You Can't Hide from Yourself: The Impossibility of Pretending in Bad and Crazy Image of the drama’s promotional poster was taken from the drama’s official website (tvN) and reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.   In the previous blog post, we discussed the character of a slightly corrupt law enforcement officer in The Fiery Priest who saw the error of her ways and became a hero, helping to take down the real villains. In this blog post, let us look at another similar character in the drama Bad and Crazy (배드 앤 크레이지, tvN, 2021-22). Ryu Su-yeol is a detective in the anti-corruption investigation division who takes bribes from powerful people to overlook their misdeeds. As he investigates two main cases, the deaths of police officers who were killed because they discovered that some of their fellow officers were into the drug business, and serial murders where the murderers were persuaded to kill by a criminal mastermind whose identity is unknown, Su-yeol eventually decides to turn over a new leaf and go all out for justice. Let us look at his character’s journey and its significance.   Lee Dong-wook plays anti-corruption investigation division detective Ryu Su-yeol, who struggles to do his job without compromising his principles. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.   Like the character of Park Kyung-sun from The Fiery Priest, Ryu Su-yeol came from a humble background but worked hard to become a law enforcement officer because he really did want to do good in the world. And, like her, he realized that he couldn’t get ahead because he had no money or connections. When he is passed over for a promotion despite his excellent job performance, his superior officer and mentor explains the situation: “I understand that you passed the exam with the highest score. But you come from nothing and didn’t even go to college.” Without powerful backers or high social status, Su-yeol has to figure out how to make it on his own. Being a skilled detective, which he is, actually puts him in a more difficult position than if he had been incompetent, because he ends up making trouble for powerful people by uncovering their misdeeds. And the powerful reward those who help them and block the career advancement–and even threaten the safety–of those who don’t. So, like Kyung-sun, Su-yeol decides to just go along, thinking that at least he’ll still be able to do some good as a detective, even if he sometimes has to compromise his principles.   Su-yeol toadies up to a politician (played by Lim Ki-hong) whose patronage can help his career. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes. While Kyung-sun justified her behaviour by saying that no one was being hurt by it, Su-yeol’s attitude is just to ignore all the wrongs that are being committed and focus on unrelated cases that he can solve without inconveniencing his patrons. Unfortunately for his emotional comfort, his fellow officers, including his ex-girlfriend and the youngest member of the team, refuse to let him remain in this complacent state about his own behaviour. The two of them are presented as straight-arrow police officers who stick to their principles even when they are punished heavily for doing so. Compared to them, Su-yeol seems to have taken the easy way out by going along with the corruption of the higher-ups. When confronted about his behaviour regarding their current case, Su-yeol admits that he planned to ignore the corruption that he discovered, even though discovering corruption on the force is exactly what he is supposed to do. “I was going to pretend that it wasn’t my job and turn a blind eye to it,” he says. After being forced to admit that his position is untenable, with the help of his fellow officers, he begins to change his attitude and behaviour. He wavers when his patrons start threatening his family: “The powerless must apologize and beg on their knees,” he says. This echoes the sense of futility we saw with Kyung-sun. But in the end, he realizes that he has allies, and together they set out to catch the bad guys once and for all.   Su-yeol’s ex-girlfriend, Lieutenant Lee Hui-gyeom (played by Han Ji-eun) criticizes him for turning a blind eye to corruption, and he admits pitifully that she is right. He realizes now that he can’t continue like this. He can no longer pretend that corruption isn’t happening, and he can no longer pretend that covering up the corruption doesn’t affect him deeply. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.   