애쉬빌 한인회

Korean American Association of Asheville

애쉬빌 한인회 회장 방 경 률

President of Korean American Association of Asheville

Kevin Bang, Ph.D.

I would like to welcome all of you today. It is a great pleasure for me to be here to celebrate the

first K-Wave (Fantastic Korean Culture Show) event in Asheville, North Carolina.

First, I would like to thank the members of the Korean American Association of Asheville who have

worked so hard preparing for this event. I also would like to extend my appreciation to other

supporters here today, including local government officials, representatives, sponsors, Korean

businesses, and volunteers.

This event promotes the Korean culture and improves the relationships among Koreans and other

cultural groups in the Asheville metropolitan area. The Korean Wave (K-wave) may have started

small, but it will grow with the inclusion of various Korean culture, food, literature, and language.

With this growth of the Korean wave, the Korean culture will become a central part of the local

community in western North Carolina.

I am confident that this event will provide local residents and visitors with great opportunities to

learn more about Korean culture and get to know local Koreans in our community.

I hope everyone here today enjoys this event. I am sure we will all remember today with a smile

and a laugh, which will create a great memory.

Thank you very much!

Korean martial arts -

Musul (무술, 武術) or

Muye (무예, 武藝) - are

military practices and

methods which have

their place in the history

of Korea but have been

adapted for use by both

military and non-military

personnel as a method

of personal growth or

recreation. The history of

Korean martial arts can

be traced as far back as the prehistoric era. The ancestors of modern Korean people migrated and

settled in the Korean Peninsula as early as the 28th century BC, a geopolitical region besieged by

thousands of known documented instances of foreign invasions. Consequently, the Korean people

developed unique martial arts and military strategies in order to defend themselves and their

territory.

Traditional Korean martial arts gradually fell into three main groups or branches: Sado Musul

(tribal martial arts), Bulgyo Musul (Buddhist martial arts), and Gungjung Musul (royal court martial

arts)

In 1958, these branches of traditional Korean martial arts were organized to form a single modern

hybrid-system known as Kuk Sool Won. Today, Korean martial arts are being practiced worldwide;

more than one in a hundred of the world's population practices some form of taekwondo. Among

the best recognized Korean practices using weapons are traditional Korean archery and Kumdo,

the Korean adaptation of the Japanese Kendo. The best known unarmed Korean Martial Arts

Taekwondo and Hapkido though such traditional practices such as ssireum - Korean Wrestling -

and taekkyeon – Korean Foot Fighting - are rapidly gaining in popularity both inside and outside

the country. In November 2011, Taekkyeon was recognized by UNESCO and placed on its

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List. There has also been a revival of traditional Korean

swordsmanship arts as well as knife fighting and archery.

Yim’s Tiger TaeKwonDo Demonstration Team

(Undefeated Southeastern USA Taekwondo Champion Team)

Taekwondo (태권도; 跆拳道) is a success amongst the Korean martial arts. It is practiced by over 70

million people, in most countries of the world. Taekwondo is a martial art based on science that is

effective for self-defense. Taekwondo has hand techniques, Kicking/leg techniques, blocks, throws,

takedowns, and in some dojangs, grappling. Taekwondo has a good reputation for its kicks,

however it uses just as

much hand techniques,

throws, blocks, and

takedowns as its kicks. As

a sport, it is an event in

every major, multi-sports

games, including the

Olympic Games, the

Commonwealth Games

and the World University

Games.

Taekwondo is a synthesis

from many different martial arts (both Korean and foreign) and it continues to evolve today, taking

the best of other arts, adapting them, tweaking them, and implementing them in it. Its popular

success is perhaps due to the scientific approach and to the group efforts of the many Korean

Masters (Sa-bum-nim) and Grand-Masters who created it. (Source: Korean Martial Arts in

Wikipedia)

Master S. H. Yim (a.k.a. Tiger Yim) came here from Korea in 1989, and he has been teaching Tae

Kwon Do ever since he has arrived in the United States. He is a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon

Do, a second degree black belt in Hopkido, and he is also a pioneer of Haidong Gumdo in South

Carolina. He is a forth degree black belt in this art, and he is one of the only Haidong Gumdo

masters in this state.

