Upon reading Olga Fedorenko’s “South Korean Advertising as Popular Culture,” it became clear that advertisements are much bigger than merely selling commodities — they create content that can be consumed arguably as much as the product.  Advertisements are a component of culture that converges with entertainment, but within that culture there is also room to explore the true lived experience of Korean people and the issues they face in their society.  She notes that advertisements featuring celebrities endorsing certain products became a mechanism to expand target markets once pop culture became an industry following the 1997 IMF Crisis.  These two main arguments — advertisement as a way to tackle social issues and the confluence of the entertainment industry and advertisement — immediately reminded me of BTS and how they confront gender stereotypes, even through the products they endorse.  

In the past, Korean male celebrities have been the face of products that are traditionally heavily marketed toward women, such as cosmetics.  For example, Ahn Jung-hwan, a famous soccer player, starred in an advertisement for Somang Cosmetics alongside another man.  In this ad they both look more feminine in their appearance, which contrasts Ahn Jung-hwan’s more masculine everyday appearance.  

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Similarly, BTS also does advertisements for cosmetics brand, but their appearance is typically more feminine already on a day to day basis.  They wear androgynous clothing, which often includes skirts, and wear make up, something which falls outside of the gender stereotypes for men.  This gender fluidity carries over into the products they endorse as well. 

In their Commercial Film for VT Cosmetics, they don sparkly clothing, with bright colors and patterns, which are not traditionally popular styles for men’s clothing, and they are wearing jewelry and makeup which is also stereotypically atypical for men. 

In the print ad for the brand, their more feminine looking facial features are highlighted and they are all smiling, which contrasts the stony faced, “Blue Steel” poses which are common for male models to utilize.  Despite this, they still exhibit sex appeal, as evidenced by their large fanbase comprised of mostly young women.  As John Fiske stated in “The Popular Economy,” “This power to construct meanings, pleasures, and social identities that differ from those proposed by the structures of domination is crucial, and the area within which it is exercised is that of representation” (544).  BTS defies the norms in terms of gender presentation and their representation in ads gives them a broader audience to promote this gender breakdown. 

While advertisements that focus on social issues detract from the product itself to instead create a conversation about society, I do not think that advertisements such as the above are going to spark a comprehensive revamping of society that eradicates the gender binary in its entirety and any stereotypes that accompany it.  However, I do think that it provides representation, and promotes healthy conversation about certain social issues, and having Kpop stars such as BTS in ads that highlight social issues makes these issues more accessible to their younger fanbase: “…it is in the midst of popular culture where ‘moments of freedom’ germinate, critical openings well up, and alternative worldview emerge, from which something new might arise” (Fedorenko 359).  I think that through pop culture, BTS is demonstrating that it is okay to venture outside of rigid gender norms, and I believe it is having an impact, especially on their younger audience, as evidenced in this article written by a young fan that mentions their “fluid aesthetic”: https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/42565/1/bts-gender-fluidity-teen-angst-column

Works Cited:
Olga Fedorenko, 2014, “South Korean Advertising as Popular
Culture,” The Korean Pop Culture Reader, 341 – 62.
John Fiske, 2009, “The Popular Economy,” in Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader, edited by John Storey, New York: Pearson Longman, 564 – 80. 

When people think of commercials produced by South Korean pop culture industry, they often think about the poppy yet clean visuals for Korean cosmetics, featuring essentially goddesses that promise the key to aesthetic enlightenment. Or perhaps talent game shows that have the production value matching those of the top sphere of some America’s top acts. The Korean pop culture industry is full of indulgent optimistic flair that obscures what it means to live in a society with such a high bar for beauty standards. Is Korea’s overstatement of beauty standards indicative of what makes a woman valuable? And are those ideals of female value shifting?

For instance, champion Korean beauty brand, Hera, just last year produced a commercial prominently featuring Jun Ji-Hyun, a contemporary Korean pop culture icon. Ji-hyun has acted in many famous films such as My Sassy Girlfriend. In the name alone, Hera reinforces the high standards of beauty that Korea is known for. Hera, the Grecian goddess of fertility and marriage, in this instance indirectly reinforces the eastern values of beauty as a means to meet a man, marry and carry children. Assisted through the presence of attractive icons of Korean pop culture makes the product promising in achieving that goal, considering that those actresses and entertainers are heavily sought after by the general male audience.

