لماذا وقعت فى حب كوريا

September 03, 2018
By Yostina Wasef
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هذا جرافيك صممته للتعبير عن حبى لكوريا - إن وضع علم كوريا الجنوبيه فى شكل قلب يعنى أن كوريا ستبقى دائما فى قلبى

هذا المقال هو ضمن برنامج المراسلة الفخرية التابع لكوريا.نت وقد نشر بنسخته الإنجليزية هنا وهنا وهذه هى النسخة العربية.

العائلة والأصدقاء دائما يسألوننى لماذا أحببت كوريا. ما المميز فى كوريا لكى أقع فى حبها بهذا الشكل ولفترة طويلة لم أستطع الإجابة على أسئلتهم فلم أجد الكلمات المناسبة لأوصف بها ما كنت أريد قوله. ببساطة شديدة الأمر يتعلق بتواصل معها على مستوى الروح لا أستطيع شرحة بسهولة. سوف أحاول فى هذا المقال أن أشرح ما الذى يعجبنى فى كوريا بالضبط.

صناعة الدراما والموسيقى:

أنا أحب أشكال كثيرة من الفن وفن الدراما والموسيقى الكورية إثنين من هذه الأشكال. أحب مشاهدة الدراما الكورية وعيش حياة الأبطال فيها وكأننى أعيش بداخلهم وأختبر ما يختبرونه.

يعجبنى أن الدراما الكورية – على الأقل معظمها – يكون تركيزها على الأشخاص وليس الأحداث، ما أعنيه بذلك هو أن غالبا ماتركز القصة على التطور العاطفى والنفسي للأبطال وكيف يتعاملون مع ما تعطيه الحياة لهم بدلا من التركيز على حدث ما أو هدف ما ينبغى أن يصل البطل إليه. الشىء الأخر الذى أحبة فى الدراما هو قصص الحب فمن الرائع مشاهدة كل طرف يبذل ما بوسعة لإسعاد الطرف الأخر.

الشىء الأخر الذى جذب إنتباهى فى الدراما الكورية هو أنها يمكنها أن تحتوى على مايبدو للوهلة الأولى أنها أنواع أدبية متضادة من دون أى تناقض. بعض أحد أشهر الدراما الحديثة مثل" العفريت" و" المرأة القوية دو بونج سوون" يبدو وكأنهم يحتوون على أنواع متضادة مثل الكوميديا والتراجيدى أو الكوميديا والأكشن. هناك قدرة عجيبة على إحتواء العديد من الأنواع الأدبية فى دراما واحدة. العفريت على سبيل المثال يحتوى على أنواع عديدية مثل الخيال، التاريخ، أكشن، تراجيدى، كوميديا و رومانسية جميعهم فى مسلسل واحد من دون أى إحساس بالتناقض أليس هذا رائعا؟ أعتقد أن هذه القدرة على إحتواء الكثير من الأنواع الأدبية رائعة وفريدة من نوعها فإنها تجعل الدراما تتواصل بشكل أفضل مع مشاهديها لأنه فى حياتنا اليومية هناك بعض اللحظات السعيدة، إخرى حزينة، هناك بعض لحظات الغضب والخوف وبعض التغييرات العاطفية الإخرى وبالتالى تصبح الدراما الكورية كأنها جزء من الواقع.

وهذا ما يصلنى للكتاب، كما تعلمون إن الكتاب هم العمود الفقرى لأى مسلسل أو برنامج تليفزيونى لأنهم هم من يكتبون القصة أو السيناريو الذى سوف يتبعة الجميع لإنتاج المسلسل أو البرنامج. إنه ليس سرا أن الكتاب الكورييون لديهم مهارة عالية فى كتابة الدراما ويعرفون كيف يجعلون المشاهد يتعاطف مع البطل والأحداث وكأنهم أصبحوا يعيشون بداخلهم. كاتبوا الأغانى أيضا يستطيعون التعبير جيدا بكلماتهم بالأخص إذا كانوا يكتبون أغانى الدراما. فى الحقيقة أنا لا أريد أن أنسى أحدا ساهم فى إنتاج دراما أو إغنية ما إلى العالم لذا فأنا أريد أن أشكر الجميع: المخرجين، المصورين، مهندسي الصوت، الملحنين، فنانو المكاياج، والمسئولين عن تجهيز أمكان التصوير وكل من يعمل على الدراما أو الموسيقى الكورية والذين ربما لا أعلم عنهم شيئا، أريد أن أشكرهم جميعا من أجل جعل هذه التحف الفنية تخرج إلى العالم.

