South Korea did what no Korean citizen thought it could be capable
of, it reinvented itself after being nearly irrelevant in terms of popular
culture. As noted by Jeongsuk Joo, in Transnationalization
of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of ‘‘Pop Nationalism’’ in Korea, “Korea
has successfully reinvented itself within the past several years from an
obscure cultural backwater to a new center of cultural production (490).” Through
the entertainment industry, South Korea rebranded itself. The change was so
drastic and impressive, that Korean popular culture even made its way into
North Korea, after being smuggled in illegally (Joo, 492). Although Korean
popular culture began to play an increasingly visible role in transnational
markets, it largely replaced foreign content at home (Joo, 491). The boom
in Korean films resulted in Hollywood picking up numerous Korean films (Joo,
492). That said, replacing foreign content at home, in my opinion, was
essential for K-Cool to be what it is today. However, I believe the culture can die down from one day to another as well.
I think South Korea can achieve the status of maximum
national aesthetic by continuing to export its TV and music entertainment onto
country’s where it has yet to reach. Considering my groups question, regarding
California and its potential image as a healing state. Would it be possible to
attach the idea of California as a healing state to popular culture?
Image:
Joo,
Jeongsuk. "Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of
‘‘Pop Nationalism’’ in Korea." The Journal of Popular
Culture 44.3 (2011): 489-504. 2 June 2011. Web
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