I said above that Su-yeol was complacent about his own corruption, but in fact, that is not really the case. Bad and Crazy has an aspect that I haven’t mentioned yet: it is a comedy, and the laughs mainly come from Su-yeol’s bickering relationship with a mysterious man named K who appears out of nowhere to punish bad guys when Su-yeol needs him, but who also challenges Su-yeol about his behaviour. K is a vigilante for justice who is completely unpredictable. The title refers to the duo: Su-yeol is the bad one, and K is the crazy one. But they are not two different people. Su-yeol is suffering from dissociative identity disorder, and K is his alter, his other personality state. He first appeared as a protector when Su-yeol suffered abuse as a child, and he began to reappear as a sort of manifestation of Su-yeol’s conscience after Su-yeol started taking bribes to cover up his patrons’ misdeeds. Because K appears when Su-yeol is in distress, this suggests that taking bribes to ignore corruption even though investigating corruption is his job causes Su-yeol distress. While he may have appeared complacent about his own corrupt behaviour, in truth, he struggles a great deal with his inability to act in a way that upholds his moral beliefs. It is only when he accepts that K is a part of himself, and that he can be his own conscience as well as his own hero, that he is actually able to defeat the bad guys.   Wi Ha-joon plays K, the crazy character from the drama’s title, who is actually Su-yeol’s other identity state. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.   Through Ryu Su-yeol’s struggles to be a successful detective who doesn’t betray his principles, the drama critiques the upside-down system where those responsible for rooting out corruption are actually the ones behind it and those who want to do the right thing are rendered powerless. At the same time, Ryu Su-yeol’s story shows that it is possible to stand up to money and power and be one of the good guys, even if you stumble along the way. You can find the original post here

The Sound of Korea: At Toronto's LULA Lounge In the heart of Toronto, a city pulsating with cultural vibrancy, the Lula Lounge came alive this past Sunday, November 19th, with the eclectic and pulsating rhythms of "Sound of Korea." This wasn't just another night in the city; it was a kaleidoscopic journey through the soul of Korean music, where tradition twirled with modernity in a dance of exhilarating melodies and rhythms.  As I stepped into Lula Lounge, a venue celebrated for its embrace of global music, the air was electric with anticipation. The lounge, a melting pot of cultural exchanges, set the stage for an evening where the traditional sounds of Korea met the innovative beats of contemporary genres.  The curtain rose with the enchanting duo of Song Yi Jeon and Vinicius Gomez. Song Yi Jeon, with her roots in South Korea and a flair for jazz vocalese, melded her voice with the rhythmic strums of Brazilian jazz guitarist Vinicius Gomez. Their performance was a captivating dialogue between continents, a blend of serene jazz vocals and warm, inviting guitar melodies that floated through the room, enveloping us in a cocoon of global jazz fusion. Then, in a burst of vibrant energy, the Soojin Suh Quartet took the stage, initially as a trio. Soojin Suh, a dynamic force from Seoul's music scene, led her group in a riveting jazz escapade. The room was charged with their lively and playful jives, each composition a spirited expression of joy and creativity. When the saxophonist joined, the performance morphed into an exhilarating spectrum of acid jazz. The quartet was a whirlwind of sound and rhythm, a jubilant celebration of jazz in all its forms — from the deep roots of traditional Korean music to the unrestrained freedom of modern improvisation. The finale of the evening was the electronic duo HAEPAARY, whose performance was a modern reinterpretation of traditional Korean music. Many aspects of HAEPARRY's performance I felt akin to the joyful and spirited performances of Ak Dan Gwang Chil (ADG7), a different group that did not play this evening, but that I have had the pleasure to hear live, twice now, thanks to the Embassy of Korea here in Ottawa and also Toronto. It goes without saying that HAEPAARY's approach, though, was uniquely their own — a duo transforming traditional melodies into contemporary electronic masterpieces. Their performance was a tapestry of sound, weaving the ancient with the new in a vibrant display of musical artistry. From a swing, to a jive, to full blow rock and roll, it was magical to say the least. As the melodies and rhythms of the "Sound of Korea" swirled through the air of Lula Lounge, the rich tapestry of Korean music's history was a silent yet potent presence. Every chord and note seemed to carry whispers from the era of King Sejong, a time when music was a haven of solitude, a personal fortification against the world's tumult. Traditional instruments, like the gayageum and buk, which have been the heart of 'gugak', Korean traditional music, resonated with a timelessness in their modern interpretations. Having recently explored the hauntingly beautiful sounds of the haegeum at the Korean Cultural Center in Ottawa, I found myself immersed in thoughts about the evolution of Korean music. From the contemplative and introspective melodies of King Sejong's time, where music was a quiet companion to the soul, Korean music has blossomed into a vibrant, infectious force. This transition, from the introspective solitude of traditional tunes to the exuberant, communal celebration of contemporary sounds, was painted vividly throughout the evening. As the event at Lula Lounge unfolded, it stood as a poetic testament to the ever-flowing