Kevin Lee- Week 5 Blog Post

            Korean pop culture has been expanding throughout the years. In Jeongsuk Joo’s article, “Transnationalism of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of “Pop Nationalism” in Korea,” Joo talks about how the rise of transnationalism of Korean pop culture comes from Korea’s desire to be seen and recognized by other cultures rather than its own. According to Joo, Korea has been more concerned about the influx of foreign cultures than the advance of its own, historically (Joo 489). This caused Korea to focus on expanding its pop culture to the other countries in Asia, such as Japan, China, and Hong Kong. Through globalization and influence from foreign cultures, Korea reinvented itself into the new center of cultural production in Asia (Joo 490). This rise in Korea pop culture became known as the “Korean Wave” in Asia. Korean pop culture defined what the people of Asia watch, listen to, and play. The Korean entertainment industry, mainly music and film, allowed Korea to rebrand themselves to be recognized and visible by other countries. The government decided to make the Korean Wave more well-known through the creation of a theme parked called “Hallyu-wood”, which was a combination of “Hallyu” the Korean word for the Korean Wave and Hollywood. Hallyu-wood hoped to create a space that celebrated Asian entertainment and stood away from the U.S.-dominated pop culture, and created a space where East Asian culture could compete with the Hollywood-influenced western culture. Overall, globalization and transnationalism played a huge role in rebranding Korea and allowing Korean pop culture to be recognized and loved by many from many different cultures and countries.

Question: How much influence does the Korean Wave have on other countries besides Asia and the U.S.? Since Korean pop culture is highly influenced by U.S. pop culture, how much of the “Korean” aspect is retained in Korean pop culture?

Work Cited:

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. Web.

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