Global Korea I
Fusion Group Tours California
Los Angeles, U.S.
The globally renowned gugak (traditional Korean music) crossover group Black Strings in February toured the major Californian cities of San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Jose, Berkeley and Los Angeles.
The group fuses traditional musical genres with jazz, electronic, rock, minimalism and avant-garde to create ¡°borderless¡± contemporary music from Korea. Its members comprise a vocalist-percussionist and virtuosos of the geomungo (a zither-like instrument), the daegeum (bamboo transverse flute) and the guitar. Black Strings¡¯ performance in the City of Angels attracted an estimated 1,600 people, raising American interest in innovative performing arts from Korea.
As part of the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange¡¯s project ¡°2020 Traveling Korean Arts,¡± a series of visiting performing troupes is being jointly hosted by the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Los Angeles and the North American tourism agency Sori.
Global Korea I
Korea Day in Sheffield
Sheffield, U.K.
The KCC in London on March 1 hosted its annual Korea Day in Sheffield. University students and residents of the city were among the 600 participants at the day-long cultural event, which began in 2018.
Other cities in the U.K. also have a Korea Day. From Hanbok (traditional attire), Hansik (K-food) and Hallyu (Korean pop culture) to ancient and modern aspects of Korean culture are showcased through such events. The KCC continues to diversify its collaboration and promote further participation in the U.K. Shilla Ensemble, or a gugak instrumental group active in the U.K., played a rearrangement of the BTS hit ¡°Idol¡± along with other traditional performances.
The Korea Society at the University of Sheffield also planned events including taekwondo. The group¡¯s president Lee Sol said, ¡°Contrary to the widespread appreciation of Korean pop culture, traditional Korean culture is often overlooked,¡± adding, ¡°It was a pleasure to present to Sheffield locals both the modern and traditional charms of Korean culture.¡±
Global Korea II
What¡¯s Scarier than COVID-19?
Hatred and Ignorance
Written By Korea.net Honorary Reporter • Araceli Gonzalez from Argentina Photo courtesy of • Korea.net
Hate crimes against ethnic Asians are rising in certain countries amid the global spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Racial discrimination due to COVID-19 is no trivial matter. Many Asians around the world are suffering from verbal and even physical abuse just because the coronavirus originated in an Asian country. Thus they live in fear because of not only the pandemic but also racism. The story of a second-generation Korean Argentinean has recently gained media attention. Marina Kang, who was born and raised in Argentina, posted on her social media accounts a racist notice put on her apartment building. Her post has gone viral among regional media outlets.
The post begins by saying, ¡°At the moment, we are living through the virus that has been spread worldwide by the Chinese. It is recommended that we isolate neighbors of that origin and respect the following guidelines.¡±
The guidelines listed are ¡°No touching of handles,¡± ¡°Take the stairs, ¡°No walking through the central hall,¡± ¡°Wear a mask,¡± and ¡°Maximize hygiene with soap, water, alcohol and alcohol gel.¡±
The notice ends by saying, ¡°Please make sure that people from China and/or Korea respect these rules to avoid a massive coronavirus infection.¡±
The notice treated ethnic Asian residents who have lived there for years as potential carriers or spreaders of viruses. Kang said the worst virus is hatred and ignorance, which the post in her apartment was disseminating.
This is not the first racist incident in Argentina brought about by COVID-19. In late February, a carrier employee made racial slurs about the virus to a Chinese merchant, leading to verbal and physical violence between the two.
Some seem to believe that attacking Asians can prevent the coronavirus, venting on Asians the daily stress and inconvenience brought on by the outbreak. Their foolish behavior threatens Asian communities worldwide and suffocates the global community reeling from the pandemic.
A video posted on Facebook by a man of Chinese descent in late February caught the world¡¯s attention. In the video, he holds a one-man demonstration blindfolded and wearing a white mask while standing next to a placard that reads: ¡°I¡¯m not a virus. I¡¯m a human. Eradicate the prejudice.¡± Asian immigrants in countries like Spain and France empathized and began the hashtag #I¡¯mNotaVirus movement. They said they seek to tackle hatred and rectify social awareness.
COVID-19 does not target certain ethnicities or nations, so seeing a specific group of people as a germ carrier and discriminating against them can never be justified. Rather than engaging in meaningless conjectures on the origins of the virus, we must all act responsibly and cooperate to overcome the COVID-19 crisis.
