Curious City was honored to be interviewed by Sun-woo Kim from MBC Global Media (Korea) for a documentary on the legendary Korean figure, Hong Kil Dong.
As the camera rolled and volumes of tea were consumed, I talked about the trends in graphic novels for children, why American superheroes are loners, and all the places that Anne Sibley O’Brien‘s The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea has taken me and its readers.
I recalled being on stage with Anne at the Smithsonian, sipping green tea with the Korean Cultural Ambassador at the Korean embassy, and all the conversations I have had with kids and educators about the legend (and its ties to the creation of Han Gul, the Korean written language). I explained that a book like this allows educators and young readers to explore a history and culture in a way that is not allowed in day-to-day curriculum.
Sun-woo Kim and his translator and assistant, Jaxon Kim are spending a week following Anne Sibley O’Brien as part of a documentary about the spread of the legend of Hong Kil Dong around the world. Why has it spread? Because it is a story about a boy rejecting the injustices done him by the class system and rising to expose and fight injustice in the four corners of 16th Century Korea. A superhero, indeed.
VIEW pictures of our day spent at Curious City and at fabulous Breakwater School where the Middle School opened its doors to Anne and MBC.
And VIEW Mr. Kim and Jaxon interviewing Jay Piscopo, the creator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli about American superheroes as part of the documentary.