river of Korean music. It was a night that celebrated not just music but the rich narrative of cultural evolution. Each performance was a vibrant brushstroke that added depth and color to the canvas of Korea's musical history, revealing a landscape far more intricate and varied than the well-known vistas of K-pop. Leaving the venue, I carried with me the infectious energy and profound insights of the night. The event was more than a musical showcase; it was a poetic journey through the heart of Korean culture, from its historical depths to its dynamic present. It was a reminder of music's power to transcend time, to transform solitude into shared joy, and to enchant the soul. "Sound of Korea" was not just an event; it was a vibrant, soul-stirring experience – a journey through the many facets of Korean music, from its introspective beginnings to its infectious, communal expressions today. You can find the original post here

Learn Korean with Korean variety shows If you’re trying to learn Korean you’re probably already watching a lot of K-dramas or movies and listening to K-pop, and you’re not alone. But one of the best ways to immerse yourself in truly natural Korean is by watching Korean variety shows! Learning is fun with Korean variety shows If you don’t live in Korea, you’re probably not surrounded by the Korean language on a daily basis. Some people may tell you that you absolutely must live in the country to get decent immersion. Please do not believe this. Yes, of course it’s much easier to get listening practice if you can just leave your Seoul apartment and sit in a café. But while it’s the easiest way to immerse yourself in the language, it’s certainly not the only way. You can get great listening (and speaking) practice by taking a Korean language class or by listening to YouTube channels that teach Korean. But if you’re looking to just absorb and listen, you may want to try some more immersive options. Korean variety shows can work better than K-dramas for listening practice I’m not going to lie here. Korean dramas are amazing for listening practice. I love watching a good drama or a movie. I can always find something that features a story I’m interested in so that I don’t feel like it’s a struggle. And even though I’m usually watching to enjoy that story, I always find myself listening for words or phrases I can understand. Also, since Korean and English sentence structures are opposite to each other, I like to try to guess what someone is about to say by reading the subtitles. And of course, the opposite is true, I will guess what the second half of the subtitle will be based on what someone just said. I can pick up a decent amount of vocabulary from dramas. I also find that whenever I learn a new grammar structure, I can suddenly hear it in dramas. It’s like buying a specific type of car and then suddenly seeing the same color and model everywhere you go. So there’s nothing inherently wrong with using Korean dramas for practice. But there are a few reasons why Korean variety shows are even better. Korean variety shows have natural conversation In a drama or a movie, everything is perfectly scripted and the language may be a bit more stiff than real-life conversation. This is true in any language. It doesn’t mean that no one ever talks that way in real life, but people rarely speak so perfectly either. When you speak your own language, you probably trip over your words from time to time. You might lose your train of thought halfway through a sentence. Or you suddenly forget the word or expression you wanted to use. These things rarely happen in dramas or movies. SHINee (Onew, Taemin, Jonghyun, Minho, Key) on Knowing Bros However, a variety show is completely natural. It’s either unscripted or only very lightly scripted. Because of this, you get a chance to hear people speaking on the fly. You’ll hear people slip up and correct themselves. You’ll hear someone stop half-way through a sentence, think for a second, and then re-direct their dialog. It’s so much more like real life conversations. If you’ve ever thought the dialogs that come in your textbooks are dry and too, well, textbook sounding to feel real, you will love watching variety shows. Realistic conversation patterns Another thing that is unrealistic in scripted shows is that you don’t often hear people talking over each other. In your daily life, does anyone ever sit silently while someone delivers a three-minute monologue? Not in my house! And probably not yours either. On the other hand, if you turn on a Korean variety show you will hear people talking over each other the same way you do at your kitchen table. People interrupt each other to ask questions. Or perhaps they get excited and burst in with their own thoughts before the first person is done speaking. Just listen to this clip, everyone keeps talking at once! Just like real life! It’s a much more natural setting this way. And it will help you prepare for real life group conversations. Imagine if you only ever get listening practice from Korean podcasts or dramas. You always hear one person at a time speaking clearly and perfectly. Then