جميع الفنانون الكورييون سواء كانوا ممثلين أو مغنيين كلهم يتمتعون بالشغف الكبير لعملهم وهم موهوبون وحقا يستثمرون أنفسهم ومشاعرهم فىما يعملون فلهم قدرة هائلة على جعل المشاهد أو المستمع يختبر المشاعر التى اراد الكاتب إيصالها فى الدراما أو الأغنية التى يؤدونها كما يتركون بصمتهم على عملهم والتى لا يستطيع أى فنان أخر تقليدها فكل منهم له بصمته الخاصة. سمة إخرى أحبها فى الفنانون الكورييون وهى ليس لها علاقة بعملهم هى أنهم متواضعون جدا ولا يتعاملون من منطلق أنهم نجوم وباقى الناس إناس عاديون بل على العكس فهم يتصرفون كعامة الناس أينما كانوا ويمكن للمعجبين أن يقتربوا منهم ويتحدثوا معهم بكل بساطة وهو أمر رائع.

وبقول كل هذا فأنا أعتقد أن صناعة الدراما والموسيقى الكورية يمكنها أن تصبح معروفة عالميا حتى أنه يمكن أن تصبح هوليوود الجديدة فبكل هذا الشغف والموهبة والمجهود الكبير فأنا حقا أعتقد أنها سوف تستبدل هوليوود يوما ما.

المجتمع:

أحد أروع الأشياء التى أعجبتنى فى مجتمع كوريا هى ثقافة الإحترام، أينما تذهب تتحدث بمستوى عالى من مستويات الإحترام فى اللغة وعليك أن تبدى إهتمام خاص بمن هم أكبر منك سنا وكبار السن ومديرك فى العمل ومن هم فى مناصب قيادية فاللغة يوجد بها مستويات مختلفة من الإحترام وعليك إستخدام المستوى المناسب إعتمادا على من الذى تتحدث إليه.

الشىء الأخر الذى أحبة فى المجتمع الكورى هو إستخدام الألقاب الأخوية بين الأصدقاء المقربين والأكير منك سنا ويتشر ذلك بين مجتمعات الشباب أكثر. إذا كنتى فتاة فيبجب عليكى مناداة أخوكى أو صديقك أو حبيبك الأكبر منكى سنا بلقب " اوبا" وعليكى مناداة إختك أو صديقتك الأكبر منكى سنا بلقب " اوننى". إذا كنت شاب فعليك مناداة أخوك أو صديقك الأكبر منك سنا بلقب "هيونج" وأختك أو صديقتك الأكبر سنا بلقب" نونا". فى أى تجمع، الشخص الأكبر سنا دائما ما سوف يعتنى بالأصغر حتى ولو كان أصغر بشهر واحد أو حتى يوم واحد. الأكبر سوف يشترى للأصغر المشروبات والوجبات السريعة (السناكس) وبعض الأشياء البسيطة ويقوم بتوفير الرعاية الأخوية وإعطاء النصائح. يعجبنى كثيرا عندما تتصرف الفتيات بلطافة لجعل أصدقائهن الذكور أو أحبائهن الأكبر سنا يشترون شيئ لهن، إنى أحب ذلك جدا.

هناك سمة شخصية عند الكوريين غالبا ما يساء فهمها على أنها فظاظة ولكن فى الحقيقة هى حماية الحدود الشخصية فالكل يعلم حدوده ولا يتخطاها. فى بعض الأحيان لن يستطيع الأجنبى أن يفهم مثل هذه الحدود فمثلا فى قطار مترو الأنفاق هناك مقاعد مخصصة لكبار السن والنساء الحوامل، الكورييون لا يقتربون من هذه المقاعد حتى لو كانت فارغة ولا يوجد مقاعد إخرى متوفرة فهم يعلمون بمجرد من أن يسمحوا بذلك، الكل سوف يستخدم هذه المقاعد ولن تكون متوفرة لأجل كبار السن والحوامل ولذلك فهم قد يطلبون من الأجنبى الذى لا علم له بشىء أن يتنحى عن المقعد. هذا يبدو فظا للوهلة الإولى ولكن علماء النفس يقولون أن التحدث عن الحدود الشخصية وعن ماهو مقبول أو غير مقبول بالنسبة لنا هو فى الحقيقة صحى جدا، عدم فعل ذلك يؤدى إلى تراكم الإستياء وقد يؤدى ذلك إلى ظهور أعراض جسدية مثل الألام المزمنة وحتى بعض الأمراض. أعتقد أن هذا الحزم فى حماية الحدود الشخصية هو من ساعد الكورييون على الحفاظ على ثقافاتهم.

