Annyong!!! This is a short music video on how the government work in hand with the Korean band group to promote tourism in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Enjoy~
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Brief Introduction
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is known as ‘Miracle on the Han’. It is the largest city in South Korea, and the fifth largest city in the world. Seoul is one of the heavily populated areas with about 10,421,782 people in 605.2 square kilometres. It is the centralised area for economic, political and culture purposes and also houses famous palaces like the Kyongbokkung, Ch’angdokkung, Ch’anggyonggung and Toksugung.
Culture of South Korea
I. Religion
There are 4 major types of religion in South Korea, namely Christianity (Protestantism & Catholicism), Buddhism, Confucianism and Shamanism.
II. Language
Korean, also known as Hangeul, is the official language written and converse in South Korea. It has 24 characters, consist of 14 consonants and 3 vowels. Syllabuses are formed by combining chosen consonants and vowels to form words. It is the improvised version of Japanese and Chinese because in the past, Korean was written with the fusion of Chinese ideogram and Hangul, a native Korean. It is also similar to Japanese because the language is used in different level of form such as honorific, normal and inferior form when conversing with people of different rank. Turkish and Mongolian are also influential to what the Korean language is now.
III. Traditional culture
Bowing is to show basic respect when you greet someone and send them off.
Korean needs to comply with the Five Relationships which is between the ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, old and young, and between friends. Hence, introductions need to take place in order for recognition and respect as Koreans will rank the relationships into category. Koreans take pride in their unique culture; hence, controversial issues about their country should not be questioned as it might seem rude and disrespectful to them.
IV. Social hierarchy
Relationship of Koreans will be automatically ranked according to the status. For example, who is more elder, who has a better income and who had a better education.
V. Family Oriented
According to Confucian say of ‘five generations under one roof’, it is common for parents, children and grandchildren to live together. Confucianism also stress on filial piety and respect for elder and seniority. Thus, the thought of putting elder parents in homes is undesirable and parents will usually live with the eldest son.
There are 4 major types of religion in South Korea, namely Christianity (Protestantism & Catholicism), Buddhism, Confucianism and Shamanism.
II. Language
Korean, also known as Hangeul, is the official language written and converse in South Korea. It has 24 characters, consist of 14 consonants and 3 vowels. Syllabuses are formed by combining chosen consonants and vowels to form words. It is the improvised version of Japanese and Chinese because in the past, Korean was written with the fusion of Chinese ideogram and Hangul, a native Korean. It is also similar to Japanese because the language is used in different level of form such as honorific, normal and inferior form when conversing with people of different rank. Turkish and Mongolian are also influential to what the Korean language is now.
III. Traditional culture
Bowing is to show basic respect when you greet someone and send them off.
Korean needs to comply with the Five Relationships which is between the ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, old and young, and between friends. Hence, introductions need to take place in order for recognition and respect as Koreans will rank the relationships into category. Koreans take pride in their unique culture; hence, controversial issues about their country should not be questioned as it might seem rude and disrespectful to them.
IV. Social hierarchy
Relationship of Koreans will be automatically ranked according to the status. For example, who is more elder, who has a better income and who had a better education.
V. Family Oriented
According to Confucian say of ‘five generations under one roof’, it is common for parents, children and grandchildren to live together. Confucianism also stress on filial piety and respect for elder and seniority. Thus, the thought of putting elder parents in homes is undesirable and parents will usually live with the eldest son.
VI. Food
Something Korean cuisine cannot miss is the Kimchi, or spicy preserved cabbage. It serves as a staple dish in every meal, even breakfast for Koreans besides rice. A meal in Korea would usually consist of a soup, rice and a few dishes, ranging from three to twelve.
Different kinds of Korean food will be bak and juk (steamed rice and porridge), guk (soup) which is mainly made from soybean paste, jjigae (stew), jjim and jorim (simmered meat or fish), namul (vegetables), jeotal (seafood fermented in salt), gui (broiled or barbeque food), jeon(pan fried food) and mandu (dumplings).
Some of the best dish known are pibimbap (rice served in heated iron bowl, with kimchi, meat and vegetables topped with chilli), pulgogi or called “fire beef” (strips of roasted beef marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil and seeds, garlic, green onions and sugar), kalbi (broiled short ribs which is similar to pulgogi), shinsollo( a combination of meat with mushrooms, seafood, chestnuts, pine nuts and other vegetables in a brass pot), mandu (consist of meat and vegetables wrapped in thin dough crust, steamed or fried like dumplings), yakkwa (a cake made with rice flour and honey), tashik (a cake made of green bean, soya beans, flower pollen, honey and inner bark of pine trees) and also the famous p’atbingsu, a red bean parfait.
In Korea, not only the food must taste nice, the presentation of the food also does their part in evaluating whether the food is good or not. Spoons and chopsticks are also commonly used when dinning.