you find yourself in a group setting with several people speaking at once. You’ll be lost! Using Korean variety shows will set you up for success in your comprehension. Subtitles AND Transcripts Of course you can get subtitles with your favorite Korean drama. I don’t know many language learners who start off watching a show with no subtitles. That’s something that comes at a higher level, like upper intermediate and advanced learners. So right now you’re already using subtitles. However, if you watch a Korean variety show on YouTube, you will almost always find a transcript too. Transcripts are amazing tools. Here’s how I like to use them. 1.I listen first, without any subtitles. Depending on the length, I may watch a whole segment or just five minutes at a time. I just want to see if I can understand with what I’m hearing and maybe some context on the screen. I will do this once if I feel comfortable with most of it, or a few times if I’m not. 2.Then I re-listen with the subtitles if there’s anything I didn’t catch (there’s usually a LOT so don’t feel bad if you’re not understanding much of it). 3.Then I use the transcript to read it all at once without any audio support. What I’m doing is getting familiar with the dialog so I can listen for it when I play it back again. 4.Additionally, I look closely for vocabular and grammar that I already know but didn’t recognize when I heard it. I want to make sure I’m paying extra close attention to hear it when I play it again. 5.Then I play it back twice – once while reading the transcript, and once without. Using the transcript this way is so beneficial. Just listening can be challenging. Using the transcript helps you identify words you’re not recognizing while also giving you a chance to learn new ones. On-screen phrases and repetition In addition to the transcripts and the subtitles, variety shows often feature a lot of the phrases right on screen. Even if you want to leave your subtitles turned off, you can still quickly glance at the on-screen words if you aren’t sure of what you just heard. On-screen phrases The variety shows typically pop really important phrases or words on the screen so you’re sure to not miss a key moment. Also, if there is a very strong reaction to something that someone said, the show will re-play the same clip from different angles a few times while flashing the phrase on the screen in bold colors. This can be helpful for hearing a great expression more than once without having to rewind. Make use of Shadowing Shadowing is essentially repeating and mimicking what you hear. I do this regularly when I hear phrases that I know I can use in my own daily conversations. It’s a fairly simple process. Listen to the person speaking, then pause it and repeat what they said. Rewind and do this a few times. The key is to mimic the correct pronunciation and intonation. Intonation is a huge part of sounding natural when you’re learning Korean. Sometimes people focus a lot on trying to develop a Korean accent but what you really want is the proper intonation. That’s what will set you apart from your early beginner days. As for pronunciation, shadowing is a huge asset for improving how you pronounce words. Not many things about learning Korean are easy, but overall, the pronunciation is straightforward and phonetic. However, there are some sound change rules (받침 or batchim) that you need to learn. Several of them are obvious and you will start doing them without even thinking about them. For example: 막내 (youngest) is pronounced 망내 십년 (ten years) is pronounced 심년 These sound changes are easy to learn. Some, though, are more complicated and don’t come as naturally. You may not even be aware that a sound change is supposed to happen. Shadowing is a great way to practice these rules. (As an aside, this is where that transcript comes in handy too. You may not recognize something because there was a sound change you didn’t know about. Reading that transcript will help you identify it and recognize it easier in the future!) Grow your vocabulary with Korean variety shows Since Korean variety shows feature such natural conversation, it can also be an excellent way to expand your vocabulary. In particular, if you pick an episode that deals with things that are of interest to you already (music, cooking, hobbies, etc), you will naturally be able to learn words you would want to use in your daily life. There are a few ways you can study these new words. Write them down as you go, or use the transcript (there it is again! So useful!) to pick out vocabulary that is interesting to you. Either make physical flashcards, add them to a vocabulary notebook, or put them into a spaced repetition program like Memrise or Anki. You can go back to these vocabulary lists regularly to practice. Once you feel like you’ve retained them well, try listening to the same episode again. You’ll probably have a much easier time understanding now! Gain cultural insight to learn in context If you’ve read my blog for awhile you’ll know that I hold a very strong belief about language learning and culture. I truly believe you can not adequately learn