Hello from the South Korean Ministry of Culture’s Brooklyn satellite office!
This week, Tammy welcomes back Jenny Wang Medina, our resident scholar of Korean cultural exports and semiotics, for a record-tying fourth appearance on TTSG / third-anniversary spectacular! We talk about a few recent Korean/Korean American/Asian American productions: (8:30) the Netflix hit “Beef,” with Ali Wong and Steven Yeun; (31:40) the new transnational A24 flick “Past Lives,” starring Greta Lee; and (1:03:00) Hansol Jung’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, featuring an all-Asian American cast (which recently had a run in NYC). We tried to avoid spoilers, but couldn’t avoid some “Past Lives” reveals!
In this episode, we ask:
What makes “Beef” feel so authentically West Coast Asian American?
How do you know when Shakespeare is Asian American?
Who’s behind today’s transnational TV and film productions?
What will the next “untranslatable” Korean concept be?!
For more, see:
Jenny’s previous TTSG appearances: Korean wig stores (October 2020), A feminist(?) K-drama about abortion (June 2022), and Fantasies of progress on K-TV (September 2022)
The sexual assault allegations against “Beef” actor David Choe and a look at his cult-like online community
Jenny’s latest K-drama rec: Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938
Also, Tammy highly recommends “Behind Every Star,” the Netflix K-drama remake of the excellent French comedy “Call My Agent.”
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K-content spectacular, with Jenny Wang Medina