Kimchi
Pibimbap
Pulgogi 
· Food in Seoul:
Different regions of Korea are famous of different kinds of food. Under Seoul, the presentation of food will be flamboyant and consist of grand dishes such as inseollo (food of the mountain god-basically meatballs in chicken soup), gujeolpan (platter of nine delicacies-consist of a variety of meats and vegetables wrapped in thin crepes) and tangpyeongchae (green bean jelly mixed with vegetables and beef). They also enjoy side dishes such as pickled vegetables and salted fish. Having rice with bisque such as seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and gomtang (thick beef bone soup), is also very popular in Seoul.
Different regions of Korea are famous of different kinds of food. Under Seoul, the presentation of food will be flamboyant and consist of grand dishes such as inseollo (food of the mountain god-basically meatballs in chicken soup), gujeolpan (platter of nine delicacies-consist of a variety of meats and vegetables wrapped in thin crepes) and tangpyeongchae (green bean jelly mixed with vegetables and beef). They also enjoy side dishes such as pickled vegetables and salted fish. Having rice with bisque such as seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and gomtang (thick beef bone soup), is also very popular in Seoul.
Tangpyeongchae
Inseollo 
Gujeolpan
· Food for festive and season:
Different seasons of the years: spring, summer, fall and winter and festive days such as New Years Day are celebrated with different kind of delicacy in Korea. Even odd number dates that fall into the same numbered month are considered as festive days. Eg. 1st of January, 5thof May and 9thof September. Some special food to be eaten on New Year’s Day will be tteokguk (sliced rice cake soup) for breakfast, which is to wish for happiness, good luck and health, and also eat ogokbap (boiled rice mixed with five grains), dried vegetables and nuts and wish for a thriving year full with energy and robustness.
Spicy tteokguk
Ogokbap
VII. Costume
The traditional clothes that Koreans wear are called Hanbok. They are usually worn during weddings, funerals or other religious services, and also their 60th birthday. However, some of the people living in rural villages still wear the Hanbok daily.
For men, they need to wear long wide trousers that fit tightly at the waist and coloured bands are worn at the ankles. Short and loose jackets are also worn with a single bow tie. Additional coat could be worn overlapping the jacket and tie on the right side.
For ladies, they used to wear two pair of trousers, one long and the other shorter, but now they wear slips, which was due to the westerners influence. The female dress is always home-made and they need to wear high-pleated full length skirt just under their arms. The skirt is called ch’ima and a jacket is worn called chogori with long sleeves which fastens on a side with a bow.
VIII. Arts
· Martial Arts
One of the world’s famous martial arts, Taekwondo originated from Korea.
· Architecture
In the past, infrastructures in Korea were built by notches by setting wooden beams on stone foundations.
· Pottery
· Sculpture
· Dance
· Music
There were two areas of music: court music which was influenced by Confusian ceremonial music and another one is native music, enjoyed by the locals. There were also three genres of music that is Sanjo, Pansori and the Nongak.
There were two areas of music: court music which was influenced by Confusian ceremonial music and another one is native music, enjoyed by the locals. There were also three genres of music that is Sanjo, Pansori and the Nongak.
· Calligraphy
Written in either Chinese or Hangeul and is most easily found in museums, temples and art galleries.
· Painting
Korean paintings include painting on landscapes, flora and fauna and the environment on mulberry paper silk.
Written in either Chinese or Hangeul and is most easily found in museums, temples and art galleries.
· Painting
Traditions of South Korea
Some traditions in Korea are similar to the Chinese traditions such as:
Unlucky number
Koreans consider number 4 as unlucky because when translated to Chinese, Number 4 means dead or death.
Koreans consider number 4 as unlucky because when translated to Chinese, Number 4 means dead or death.
Chopsticks
Meals time, chopsticks are not allowed to stick vertically on the food because it will be seen as offerings of food to the dead.
Other traditions will be:
Pregnancy
In the past, mothers having their first expectancy must go to their mother’s bedroom to deliver the child and recuperate by having seaweed soup with rice. No visitors are allowed into the house for 3 weeks and to indicate the child is a boy, pieces of charcoal and red peppers needs to be hang across the entrance place and if it is a girl, pieces of charcoal and green pine branches are tied to it. The name of the child is usually determined by the head or the eldest family member and after 100 days the baby was born, a big celebration will be held with lots guests being invited.
First night of New Year
It was believed that during the first night of New Year, a ghost will go around and try on people’s shoe. Unfortunately, if it finds a suitable one and like it a lot, it will take the shoes and the owner of the shoe will have bad luck for the rest of the year. Therefore, it is a tradition to keep away the shoes in order not to receive bad luck.
Men & Women
Korean is still a male dominated country, it is the guys; responsibility to work for the living of the family. Women will stay at home and be responsible to the home and their children. Under the Confucius code of conduct “male and female shall not sit close after the age of seven” and intimidate actions between singles of opposite sexes are not allowed. Hence, this policy resulted in strict controls over teenage dating which might even resulted in to waiting till they are 20-30 years old, and then they can date.