a language without learning about the culture it comes from. Learning Korean as a language can’t happen in a bubble. Understanding Korean culture makes it much easier to learn the language, especially when it comes to nuance and idioms. Watching dramas will obviously help in this area as well. But Korean variety shows are an even more engaging way to learn about the culture, traditions, and dynamics of Korean society. Because variety shows can focus on specific topics and interests, you can gain a much deeper understanding than if you just tried to learn the words and grammar. Korean variety shows are just fun! I love watching Korean variety shows. The ones I like the most are often high energy and funny. I enjoy imagining how I would answer the questions being asked or playing the games to really get an immersive experience. It’s also a great way to practice speaking. Of course no one is there to correct me if I make a mistake, but that’s okay. It’s still a way for me to challenge myself to express myself the way I would want to. Then, listening to how the guests on the show or the hosts respond, I can fine tune my own responses. Language learning can sometimes feel a little too serious when you’re only using a textbook or drilling vocabulary into your brain. A good Korean variety show can lighten the mood a lot and remind you that this journey can be a lot of fun too. Choosing the right Korean variety show for you It’s important to pick a Korean variety show that isn’t going to be too far beyond your current language proficiency. If you’re still a beginner, that might sound impossible. However, even if you’re a beginner you can benefit from this method. In the early learning period you will not be able to understand full conversations so don’t try – you don’t want to discourage yourself. Instead, listen for single words that you recognize. Even if you’re intermediate, you will want to choose a variety show that aligns well with your personal interests. You’re more likely to hear content that you will understand because you’ve probably learned some of the vocabulary that will be used. And if not, you will have the opportunity to learn new vocabulary that is relevant to you. There are SO MANY Korean variety shows out there that I can’t possibly list them all. However, here are some of my personal favorites:   I Live Alone / 나 혼자 산다 Out of all the Korean variety shows that I’ve seen, I Live Alone is my absolute favorite one. It’s considered a “Real-Variety” show, is completely unscripted, and features documentary-style techniques. I Live Alone shares the daily life of single celebrities. Even though most of us do not live the same way rich celebrities do, there is still a strong relatability in this show. Key and Taemin of SHINee; Key cooks dinner at Taemin’s apartment Part of the reason I enjoy it so much is because I love seeing inside people’s homes (I look at real estate listings for fun when I’m bored!). I may also be a little biased because SHINee is my favorite K-Pop group, and SHINee member Key is one of the cast members. The clip above shows Taemin and Key together in Taemin’s (spectacular) apartment overlooking the Han River. Because I Live Alone features daily life and apartments, you can easily pick up a ton of useful vocabulary that you would use in your own day to day living. Note: Although 나 혼자 산다 literally translates to I Live Alone, you may also hear it referred to as Home Alone in English. They are both the same show, even though one English title is more accurate than the other! Running Man / 런닝맨 Running Man has been on the air since 2010 and has almost 700 episodes so I guarantee you can fill up a lot of time with this variety show if you like the style. It features competitions in the form of games and missions. They also regularly have celebrity guests on the show. Girls Generation/SNSD on the show I enjoy this one because of the competitive nature. They also don’t just let celebrity guests win. If the celebs want to beat the main cast, they’d better come prepared to bring it! The other reason it’s fun to watch is that there is such great chemistry among the hosts. If I found out all the hosts were best friends off set and spent a lot of time together. it really wouldn’t surprise me! Knowing Bros. / 아는 형님 I think anyone who has been interested in Korean entertainment culture for awhile has heard of Knowing Bros. which has been on the air since 2015. This show is extremely popular for good reason – it contains a wide variety of content formats. The fact that so many celebrities appear as guests is probably another reason for its popularity! Twice and JYP on Knowing Bros. The basic setting is a classroom environment with the hosts and the guests posing as students. Part of the show features an interview with the guests. The rest of the episode can feature talent shows, games, or improv. It’s just a really fun show to watch and you will gain so much real-life vocabulary by listening. (Side note: That scene in the video is from a game called Shouting In Silence and I nearly passed out from laughing. Enjoy!) Countless other variety shows to choose from If you’re not interested in the three options I listed above, that’s okay! Go to YouTube and search for “Korean Variety Shows + your favorite idols” and you will find tons of episodes to choose from. Some K-Pop groups actually have their own variety shows such as BTS’ “Run BTS” and so on. Not into K-Pop idols? No problem! You can also try searching for specific topics or games instead of idols. There is no shortage, so give one a try and see how you like it! You’ll have so much fun watching that you won’t even realize you’re learning at the same time! Will you try Korean variety shows as a language learning tool? Which one will you watch first? Leave me a comment and let me know! You can find the original post here

