Psy’s Gangnam Style, Netflix’s Squid Game and Oscar-winning film Parasite are some of the biggest things to have come out of South Korea in the last decade.
Now, items such as the pink jacket worn by Psy in the music video, Squid Game's unmistakable pink guard outfits — long debated as appearing red on screen by fans — and green tracksuit and an immersive bathroom set from Parasite are on display with other items as part of a new exhibition called Hallyu! The Korean Wave at the V&A Museum in London.
"This exhibition is actually celebrating the vibrant and colourful popular culture from South Korea from its inception to its place on the global stage. 'Hallyu' actually means Korean wave and it refers to this meteoric rise of popular culture from South Korea that has taken the world by storm in the past few decades," curator Rosalie Kim told Reuters.
The exhibition is split into four parts and explores how South Korean culture has grown to become as popular as it is today. The first section looks at how the country rapidly evolved into a cultural powerhouse through electronics, such as creating the world’s first commercial MP3 player.
Another part focuses on K-drama and cinema including Squid Game and Parasite. There is a recreated bathroom set from the film. Other costumes and props include hats from the Netflix zombie series Kingdom as well as a section for webtoons, which are sometimes adapted into K-dramas.
There’s also a special section dedicated to music. Highlights include a three-metre-high sculpture of rapper G-Dragon and colourful ensembles worn by K-pop groups Aespa and Ateez. There’s also a special interactive K-pop dance challenge that visitors can attempt by matching dance moves for Psy’s That That, a collaboration with BTS member Suga.
The last section takes a closer look at K-beauty and fashion. There’s a showcase of more than 20 looks by contemporary hanbok and fashion designers from South Korea. Meanwhile, K-beauty spans from cosmetics packaged in the 13th century to present day items to show how it evolved.
Hallyu! The Korean Wave opens on Saturday and runs until June at V&A in London.
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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