412 The Birth of Korean Cool; Pico Iyer in North Korea

Travel with Rick Steves

Rick Steves

Rick Steves, Public Radio, 721132, Europe, Society & Culture, Places & Travel, Npr, Travel

4.3 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 July 2015

⏱️ 53 minutes

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Summary

Author Euny Hong explains how South Korea has transformed into an economic and pop-culture powerhouse to become one of the world's "coolest" countries. Then author Pico Iyer shares what he observed on a recent visit to the renegade nation of North Korea, and explains how easy it is to visit the North on a tightly wrapped packaged tour via China.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Many Koreans believe that this is their country's century.
0:03.5	They're already proving it as an economic powerhouse,
0:06.5	manufacturing affordable and futuristic technology.
0:09.5	They're also getting famous for producing a heavy layer of pop culture designed for export.
0:14.6	It's the entire package that Korea is using to present itself to the world in an attempt
0:21.0	to create a national PR campaign.
0:25.0	Coming up on today's Travel with Rick Steve's Uni Hong
0:28.0	unveil how South Korean Cool is being marketed to the world.
0:32.0	But as Arthur Pico Ier found,
0:34.0	when you step behind the looking glass into North Korea,
0:37.0	it's an entirely different scene.
0:39.0	By North Korean standards, it's opened up a lot.
0:42.0	By the standards of anywhere else in the world, it
0:44.5	still belongs to another planet, which of course is part of what makes it so
0:48.0	fascinating to visit. Find out how much these two rival countries have changed
0:52.4	over a quarter century as we explore
0:54.2	both sides of the Korean Peninsula today on Travel with Rick Steve's.
1:00.8	A lot of people travel with walls up. Bringing those walls down is what allows you to have those
1:05.4	moments where you truly connect with new people and cultures.
1:09.6	Rosetta Stone can help take down one of the biggest walls, the language barrier.
1:14.0	Rosetta Stone is fun to use, you learn fast, and you can use it on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
1:19.6	For a special discount, go to Rosetta Stone.com slash Rick Steves.
	...

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