Marriage
In the past, marriage was arranged by the elders in the family and need both side of parents’ agreement before the wedding can take place. The parents’ criteria on their future in-laws will be according to the background, job prospect and education level for men, and the ability to fulfill domestic duties of marriages for the women. After marriage, the women does not take over the husband’s family name as in Korean culture, families are based on blood ties and not outsiders. One interesting custom is that when the celebration is coming to an end soon, the groom will be hang upside down by his friends and to be “tortured” by beating the groom’s sole of the feet to demand for bigger feast.
60th Birthday
It is considered as one of the special occasion in one’s lifetime because not many people get to live past the age of 60. It is also known as ‘hwan-gap’ and one will dress in their best, consumed the best cuisine and receives the best well wishes from everyone. The number of guests at the celebration indicates how well received the person is in his society circle.
Funerals
Mourning period for the dead can range from 3 months to 3 years, depending on who intimate the relationship is. Meals will still be served to the dead until they were buried in the ground. The location of burial must be well inspected and chosen by priests and geomancers. A wooden tablet made of chestnut wood for the deceased will be brought home and enshrine in the family shrine.
In the past, mothers having their first expectancy must go to their mother’s bedroom to deliver the child and recuperate by having seaweed soup with rice. No visitors are allowed into the house for 3 weeks and to indicate the child is a boy, pieces of charcoal and red peppers needs to be hang across the entrance place and if it is a girl, pieces of charcoal and green pine branches are tied to it. The name of the child is usually determined by the head or the eldest family member and after 100 days the baby was born, a big celebration will be held with lots guests being invited.
First night of New Year
It was believed that during the first night of New Year, a ghost will go around and try on people’s shoe. Unfortunately, if it finds a suitable one and like it a lot, it will take the shoes and the owner of the shoe will have bad luck for the rest of the year. Therefore, it is a tradition to keep away the shoes in order not to receive bad luck.
Men & Women
Korean is still a male dominated country, it is the guys; responsibility to work for the living of the family. Women will stay at home and be responsible to the home and their children. Under the Confucius code of conduct “male and female shall not sit close after the age of seven” and intimidate actions between singles of opposite sexes are not allowed. Hence, this policy resulted in strict controls over teenage dating which might even resulted in to waiting till they are 20-30 years old, and then they can date.
Marriage
In the past, marriage was arranged by the elders in the family and need both side of parents’ agreement before the wedding can take place. The parents’ criteria on their future in-laws will be according to the background, job prospect and education level for men, and the ability to fulfill domestic duties of marriages for the women. After marriage, the women does not take over the husband’s family name as in Korean culture, families are based on blood ties and not outsiders. One interesting custom is that when the celebration is coming to an end soon, the groom will be hang upside down by his friends and to be “tortured” by beating the groom’s sole of the feet to demand for bigger feast.
60th Birthday
It is considered as one of the special occasion in one’s lifetime because not many people get to live past the age of 60. It is also known as ‘hwan-gap’ and one will dress in their best, consumed the best cuisine and receives the best well wishes from everyone. The number of guests at the celebration indicates how well received the person is in his society circle.
Funerals
Mourning period for the dead can range from 3 months to 3 years, depending on who intimate the relationship is. Meals will still be served to the dead until they were buried in the ground. The location of burial must be well inspected and chosen by priests and geomancers. A wooden tablet made of chestnut wood for the deceased will be brought home and enshrine in the family shrine.
Indigenous groups
Koreans are believed to be descendants of several Mongol tribes. Other than that, there are no indigenous group in South Korea as most of the locals are Korean. But, there are other nationalities in South Korea such as Americans, Chinese, Canadians, Japanese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Indonesians, Germans, Britons and others.
Languages
Korean, also known as Hangeul or Hangul, is the official language written and converse in South Korea. It has 24 characters, consist of 14 consonants and 3 vowels. Syllabuses are formed by combining chosen consonants and vowels to form words. It is the improvised version of Japanese and Chinese because in the past, Korean was written with the fusion of Chinese ideogram and Hangul, a native Korean. It is also similar to Japanese because the language is used in different level of form such as honorific, normal and inferior form when conversing with people of different rank. Turkish and Mongolian are also influential to what the Korean language is now.
Mode of Education
In the Korean education system, they need to spend 6 years in primary, 3 years in lower secondary, 3 years in high school, and another 2-3 years in higher education. Most Koreans will undergo 12 years of education starting from age 6 to 18 years old. Schools that cater for different level of educations are available such as kindergarten, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and higher educational institution. Primary and middle school educations are compulsory in Korea and after their high school education; they could choose whether to pursue high education for a degree or doctorate. Elementary and secondary schools have more than 34 weeks of school days for every academic year and are considered quite heavy. A high schooled usually start school at 7.30 am and ends at 5pm, but some stayed for 9pm to 10pm for self studying. For college, they have about 32 weeks of schooldays and are split between two semesters from 1st March to 31st August, and 1st September to either 28th or 29th Feburary.
