Penn State Altoona Global Programs is holding the second annual Korean Culture Night on Tuesday, February 5th in Fireside Lounge, Slep Student Center! This event is hosted by Hyeseon Kim, her KOR121 Korean Pop Culture students, and the 2019 Global Fellows Program students from Seoul Women’s University. Doors open at 6:00 PM, and the event will include Korean food, prizes, traditional clothes and games, and the screening of the 2017 Korean blockbuster film Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds. Stop by to ring in the Lunar New Year!
Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (Sin-gwa ham-kke: Jwi-wa beol)
Directed by Kim Yong-hwa, starring Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Lee Jung-jae, Joo Ji-hoon, Ma Dong-seok and Kim Hyang-gi
“From a beloved webtoon to a big movie screen adaptation, Along with the Gods became the second most-viewed film in Korea and attracted some 14 million viewers.
Are you familiar with the Tibetan Book of the Dead? Monk Padma Sambhava wrote the book as a guide for the dead. It described how for 49 days, the dead must go through a series of challenges to determine whether they are reborn or punished accordingly. In Buddhist tradition, for 49 days, every 7th day, there is a service to remind the dead to accept the death of physical body and embrace the heavenly realms of enlightenment and liberation from suffering. In Along with the Gods, firefighter Ja-hong dies unexpectedly and is taken to the afterlife/underworld by three guardians. He is hailed as the first Paragon in 19 years but must go through seven trials in perilous realms to prove that he lived a noble life. However, Ja-hong and the three guardians each carry their own secrets and must work together to prove Ja-hong’s worthiness for reincarnation.”