Korean Army Hat

This is one of hundreds of 60-second radio spots created by the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) for Kansas Public Radio (KPR). The purpose of this outreach program is to introduce the people of Kansas to the culture and current issues of East Asia.Broadcast Transcript: Here in South Korea, it doesn't matter how famous you are, if you're in the army--and Korean men are required to do about 2 years of military service--you wear your hat. This point was driven home recently when paparazzi captured the singer/actor/soldier Rain escorting Kim Tae-hee, his main squeeze and Korea's most beautiful woman, hatless. Thousands of people, mostly men, complained on-line about this breach of protocol and about the number of days he has taken off which, so far, is almost twice what the ordinary citizen would get. Rain, whose 2004 album "It's Raining" sold a million copies and who has appeared in a couple of Hollywood movies, is not the only Korean superstar who has taken his military service a bit lightly. Psy ended up doing his military service twice because he apparently neglected his duties. The Gangnam Style rocker was clearly a little too at ease. #SouthKorea #Hacker #CEA