Types of Leisure Programme
I. Festivals
Also known as the feast of lanterns, it falls on the 8thof the 4thlunar month. Rituals are held in all Buddhist temples across Korea and are celebrated with lantern parades in the evening. 
It is one of the most important traditional festivals in Korea and is also known as the Harvest Moon Festival or Korean Thanksgiving Day. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month and is a celebration of the harvest and prayer for the gift of mother earth.
· Sokchonje
It is a biannual ceremony that takes place in the Confucius Shrine at Sunkyunkwan University in Northern Seoul. Some performances include traditional court orchestra and full costumed court rituals.
Also called the “Royal Shrine Rites”, it is to worship the Kings and Queens of Choson kingdom. It is normally celebrated with court music and dance.
· National folk Arts festival
It is usually held in the first half of April for about one week in southern city of Chinhae.
· Hangeul Day
· Parents' Day (May 8)
· Horse riding
This activity had made a comeback so far, as it uses to be rich-man’s sports. It is famous because it offers a very unique experience to the riders.
· Archery
· Seollal 
It is known as the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year, and is the most important festival in the year. It is 3 day celebration where Koreans will wake up very early, dress to their best and pay respect to the elders to strengthen and reaffirm family ties. Usually a feast will be prepared and traditional games will be played.
It is known as the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year, and is the most important festival in the year. It is 3 day celebration where Koreans will wake up very early, dress to their best and pay respect to the elders to strengthen and reaffirm family ties. Usually a feast will be prepared and traditional games will be played.
· Buddha's Birthday
Also known as the feast of lanterns, it falls on the 8thof the 4thlunar month. Rituals are held in all Buddhist temples across Korea and are celebrated with lantern parades in the evening.
· Chuseok
It is one of the most important traditional festivals in Korea and is also known as the Harvest Moon Festival or Korean Thanksgiving Day. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month and is a celebration of the harvest and prayer for the gift of mother earth.
· Sokchonje
It is a biannual ceremony that takes place in the Confucius Shrine at Sunkyunkwan University in Northern Seoul. Some performances include traditional court orchestra and full costumed court rituals.
· Chyongmyo T’aeje
Also called the “Royal Shrine Rites”, it is to worship the Kings and Queens of Choson kingdom. It is normally celebrated with court music and dance.
· Tano festival
Fall on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month and features processions of spiritualist and mask dances.
Fall on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month and features processions of spiritualist and mask dances.
· National folk Arts festival
The venue and day varies every year but will falls around September and displays the traditional Korean Festival activities such as wagon battle and torch hurling
· Cherry blossom festival
It is usually held in the first half of April for about one week in southern city of Chinhae.
II. Special days/events
· Hangeul Day
It is referred to the Alphabet Day because it is the day when Hangeul is created and is celebrated usually on the 9th of October.
· Parents' Day (May 8)
Sons and daughters show their adore and admiration for their parents on this day.
· Constitution Day (July 17)
Commemorates the declaration of the establishment of the Republic of Korea that was made on July 17, 1948.
III. Recreational activities
· Hot springs 
Benefits of hot springs include stimulation of blood circulations, relaxation, rejuvenation, helps gastronomically and cure some skin diseases.
Eg: Icheon Termeden, Asan Spavis
Benefits of hot springs include stimulation of blood circulations, relaxation, rejuvenation, helps gastronomically and cure some skin diseases.
Eg: Icheon Termeden, Asan Spavis
· Korean chess 
Korean Chess is known as Changgi and is very similar to the Chinese chess. It is played using 2 Chariots (Rooks), 2 Horses (Knights), 2 Elephants, 2 Guards, 1 General (King), 2 Cannons or Catapults, and 5 Soldiers (Pawns).
Korean Chess is known as Changgi and is very similar to the Chinese chess. It is played using 2 Chariots (Rooks), 2 Horses (Knights), 2 Elephants, 2 Guards, 1 General (King), 2 Cannons or Catapults, and 5 Soldiers (Pawns).
· Horse riding
This activity had made a comeback so far, as it uses to be rich-man’s sports. It is famous because it offers a very unique experience to the riders.
· Archery
What is South Korea known for?
Kimchi
Gyeongbok Palace
Big Bang
SNSD
Ginsengs
Ancient buildings:
Main gate to Palace of Seoul
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbok Palace
Street foods:
Group bands:
Big Bang
SNSD
Korean Dramas:
Jewel of the Palace
Boys over Flowers
Princess hours
Full house
Jewel of the Palace
Boys over Flowers
Princess hours
Full house
Spot the DISNEY
Disneyfication (what is that?)
Disneyfication is a result of globalisation, where characteristics and principles related with it is spreading worldwide.
There are 4 major attributes in Disneyfication:
1. Theming:
Environment of a setting is themed into an unrelated object.
2. A fusion in consumption product:
Different areas of consumption products are combined, confusing consumer on the purchased product.