المنازل والملابس التقليدية:

تسمى المنازل الكورية التقلدية "هانوك" ولديهم فى معظم الوقت حديقة داخلية وتطل كل الحجرات فى المنزل على هذه الحديقة وهو ما أجدة رائعا جدا. هذه الحديقة يمكن أن تزرع بالنباتات أو يقام بها بحيرة صغيرة أو حمام سباحة وتكون مساحة فى المنزل حيث يستطيع المرء أن يستمتع بالطبيعة. يمكن أن تكون أيضا مساحة متعددة الإستخدامات لتقوم بفعل ما تشاء. الهانوك يتم تدفئتة من تحت أرضية المنزل بنظام التدفئة المعروف بإسم" الإوندول" والذى يتم التحكم فيه من خلال النار فى المطبخ. إذا أخذت نظرة داخل حجرة من حجرات الهانوك، سوف تشعر بالإسترخاء وخلو الذهن فهى مصصمة بطريقة تريح الأعصاب. أتمنى أن أعيش فى هانوك عصرى و صديق للبيئة يوما ما.

الهانوك التقليدى – الصورة من كوريا نت

نظرة داخل حجرة فى هانوك – الصورة من كوريا نت

الملابس الكورية التقليدة تدعى" الهانبوك". هناك نسختين من الهانبوك. أحب كثيرا الهانبوك الحريمى وهو مكون من جزئين أساسيين: الجزء السفلى وهو" التشيما" وهو يشبه الفستان بدون حمالات والجزء العلوى وهو" الجاجورى" وهو عبارة عن جاكت بأكمام طويلة ويتوقف طولة إلى ماتحت الصدر. يحعجبنى كثيرا منظر الهانبوك فهو فاخر ويعطى الإحساس بالرقة و الإنوثة.

الهانبوك الحريمى – الصورة من زميلتى المراسلة الفخرية ليليان جويلين بارك

اللغة:

عندما إستمعت للغة الكورية لأول مرة، كانت على أغانى الدراما الكورية. بدت لى لغة موسيقية جدا فقد كانت الأصوات التى تصدرها الكلمات عند الغناء تطفو مع النوتات الموسيقية بطريقة رائعة.

أحب أيضا الطريقة التى يتحدث بها الكوريون تعلمون كيف أن كل شعب وثقافة لديها طريقة ما فى التحدث، هناك أصوات وتعابير صوتية معينة فى كل مجتمع ولغة. يعجبنى الطريقة التى يتحدث بها الكوريون لأنه يمكنك التعبيرعن نفسك جيدا فهناك الكثير من الطرق لقول شىء ما وهذا يعتمد على مستوى الإحترام الذى تتحدث به ومدى قوة أوضعف المشاعر التى تريدون التعبير عنها. يعجبنى خاصة عندما تتحدث الفتيات بطريقة لطيفة لأصدقائهن الشباب أو لأحبائهن الأكبر منهن سنا ، إنها محببة إلى قلبى جدا.

مستحضرات التجميل والموضة:

إن مستحضرات التجميل الكورية معروف عالميا انها ذات جودة عالية وأسعارها مناسبة أيضا. أنا حقا أحب كل شىء من الموضة الحديثة إلى الماكياج ومستحضرات التجميل، وطريقة المكايج وتسريحات الشعر والعناية بالشعر كلها رائعة. فى الحقيقة لدى قائمة بالمستحضرات التى أريد شرائها عندما أزور كوريا، إننى دائما ما أضيف إليها الأشياء ولقد أصبحت هذة القائمة أطول مما توقعت بعض الشىء. أتمنى أن اذهب إلى صالون عندما أزور كوريا لأحصل على قصة شعر وماكياج على الطريقة الكورية.

وقوعى فى حب كوريا جعلنى متفتحة الذهن:

منذ أن اكتشفت كوريا و بدأت أبحث لأعلم المزيد عن هذة البلد ومجتمعها اكتشفت أننى كنت ضيقة الذهن وكنت أفوت على نفسى الكثير من الرؤى المثيرة للإهتمام ووجهات النظر المختلفة. لقد أصبحت منفتحة الذهن أكثر نحو المجتمعت الإخرى. بمتابعة نجوم الموسيقى المفضلين لدى عن كثب، أدركت كم عملوا بجد ليحققوا أحلامهم ولقد ألهمونى لأحقق أحلامى أنا أيضا وشجعونى على الخروج من خجلى رويدا رويدا. إننى أدين لكوريا بكل ذلك وعلى جعلى متفتحة الذهن هكذا. شِكرا جزيلا لكى يا كوريا. أنا أحبك.

bi bim bap

Get to know 4 similar foods between the Korean & Egyptian Cuisine

August 05, 2018
By Yostina Wasef
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This article is coauthored with fellow honorary reporter Reem Molokhia

Despite the thousands of miles that keep South Korea and Egypt apart, there is an interesting similarity between some foods in the Korean and the Egyptian cuisine. Each carries the authentic unique taste of its country and great traditions.

