GAFFE family

The ugly truth about North Korea’s ‘mass games’

The grandeur of North Korea’s annual Arirang or “mass games” celebration really is something to behold. Tens of thousands of performers dance and march with smiling precision across the world’s largest stadium stage, under fireworks and light shows, as thousands more, many of them children, flash placards with a level of coordination that seems flatly impossible. It’s little wonder that every July, when North Korea holds the mass games to mark the anniversary of the Korean War, international media outlets take a rare trip to Pyongyang, and much of the world becomes transfixed.
But there is more to the mass games than meets the eye. For all the flash and splendor, the event is in many ways built on — and could even be said to perpetuate — the very worst of the hermit kingdom, from the dangerous militarism to the human rights abuses to the race-based ultra-nationalist ideology underpinning it all. This may be one of the most amazing shows on Earth, but it’s also an extension of some of its greatest cruelty.
The mass games are a spectacle of truly amazing performances, but, according to reports from defectors, it’s also the result of mistreatment and coercion, including of the children who participate in large numbers. It’s true that the citizen-participants do, by all indication, enter the event seeing it as a high honor and privilege. According to compilations of defector testimonies, though, participants are often given little food or even water and, to instill discipline, can be restricted in how often they may visit the bathroom. Reports are worryingly common about child participants developing cystitis or other urinary tract ailments as a result.

While it might be easy to dismiss these anecdotal reports — and, after all, don’t children participate in Western ceremonies all the time? — they are broadly consistent with descriptions of the practices as abusively coercive. Performers who fail or flinch can expect a pin-prick where they’ve faltered or a whack with a stick.

Article Source : http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/07/31/behind-the-spectacle-the-ugly-truth-about-north-koreas-mass-games/

soooooooooooooo funny

What Simpson says..

Kim Hyun-joong highlights Korean culture in ‘Unbreakable’

In the advent of the release of his third EP album, hallyu star Kim Hyun-joong not only unveiled a new look, but also introduced a new approach of infusing Korean traditional culture with his latest music video, “Unbreakable.”

Kim, who became an international sensation thanks to his role in the smash hit Korean drama “Boy Over Flowers,” as well as being the leader of the popular K-pop idol group SS501, released his comeback album “Round 3” on July 22 after nearly two years.

Widely known for his “pretty boy” image, the star caused quite a stir with his new tough guy look, sporting various Asian culture-inspired tattoo designs including a large tattoo on his chest of a traditional dragon head goblin pattern ― a mythical creature which appears in many Korean folktales.

Kim Hyun-joong unveils a new look for his third mini-album release, “Round 3.” (KEYEAST)

“I thought about the meaning of genuine K-pop,” said Kim at a press conference last week. “I think I can have a lot of influence on hallyu and this time around I wanted to try to harness the image of Korean beauty through my music.”

After the tremendous success of the 2009 KBS drama “Boys Over Flowers,” Kim became widely known as the poster boy of hallyu for his pretty face. However, the 27-year-old singer-turned-actor stated that he is happy with his new look and simply wanted to pursue something new in promoting the true beauty of Korean culture and art through his music video “Unbreakable.”

As opposed to the other singles off his new EP, Kim claims that “Unbreakable” stands out in that he considers it more of a “visual song,” while the other tracks were just made for listening.

Promotional image for Kim Hyun-joong’s newest music video “Unbreakable.” (KEYEAST)

The music video to the album’s early release dance hip-hop single, also featuring Korean-American hip-hop idol Jay Park, encompasses a heavy mix of various traditional Korean cultural aspects including b-boy versions of sangmo ― a “long string hat” dance that features hats with a long ribbon attached to them that dancers spin around by moving their heads to make aerial patterns ― and martial arts. The video also includes depictions of people wearing tal, or traditional Korean dance masks, as well as playing Korean drums.

“The concept behind this album is simply Korean,” he said. “I did lot of research about Korean goblin patterns as well as traditional colors. The point of the music video is the fusion of the past and the present.”

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)



A frog????????

Evil Arirang Festival