3. Merchandising:
Products are branded and under copyrights, including products under licenses.
4. Performative labour:
Employees view their working environment like a theatre, displaying a certain mood purposely for the sake of their job requirement.
I have chosen Lotte World, in Seoul, for in-depth research on Disneyfication which I believed had met the 4 criteria of been Disneyfied.
Lotte World (Seoul)
Introduction
Lotte World is a recreation centre under the company, LOTTE CO. LTD, which is trying to create a new way of life by infusing sports, arts and cultural activities to merge as a new world. It houses an indoor and outdoor theme park, hotel, duty-free shops, huge discounted department store and a fitness centre. The theme parks were given different theme such as “Adventure” for the indoor theme park and “Magic Island” for the outdoor. The hotel and department store are also named as Lotte Hotel and Lotte Department Store.
Theme Parks
Indoor and Outdoor rides
Attraction rides at the Lotte theme parks have different themes. For example, the log boat ride has a theme of Jurassic Jungle, a roller coaster ride is given the theme Pharaoh’s Fury and a leisure boat ride is themed as The Adventure of Sinbad. The retail shops in the theme parks also sell products in different themes too and even had it’s own shop selling the most up-to-date products in Lotte World called the San Jose Emporium and also the Lotty’s Emporium.
Festivals and Parades
Different types of festivals are also parade in the indoor theme park such as Masquarade festival, Rio Samba festival, Halloween party and Christmas festival.The recent Masquaraed festival was seperated into two activities, with one being a parade and the other being street performance. The parade is then further divided into three themes such as Nature, Fairytales and Dream of Venice.There are also different parade and show happening in Lotte World such as Lotty’s adventure parade, the Galactic Oddessy laser show and Christmas parade.
Folk Museum
Initially it was built to collect, store and exhibit historical relic of Korea, for the local community’s consumption. However, it had evolved into a site where not only locals, but also foreigners could understand and enjoy the the past and custom of Korea. It is made up of 3D miniature models, mini villages and also artefacts so as to be user firendly to those unfamiliar with Korean culture. Traditional music, dance, food and culture of Korea to recreate the atmosphere that is experienced in traditional market. It is section into four areas: the history exhibition hall, miniature village, the performance hall and Jeojagori.
· History exhibition hall
It showcases the different eras of dynasties in Korea. Includes the pre-historic period room, Goguryeo room, Baekje room, Gaya room, Silla room and Goryeo room. Each rooms displayed artefacts like potteries, paintings and also sulptures to engage the visitors during their visits.
· Miniature village
It displays the daily lifes of ancestors during Jeseon Dynasty and is only one eight of the original place.
· Performance hall
It is an area where Korean traditions ceremonies could be displayed such as the wedding, exocisim, Samulnori and Pansori. It consist of the composition of performance hall, Dongheon and the Japanese occupation room.
· Jeojagori
A Korean street market where traditional restaurants, unique Korean handicrafts and also a place where Nanjang dancers and singer could be found entertaining groups of visitors.
Analysis
After a brief exploration of what Lotte World is made up, it is considered Disneyfied due to the several reasons.
Firstly, everywhere in Lotte World involves in themeing. Be it attraction rides, restaurants, parades, festivals or even the retail shops, all of them has a different theme that made them unique and stands out from the rest of their similar counterparts. The names given to them sounds too fantasied and magical such as Fantistic Odessey, Castle Music Show and Fantasy Dream.
Secondly, Lotte World had combind the consumption of products offered. As a small world alone, it comprimises many differnet types of products such as themeparks, department store and hotels too. This actually confused the consumer on what is the final purchase product. Another evidence is the folk museum, where there were also a mixture of several activities together such as eating at one of the tradional restaurant, visiting cultural sites and at the same time shopping for local handicrafts.
Thridly, the theme park itself comes out with hamster-like mascots and start selling products such as t-shirts, caps, cushions and dolls with their own logos and characters printed on it. This result in the branding of the attraction and licensed merchandises.
Last but not least, employess at several attraction sites within Lotte world such as the Jeojagori and the theme parks will display certain emotions required at their work place. Take for example, the theme park, for one to be the mascot, one must show the special characteristic of the character if not the charater will not match with what it was suppose to be. Hence during the employees work time, they have to put on a mask and pretend to be anyone else but themselves. The ride operators must also smile at the visitors even though they are having a bad day. In Jeojagori, the Nanjang dancers and singers need to put up a fake front and entertain the visitors whenever they come.
Thus, all these factors justified Lotte World as a Disneyfied site.
Disneyfication is a result of globalisation, where characteristics and principles related with it is spreading worldwide.
There are 4 major attributes in Disneyfication:
1. Theming:
Environment of a setting is themed into an unrelated object.
2. A fusion in consumption product:
Different areas of consumption products are combined, confusing consumer on the purchased product.
3. Merchandising:
Products are branded and under copyrights, including products under licenses.
4. Performative labour:
Employees view their working environment like a theatre, displaying a certain mood purposely for the sake of their job requirement.