Speaking of which, first let’s talk about the savory dishes:

1- Korean Kim bap and Egyptian Mahshi:

Korean Kim bap:

Kim Bap - Photo by fellow honorary reporter Jap Vergonia

Kim bap literally means seaweed rice. Kim is a dried seaweed sheet and is sold ready for use. Kim and steamed rice are the main ingredients to this dish. The Kim sheet is stuffed with a layer of steamed rice in addition to some other ingredients that are added according to personal taste. Mostly, these ingredients are seasoned stir fried vegetables with fried eggs or just steamed vegetables along with chili paste or powder.

Egyptian Mahshi:


Mahshi – Photos by fellow honorary reporter Reem Molokhia

There are many kinds of Mahshi (stuffed vegetables): Grape leaf Mahshi, Eggplant Mahshi, and Zucchini Mahshi to name a few. The stuffing is also rice, however, the rice is not steamed but rather stir fried along with red onions, tomato sauce, dill, parsley, and some spices added to it but it’s not fully cooked at this stage. The grape leaves, eggplant, or zucchini are then stuffed with that rice mixture and then are boiled till it’s completely cooked.

2- Korean Bi bim bap and Egyptian Koshari:

Korean Bi bim bap:

Bi Bim Bap – Photo by fellow honorary reporter Reem Molokhia

Bi bim bap is a mixture of cooked white rice and seasoned stir fried vegetables. The vegetables are seasoned, julienned and stir fried then placed on top of a bowl of rice individually next to each other. Beef can also be added then a sunny side up fried egg is placed on top along with hot chili pepper paste. Upon eating it, all the ingredients are mixed together to create a savory mixture.

Egyptian Koshari:

Koshari – Photo by fellow honorary reporter Esraa Elzeiny

Koshari is a mixture of rice, macaroni, noodle pasta, chickpeas, and lentil. Each ingredient is boiled till it’s fully cooked individually, then all ingredients are added together in a bowl; additionally, hot tomato sauce, garlic and vinegar sauce can then be added to the dish, and served.

As for desserts, we find that Korean and Egyptian desserts are greatly similar in many ways.

3- The Korean Yot and the Egyptian Asaliyya:

Korean Yot:


Korean Yot – Photo by Korea.net

The Korean Yot is made from glutinous rice, steamed rice, corn, or sweet potato. For example ‘Sal Yot – 쌀엿’ is made from rice. ‘Hobak Yot – 호박엿’ is made from pumpkin, and ‘Gae Yot – 깨엿’ is made from rice and covered with sesame. The garnish that covers the Yot varies. It can be covered with peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame, or pumpkin seeds.

Egyptian Asaliyya:


Egyptian Asaliyya – Photo by fellow honorary reporter Bardise Eldeeb

The Egyptian Asaliyya is made from molasses and dipped in sesame or peanuts or free from nuts.

The Egyptians have known Asaliyya dessert for over a hundred years and is loved by both children and adults. Its taste brings back memories of the golden days with each bite.

4- Korean sesame dessert and Egyptian peanut and sesame dessert:

And finally, the dessert that combines between the Far East and the Middle East, these two are identical.

Korean Sesame and peanut dessert:

Korean seasmie and peanut desert – Photo by Korea.net

In Korea, it’s called ‘깨강정– Kae kang jeong’. It’s a crispy dessert made from sesame and peanuts along with sugar and corn syrup.

Egyptian Sesame and Peanut dessert:


Egyptian seasmie and Peanut desert – Photo by fellow honorary reporter Bardise Eldeeb

Egyptian sesame and peanut dessert is made from sesame and roasted peanuts in addition to sugar and lemon. The final product is very similar to the Korean one.

It is notable that both desserts are well known and are eaten on holidays and feasts. In Korea, the sesame dessert is served in Lunar New Year’s eve and in ‘Chuseok – 추석’ the Korean thanksgiving. In Egypt the peanut and sesame dessert are popular in the Prophet Muhammad’s birth anniversary (peace be upon him).

Despite the language and culture differences and the long distance between the two countries, the resemblance of food is an indication of how two nations so far apart can be so close in terms of culture and taste. What a small world!

Korea

Why I fell in Love with Korea [Korea.net Article]

July 29, 2018
By Yostina Wasef
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Expressing my love for Korea using the Korean flag

This article was originally published on Koreanet blog here on Dec 5th 2017.

Family and friends ask me why I fell in love with South Korea. What is so special about Korea that I fell in love with it a long time ago? I haven't been able to answer that question, as I haven't been able to put my thoughts into words. Simply, it’s about connection, connection at the level of the soul, that just can’t be easily explained. Let me try to explain by stating here the things that I personally love about Korea.

