Week 2 - Samantha Soleta

The idea of a "Korean Cool" has been a very intentional and orchestrated shift in popular culture which propelled Korea into the international public sphere. What's interesting about this rapid and dramatic change in Korean media is the role of the Korean government in creating this new image. The international image as well unity amongst the Korean people was divided following the separation of North and South Korea. Over the past few decades, different administrations and leaders focused on culture as one of the main points for improvement, leading to the start of successful movie franchises, k-pop groups, and more which thrusted Korea into the spotlight and inspiring not only the Korean people but other cultures as well.

In my own experience, I used to explore my own Filipinx culture by watching Filipinx networks with my mother. However, most of the shows and movies that I watched with my mother, were actually recreations of Korean hits. Even the songs that many stars in the Philippines would sing on talent shows would come from K-Pop artists. Going forward with my own start up, I think the Philippines would benefit from taking similar measures in emphasizing the talent of Filipinx individuals. One of the many stereotypes that we hear about ourselves is our "innate" ability to sing, dance, and perform. However, Filipinx stars who have talent across all these aspects are rarely in an international spotlight. Creating ways to give Filipinx talent a bigger platform is definitely a good start.

(Picture above are the rising Filipino stars. the TNT Boys, recreating a famous performance by the Korean group called the Wonder Girls. "Nobody" by the Wonder Girls gained popularity when I was their age. It's interesting see, more than 10 years later, that this song is still so iconic in the Philippines.)

Works Cited

ABS-CBN News. “'YFSF Kids': TNT Boys Transforms into Wonder Girls.” ABS-CBN News, ABS-CBN News, 4 Aug. 2018, news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/08/04/18/yfsf-kids-tnt-boys-transforms-into-wonder-girls.

Hong, E. (2014). The birth of Korean cool: How one nation is conquering the world through pop culture. London: Simon et Schuster.