People are making interesting 한류 (hallyu = Korean wave) shoutouts to the world that Kpop has fans in their towns. It seems to be “grass roots” and authentic… people are doing it on their own. If there are more from places like Washington, DC, Rio, and Bali, it could be the “video wave” of Korean pop going around the world… online!

Check out these videos of flash mobs and kpop dance demonstrations that happened recently… enjoy! 즐기십시요!

Paris – at the Louvre

Los Angeles (LA):

Rome at the Coliseum:

New York City:

Peru:

Montreal Canada:

Korean News on flash mobs:

How huge?  Perhaps the most viral video so far from a Korean artist… In the first week it had millions of views, and now has had 8,635,312 views on YouTube. It had roughly a million views per day for several days, although the viral growth has slowed in the last two days.

Why so popular? A first analysis shows that the video has a clean look – simple visuals, bright colors – matching the bright lyrics and punchy sound of the song.

The song and dance moves are sure to generate video responses, cover versions, and keep 19-year-old Hyuna in the list of top Korean K-pop artists.

The song can be heard below:

The lyrics are in a mix of Korean and English. At least one English translation has been posted online.

While the video is popular, it will be another million views until it passes the video for Mr. Choi Sung-Bong, which currently is 9 million. This video was blogged about recently in Mr. Choi Sung-Bong sings on Korea’s Got Talent.

There were 8 contestants trying to win top prize. The pageant included evening gown & swimsuit sections, and a talent exhibition. There also was an interview of each of the contestants.

The photos below tell the story, while later this weekend the names will be added. Congratulations to all of the contestants!

Photos:

contestants on the stage

Miss Korea Washington 2011

Miss Korea Washington runner-up

Announcing the runners-up

Swimsuit posing

Korean drumming presentation

The Korean-language newspaper Korea Times has more articles about the event.

The video is sub-titled in Korean. After the singing is the judge’s review, and more about his life.

The food shown in the show looks extra delicious, due to the high production values.  The 13-part series is hosted by Marja Vongerichten, who is also working on a cookbook.  You can read more about the show here (NY Times).

Take a look!  The first preview clip below is likely to make you hungry…

Preview Part 1:

Preview part 2:

http://eater.com/archives/2011/05/04/watch-a-preview-clip-of-kimchi-chronicles.php#kimchi-chronicles-4

One of the members of the Korean Waves Meetup Group, Richard, has created a YouTube channel for his instructional cooking videos.

He’s spent time in China, South Korea, and has come back from his travels inspired to share the cuisine, among other food.  Some of his cooking is Korean food.  At a recent dinner event he shared some of his travel stories, and also let us know about his cooking videos.

Here is one of them – learn how to make seafood pancakes, Korean style – “Haemul Pajeon” (해물파전):

Below are the upcoming festival movies as of April 10, 2011. First is for the  Korean Film Festival DC 2011, and below that are the FilmFest DC movies from South Korea.

Korean Film Festival DC 2011 Schedule

All films are 35mm, in color, and in Korean with English subtitles. For more details visit the official Smithsonian website or their film descriptions page.

Locations codes:
* FGA = Freer Gallery of Art
* AFI = AFI Silver Theatre

Movies:

• Secret Reunion (director.: Jang Hun, 2010, 116 min.).  Friday, April 8, 7 PM, FGA
• Breathless (director.: Yang Ik-june, 2008, 130 min.). Sunday, April 10, 2 PM, FGA
• Possessed (director.: Lee Yong-ju, Korea, 2009, 106 min.). Friday, April 15, 7 PM, FGA
• Hahaha – 하하하 (Ha Ha Ha) (director.: Hong Sang-soo, 2010, 115 min.). Sunday, April 17, 2 PM, FGA
• Poetry (director.: Lee Chang-dong, 2010, 139 min.).  Friday, April 22, 7 PM, FGA
• Old Partner (director.: Lee Chung-ryoul, 2008, 78 min.).  Sunday, April 24, 1 PM, FGA
• Oki’s Movie (director.: Hong Sang-soo, 2010, 80 min.). Sunday, April 24, 3 PM, FGA
• Paju (dir.: Park Chan-ok, 2009, 111 min.). Friday, April 29, 7 PM, FGA
• The Housemaid (director.: Im Sang-soo, 2010, 107 min.): Friday, May 6, 7 PM, FGA, and Saturday, May 7, 5:30 PM, AFI (Special – In Person: Im Sang-soo, director)
• A Good Lawyer’s Wife (dir.: Im Sang-soo, 2003, 104 min.). Saturday, May 7, 1 PM, FGA and Sunday, May 8, 4:45 PM, AFI (Special: In Person: Im Sang-soo, director)
• The President’s Last Bang (dir.: Im Sang-soo, 2005, 104 min.) Sunday, May 8, 2 PM, FGA - In Person: Im Sang-soo, director
• I Saw the Devil (dir.: Kim Ji-woon, 2010, 143 min.). Saturday, May 14, 9:30 PM, AFI and Monday, May 16, 8:15 PM, AFI
• The Housemaid (director.: Kim Ki-young, 1960, 108 min., B&W) – the original version.  Sunday, May 15, 2 PM, FGA
• Woman of Fire ’82 (director.: Kim Ki-young, 121 min.). Friday, May 20, 7 PM, FGA. Carnivore (dir.: Kim Ki-young, 1984, 105 min.). Sunday, May 22, 2 PM, FGA
• Scandal Makers (director.: Kang Hyung-chul, 2008, 108 min.). Monday, May 23, 6:30 PM, AFI. Wednesday, May 25, 6:30 PM, AFI
• Actresses – 여배우들 (Yeobaeudeul) - (director.: E. J-yong, 2009, 104 min.). Sunday, June 5, 5:15 PM, AFI. Wednesday, June 8, 7 PM, AFI

