South Korean Military Spoofs Les Miz

The New York Times reports on this week's hottest viral video, a spoof of Les Miz (or tribute to, depending on your view) created by the South Korean air force.

In the 13-minute South Korean version, the nemesis is a taskmaster officer who keeps his exhausted conscripts clearing snow — a chore that many young South Korean men face while serving mandatory time in a military on guard against a militaristic North Korea. “Dig down, dig down, raise your shovels high. Dig down, dig down, and clear the snow below,” the airmen chant as they struggle to clear a runway. “There is no end to this accursed snow. Dig down, dig down, you still have two service years to go.” At first glance, the video — based on a novel about an often unfeeling bureaucracy — would appear to be the work of young men unhappy with their lot, serving in a hierarchical military that has been accused of sometimes brutal treatment of conscripts in the past. But “Les Militaribles” was produced by the South Korean Air Force’s official blog team, and is a celebration of sorts of airmen’s shared sacrifice during two years of service.

It's really pretty great. The performers are actual soldiers.