Showing new ways for people to appreciate Korea

Showing new ways for people to appreciate Korea

Michael Aronson NY native touts Seoul subway through music This is the sixth in a series of interviews that feature individuals who help promote Korean culture overseas. ― ED. By Jane Han NEW YORK — There’s no doubt people like Seoul’s convenient subway system but one man went so far as to write a song about it. Titled “Seoul Subway Song,” the rap tune has garnered more than half a million clicks on YouTube. “I’ve always loved the subway system and I always thought that it had a lot of potential for drama, so to speak,” Michael Aronson, a New York native and creator of the subway song, said in an interview with The Korea Times. He does put a dramatic spin on the everyday subway scene of Seoul through his three-minute ode. Taking viewers from Chungmuro to Suseo, Aronson covers all the main subway lines, highlighting the advantages of each route — all as part of an addictive melodic rap. “From start to finish, the song took about six weeks,” says Aronson. “I went from Sinnonhyeon to Oksu, walked across the bridge and down to Hak-dong, transferred at Konkuk University Station and went to Jamsil.” “I wanted this one to be very much outdoors — well, in the subways and their stations. I filmed on four or five different days in different parts of Seoul,” said the 29-year-old, who knew exactly what he wanted this time. After all, he has already made over 300 videos — almost all about Korea — since 2006. With titles such as “Why is there no deodorant in Korea?” and “How many members does a K-pop group need?” his non-musical clips attempt to answer random questions about Korea. But among the collection, the most memorable for Aronson is “The Kim Yuna Song,” which he is currently filming a third version of in New York City. His creative work continues even while he’s on vacation back at home, away from his full-time job at a publishing company in Seoul. So who is he investing all this time for? “Honestly, I am my main audience,” says Aronson, who studied East Asian Studies at New York University. “If I don’t enjoy the product, then I feel it’s not worth it.” He says K-pop and Korean dramas paint “a very unrealistic view of Korean life.” “I’m making videos about what I think Korean life is really like, from my perspective,” said Aronson. “I don’t think Koreans identify with K-pop... and it’s definitely not representative of Korea.” “I feel bad when the Korean media and government really push K-pop because I don’t think it will create lasting interest in Korea. I think the K-pop bubble will burst in a couple of years,” he said, “and I’m afraid of what attractions Korea will still have.” Just like the way he brought attention to what can be a mundane commute, Aronson hopes to continue shedding light on things in Korea people take for granted. “I feel my goal in making videos is to show new ways for people to appreciate Korea and to explore its possibilities and potentials,” he said.