I have chosen Lotte World, in Seoul, for in-depth research on Disneyfication which I believed had met the 4 criteria of been Disneyfied.
Lotte World (Seoul)
Introduction
Lotte World is a recreation centre under the company, LOTTE CO. LTD, which is trying to create a new way of life by infusing sports, arts and cultural activities to merge as a new world. It houses an indoor and outdoor theme park, hotel, duty-free shops, huge discounted department store and a fitness centre. The theme parks were given different theme such as “Adventure” for the indoor theme park and “Magic Island” for the outdoor. The hotel and department store are also named as Lotte Hotel and Lotte Department Store.
Theme Parks
Indoor and Outdoor rides
Attraction rides at the Lotte theme parks have different themes. For example, the log boat ride has a theme of Jurassic Jungle, a roller coaster ride is given the theme Pharaoh’s Fury and a leisure boat ride is themed as The Adventure of Sinbad. The retail shops in the theme parks also sell products in different themes too and even had it’s own shop selling the most up-to-date products in Lotte World called the San Jose Emporium and also the Lotty’s Emporium.
Festivals and Parades
Different types of festivals are also parade in the indoor theme park such as Masquarade festival, Rio Samba festival, Halloween party and Christmas festival.The recent Masquaraed festival was seperated into two activities, with one being a parade and the other being street performance. The parade is then further divided into three themes such as Nature, Fairytales and Dream of Venice.There are also different parade and show happening in Lotte World such as Lotty’s adventure parade, the Galactic Oddessy laser show and Christmas parade.
Folk Museum
Initially it was built to collect, store and exhibit historical relic of Korea, for the local community’s consumption. However, it had evolved into a site where not only locals, but also foreigners could understand and enjoy the the past and custom of Korea. It is made up of 3D miniature models, mini villages and also artefacts so as to be user firendly to those unfamiliar with Korean culture. Traditional music, dance, food and culture of Korea to recreate the atmosphere that is experienced in traditional market. It is section into four areas: the history exhibition hall, miniature village, the performance hall and Jeojagori.
· History exhibition hall
It showcases the different eras of dynasties in Korea. Includes the pre-historic period room, Goguryeo room, Baekje room, Gaya room, Silla room and Goryeo room. Each rooms displayed artefacts like potteries, paintings and also sulptures to engage the visitors during their visits.
· Miniature village
It displays the daily lifes of ancestors during Jeseon Dynasty and is only one eight of the original place.
· Performance hall
It is an area where Korean traditions ceremonies could be displayed such as the wedding, exocisim, Samulnori and Pansori. It consist of the composition of performance hall, Dongheon and the Japanese occupation room.
· Jeojagori
A Korean street market where traditional restaurants, unique Korean handicrafts and also a place where Nanjang dancers and singer could be found entertaining groups of visitors.
Analysis
After a brief exploration of what Lotte World is made up, it is considered Disneyfied due to the several reasons.
Firstly, everywhere in Lotte World involves in themeing. Be it attraction rides, restaurants, parades, festivals or even the retail shops, all of them has a different theme that made them unique and stands out from the rest of their similar counterparts. The names given to them sounds too fantasied and magical such as Fantistic Odessey, Castle Music Show and Fantasy Dream.
Secondly, Lotte World had combind the consumption of products offered. As a small world alone, it comprimises many differnet types of products such as themeparks, department store and hotels too. This actually confused the consumer on what is the final purchase product. Another evidence is the folk museum, where there were also a mixture of several activities together such as eating at one of the tradional restaurant, visiting cultural sites and at the same time shopping for local handicrafts.
Thridly, the theme park itself comes out with hamster-like mascots and start selling products such as t-shirts, caps, cushions and dolls with their own logos and characters printed on it. This result in the branding of the attraction and licensed merchandises.
Last but not least, employess at several attraction sites within Lotte world such as the Jeojagori and the theme parks will display certain emotions required at their work place. Take for example, the theme park, for one to be the mascot, one must show the special characteristic of the character if not the charater will not match with what it was suppose to be. Hence during the employees work time, they have to put on a mask and pretend to be anyone else but themselves. The ride operators must also smile at the visitors even though they are having a bad day. In Jeojagori, the Nanjang dancers and singers need to put up a fake front and entertain the visitors whenever they come.
Thus, all these factors justified Lotte World as a Disneyfied site.
The changes that have been brought about by the growth of tourim in South Korea
Tourism in South Korea had affected the country in both positive and negative ways.
Positive:
Tourism have widen the perspective of the world in the Koreans and made them learn how to appreciate and understand the differences and uniqueness of different culture. After what had happed in the past between North Korea and South Korea, mutual understanding is very important and had been strengthened with other countries through cultural exchange. Locals are also able to get employed due to the construction of buildings and infrastructures to accommodate the increasing demand in tourism. The facilities built are not only for foreigners to use only, but also allows the local Koreans to benefit from it. For example, after the screening of Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum), a theme park based on the drama was built in Yangju. This enables the locals to use the theme park for leisure. Local culture are also revitalised as the tourist now visits Korea to experience its rich culture and heritage through the exposure of TV dramas. It stimulate the pride in the Koreans more as the Koreans always take pride in the own culture.