Before the 2023 cycle of my first participation as Honorary Reporter for The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) ends, I want to tell you about an exhibition that had particular value to me: Intense Difference of Its Own, from September 5 to 29 at the KCC. This exhibition, in collaboration with the National accessArts Center in Calgary, was very inspiring as it shared with the public the talent of various artists from Korea and Canada who are normally marginalized due to disabilities, and to whom the public does not normally have access. The exhibition features the artworks by 12 artists who are the most representative artists with developmental disabilities from Korea and Canada, and the late Korean Canadian sculptor Won Lee. Personally, I found it to be a unique educational experience as it was a beautiful way to focus not on differences, but on shared values between the two nations, all thanks to the love for art. I would love for this initiative to be done every year, to continue educating and delighting both children and adults. We'll see what’s coming up in 2024!

There's More Than One Way to Prove Your Worth: The Pressure to Succeed in Under the Queen's Umbrella posted by Marla Arbach on November 06, 2023 Image of the drama’s promotional poster was taken from the drama’s official website (tvN) and reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.     Fusion sageuk Under the Queen’s Umbrella (슈룹, tvN, 2022) is the story of a fictional Joseon-era queen managing the education of her five sons while protecting them from threats both inside and outside the palace. After watching the drama I realized that one of its major plotlines–competitions to decide which princes should hold certain prestigious positions–presents very similar characters and situations to the contemporary drama SKY Castle (SKY 캐슬, JTBC, 2018-2019), which criticizes the lengths to which some upper-class parents go to ensure that their children are accepted at the most prestigious universities. K-drama scholars have pointed out that fusion sageuk insert modern perspectives and elements into historical settings, using the past to interpret the present, and we can see that here. Let us look at how Under the Queen’s Umbrella imagines the pressure to succeed academically in the Joseon era using similar types of characters and scenarios as SKY Castle.   The concubines have different approaches to preparing their sons to succeed. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes. When the first competition for a prestigious position is announced, the king’s concubines are excited about the possibility of their sons making a good showing. This is treated comically at first, as we see them chattering with each other in a friendly manner and commiserating good-naturedly with those whose sons’ chances seem less promising. Then they realize that one person in the palace has already succeeded at educating a prince who could rise to the highest levels: the dowager queen, herself a former concubine, managed to put her son on the throne even though there were higher-ranked grand princes with a stronger claim (how exactly she managed to do that forms a large part of the drama’s plot). The concubines all try to flatter the dowager queen in order to learn some of her secrets, bringing her gifts wrapped in bojagi, which recalls a similar scene in SKY Castle where one of the mothers, who is desperate to gain the favour of an elite university applications coach, presents the coach with a box of handmade delicacies wrapped in bojagi, containing a layer of gold bars at the bottom. Although we don’t see the contents of the concubines’ gifts to the dowager queen, the deal they make in exchange for her help clearly shows the importance they place on their sons’ success in the competition. Consort Tae, the mother of one of the brightest princes, promises to do anything that the dowager queen asks in exchange for a book revealing the secrets of a successful prince’s education. Consort Tae (played by Kim Ga-eun) and her son Prince Bogum (played by Kim Min-gi) ask the dowager queen for help winning the competition, but Prince Bogum is an honourable person and ultimately, he decides not to cheat. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.   