Episode 16 & 17:
By David Chen
Episode 16 : Love, Fear Part 1: Reply 1997
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In this episode, “Binggeure” enrolls in school again and his relationship with “Sseuregi” before their encounter at the boarding house is shown. “Haetae” is visited by “Samcheonpo” and Yunjin while he is still in the army, while “Sseuregi” decides to go to Busan for a year to get a better hospital residency experience. “Binggeure” also decides to go to a medical school MT and meets a sunbae named “Die-Die” who helps him out during a drinking game. At the end, “Sseuregi” is on a bus while living in Busan and he happens to meet the characters of Reply 1997 there but ends up getting injured badly on the bus by accident.
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Episode 17 : Love, Fear Part 2: Reply 1997
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In this episode, it is Najeong’s birthday and she visits “Sseuregi” in Busan for the first time. “Sseuregi” and Najeong go to his apartment for a birthday dinner but “Sseuregi” ends up leaving because the hospital needs him while Najeong is left at the table alone. When he gets home, “Sseuregi” finds that Najeong left already and later she shows up with his mom for a medical checkup. While Najeong and he wait, they decide to take a nap together and “Sseuregi” ends up proposing to Najeong who says yes to him. “Binggeure” meets with “Die-Die” and her friends at a bar and ends up walking her home that night and they kiss. Near the end, “Samcheonpo” receives his draft papers and he becomes extremely sad that he must enlist in the military.
For most people, physical appearance is an important factor when deciding whether you’re attracted to someone of the opposite gender because it is usually the first aspect that people recognize. However, this idea has amplified greatly in South Korea in recent years compared to many other countries, supported by the fact that their pop culture stresses the importance of appearance. In episode 16, a low-ranking soldier tries to get Yunjin’s phone number while she and “Samcheonpo” visited “Haetae” in the military and “Haetae” stops him by asserting his authority as a higher-ranking soldier. When “Haetae” asked what the soldier said to Yunjin, she replied by saying that the soldier thought she was his ideal type and that he fell in love at first sight. The soldier’s reaction in this situation reflects the idea of the importance of appearance in current South Korean society because he “fell in love” with Yunjin solely based on her appearance without knowing anything else about her. He also introduces the idea of an “ideal type” which is something that exists in pop Korean culture and symbolizes your dream love interest in terms of appearance.
Normally, ideal types are Korean celebrities since they are commonly viewed as “perfect” by the public and heavily influence beauty standards. Celebrities such as actors and K-pop idol group members typically have cosmetic surgery done which results in them setting an image that young Koreans aim for. This has also led to Korea having the most cosmetic procedures done in the world per capita (Elfving-Hwang 2013, 1). In addition, girl groups such as Girl’s Generation and Miss-A created a trend of exposing skin and legs, which changed ideas of beauty at the time by making skin exposure more appealing and accepted by the public (Epstein and Joo 2012, 3).
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Due to pop culture, many Koreans are pressured to conform to the beauty standards for numerous reasons. If they want to stay trendy and not feel left out socially, they must aim to follow what is currently popular such as hairstyles and clothing. This is a particularly pressing problem in Korea because it is a conforming society where everyone strives to achieve a common ideal image, thus avoiding standing out. Another major reason is because Koreans are required to provide a picture of themselves in job applications, which is something that does not exist here in Canada. This allows the employer to consider the applicant’s appearance during the hiring process, creating bias that is unavoidable. People who do not conform to the beauty standards at the time will end up having a difficult time finding employment compared to those who are deemed as attractive by society as discussed during the lecture.
To conclude, physical appearance is a significant aspect of life in Korea; one benefits greatly from having facial features and body proportions viewed as attractive and following certain beauty standards.
Word count: 479
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Discussion Questions:
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What is your opinion on the use of cosmetic surgery for non-medical purposes? As discussed above, physical appearance is extremely important in Korea. Do you view appearance as an important aspect of your own life? Why?
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What are some similarities and differences between beauty standards in Canada and in Korea? How is this different between genders?
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Bibliography:
Elfving-Hwang, Joanna. "Cosmetic Surgery and Embodying the Moral Self in South Korean Popular Makeover Culture." The Asia-Pacific Journal 11, no. 24 (2013): 1-16.
Epstein, Stephen, and Rachel M. Joo. "Multiple Exposures: Korean Bodies and the Transnational Imagination." The Asia-Pacific Journal 10, no. 33 (2012): 1-24.