Negative:
On the other hand, tourism might cause the local community to lose its authenticity in culture. With reference to the Lotte world in Seoul, the increase in tourism level could be the reason why specialised food from all over South Korea be centralised in one commoditized traditional market. In addition, there were also too many influx of foreign culture featured in the festivals and parades held there. This might in converse, create interest in foreign cultures on the locals and lose their interest in preserving their own culture. Koreans will also need to fight for the usage of public facilities such as the folk museum when it was supposed to be built for the interest of the locals. With the new theme park based on the drama Jewel of the Palace, the cultures of Korea had been commercialized by grouping them up as a drama theme and present the culture to the tourists.
Hence, after analysing the impacts on how tourism can bring positive and negative impacts into the country, we can conclude that there is not one-side impacts but also has a opposite impact to balance off the changes.
Positive:
Tourism have widen the perspective of the world in the Koreans and made them learn how to appreciate and understand the differences and uniqueness of different culture. After what had happed in the past between North Korea and South Korea, mutual understanding is very important and had been strengthened with other countries through cultural exchange. Locals are also able to get employed due to the construction of buildings and infrastructures to accommodate the increasing demand in tourism. The facilities built are not only for foreigners to use only, but also allows the local Koreans to benefit from it. For example, after the screening of Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum), a theme park based on the drama was built in Yangju. This enables the locals to use the theme park for leisure. Local culture are also revitalised as the tourist now visits Korea to experience its rich culture and heritage through the exposure of TV dramas. It stimulate the pride in the Koreans more as the Koreans always take pride in the own culture.
Negative:
On the other hand, tourism might cause the local community to lose its authenticity in culture. With reference to the Lotte world in Seoul, the increase in tourism level could be the reason why specialised food from all over South Korea be centralised in one commoditized traditional market. In addition, there were also too many influx of foreign culture featured in the festivals and parades held there. This might in converse, create interest in foreign cultures on the locals and lose their interest in preserving their own culture. Koreans will also need to fight for the usage of public facilities such as the folk museum when it was supposed to be built for the interest of the locals. With the new theme park based on the drama Jewel of the Palace, the cultures of Korea had been commercialized by grouping them up as a drama theme and present the culture to the tourists.
Hence, after analysing the impacts on how tourism can bring positive and negative impacts into the country, we can conclude that there is not one-side impacts but also has a opposite impact to balance off the changes.
Has tourism been a culprit in commodifying cultures and traditions?
Tourism is like economics. In order for tourism to be successful, it is to provide supply to meet the demand. What attracts people to travel is the uniqueness of the destination such as the infrastructures, arts, culture, traditions, events, landscapes, festivals and many more.
In order to flourish in the tourism sector, we must know what are the needs and wants of the demand and from there; we could then market our supply to them. One way to capture the tourism market is to promote the culture of the destination because each destination will have their unique selling point. For developing countries, their pristine culture and traditions are what foreigners are curious about and would want to explore and know more about it. This could actually be seen as an opportunity to bring economic benefits to the community and hence, begin to package their culture and “sell” it to the tourist. In return, this will result in commoditisation of cultures and traditions of the community. Commoditisation generally refers to treating something in a way that it should not suppose to be treated. Commoditization not only happens it developing countries, more developed countries also might face it because when tourist gets bored with a particular country’s culture or tradition, the host community might change their culture and tradition to adapt the demands of the tourists. The local culture and traditions will then be lost due to the adaptation for tourist demand and a new culture might emerge which may not be authentic because they are staged for the tourist, and not what they originally used to be.
With reference to the context of South Korea, tourism receipts had increased due to the recent Korean pop wave (k-pop). Dramas had been filmed in different areas of Korea especially in Seoul, for example the drama, Jewel in the Palace, a few years back in the Hwaseong Fortress. Now, a theme park based on the drama had been built with the purpose of promoting Korean culture worldwide through food, medical science, costumes and traditional games. However to me, I feel that the government is exploiting the uprising Korean culture to bring in more revenue in the tourism sector. The interior and exterior of the actual palace was reconstructed in order to let the visitors feel realistic when visiting the site. This defeats the authenticity of the palace because firstly the visit is already unauthentic. What tourist is visiting is just a commoditised theme park induced with the “so called” cultures and traditions of Korea from the popular drama. The culture and tradition of a destination should not be packaged in order to satisfy the demand of the tourist and this is where tourism will result in commoditisation of the culture and traditions, and hence the culprit of it.