Master Yim is very proud of his students and all of their accomplishments when they either pass a

belt test or excel in self defense or forms. He incorporates high levels of motivation, respect, fun,

and discipline into his teaching. Master Yim is always there to encourage, reprimand, or stand by

his students.

Korean traditional dance has a rich history of culture and storytelling that continues today in many parts of the country. From ancient folk dancing to modern dance styles, the Korean people have long celebrated dance as part of their cultural heritage.

The earliest use of dance in Korea began about five thousand years ago with shamanistic rituals. Shamanism incorporates the beliefs and practices of the indigenous people in Korea, and both religious views and dance styles were unique to each village in these early years. Usually, each region would have its own local gods, and the Shamans worked as part of funeral services to guide spirits into heaven. When the later Korean kingdoms came about, Korean dance was extensively supported and highly regarded by the royal court and educational establishments. Usually the government even had an official division of dance. Many dances became very popular over 1,000 years ago. These included Ghost dance, Fan dance, Monk dance, and Entertainer dance.

Today, other Korean traditional dance choreography is still performed by farmers and folk dancing groups.

The Atlanta Korean Cultural Center (Atlanta KCC) was founded by executive director Hyunsuk Yang and recognized as a non-profit organization to promote the excellence of Korean culture to American society through more interactive activities to inherit and develop the Korean cultural art. Atlanta KCC connects with local Korean organizations to contribute to the harmony and development of the community and plan regular performances that encourage dreams and courage for the underprivileged. Atlanta KCC has a mission to educate and spread the excellence of Korean culture.

The Atlanta Korean Cultural Center not only plans performances for various events, it offers various educational opportunities such as the Gugak program for the Disabled, Traditional Dance Program, Children and Adolescent Program, Korean Language School Traditional Dance and Music Program, Church Mission Program that include Korean traditional dance, Samullori, Korean Nan-Ta (Drumming), Fan Dance, and much more.

The Atlanta-Korean Cultural Center Traditional Dance Group

Korean pop, or K-pop as it is also known, has been growing as a phenomenon over the past few

decades. Its slick songs draw on many genres. Whether serving a dubstep break or flirting with a

europop chorus, artists inevitably deliver deliriously upbeat hooks. Leading global trends as much

as they follow them, K-pop idols have dived into the trap music scene, making the most of melodic

synthesizers and crisp snares. Let’s look at some of the biggest

names in K-pop.

Arguably the most famous K-pop song is Gangnam Style, which

was a global smash hit for Korean rapper Psy. The song and

accompanying video, which included a distinctive dance, went

viral, introducing K-pop to a broader audience. By the end of

2012 the song had topped the charts in more than 30 countries

and had a huge social and cultural impact, even the then

President of the United States, Barack Obama was seen

performing the dance! The video (below) has been viewed nearly 3 BILLION times!

One of K-pops biggest stars is G Dragon who stands for his more in-depth themes including self-

destruction and narcissism. He was named by Forbes in 2016 as the most influential person under

30 in Asia’s entertainment and sports. Originally a member of the group Big Bang, he has been

performing as a solo artist since 2009 and has scored a series of number one singles and albums.

The video for his 2014 hit, Crooked, was filmed in London.

K-pop is not only confined to solo artists. Nine-piece girl group Twice portray candy shop

princesses and spirited cheerleaders in their video for Cheer Up — a sugary steamroller with 195

million YouTube views and counting. Twice is one of the best-selling musical acts in South Korea

with over 1.2 million albums sold to date. Earlier this year they had further number one hits with

the songs Knock, Knock and Signal.

Girls’ Generation is an eight-piece that balances sexy and sweet. They serve catchy bubblegum

pop and aren’t afraid to thrust in motion on a construction site, as in their Catch Me if You Can

music video. The group made their debut in 2007 and have released nine studio albums. Watch

the video of their number one single, Party, below. Of course, it’s not only girl groups, K-pop has

its fair share of boy band counterparts. EXO, a nine-member group, debuted in 2012 and have

released four studio albums. They had a number

one hit earlier this year with the song Ko Ko Bop.

BTS are another popular K-pop group consisting

of seven members. They debuted in 2013, have

released four studio albums and sold nearly 10

million singles to date.

The recent breakthrough of K-pop acts into the

global music scene shows that K-pop is not only

for Korea. (Source: https://eurovisionasia.tv/what-is-k-pop/)

Korean Pop (K-pop) Music

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