TV and music industry

I love many forms of art, and Korean TV shows and Korean music are some of these forms. I love watching TV soap operas and living through the on-screen events through my heroes’ lives.

I really like the fact that Korean soap operas -- most of them, at least -- are character focused and not plot focused. What I mean is that often the story’s purpose and focus is to show the emotional and psychological development of the characters, specifically the hero or co-heroes, and how they handle what life throws at them, rather than focusing on some event or ending that the character must reach. Another thing I like is the love stories. They show how each party is doing everything in their power to take care of the other party and make them happy. It’s just so heartwarming to watch.

The other thing that really attracted my attention is that Korean TV shows can have many seemingly opposing genres in one show without any disharmony. Some very well-known recent soap operas like "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" (쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비) (2016) and "Strong Woman Do Bong-soon" (힘쎈여자 도봉순) (2017) seem to have opposing genres, like comedy and tragedy or comedy and action. There's a strange ability to include multiple genres in one show. "Guardian," for example, has many genres. It's has fantasy, history, action, tragedy, comedy and romance, all in one, without any disharmony at all. Amazing, isn’t it? I think this ability to include multiple genres is fantastic and unique. It makes the show able to connect more deeply with its viewers because, in our lives, we have some happy moments, some sad moments, some angry moments, some fearful moments and some other tribulations, so it becomes more like the drama of real life.

This brings me to the screenplay writers. As you know, the script writers are the backbone of any TV series or program because they have the plan that everyone will follow to produce the show. It’s no secret that Korean screenplay writers are very skilled at writing and know very well how to evoke emotions from the audience. Song writers, too, are so expressive, especially if they write for a TV show. Actually, I don’t want to leave out anyone who's responsible for getting a show or a song out to the world, so I’m including the directors, the cinematographers, the sound professionals, the composers, the makeup artists, the people responsible for setting up the studios, and everyone working on TV shows and music that I might know nothing about. I want to say thank you to all of you for bringing such beautiful works of art to the world.

All artists, whether they are actors or singers, are very passionate, talented and really invest their true self and emotions into what they do. They really evoke the intended emotions of the writers in the show or in the song they perform and leave their imprint on the artwork that no other artist can mimic. Each of them is unique.

Another thing that I really like about Korean artists is unrelated to their work. They are so humble and modest, and don’t really have any star complex. They act like normal people wherever they are and fans can approach them very easily and talk with them like normal people, which I really love. They also contribute to charity a lot and oftentimes in secret.

With all that said, I believe that the Korean TV and music industry can become well known globally and can even become a new Hollywood. With all that passion, talent and effort, I truly believe it can become a new Hollywood.

Society

One of the most fascinating things about Korean society for me is that it’s a society of respect. Everywhere you go, you speak formally and you especially have to pay extra attention to anyone older than you and to your boss and to those in authority positions. The language has several levels of respect, and you must use the proper one, depending on who you're talking to.

Another thing that I like about Korean society is the use of close, sibling-like names for people older than you who are close to you, though this is more used by young people. If you're a woman, you can call your older brother, your male friend or your older boyfriend oppa (오빠) and your older sister or older female friend eonni (언니). If you're a man, you can call your older brother or older male friend hyeong (형) and your older sister or older female friend nuna (누나). Anyone who's older than you, in any social gathering, always cares for the younger person, even if they're younger by just one month or even by just one day. The older person has to buy the drinks, snacks or simple things, and provide loving brotherly or sisterly care and advice.

Young women are thereby required to sometimes act cute to their older male acquaintances, especially to their boyfriends, to get them to buy something for them. I find that so adorably cute.

One personality trait I've seen in Korea is that what some people misunderstand as rudeness is actually assertiveness. Everyone knows their boundaries and they don't cross them. Sometimes a non-Korean may not understand these boundaries, like, for example, on the subway. There are seats that are only for the elderly or for pregnant women. People don’t go anywhere near those seats, even if they're empty and there are no other available seats around. They know that once they start to be OK with it, everyone will be using them and the elderly and the pregnant people won’t be able to use them. So they might ask an unknowing non-Korean to move. This might sound rude, but psychologists say that communicating boundaries and what you’re OK and not OK with is actually healthy. Not doing so can lead to resentment and can manifest physically as chronic pain or even as diseases. I think that this assertiveness is what helped the Korean people keep and not change their social structure.