A montage shows the concubines practicing various techniques from the dowager’s book. Most of the scenes are quite humorous, but they also reveal the mothers’ different attitudes. Some of them are kind coaches, encouraging their sons but assuring them they can stop if it gets too difficult, while others berate their sons when they fail to achieve their exacting standards. This is also similar to SKY Castle, where the parents had a range of attitudes toward their children’s studies, some encouraging their children without placing undue pressure on them, and others maintaining a strict regime through harsh discipline. The latter attitude caused some of the children a great deal of distress, leading to grave consequences. In Under the Queen’s Umbrella, we see this as well, through one prince whose mother disowns him when he reaches his limit and cannot continue in the competition. Unable to bear the rejection, he makes a drastic decision, but he is saved by the queen. She gives him love and support and helps him repair his relationship with his mother, who has learned almost too late that her child’s well-being is more important than his academic success.   The queen (played by Kim Hye-soo) pushes the grand princes to become responsible and successful students, but she always keeps their well-being foremost in her mind. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes. Like the other princes’ mothers, the queen is also desperate for one of her children to win the various competitions, because they would all be in danger if the princes backed by other factions rose to power. However, the queen has a different approach than the concubines. Rather than illegally engaging some of the court officials to pass them the exam questions in advance and to guarantee that their papers will receive high marks like some concubines do, she studies the scholarly texts herself and draws up study notes to help her children the grand princes learn the material as well. The queen is well aware of the cheating that is going on, and at a pivotal moment, she appeals to the court officials directly, shaming them into stopping their dishonourable behaviour. But cheating is not the only misdeed being committed during the competitions: some of the other factions go so far as to try to eliminate the competitors so their preferred candidates can win. Luckily, the queen is able to stop the attempted murder of one of the grand princes, although the people responsible keep trying to seize power, and the prince they are backing (who did murder an innocent commoner while trying to win the competition) remains a threat until the end of the drama. In SKY Castle, the children’s main academic rival gets murdered as well, showing the lengths to which some people are willing to go to satisfy their ambition.   Even though their very lives might be in danger, the queen’s sons are determined to do their best in the competition. From left to right, Yoon Sang-hyeon as Grand Prince Muan, Park Ha-jun as Grand Prince Ilyeong, Yoo Seon-ho as Grand Prince Gyeseong and Moon Sang-min as Grand Prince Seongnam. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.   Like in SKY Castle, where one of the mothers hid her humble background so that her children wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, social class is also a factor in Under the Queen’s Umbrella. Consort Tae, who promised to do anything the dowager queen asked, is crushed when the dowager queen tells her that she was only using Prince Bogum for her own purposes, but she would never permit him to win the competition because his mother was a mere palace maid who was elevated to consort after catching the king’s eye. We have seen Prince Bogum’s good character and talents and know he is worthy of a high position, unlike the dowager queen’s favoured prince, whose maternal family has noble rank but ignoble character. In this unfairness lies a harsh critique of classist society. However, both dramas leave viewers with a sense of hope. In SKY Castle, there are characters who show that one can succeed in one’s chosen career no matter one’s background, and in Under the Queen’s Umbrella, the kind and talented Prince Bogum does secure a good position surrounded by those who appreciate him.   The queen assures Prince Bogum that he is valued and that he can make an important contribution to the kingdom as long as he doesn’t abandon his principles. She also demonstrates that she cares about his well-being by asking him if he is okay and encouraging him to talk to someone when he is having a hard time. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes. Within the historical setting, Under the Queen’s Umbrella uses the storyline of princes competing for prestigious positions to critique the pressure to succeed academically, a familiar topic for contemporary viewers. By proposing approaches where children are supported in their studies but not pushed beyond their limits with no concern for their well-being, and where those in charge of children’s education behave honourably rather than going to any lengths to secure an advantage, the drama offers us ways to make the pursuit of academic success a healthier and more positive activity in the present as well. You can find the original post here