Some may argue, pop culture industry employ these elements to create a sense of fantasy for their audience. However, “popular culture is often denigrated but it’s critical for appearing to offer not representations of the world but avenues of escape from it, ‘mere escapism’ is also an easy way of dismissing popular culture for the critical agenda” (John Fiske, 544). Therefore, to write off a main component of their marketing would be a disservice to understanding the values and flaws of Korean culture. By propagating these almost impossibly beautiful and slender women, all with beautiful spotless skin to star in their commercials, they are not just portraying fantasy, but are the root of Korean beauty fantasy in the society.

Although it is true that advertisements are designed to make sales and using physically attractive people would work to this advantage, it is also important to recognize the consequences of having such stringent societal standards, but it has been slowly working upon loosening those standards. There has been an increase in Korean TV shows that discuss various social issues, such as feminism and body acceptance. For example, a K-drama called “It’s OK to Be Sensitive,” talks about difficult encounters where the main actresses are told that they are just being “too sensitive” by men who unwarrantedly discuss their bodies and intrude upon their lives regardless of consent. And throughout those encounters, the actresses learn that it is alright to put your priorities first and say no to unwanted advances despite potential difficulties. These depictions of women are more nuanced and shows a shift in priorities within Korean pop culture industry, rejecting the idea that women are only as valuable as the men and institutions who place value on to them. Even the increasing portraying of women in commercials as mentioned before have been making strides in the growing and empowering representation of Korean women, portraying them as people who transcends traditional female roles, such as working or business women.

The shift in Korean pop culture from “pure” fantasy into more nuanced depictions of the everyday women indicates a greater cultural movement within Korea. Considering that “the culture industry fuses the old and familiar into a new quality. In all its branches, products which are tailored for consumption by masses, and which to a great extent determine the nature of that consumption, are manufactured more or less according to plan” (Adorno 12), shows a greater desire to appeal to the everywoman of Korean culture.  Korean women are more present in politics, opening businesses, and are a growing part of Korea’s workforce. While, yes, the Korean pop culture industry fuels consumption through the sale of fantasy, ultimately, considering that the public is seeing more programming and advertisement depicting the everyday people, shows that there could be a desire to see women grow and thrive as a population.

Currently, in South Korea, K-Pop stars hold the entire marketing world in their hand. From car to ramen commercials, K-pop celebrities have become of huge relevancy in advertisements, mainly due to the aftermath of the 1997 IMF, also known as the I’M Fired crisis. At the time, in an attempt to distract and placate their audience, many of which were frustrated by their financial struggles, many companies turned to a more “consumer-centered” marketing, using celebrities in an attempt to help relate to the public. Fortunately for the companies, their efforts were successful, and even now, just by turning on the television today, one can see that the strategy of utilizing celebrities for marketing purposes still lives on today.

As Dae Ryun Chang, a professor of marketing at Yonsei, points out in the article, “K-Pop Sells: Why Korean Pop Stars are the World’s Best Advertisers, by Rachelle D, “The use of celebrities in Korea appears to be quite effective whether it is a K-Pop or K-drama star […]. Koreans still tend to be communal in their viewing and listening habits. They’re sensitive to what’s popular and track popular search words and names and no doubt many of the celebrity choices are based on such metrics.” Or as Olga Federenkos’s puts it in her article, “South Korean Advertising as Popular Culture”, “advertis[ements] in postdemocratization South Korea revea[l] how advertising mutates as a social institution in late capitalism”. Companies understand well enough that many people watch their commercials, not for the product, but for the celebrity starring in it, and do their best to highlight them beyond anything else. The more famous the celebrity, the more famous the advertisement, and the more relevancy it holds in Korean society. For that reason, sometimes it is hard to discern whether or not a commercial is really an advertisement, as it does not push the actual product until the end. There are commercials, such as the BTS Puma commercial, where the members simply danced to their single, RUN, with a few words changed to promote the product:

