Learning About Culture: Goblin

Marissa

6 years ago

Whenever I watch a drama or read a book, there are usually things mention that I want to learn more about. I figure maybe other people are wondering about those things too and so I started to write this series Learning About Culture. See if there’s anything new to you or any thing that you wondered about.

National Exams

In Goblin, Eun Tak takes her national exams. The national exams are similar to the SAT and ACT in the United States. The national exams in South Korea are a really big deal. It is a deciding factor of what you will do with your life. The test is called the CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test). It is the test that determine which university you will attend. Subjects that can be found on the test are national language, math, English language, Korean history, social studies/science, vocational education, and foreign languages. Pressure to perform well is linked to stress, depression, and suicide.

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Stendhal Syndrome

I actually am not sure what episode this was said. I take snapshot while watching. It took me a long time to finish Goblin and so I forgot what episode it belongs to. But after reading the definition of Stendhal Syndrome, I am almost certain it was said about Grim experiencing Stendhal Syndrome with Sunny.

Stendhal Syndrome. What is that? Stendhal Syndrome is a psychosomatic disorder that occurs when viewing an exquisite piece of art that has a great personal significance for the viewer. It causes dizziness, rapid heartbeat, fainting, confusion, and even hallucinations. First it’s named after some French guy named Stendhal. He took a trip to Italy, visited various places with art and was overcome with emotion.

Grim is referring to Sunny as the piece of art that he is experiencing Stendhal Syndrome. Well played drama.

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Baduk (Go)

This game you can see in so many drama, but this is the first drama that I’m writing about that has actually featured the game. This game goes way way way back. It was invented in China around the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 B.C.). It is the oldest board game that is still played today.

In China, it was considered one of the four essential arts of a Chinese Scholar. The other 3 are calligraphy, painting, and gupin. The literal Chinese translation is “enrichment board game.” The game was introduce to Korea somewere between the 5th and 7th centuries. It was popular among the higher class. It is a popular game in East Asia. It has been slowed to spread throughout the rest of the world though.

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Kamehameha

I wasn’t going to talk about this one, but I thought maybe someone doesn’t know what this is. In the drama, a little boy was defending himself from bullies. He used his ‘Kamehameha’ to protect himself from bullies. Kamehameha is one of Hawaii’s past king, but in this account is it a special move that Goku does in the manga/anime Dragonball Z.

Kpop

Every once in a while, a drama will mention a Kpop group here and there. In Playful Kiss, Super Junior was metioned. In the drama Goblin, there were three Kpop groups shown or mentioned. I was excited because I already listen to all three.

iKON

This South Korea boy band was form in 2015 by Y.G. Family. The members include B.I, Boby, Jinhwan, Ju-ne, Yunhyeong, Donghyuk, and Chanwo. I first started listening to iKON when I discovered their song “Rhythm Ta.” It’s such a good song, too bad the choreography sucks (sorry iKON).

BTS

aka Bangtan Boys aka Bulletproof Boys aka Bangtan Sonyeondan aka my favorite Kpop group

BTS was mentioned in the drama when goblin’s caretaker (whom’s name I have forgotten by now) wanted a list of things teenager girls like. BTS is my absolute favorite Kpop group (and overall artist too). I have to contain myself so I don’t hijack the post. So to stay on task I will say that BTS was formed by Big Hit Entertainment. They debuted in 2013. The group consists of 7 members: RM, Suga, Jimin, Jin, J-Hope, V, and Jungkook. “Fire” was the first song I heard by them. I fell in love within the first few bars of the intro. So that’s the song I’ll share.

EXO

EXO was also on the list of things high school girls like. To be honest, EXO was the group I liked before BTS. EXO is a South Korean-Chinese boy band formed by S.M. ENT in 2011. There are 9 members in their group: Suho, Baekhyun, chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun, Xiumin, Lay, and Chen. “Growl” was the first song that I heard by them. So I’ll share it.

Norigae, Yakgwa, and Beoseon

After Sunny finds out something about goblin, she wonders what kind of things should she give him as a gift. Here are some of the option she mentions.

Norigae

This is an accessory that is traditionally hung from a women’s coat string or hanbok skirt.

Yakgwa

Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Photographer name) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This is deep-fried wheat based hangwa (Korean Confections). Traditionally it is offered to ancestors on holidays and celebrations. It is also served as a dessert.