FilmFest DC – South Korean Movies – Tickets

The Actresses – 여배우들 (Yeobaeudeul) - E J-yong – South Korea – 104 mins

• Six actresses are brought together on Christmas eve for a once-in-a-lifetime Vogue magazine cover shoot. Of course, when working with actresses and their respective entourages and demands, anything can happen. Shot documentary-style, The Actresses is rife with industry jokes, low blows, egos, and insecurities.

• Friday, April 15 6:30 PM Landmark’s E Street Cinema $11.00
• Saturday, April 16 6:30 PM Landmark’s E Street Cinema $11.00

A Brand New Life - Ounie Lecomte – South Korea, France – 92 mins

• Little Jin-hee (Kim Sae-ron) sports a sweet, mischievous and open smile for her father, who takes her shopping in the open market and then to dinner. Of him we see only a hand to hold, a jacket dangling at Jin-hee’s eye level, or the back she clings to as they ride home on a bicycle. The next day, they take a bus to Jin-hee’s future.
• Friday, April 8 6:30 PM Landmark’s E Street Cinema $11.00
• Saturday, April 9 6:45 PM Landmark’s E Street Cinema $11.00

The Man from Nowhere – Ajussi – 아저씨 - Lee Jeong-Beom – South Korea – 119 mins

• A huge summer hit in Korea, The Man from Nowhere is a well-plotted action thriller made with energy, taste, and heart. Cha Tae-Shik (Won Bin) is a shadowy figure hiding from the world as the half-hearted owner of a small pawnshop in Seoul. His only human contact is with his neighbors, a sleazy nightclub dancer and her neglected young daughter, who gets kidnapped.
• Sunday, April 10 2:00 PM Landmark’s E Street Cinema $11.00
• Monday, April 11 8:45 PM Landmark’s E Street Cinema $11.00 at box office

Painted Fire. Im Kwon-taek – South Korea – 117 mins

• Korean master Im Kwon-taek shared the best director prize at Cannes in 2002 for this old-fashioned, beautifully crafted biopic of painter Jang Seung-up, who was born in 1843 and disappeared 54 years later. Jang’s life provides more than enough drama and historical incident for this rich evocation of Korea’s past.
• Wednesday, April 13 8:45 PM Regal Cinemas Gallery Place $11.00
• Saturday, April 16 8:45 PM Landmark’s E Street Cinema $11.00

The Recipe.  Anna Lee – South Korea – 104 mins

• Mixing romance, crime, story, black comedy, missing-persons drama, modern fairy tale, and food to near perfection, The Recipe centers on a TV producer searching for the recipe for an enchanting spicy bean-curd stew—and its elusive creator.
• Wednesday, April 13 6:30 PM Regal Cinemas Gallery Place $11.00
• Thursday, April 14 6:30 PM Regal Cinemas Gallery Place $11.00

FilmFest DC - Tickets

Before answering that question, first note that there are difference styles of both kalbi and bul-go-gi, and sometimes kalbi is not seasoned at all (which makes it, well, plain barbeque beef). Then it’s the side dishes – pan chan – that make it distinctly Korean. Panchan will be different from restaurant to restaurant, more than they will vary from dish-to-dish within a restaurant.

Bulgogi is beef, usually loin, and kalbi is beef short ribs. Both can be made marinaded, in similar sauces. And a side sauce can be served with both. However, the side dishes (panchan) – things such as potato, or seaweed, and kimchi – are not related to the dish itself.

Both dishes can be grilled at the table, or perhaps better for some, as prepared by a professional Korean chef in the restaurant’s kitchen.

More from Wikipedia:

Korean (한국어/조선말, see below) is the official language of Korea, both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century a national writing system was commissioned by Sejong the Great, the system being currently called Hangul. Prior to the development of Hangul, Koreans used Hanja (Chinese characters) to write for over a millennium.

The genealogical classification of the Korean language is debated by a small number of linguists. Most classify it as a language isolate[2] while a few consider it to be in the Altaic language family.[3] Some believe it to be distantly related to Japanese-Ryukyuan. The Korean language is agglutinative in its morphology and SOV in its syntax.

Read more below (from Wikipedia):

Lunar New Year refers to the beginning of the year in several calendars. It is commonly assumed that they are all based on a lunar calendar, although some are actually based on a lunisolar calendar.

These new year celebrations sometimes fall on or near the same day of the Gregorian year:

* Chinese New Year
* Japanese New Year (before 1873)
* Korean New Year (Seollal)
* Tết, Vietnamese New Year
* Losar, Tibetan New Year
* Tsagaan Sar, Mongolian lunisolar new year

Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is commonly called “Lunar New Year”, because it is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year’s Eve is known as chú xī. It literally means “Year-pass Eve”.

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Ancient Chinese New Year is a reflection on how the people behaved and what they believed in the most.