What I learned from Korean soap opera smugglers

On my way to the DMZ, the border between North and South Korea, my tour guide told a story of North Korean defectors who now smuggled K-Dramas back to the elites in Pyonyang. My mind drifted off as I imagined the underground world of soap opera smugglers. Is there a Days of Our Lives cartel somewhere out there? Turf wars with The Young and the Restless? But then I snapped back started wonder… why was she telling us this in ther first place? Any tour to a contested border zone is bound to be bake in a bit of bias. So what does a bootlegged blu-ray say about a nation? I think what was written between the lines of her story was this: to South Korea, culture is a national resource. Art is not an afterthought, but rather proof of success. In a smuggled soap opera, a sign of superiority. To her, the strength of a nation lies in the strength of its culture.
Niche Nonsense is a video essay channel that takes nonsense seriously and explores cultural absurdity.
#videoessay #nichenonsense #culture #korea #kpop #hallyu

[@diamonddrop]

These videos of yours are an oasis in the desert. Looking forward to your longer form content.

[@freelancerrashedsbs]

Really interesting

[@gilly_axolotl]

Really interesting!