By using another case of Lotte world, the Folk museum is one of the major areas where commoditisation takes place. The miniature village was staged up for the tourist to help them understand the past living in Korea. But it was too commercialised as a Korean culture, hence, the authentic culture and traditions were lost .The Jeojagori is also an area how Korean culture was packaged for the tourist. Different food specialities around South Korea should not be concentrated and presented as a product to the visitors. All the cultures of Korea are cramped up into a small area for visitors to experience them, which make their visit a staged or fake experience.
In conclusion, tourism is part of the culprit in commodifying cultures and traditions. However, the local communities must also take pride and dignity in preserving their own culture and heritage. They must not cause exploitation by misusing them with regards to the meaning and purpose of their traditions and cultures.
In order to flourish in the tourism sector, we must know what are the needs and wants of the demand and from there; we could then market our supply to them. One way to capture the tourism market is to promote the culture of the destination because each destination will have their unique selling point. For developing countries, their pristine culture and traditions are what foreigners are curious about and would want to explore and know more about it. This could actually be seen as an opportunity to bring economic benefits to the community and hence, begin to package their culture and “sell” it to the tourist. In return, this will result in commoditisation of cultures and traditions of the community. Commoditisation generally refers to treating something in a way that it should not suppose to be treated. Commoditization not only happens it developing countries, more developed countries also might face it because when tourist gets bored with a particular country’s culture or tradition, the host community might change their culture and tradition to adapt the demands of the tourists. The local culture and traditions will then be lost due to the adaptation for tourist demand and a new culture might emerge which may not be authentic because they are staged for the tourist, and not what they originally used to be.
With reference to the context of South Korea, tourism receipts had increased due to the recent Korean pop wave (k-pop). Dramas had been filmed in different areas of Korea especially in Seoul, for example the drama, Jewel in the Palace, a few years back in the Hwaseong Fortress. Now, a theme park based on the drama had been built with the purpose of promoting Korean culture worldwide through food, medical science, costumes and traditional games. However to me, I feel that the government is exploiting the uprising Korean culture to bring in more revenue in the tourism sector. The interior and exterior of the actual palace was reconstructed in order to let the visitors feel realistic when visiting the site. This defeats the authenticity of the palace because firstly the visit is already unauthentic. What tourist is visiting is just a commoditised theme park induced with the “so called” cultures and traditions of Korea from the popular drama. The culture and tradition of a destination should not be packaged in order to satisfy the demand of the tourist and this is where tourism will result in commoditisation of the culture and traditions, and hence the culprit of it.
By using another case of Lotte world, the Folk museum is one of the major areas where commoditisation takes place. The miniature village was staged up for the tourist to help them understand the past living in Korea. But it was too commercialised as a Korean culture, hence, the authentic culture and traditions were lost .The Jeojagori is also an area how Korean culture was packaged for the tourist. Different food specialities around South Korea should not be concentrated and presented as a product to the visitors. All the cultures of Korea are cramped up into a small area for visitors to experience them, which make their visit a staged or fake experience.
In conclusion, tourism is part of the culprit in commodifying cultures and traditions. However, the local communities must also take pride and dignity in preserving their own culture and heritage. They must not cause exploitation by misusing them with regards to the meaning and purpose of their traditions and cultures.
References
About the theme park. (n.d.). Retrieved 09 12, 2010, from http://www.imbc.com/entertain/mbcticket/mbcplay/2004/daejanggumtheme_eng/intro/index.html: http://www.imbc.com/entertain/mbcticket/mbcplay/2004/daejanggumtheme_eng/intro/index.html
Briney, A. (28 nov, 2010). Ten Facts about Seoul, South Korea. Retrieved 09 dec, 2010, from about.com.geography: http://geography.about.com/od/southkorea/a/Ten-Facts-About-Seoul-South-Korea.htm
Fiaux, N. (31st Oct, 2010). Culture for sale. Retrieved 09 Dec, 2010, from Tourism issues and Development: http://www.tourism-master.nl/2010/10/31/culture-for-sale-commoditisation-in-tourism/
Introduction to Lotte World. (1996-2010). Retrieved 09 dec, 2010, from A WORLD OF MAGIC AND FANTASY-LOTTE WORLD: http://www.lotteworld.com/Global_eng/08_Direct/About_Introduction.asp?mn=Mn801
List of cultural festivals in korea. (2001-2010). Retrieved from footprints recruiting: http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/travel-in-your-holidays-in-south-korea/87-list-of-cultural-festivals-in-korea
Organisation, K. T. (2009-2010). National Holidays. Retrieved 09 11, 2010, from Official Sit of Kore Tourism Org.: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AK/AK_EN_1_5_2.jsp
Organisation, K. T. (2009-2010). types of korean food. Retrieved 09 11, 2010, from korea tourism org: October 31st, 2010
Storey, R. Korea. In D. M. Robert Story, Korea.
travel highlights. (07 nov, 2008). Retrieved from official site of korea tourism org.: http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=309546
YOO, D. (1988). Korea the beautiful: treasures of the hermit kingdom. In D. YOO, Korea the beautiful: treasures of the hermit kingdom.
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