Comments for Dr. Yoon's Korean Learning

Comment on The Korean Cinderella by Hannah Lee

Hannah Lee — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:28:27 +0000

On one level I enjoyed this picture book– the story is engaging, the illustrations are rich, vibrant, and seem to jump off the page, and it’s apparent that the author did some research before writing this book. However, on another level, I was offended by the subtle racist undertones of one Westerner’s portrayal of an “ethnic” Cinderella story. The feel of the story is “exotic”– indeed, the story begins: “Long ago in Korea, when magical creatures were as common as cabbages…”

(The exotic East as seen through the eyes of the West– and so the story continues.)
The illustrations, while they try to be faithful to the feel of traditional Korea, also exude a subtle racist undertone– the illustrator clearly does not know how to draw Asian faces. The facial features are distorted and the eyes are too slanted. The illustrator drew from her perception of what Asian faces should look like– yellow skin, slanted eyes– and exaggerated these features.

I’d rather read a Korean Cinderella story written and illustrated by a Korean writer and illustrator.

As a sidenote– Shirley Climo and Ruth Heller have also written/illustrated an Egyptian Cinderella. I have many of the same complaints with this story as well. Once again, there are racist undertones in both the story and the illustrations.

As a second sidenote– if you’re looking for an “ethnic” Cinderella story, _Yen-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China_ is excellent. It is a retelling of the first recorded Cinderella story (written some time during 618-907 AD). Thus, as the forward states: “Cinderella seems to have made her way to Europe from Asia.”
Rating: 2 / 5

Comment on The Korean Cinderella by Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:47:10 +0000

The book is about a girl name Pear blossom. After her mothers death, her fater remarried a woman who had another child with another man. Pear blossom’s step-sister, Peony is ugly compared to Pear blossom. Peony’s mother is jealous of Pear blossom’s beauty so she makes Pear blossom do every single chore in the house. One day, The magistrate see’s Pear Blossom one day but when he called her, she just ran away with one shoe. The magistrate takes the shoe and goes around trying to find the owner of the shoe. I thought this book is kind of boring because it is very similar to the other cinderella books. This book is no different then the other cinderella books.
Rating: 3 / 5

Comment on The Korean Cinderella by A-M

A-M — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:39:12 +0000

I really enjoyed this version of Cinderella, I also liked how Climo included a little behind the scenes of the folktale on the back pages. I’m not the biggest fan of the illustrations however, I liked the patterns that were worked onto the pages, but the faces of the characters were sort of weird and disturbing at times, I wasn’t drawn into the Pear Blossom’s beauty they way I would have liked to have been (as was described in Climo’s words)
Rating: 4 / 5

Comment on The Korean Cinderella by Charity Odey

Charity Odey — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:24:31 +0000

The Korean Cinderella is a superb book! Not only is it an exciting story, but the illustrations are eye-popping! The story line is very similar to the “American” Cinderella version. But the vibrant & enticing pictures transport you to another land! Adults will love reading this book as much as children!
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on The Korean Cinderella by Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:12:56 +0000

A delightful retelling of a story that is found in many cultures. This book is beautifully illustrated with examples of traditional Korean architecture and clothing.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on The Great Queen Seondeok Vol. 2 – Korean Drama by Michael D. Williams

Michael D. Williams — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:54:49 +0000

Aloha, I think the great queen seondeok is a must see for all to see. I love the costumes they wear and the actrees that plays misil should be given many more roles shes the best villain I have ever seen. I was hoping there would be more of the great queen seondeok to see. Please let me know when the new episodes will be out I must have them. Definitely worth the money I never thought I would be watching Korean dramas but wow! awesome.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on The Great Queen Seondeok Vol. 2 – Korean Drama by Arie C. D. Duijn

Arie C. D. Duijn — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:31:40 +0000

Very good delivery and a flexible warranty. After viewing found a faulty section in the dvd. This was outside the warranty period. After emailing the management understood that it was very hard to see all the episodes within the warranty period and promised a replacement.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on The Great Queen Seondeok Vol. 2 – Korean Drama by M. Gomes

M. Gomes — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:10:15 +0000

My wife introduced me to this drama which i found very addictive. She found it on the web and after watching a few poorly downloaded episodes on you tube decided to buy the dvd. Only problem is you must use a high end DVD player to watch dvds, Video is choppy and sound distorted on low end models
Rating: 3 / 5