Is there a Korean version of Chinasmack?
December 4, 2011 9:00 AM   Subscribe

Is there a Korean version of Chinasmack (nsfw here and there)? That is, is there a site that provides English summaries and translations of popular Korean sites?

I've heard that South Korea has a vibrant internet culture. But being a typical monolingual American, I don't have access to any of it. Is there a website out there that provides translations and summaries of popular Korean websites in the way that Chinasmack provides a window onto Chinese internet culture?

Many thanks in advance.
posted by jason's_planet to Society & Culture (6 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
I've never heard of such a thing, despite following Korea's online scene for a few years. You can find some information on popular Korean websites and apps in between the startup stories on the SeoulSpace blog.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 12:33 PM on December 4, 2011


Response by poster: I think you're right. The site I am looking for just doesn't exist. I knew that this was a bit of a long shot but I do have a place to start my research now.

Thank you very much.
posted by jason's_planet at 7:10 PM on December 4, 2011


Best answer: There's nothing quite like it but there is quite a bit of commentary blogs on South Korea. This website is handy to stay abreast of goings on in Korea http://koreannewsfeeds.com/ Korea Beat and Marmot's hole tend to have the most general coverage. Other blogs tend to cover other specific areas.
posted by andendau at 9:22 PM on December 4, 2011


This is specific to women and gender issues in K-pop culture, but The Grand Narrative is a great and thoughtful blog. It can be pretty academic and exhaustive in its approach, but it's written by a smart guy who obviously spends a lot of time thinking about this stuff.

Honestly, and speaking as a blogger living in Korea, the general quality of K-blogs written by foreigners tends to be really poor if not downright racist and/or bigoted.

Another good one focusing more on educational issues and the occasional historical post would be Gusts of Popular Feeling.

Spending a little time on either blog and clicking through commenters' profiles might lead to more gold.
posted by bardic at 12:45 AM on December 5, 2011


Best answer: Chinasmack has now launched Koreabang.
posted by andendau at 1:07 PM on March 1, 2012


Response by poster: Thank you!
posted by jason's_planet at 8:49 AM on March 4, 2012


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