Humour

Some well-decorated North Korean generals

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by Philip Gowman on 20 January, 2013

in Asides | DPRK | Humour | Military | Pictures

Too good not to share. From Alexander Choi’s Facebook page, North Korean generals in full regalia. Quips left below the photo include “and you haven’t seen what’s on their backs…” “a testament to North Korean medicine that they are able to bear all that weight” There are of course questions as to whether the image [...]

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You followed the blog, now buy the book

by Philip Gowman 12 January 2013
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You’ll probably have visited Kim Jong Il Looking at Things once in a while for some gentle entertainment at the expense of the late Dear Leader and his propaganda unit. The blog closed in December 2012, a year after his death, but now you can buy the book, from Jean Boîte Éditions, price EUR24 plus [...]

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The London Korean Links Awards 2012

by Philip Gowman 31 December 2012
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The seventh eclectic and highly personal commemoration of the best of the past year. Personality of the Year Runner up There were plenty of personalities in the South Korean Olympic team, particularly the pistol shooters, archers and the gymnasts. But the athlete that everyone will remember is fencer Shin A-lam, cheated out of a place [...]

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Elephant learns to speak Korean

by Philip Gowman 1 November 2012
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Well almost. According to the BBC, Koshik the elephant has learnt to imitate human speech and can say five words in Korean: hello, no, sit down, lie down and good. The zoo animal places the tip of his trunk into his mouth to transform his natural low rumble into a convincing impression of a human [...]

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How to get a Korean boyfriend

by Philip Gowman 3 September 2012
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Many of you will have seen this already, but I only just came across it via Stephen Epstein’s and Rachel Joo’s fun article on Japanfocus.org on legs, abs, and the surprising de-emphasis of boobs in Korean pop culture. The entertaining video, from My Korean Boyfriend, is particularly fine in respect of its observation of “aegyo” [...]

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Exhibition visit: Kim Beom’s School of Inversion

by Philip Gowman 30 August 2012
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Kim Beom is known for his videos of very serious Korean TV newsreaders, their newscasts chopped into a thousand pieces and spliced back together word by word to create nonsense stories. Londoners were introduced to his work back in 2006 as part of the Asia House group show Through the Looking Glass and Untitled (News) [...]

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Witty Specsavers ad irritates academics

by Philip Gowman 28 July 2012
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The quick-thinking Specsavers ad capitalising on the Olympic flag gaffe seems to have ruffled a feather in academic circles for being written in bad Korean. So what if “Specsavers” should be at the beginning of the sentence? Putting it there would have completely baffled the non-Korean speaking audience it’s aimed at.

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Japanese invaders colonise Dokdo

by Philip Gowman 15 July 2012
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This month’s Korea.net magazine features Dokdo, but in cataloguing the island’s human and plant inhabitants, the magazine reveals five species with suspiciously Japanese-sounding names that have a firm foothold on the Korean islands. In the plant world, there’s Artemisia japonica var. macrocephala Pampan and Rumex japonicus Houttuyn (both ominously said to be “spreading quickly these [...]

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Korean Air needs a language consultant…

by Philip Gowman 19 June 2012
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Unfortunate Korean Air commercial promoting flights to Nairobi, Kenya, and encouraging travels to enjoy the “indigenous people full of primitive energy”. Originally tweeted by journalist Wouter van Kleef, and expanded upon by Al Jazeera, with some of the Kenyan response including this image from C_mwangi.

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Naneun Ggomsuda: His Highness gets lampooned in Oxford and London

by Andrew 대왕 6 June 2012
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A guest post from Andrew Jackson, covering the recent visit to the UK of the team which brings you the world’s most popular political podcast. Last month saw the arrival of the ‘Naneun Ggomsuda’ (‘I’m a Petty Minded Creep’) for sell-out shows in London and Oxford. The political satire podcast show, now transferred to the [...]

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“I’m a Petty Minded Creep” (Naneun Ggomsuda) comes to the UK

by Philip Gowman 12 May 2012
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A very alternative Korean cultural event is coming up at the end of this month, probably not the sort of event that would be advertised on the KCC website. The subversive political talk-show, I’m a Petty-Minded Creep (Naneun Ggomsuda, 나는 꼼수다, or Na Ggom Su for short) is coming to the UK for a couple [...]

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Today is not a good day to be managing the Mangyongdae funfair in the DPRK

by Philip Gowman 9 May 2012
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The management of the Mangyongdae funfair got a very public roasting from Kim Jong Un during an on-the-spot guidance visit. The Great Successor even did a spot of weeding to show them how bad things looked. Who would want to be in their shoes? Full story on the KCNA website. Natty hat, by the way.

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Concert notes: A Little Nightmare Music – Igudesman and Joo

by Philip Gowman 12 March 2012
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“His parents must be so disappointed” I overheard a Korean woman say, of Joo Hyung-ki. “They wanted him to be a concert pianist, and he’s doing comedy instead.” It was the sort of thing that Maureen Lipman would say, in character as the proud Jewish mother. Joo, one half of the hilarious musical duo Igudesman [...]

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Kim Jong-il lives on as comedy prop

by Philip Gowman 27 February 2012
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‘If somebody asks you what you’re wearing, you say Kim Jong-il.’ says British comedian Sasha Baron Cohen in Oscar publicity stunt, having tipped an urn of ashes over the presenter http://bit.ly/w2ctTz

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Igudesman and Joo in A Little Nightmare Music at the Cadogan Hall

by Philip Gowman 19 February 2012
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Crazy musical comedy coming up at the Cadogan Hall in early March. It comes with great reviews. Check out Igudesman and Joo’s website for some videos of what they do. And then book your tickets. Igudesman and Joo A Little Nightmare Music Friday 9 March, 2012 7.30pm Programme: You have to see and hear them [...]

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The London Korean Links Awards 2011

by Philip Gowman 7 January 2012
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The sixth of LKL’s annual unscientific and very personal recognition of the best things of last year. And in the field of film, books and CDs what is encouraging is that there is so much to choose from. There were also plenty of good Korean cultural events in London, Edinburgh and elsewhere, but there was [...]

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The pizza ad that has got academics and bloggers talking

by Philip Gowman 13 November 2011
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Do pizza boxes appear in ancient Korean buddhist statues? The Mr Pizza ad that has got academics and bloggers talking: http://t.co/mbaFqyXP Photo credit: Wake up and Laugh, where you can find the real meaning of the distinctive headwear.

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The Ryugyong Hotel: a North Korean poem

by Philip Gowman 29 September 2011
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A North Korean poem: Ryugyong Hotel Now covered in glass So Kim Jong-il Can cover his as tonishing policy myopia (sorry, the last bit doesn’t quite scan) via Aidan Foster-Carter

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Don’t do drugs in Korea

by Philip Gowman 16 September 2011
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What kind of idiot tries to smuggle cannabis seeds into Korea in a jar of peanut butter? Martin Uden advises: don’t try it! bit.ly/pmtdKX

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Kim Jong-il looking at a doner kebab

by Philip Gowman 9 September 2011
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I don’t like the look of these North Korean doner kebabs. Nor, by the look of him, does the Dear Leader. bit.ly/n2DiPs

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Frustrating experiences at the new Yongsan Art Hall, Seoul

by Philip Gowman 27 August 2011
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The tragic tale of why I walked out of a show before it even started… http://bit.ly/q1ERFt. Could only happen in Korea (#). Via @Ajosshi

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