Traditional Korean architecture and clothes

Traditional Korean houses are called Hanok. They almost always have a courtyard and all the rooms have a view of the courtyard, which I really like. The courtyard can be planted with plants, set with a pool or a pond, and be the place on the property where one connects with nature. It can also be a multi-purpose space to do whatever you like. A Hanok home is traditionally heated from beneath the floors with a heating system called an ondol system, which uses the fire in the kitchen as the main heat control. If you look inside a Hanok room, you will feel so relaxed and clear-minded. I hope one day to live in an eco-friendly modern Hanok.

Traditional Hanok houses show how people lived in the past. (Korea.net DB)

Traditional Korean attire is called Hanbok. There are two versions of it. The female version consists of two main parts, the lower chima skirt and the strapless upper jeogori dress that's like a long-sleeved jacket and that stops at the bust line. I really like the style of female Hanbok. It looks so elegant, classy and feminine.

Hanbok is one of the representative Korean heritage items. (Lalien guillen Park)

Language

When I first heard the Korean language, it was through music on soap opera soundtracks. It sounded to me that the language was so musical. The sounds made while speaking, or singing, in this case, flow very nicely with musical notes.

I also like the way that Korean people speak. You know each society has its own way of speaking. There are special sounds and expressions in each society and language. I like the way that Korean people speak because it feels like you can really express yourself thoroughly. There are many ways to say something in Korean, depending on the level of formality and on the degree of how strong or how weak your emotions are. I specifically like the fact that when you talk cutely, like young women to their older male friends or boyfriends, it’s just so adorable.

Makeup and fashion

Cosmetics made by Korean companies are known to be of high quality and can be bought at an affordable price, too. I really like everything from modern fashion to makeup and cosmetics, and the styles of makeup and hair styles and hair care are all great. I have a list of beauty products that I buy when I visit Korea. I keep adding stuff to the list, too. It's getting really long. I also hope to get a Korean hairstyle and makeup when I’m there.

Falling in love with Korea made me open minded

Ever since I discovered Korea and really strived to learn more about this country and its society, I realized how narrow minded I was and how I was missing out on so many interesting perspectives and points of view. I became more open minded toward other societies. Also, by following my favorite Korean pop stars very closely, I realized how hard they worked to achieve their dreams and I was inspired to achieve mine, too, and to come out of my shy self a little bit. I owe all of this to Korea for making me open minded. Thank you so much South Korea, I love you~

kdrama

The Goblin that took Korea by Storm [Korea.net Article]

July 29, 2018
By Yostina Wasef
0 Comments

This article was co-authored by me and fellow Korea.net honorary reporter Lalien Guillen Park and was published on Korea.net here on Mar 9th 2017.

Have you heard of the Korean TV show "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" (도깨비)? We're guessing you might have. It was such a big hit in Korea. Want some proof? It got a very high viewing rate for a program on a cable channel. It started with a one-digit rating, increasing to a two-digit rating as more episodes came out, and even hitting more than 20 percent rating on its final episode. That's considered very rare, even for Korea’s big three television channels. The TV show's soundtrack is topping the charts, too, not just one or two songs, but most of the songs. All the merchandise related to the show is sold-out and are some of the best-selling merchandise out there.

What genre is the TV show? Well… that's a bit hard to answer. It is the first of its kind from the writer of this screenplay, Kim Eun-sook. She's the same writer behind another famous show, "Descendants of the Sun" (태양의 후예). "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" is a fantasy romance with an ounce of historical twists, pounds of comedy, a right dose of action, a pint of heart-wrenching moments and a slight touch of horror.

So what happens when two Korea.net honorary reporters, who are passionate about this show, meet up? Collaboration! Inspired by this TV show, we ended up writing an unusual article. Come and join us in our interview-slash-conversation.

- Meet the two Korea.net honorary reporters who are huge fans of "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God."

Lalien: Greetings, everybody! I'm Lalien from the Philippines, but I'm currently living in the beautiful country of Korea. I've been married to an awesome Korean man for almost seven years now. When the very first Korean TV shows aired in the Philippines in the early 2000s, I was smitten by them. From then on, an interest about Korea sparked in my heart and it grew bigger and bigger. I fell in love with its society, music and language. Little did I know that I was destined to meet, fall in love and marry a Korean!

Yostina: Hello, everyone. I’m Yostina. I'm from Egypt. I work as an online freelance graphic designer. My passion for Korea started in 2013 when I watched the first Korean TV show of my life, which was "Boys Over Flowers" (꽃보다 남자). I fell in love with Korea because of it, especially Korean soap operas, K-pop music and soap opera soundtracks. That’s why I applied to be a Korea.net honorary reporter this year, to learn more about Korean media and to introduce this beautiful country to my own country and to the world.

So, without further ado, let’s get you all excited to watch this great soap opera.

- What was your first impression of the show?

