (meaning "full"), that person must pay the cost of the entire date.
Mun Go-eun, a 21-year-old humanities student at Ehwa Women's University, describing such a meeting, said, "I went out with friends on a blind date, and we met the guy for the first time at a traditional Korean tea house, and instead of going to a fusion Japanese restaurant as we usually do, we went out to a Korean duck restaurant." She laughed, "Being a 'Patriotic Blind Date' and all, we could help out our farmers who have suffered because of the Avian Flu, so we chose duck, which was shown in the drama 'Daejanggeum' and testifies to the excellence of Korean traditional cuisine."
It's common for young people to come together and debate about the Lee Seung-yeon incident. Moreover, word games based on Lee Seung-yeon, Silmido, and Taegukgi have become quite popular.
Kim Cheol-gyun, a 28 year old officeworker, said, "Nowadays, people great one another be saying, 'Have you seen Silmido or Taegukgi?,' or when more than two people get together, they talk about the Lee Seung-yeon controversy." He also explained how young people like to play word games, such as taking the three syllables that make up a word like "Silmido" (Sil-mi-do) and using those syllables to make up three completely new sentences.
32 year old computer programmer Kim Ji-yeon, who has debated about the Lee Seung-yeon incident, expressed hope that the patriotism lasts beyond Lee Seung-yeon and blockbuster movies. "I hope the 'hot patriotic wind' blowing amongst young people doesn't cool down quickly like a cooking pot," she said.
(Lee Yeong-ju, sun@chosun.com )
|
