It is called the Hallyu or the “korean wave“. In recent years, the korean culture invaded the world through the dissemination of cultural works such as cinema or music.
The culture of life and Korean habits have had high visibility, putting this country with a complex history in the forefront of the international scene. South Korea is obviously the musical phenomenon of K-pop with his boy bands, like BTSwhich fill concert halls around the world.
The cinema also has a good share, with the success of the film Parasitea poignant thriller that won the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and winner of four Oscars in 2020, including Best Picture.
On the streaming platformswe can highlight the success of “Korean drama” series or even Squid Gamea series broadcast on Netflix.
The country is also ultra-connected and ahead of the development of technologies.
However, South Korea also has its lot of paradoxes. Faced with the image of a country modern, creative and at the rapid growththere is also a company at low moralewith one of the most high suicide rates in the world.
L’alcohol addiction There is a major public health problem. There is also a level of professional and social requirements very high.
Work in Korea regularly still happens to be a theater of humiliation where employees may feel belittled.
To talk about Korean culture, Sidonie Bonnec receives Juliette Marillot, journalist specializing in the two Koreas. She lived in South Korea for several years and was a professor at Seoul National University.