MV-Week 5 Blog 4

    The theme of popular culture has advanced in many countries, but it is South Korea who has made popular culture a part of its identity. In the article “ Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of “Pop Nationalism” in Korea,  Jeongsuk Joo illustrates a Korea very different from before the Korean War. Focusing on Korea’s improvements to its own country, Joo gave us an understanding that although Korea has accepted the idea of globalization, there was fear of being overtaken as this was during a time where taking over countries was still possible. Through this article, we see that time was all it takes for a country to succeed. By building itself internally and globally, South Korea was able to rise and be known  by the world through its entertainment industry by the 1990s.  With its increasing popularity, they became part of a transnational market. Films and music was in demand in different countries and was being recognized through various entertainment industries such as those in America, Japan, and Hong Kong. This recognition that Korea was known for something has allowed its country to stand firm from its fear of invasion. The “ korean phenomenon” has allowed Korea to look past its dark history with Japan and rise above Japan. Korea’s acceptance of globalization has allowed America to play a role in Korea’s Pop culture by having this interchanging influence in both countries popular culture.

    Throughout the middle of this article, Joo gave us an example of a film or drama that took a toll to the rise of the Korean film industry. Through my experience in America, my first knowledge of Korea was through film. And with the example Joo gave, “Winter Sonata” was one of the very first Korean movie that I was introduced to, as well as my Hmong community. Its popularity has made it a film that was translated into Hmong. An obsession of Korean film in my community increased as other films such as “Autumn’s Love” and “Stairway to Heaven” came out. This was proof that the rise of pop culture and nationalism in Korea has affected people all over the world.

Question: Why are we drawn into Korea’s pop culture?

Jeongsuk Joo. "Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of "Pop Nationalism in Korea"."