Flying Yangban featured on Swedish TV

I found this comment on my blog this morning from Swedish TV producer (and fellow blogger) Gudmundson:

Thought you might like to know that your blog has been quoted on Swedish (!) television, in a story on the traditions of South Korean rioting.

The story can be viewed online (until next week) in the current affairs show Studio 24.

When on the Studio 24 site, click on the link "se senaste programmet", and then on the link "Studio 24 tisdag" (only Real Player). Fast forward 10 minutes and 15 seconds.

The quote from your blog regards your view on the ritualistic quality of South Korean rioting: "There is nothing spontaneous about a Korean riot" etcetera.

Anyhow.

Being the producer of Studio 24 I thought I´d tell you all this as a way of saying thanks. Thanks!

(Blogs DO change the way we communicate!)

Swedish TV?  That is dope and fly. 

I don't understand Swedish, but the video was good.  It featured riot scenes from the past few years, including the Korean attacks on Mexico and Hong Kong.  It is like the Korean rioters' world tour and greatest hits rolled into one.  I found my quote around 13:48.

That quote came from this post:

I want to point out one thing here. This was not a protest that had gone out of control. There is nothing spontaneous about a Korean riot. Everyone knew there was going to be a riot and prepared accordingly.

These riots have a ritualistic quality. There are certain roles that everyone plays and certain rules that everyone follows. They are battles, but they are ritualistic battles like the flower wars of the Aztecs.

I developed that idea further in another post.  I'm no anthropologists, but I am convinced that the old Korean custom of sok chon (rock throwing battles between villages or clans) somehow survived the Japanese occupation and evolved into ritual street battles we see today.

Thanks again to Gudmundson.

Comments

[ul]

That is really cool.