Lalien: At first, I thought it was pretty boring. A dear friend of mine strongly recommended this show and out of friendship, I tried to watch it. I found the first two episodes slightly unappealing, but as I continued to watch it, I caught myself smiling broadly and got very immersed in each episode. One day, I just woke up finding myself fully captivated by this show. I can never thank my friend enough for recommending "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" to me. I would have missed half of my life if I hadn’t watched it.

Yostina: I first saw glimpses of the show on Facebook and thought it was a comedy, but as I watched, I realized it’s an all-in-one soap opera, as my friend Lalien said. It’s fantasy, historic, action, tragedy, comedy and romance. Don’t ask me how, but it is and they pull it off very, very well.

- So what is the show all about?

Lalien: Well, it all started with this man who... Wait! I'll let Yostina tell you about it.Ha-ha-ha.

Yostina: Ha-ha-ha. I'll never tell you that in detail, but -- in short -- it’s about a Goryeo army general who was betrayed and killed with a sword and turned into a type of goblin or mystical critter. He lives forever, watching all his loved ones die one after another, unless he can find a bride. Only the goblin’s bride can see the sword and pull it out of him so that he can return into nothingness and be at peace. However, things don’t go quite as planned. He meets a bride after 900 years and they fall deeply in love. Now, the dilemma starts. If she pulls out the sword, he will die. If she doesn’t, she will die. Destiny is the only question they face, and it’s up to them to look for an answer. Will they be able to have a happy ending?

- What do you personally like about it?

Lalien: To be honest, until now I still don’t know what I personally like about it. Isn’t this true love? Ha-ha-ha. Loving something without any definite reason. Hmmm… Maybe it’s the unlikely friendship between the goblin and the Grim Reaper, or the funny trio between the goblin, Deokhwa and the Grim Reaper. We need to make special mention of Secretary Kim because he's really funny as well. Maybe it's the against-all-odds love story of Kim Shin and Ji Eun-tak, or the adorably cute couple of Kim Woo-bin and Sunny. Oh, seriously! I really don’t know. I guess I have to watch it for -- like -- a thousand times to figure it out.

Yostina: For me, it’s the all-in-one concept. I can’t believe how they pulled it off with so many genres. Also, the story is brilliant. I mostly liked the romance, tragedy and comedy. In my opinion, it displays the emotional variety we each experience in our lives. We all have romantic moments, sad moments, funny moments, historical moments and maybe some action and horror. Don’t we? I also like the soundtrack very much. It’s so beautiful and epic. However, I’m guessing that the most important reason for me is that it’s charged with emotion, specifically vulnerable male emotions. In many Korean TV shows, you find both men and women crying with heart wrenching cries and they are very emotionally vulnerable, which makes you feel the character as if it was your own self; as if the events that happened in that character’s life happened in your own life. The acting, along with the music, the way the scenes are shot, and also the graphics make you reach that point. It’s not just for the sad moments, but also for the happy moments, too. That’s the reason why Korean TV shows are so powerful, in my opinion.

- Have you learned something new from this show?

Lalien: Oh, a lot! I really like watching Korean TV because every now and then I learn a lot of new words and expressions. In this show, I have two favorites: chisahada (치사하다) and jugyeobeorida (죽여버리다). Chisahada is used to describe a person who acts cheaply or meanly. For example, if you ask a favor of someone who's capable of doing it, but they decline to do so, you can tell that person that they are, “너무 치사해!” On the other hand, jugyeobeorida means to kill someone. I know this is… err… not a very positive expression, but I heard it a lot from the two female lead actresses. They didn’t literally mean to kill someone. They used it to express their annoyance. Lately, I say, “Neomu-chisahae,” (That’s very mean of you!) and, “Jugyeo-beorilkka?” (Will I kill you?) a lot. Oh, please don’t get me wrong! I just use them to tease my husband.

Yostina: Yes, of course. You know in modern day Korea women call their older brothers and male friends oppa (오빠). Since this show has a bit of history in it, I learned the word orabeoni (오라버니), which is the equivalent of oppa from Goryeo. Also, I learned the expression chamna (참나), which means, "geeze," and you use it when you’re fed up or angry at something.

- Why do you think this TV show is such a big hit?

Lalien: I'm not really sure what makes it a big hit. Is it the story? This kind of story has never been told before on Korean television. Is it the script? Oh, it's very well written. There are a lot of romantic conversations that would capture your heart, and tons of funny lines that would make you laugh. Is it the actors? Their performance is simply outstanding, no doubt about that! Is it the soundtrack? The songs and lyrics, if you can understand them, are perfectly matched and timed to each scene, making the watching experience more captivating and more moving. Is it the computer-generated imagery (CGI)? At one point, the goblin’s CGI becomes news in Korea. The CGI was so impressive and many people commented that it's of the same quality as CGI you can find in the movies. There's something special in this show that I can’t exactly point out. It tackles love, friendship, forgiveness, believing in destiny and choosing your own destiny. Watching this show is like riding on a boat: feeling the movement of the waves of the vast ocean as it makes you high with witty comedy and romance, then brings you down with each character’s tragedies. Like the waves, those highs and lows are well orchestrated and that what’s make it mysteriously beautiful.

