Have you heard of Banchan-Sandton? They are a Korean Restaurant based in Gauteng. This week we had the pleasure of talking with Jamie the co-owner of Banchan. Continue reading “Interview: Banchan Korean Restaurant”
Tag: K_Culture
Whats Up SA??? Edition 2
Welcome to another newsletter style update on what is happening. Continue reading “Whats Up SA??? Edition 2”
Korean Sportswear
Perfect for active days or casual downtime, this fashion is no longer for just the gym. Korean Sport wear is all about matching and layering.
Drama Review: It’s Okay Not To Be Okay
Without a doubt, It’s Okay Not To Be Okay has been one of the most awaited dramas of the year. Not only did the drama rake in ratings of 7.3% (Nationwide) and 8.5% on its final episode, (entering the list of highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television at #33), but it also trended worldwide on Twitter during each episode release.
Return: The Promise of That Day
Return: The Promise of That Day is an original South Korean army musical. The musical tells a story of military veteran Seung Ho and his search for the remains of his comrades who died in battle during the Korean War. In addition, the story is also about a friendship that spans through the years and life events, from students graduating to voluntary enlistment.
The musical garnered lots of attention as the cast included high profile KPop stars and actors, some who were in the midst of their mandatory military service. The 2020 cast included Infinite’s Sungyeol, EXO’s Xiumin and Kyungsoo, FT Island’s Lee Hongki, soloist Yoon Jisung, actor Kim Minseok as well as Gugudan’s Sejeong, amongst others.
It has always been a dream to watch a South Korean Musical. Ticket sales opened: Thursday, June 6, 2020 at 2:00 PM for the show that was to run from June 16, 2020 till June 28 , however the best news came in the form of a notification from the VLive App. The musical was to be broadcast via live stream on the VLive App on June 10 2020 at 7pm.
The opening scene to the musical was a video with English subtitles. This took the viewers though the story behind the musical. The content included interviews with family and friends, some who seventy years after the Korean War, are still awaiting news and or the remains of their loved ones. This immediately gives you insight into the story and draws your heart into it. This was also repeated during the intermission, giving you a better understanding of the story.
The musical highlights the Republic of Korea Army’s (ROKA) movement to ensure that the remains and belongings of all of the soldiers lost in the Korean War were returned to their families. This endeavor is ongoing with the search across various Korean War battle sites, including North Korea.
Return: The Promise of That Day alternates between scenes from the present-day Seung Ho and the young Seung Ho. It tells of the young, carefree youths whose lives were irrevocably changed by the war. Seeing his friends die in front of him in battle, as they fight for their country, Seung Ho makes a promise to them to find their remains and get them back to their families.
Years later Seung-ho’s grandson, Hyun-min and his friend Woo-joo take over the mission to discover the Korean War remains through an Army excavation operation.
Kyungsoo was cast as the past Seungho, and shared the role with Yoon Jisung . Xiumin acted as Hyunmin, sharing the role with Lee Hongki , whilst Hyunmin’s friend Woojoo was played by the actor Kim Minseok and Lee Sungyeol.
Watching this musical come to life via the VLive App livestream was truly magical. Language was no barrier as the heartfelt acting carried you along through the joy of youth, to the pain and anger of War. A friend commented’: “Overall the musical is a sad story … Even though I didn’t understand the words… I could understand the story a little bit” Not only did we share the experience with over 2,2 million viewers worldwide, we also shared the excitement, thrill and adventure.
VLive brought the musical to us and it was truly wonderful. In this day and age the world has become a smaller place and we can reach out and touch each other even though the Covid-19 pandemic is keeping us away from human contact.
© Musical Poster
Vlive App Musical Channel
Here is an insightful article about the “ROKA” movement to retrieve the fallen soldiers remains.
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Review: The King: Eternal Monarch
Being a person who loves instant gratification, you can imagine my joy in finding out that Netflix South Africa has Korean shows on it’s site, with English Sub-Titles nogal!!!
Son Heungmin Allround Achiever
Our favourite English Premier League Footballer, Son Heungmin has been achieving more accolades off the field in the recent months.
Heungmin who joined Spurs in August 2015, has made a name for himself on the squad having scored some beautiful goals and managed some cracking assists, over the years. Wearing the number 7 jersey, Heungmin plays as a winger or striker for Spurs. One claim to fame is his first hat-trick for Spurs in 2017, at the FA Cup quarter final where Spurs won 6-0 against Millwall. He is also the first player to score the team’s first Goal at Tottenham Hotspurs new stadium on 3rd April 2019, with a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace.
He has won the Best Footballer in Asia award four times. As the captain, Son assisted in the victory for the South Korean National Team at the 2018 AFC Asian Games in Indonesia, which guaranteed the entire team’s exemption from Mandatory Military Service.
Conscription in South Korea has existed since 1957 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 28 to perform compulsory military service.
Although exempt from Military Service, Heungmin was required to complete his compulsory Military Training. On February 16th, he was injured in the game against Aston Villa and had to undergo surgery to repair a fractured right arm. With the Premier League Season being suspended due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, he used this time to complete his military training, reporting for duty on 20th April 2020 on Jeju Island.
His three weeks Marine Corps training included chemical, biological and radiological training, individual battle skills, first aid, shooting and bayonet skills. Heungmin excelled on the shooting range, recording a perfect score.
Out of the 157 trainees, Heungmin finished in the top five people in his class. He received the Pilsung prize at his graduation ceremony.
Now after his mandatory quarantine period, Heungmin has once again joined his Tottenham Hotspur team mates in North London. We wish him every success in his Premier League and National Football career. 흥민 파이팅!!! We hope to always see this smiling Sonny.
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#K_Culture # K_Sport
Official KSA 