RAS Korea lecture takes aim at early 20th-century vernacular Korean humor
There's a lot of information out there about Korean history, whether through academic study, historical sites or even period K-dramas. We know, or at least think we know, how society functioned, how people dressed, where they lived and so on. But was Korea ever funny? The history of humor in Korea has been largely overlooked by historians. When a visiting professor at Korea University introduced…
The history of humor in Korea has been largely neglected by scholars. G.S. Hand, a grad student turned professional literature translator, became intrigued by a joke book published in 1916. The book, now housed at the Kkalkkal Useum, contains 72 short humorous texts that were considered amusing in 1916, though many likely predate the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
Hand's interest in these jokes stems from their unexpected humor, suggesting that Korean society once embraced laughter. Scholars of Korean modern literature typically focus on texts from later periods, while classical literature scholars usually examine earlier works, rarely delving into humor.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