Yostina: I'm also not sure, but I will tell you what made it a hit for me. It’s the extreme emotions, the many genres, the soundtrack, the story, the graphics, the cinematography itself, like the camera angles, and such. In short, everything.

- How were you inspired by this show?

Lalien: This show fueled my desire to learn more about Korean. Because of this TV show, I spend three hours in the library every day after work learning Korean grammar. Then, I re-watch this show again and I feel so happy whenever I recognize the use of some grammar that I’ve learned. I also purchased the books of poems used in the show and I enjoyed reading Korean poems for the first time. I also have the novel of this show and that helps with learning Korean a makes it a hundred times more interesting. Every day I'm learning something new from those. Also, watching the show is a good way for me to practice my Korean listening.

A lot of photo essays and novels about the show are now bring published, thanks to its huge popularity.

Yostina: This TV show made me think of the supernatural powers that we humans have. You know? Whenever we're determined to achieve something, we achieve it by thinking positively and setting our intentions to it. I believe in positive thinking to achieve the impossible. Destiny is not a predetermined thing for me. I choose what I want for my life. Also, since I’m a graphic designer and I like doing photo manipulations very much, I was inspired to make fan art of moments from the show that I felt needed to be remembered. So I made some fan art of the five main characters. With the help of my friend Lalien, we’ve chosen the screenshots based on an important emotional moment in each of the characters’ lives. Here they are.

Gong Yoo as Kim Shin, the goblin. This fan art is called 'The Decision I Made for You.'

Sweet Kim Go-eun as sweet Ji Eun-tak. This moment shows the cheerfulness of Ji Eun-tak.

Lee Dong-wook as the Grim Reaper. 'Who are you?'

Sweet Yoo In-na as Sweet Sunny. 'I’m Sunny.'

Pop group BtoB’s Yook Sung-jae as Yoo Deok-hwa. 'I was always listening.'

Of course, there are many, many important emotional moments in the show, but I had to pick one for each character that won’t spoil the plot too much for you.

Lalien: Wow! Yostina, those are awesome pictures! I love how you brought out more emotion from those screenshots! They're all really amazing!

Yostina: Thanks, Lalien. You helped me pick out the screenshots.

Lalien: Well, guys, what do you think about "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God"? That's the question we give you. It’s up to you to give us your answers. Ha-ha-ha! That sounds familiar. You’ll know what I mean when you watch the show.

Yostina: I hope we've made everyone want to watch the show. So please, everyone, do let us know in the comments section your answers to our question. You can also share with us your thoughts and/ or opinion about the show if you’ve already seen it, without spoiling too much for the others, please. Or, if you're going to watch the show, please tell us what you think of it after you finish. Thank you for allowing us to brain wash you into watching "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God." Ha-ha-ha.

By Yostina Wasef, Lalien Guillen

Korea.net Honorary Reporters

Photos: Lalien Guillen, tvN, https://www.facebook.com/tvNdokebi/

Fan art: Yostina Wasef

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لماذا وقعت فى حب كوريا

صناعة الدراما والموسيقى:

المجتمع:

المنازل والملابس التقليدية:

اللغة:

مستحضرات التجميل والموضة:

وقوعى فى حب كوريا جعلنى متفتحة الذهن:

Get to know 4 similar foods between the Korean & Egyptian Cuisine

1- Korean Kim bap and Egyptian Mahshi:

Korean Kim bap:

Egyptian Mahshi:

2- Korean Bi bim bap and Egyptian Koshari:

Korean Bi bim bap:

Egyptian Koshari:

3- The Korean Yot and the Egyptian Asaliyya:

Korean Yot:

Egyptian Asaliyya:

4- Korean sesame dessert and Egyptian peanut and sesame dessert:

Korean Sesame and peanut dessert:

Egyptian Sesame and Peanut dessert:

Why I fell in Love with Korea [Korea.net Article]

The Goblin that took Korea by Storm [Korea.net Article]

About me

Hello, I'm Yostina from Egypt and I am a Korea.net honorary reporter. I started this blog to share my love for Korea and some of the articles here are or will be published on Korea.net website as part of the honorary reporter program. I hope you enjoy my writing :)

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Why I fell in Love with Korea [Korea.net Article]

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