"South Korean artist Kyoung Hwan Kim, freelance concept artist and illustrator, digital illustrator, fantasy art, etc. ..."

Artists I Fancy: Kyoung Hwan Kim

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If you fancy my tastes in art, check out some of my other JDV blog posts which shine the spotlight on other Artists I Fancy.

North and South Korea ~ Will It Ever Be Just Plain Old Korea?

Why it looks like reunification of North and South Korea will always be a pleasant fiction.

I am an America and these are my thoughts and observations from a distance. It's not meant to be offensive or insulting It's an opinion based on all of the Korean dramas I have watched about reuniting North and South Korea. But based on my limited understanding of world history and world politics, I would say that reunification is just a wish, and the Doggaebi will not grant this wish no matter how good you are.

Please. This just my opinion. I think the biggest reason why North and South Korea will never be united is because the political leaders in North Korea would have to admit THEY WERE WRONG. They chose the wrong side during war and even though the name of the country is The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the nation is neither a democracy or a republic.

Democracy is a system of government in which state power is vested in the people or the general population of a state. (Wikipedia)

A republic, based on the Latin phrase res publica, is a state in which political power rests with the public through their representatives—in contrast to a monarchy. Representation in a republic may or may not be freely elected by the general citizenry. (Wikipedia)

From my distance, it looks like even the name of the country is a lie?

The “D” should stand for dictatorship

The “R” should stand for royal bloodline.

(Just because you don't call yourself doesn't you're not a king.)

The “P” doesn't even belong! (O.o)

Why not name the country “Kim's Playground”. That's what the “P” should stand for. The current leader loves to play with nukes and invite naughty children to play with him, like Russia.

Think about this. During the COVID pandemic, Kim Jong Un had disappeared from the scene for a little while. During that time was there any discussion about electing a new leader? NO!! Instead, some were speculating whether or not his sister should or might take over. Sister or brother? No matter. It's still the Kim family line. At any rate, he showed up again so all that talk went down the drain.

Anyway! The real reason WHY North and South Korea will never reunite is because … CHINA WON'T LET THEM!! Nothing has changed. Just like the Joseon kings who submitted to the Chinese emperors, the North Korean leader is under the thumb of the Chinese leader. He doesn't make any major decisions without Cihna's approval.

All that being said, there are lots of Korean dramas with a storyline that involve North and South Korea. Some are based on historical facts, but the ones depicting reunification are unrealistic but very imaginative. (My opinion.)

1. Commitment (2013)

2. Curtain Call (2022)

3. Doctor Stranger (2014)

4. Escape From Mogadishu (2021)

5. Hunt (2022)

6. Korean Peninsula (2012)

7. My Military Valentine (2024)

8. Operation Chromite (2016)

9. Secretly, Greatly (2013)

10. Snowdrop (2021)

11. Steel Rain (2017) and Steel Rain 2: Summit (2020)

12. Swing Kids (2018)

13. The Berlin File (2013)

14. The Spy Gone North (2018)

15. Yaksha: Ruthless Operations (2022)

LINKS OF INTEREST:

JOY ELLEN YOON — Bridging the Cultural and Linguistic Divide: North vs. South Korea https://www.joyellenyoon.com/blog/2020/5/13/bridging-the-cultural-and-linguistic-divide-north-vs-south-korea

North Korean teens punished for watching South Korean dramas in rare footage, research group claims | CNN https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/24/asia/north-korea-teens-punished-kdrama-intl-hnk/index.html

8 Korean Dramas About North and South Korea | Dramakicks https://dramakicks.com/8-korean-dramas-about-north-and-south-korea/

10 South Korean Dramas That Feature North Korea | Cinema Escapist https://www.cinemaescapist.com/2018/02/10-south-korean-dramas-feature-north-korea/

Korean Dramas About North And South Korea https://www.cosmo.ph/entertainment/k-dramas-north-south-korea-a989-20190420-lfrm

Netflix: 5 K-Shows That Cast a Spotlight on North Korea | Tatler Asia https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/netflix-north-korea-kdramas-money-heist-korea-cloy-hyun-bin-son-ye-jin-operation-chromite-steel-rain

 

Addicted to Korean Drama Yet? Entertainment Recommendations to Get You Hooked!

Know why Korean dramas or K-dramas are ridiculously popular? They're addictive!

I got hooked on Korean dramas because of this one movie. “Commitment” is a 2013 South Korean spy thriller film starring Choi Seung-hyun, a teenage boy recruited by the government and trained as an assassin who is sent on a mission to kill an assassin. One word review for this movie? Intense!!!

So if you have never experienced a Korean drama, watch this movie first. You'll get hooked! (View trailer.)

Having been bitten by the K-drama bug, I started looking for more entertainment from South Korea and found a 2009 TV series titled “Tamra, the Island” and the main character, a young female diver, is played by Seo Woo. It is educational and entertaining. Paints a picture of life during the period of the Joseon (or Chosŏn) Dynasty in Korea and you really do get a very clear picture. Because of this program, I got hooked on Korean historical period dramas.

So if you never knew anything about Korean history, watch this series first. You'll get hooked! (View full 1^st episode.)

Just a bit of trivia. Not being familiar with Korean actors and actresses, I had not noticed it initially but once I began to learn Who's Who in SK entertainment, I realized that the same young lady who played the young man's younger sister in the movie (“Commitment”) was the same person who played the young lady's little sister in the TV show (“Tamra, the Island”).

Her name is Kim Yoo-jung. She's an adult now but she has been acting since she was a child and in fact, she was one of the best-known child actresses in South Korea. Her filmography and list of awards received for acting are impressive.

If you would like to join in on the K-drama addiction, the best sites in the USA to watch Korean dramas online is viki.com. Netflix also offers a limited selection.

Watch Asian Dramas ~ Free Online Streaming

Review : Dong Yi (2010) ~ Korean Drama : Historical : TV Series

An alternative title for this television series could be: Is It Really That Great to Be King? This is a tale about a king who didn't think it was t...