Saturday, January 5, 2013

From the Battle of Kapyong to Winter Sonata


Winter Sonata is a Korean drama series, first aired in 2002, which is credited with helping the spread of Korean culture around Asia, known as the Korean Wave (Hallyu).  Hallyu started in the late 1990s, was propelled by the success of Winter Sonata and has probably received another significant boost with Gangnam Style.
Winter Sonata was filmed on Namiseom, a small island in Chuncheon province (also famous for Dak Glabi - a delicious stir fried chicken dish, but more on that in another post). Winter Sonata is credited with improving the image of South Korea among its Japanese audience and setting fashion trends throughout East Asia.  All of this has also led to a jump in the number of tourists visiting Namiseom.  It is only about 90 mins drive from Seoul and well worth the trip, even for those who (like me) haven't seen Winter Sonata.

This part of Korea has another significance for Australia.  Namiseom is within the region of Kapyong.  From 22-25 April 1951, there was a significant battle fought here between UN forces - primarily Australian and Canadian - and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.  Those reading this will know that while I have had some exposure to military environments, I am no military historian.  Try here for further detail on the Battle of Kapyong.
Whenever we drive through the Korean countryside, particularly during winter, I am left thinking how grueling the Korean War must have been and how amazing it is to think that it was so recent, and yet so little obvious evidence of it remains in modern South Korea.  Admittedly not a particularly insightful thought, but it tells you something important (both positive and negative) about Korea and Koreans, if you stop and think.

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