as an American I unfortunately dont have the cultural literacy to even recognize the specifically korean things taemin does (:/), would u mind explaining what u meant by that? Also I think u said taemins koreanness intersects with his catholocism which sounds interesting as hell
there are kind of a lot and it’s mostly like little things and pure Vibes but taemin just.... exudes koreanness.... he is so.... korean....
the ones i like to joke about are like how he sits like every korean with one leg up and how he makes little old korean person noises like “eutja” when he’s doing anything and how the only thing he knows how to cook is kimchi jjigae lol. like key plays at being all worldtrotter sophisticate with his anglophile japan-loving self but he’s secretly a daegu grandma at heart. meanwhile taemin is just thoroughly korean
but the biggest like actual Artistic reasons is that the criminal/idea narrative arc is very very nonwestern!! historically catholicism in korea was adopted as an anticolonial measure against japan’s imposition of shinto on the korean peninsula because u.s. missionaries could hide people and christianity was more conducive to continuing indigenous korean folk traditions than shinto is. so korean catholicism has a Lot of korean cultural and korean indigenous spiritual beliefs and practices enmeshed into it! the plato idea of like escaping from illusion and seeing the truth is very buddhist/taoist. and the fact that he destroys heaven and hell and becomes one with nature is Very indigenous korean religion!! because the goal is to move with the turn of the universe and be one with the changing of the universe. also the word for sky haneul means universe not just sky in korean so that's exactly what his mirror stairs r referring to (in my interpretation anyway)
and the other thing is how he does gender!! korean shamanism is seen as a major source of queer history and lineage in korean history because shamans could dress as different genders and live as different genders and pursue relationships with people of the same gender because they’re channeling a higher spirit. so when taemin came out wearing his dark lord virgin mary outfit lipsynching to boa i was like ohhhhHHHHHHHHHH. cuz dressing in the regalia of the religious figure and speaking with their voice is EXACTLY what shamans do
