Oct. 18, 2020 — Memory and Reconciliation in Recent Media and Culture (Various)

Korean boy band BTS makes controversial remarks over Korean War:

Chosun Ilbo: “Chinese online warriors are peeved at remarks by a member of super boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, at an award ceremony promoting Korean-American relations.”

The Guardian: “K-pop phenomenon BTS are facing a barrage of criticism in China after the South Korean boyband cited their country’s solidarity with the US stemming from the Korean war

From 2018: BTS also caused controversy for wearing a shirt with a graphic of the US atomic bombing of Japan

BBC: “A Japanese TV show has cancelled an appearance by hugely popular K-pop group BTS, amid controversy over a shirt worn by one of the band members. A picture of Jimin wearing a T-shirt depicting the US atomic bombing of Japan, which killed hundreds of thousands of people, started being shared online.”

Other general media and culture pieces:

Asahi Shimbun: “When writing this column, I always keep in mind that some people will be having their breakfast as they read my words. That is why I make a point of avoiding graphic depictions of savagery and violence. But I deliberately break this rule when I want to highlight the horrors of war.”

Japan Times: When Dutch writer Hans Brinckmann arrived in Japan in 1950, he found the interactive social hubbub of Japan starkly different from the “Dutch awkwardness, gloomy winters, solid brick houses with closed doors and war-hardened people protecting their own interests” of his own country. His memoir “The Call of Japan: A Continuing Story — 1950 to the Present Day,” which is an expanded reissue of his 2005 title, “The Magatama Doodle,” recounts his personal experiences living here, first as a banker and later as a writer of poems, novels, essays and short stories.”

Japan Times: Awarded the Silver Lion for best director at this year’s Venice International Film Festival for his suspense drama “Wife of a Spy,” Kiyoshi Kurosawa could get the sort of career boost that helped make the previous Japanese recipient of the prize, Takeshi Kitano, an internationally recognized auteur. (Though Kitano got a bigger leg up for his 1997 Venice Golden Lion winner “Hana-bi” than his 2003 Silver Lion awardee “Zatoichi.”)”

Global Times: “Salute to the Heroes, a Chinese animated film commemorating the heroic Chinese army during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), also known as the Korean War, will hit screens in the Chinese mainland on Friday, day and date with the much anticipated Korean War epic Jin Gang Chuan. “