Then there are others where the commercial is directed like a music video, with the idols singing a song about the product, dancing a dance alongside it:

Lastly, there are the commercials that are like mini-dramas, with a plotline and characters, only exposing the reason of the advertisement at the very end:

Unlike other countries, where advertisements are often skipped over and forgotten, commercials in Korea have become so greatly intertwined with pop culture, that there are even awards like “Best Female/Male CF Star” and “CF Model of the Year”. Commercials have become less about advertising the product, and more about spotlighting the people starring in it, in hopes that the audience feels enough of a connection to the celebrity that they buy the product. Whether or not this is a bad thing is up to viewers, advertisements are just another show of the uniqueness of Korea’s pop culture.

 

Article: https://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/94462/20140607/why-k-pop-stars-are-the-worlds-best-advertisers.htm

 

I shamefully confess that as I was reading Olga Federenkos’s piece “South Korean Advertising as Popular Culture” the video of Shia LaBeouf screaming Nike’s slogan “JUST DO IT” persistently played in my head. As I was reading, I could list ad after ad that has broken into the colloquial nature of everyday life and how they are politicized.

I immediately thought about the Gilette’s pre-SuperBowl advertisement that went viral as it was Gilette’s hollow response to the #MeToo movement by rejecting toxic masculinity. Social media was filled with furious comments by offended. Then, Vox reporter, Kaitlyn Tiffany, raises the question: do brands have beliefs? Federenko would argue that brands do not have beliefs but rather producers attempt to use the ideology of “longing for moral virtues to override the contradictions of capitalist modernity” (Federenko, 353).

Gilette’s approach to their SuperBowl advertisement was a long shot to highlight itself as being culturally proficient on one of the biggest platforms for their target audience. Both Gilette’s choice to steer from their messages of ideal manhood and the infuriated responses by consumers are counterexamples to which Theodor Adorno and Anson Rabinbach make –– that the culture industry and pop culture is upkeep of the status quo and that “conformity has replaced consciousness” (Adorno, Rabinbach, 17).

Men become offended because the advertisement is a presentation of lived-in realities as Federenko points out. The men who were offended felt the need to respond as did when Womenlink protested “olleh” ‘s campaign. By both groups responding to the commercials, they recognize the power of advertising as a part of culture. As the “Think Casual” campaign was produced as a form of women’s empowerment, Gilette’s commercial follows suit. As Federenko argues the “Think Casual” campaign became more than a discourse of female sexuality but a political discourse from various angles.

In thinking of Korean commercials, I found this viral Moms’ Touch Burger commercial that bases its narrative in the “power of makeup”. A man is horrified to find that when the woman’s makeup is removed reveals a heavier and barefaced woman. The blatant misogyny and infantilization of women are abhorrently clear. I wonder if the advertisement’s producers intentionally portrayed overt misogyny for their irrelevant product in order to garner more views and therefore profit. In any case, the commercial further demonstrates that brands’ sense of morality is arbitrary. Just as Gilette suddenly changed its marketing strategy by deploying a more culturally aware commercial, the Mom’s Touch Burger could potentially do the same method depending on the context of the social and political climate.

Works Cited:

Olga Fedorenko, 2014, “South Korean Advertising as Popular Culture,” The Korean Pop Culture Reader, 341 – 62.

Theodor W. Adorno and Anson G. Rabinbach, 1975, “Culture Industry Reconsidered” NewGerman Critique, no. 6: 12 – 19

*CF, also known as Commercial Film, is a term used by Koreans to refer to any type of television advertisements.*

After the 1997 IMF crisis, as businesses started to adapt to the neoliberal restructuring, a shift on marketing strategies started to emerge in South Korea. Rather than having a product-centered approach, most goods and commodities are advertised with a consumer-centered approach. The consumer-centered approach mainly focuses on building the brand and promoting a lifestyle rather than selling specific products. This shift especially utilized the involvement of celebrities as brands start to merge with entertainment to attract the mainstream audience’s attention. This, therefore, connects Korean advertisement to popular culture.

Popular culture, according to Stuart Hall, is defined through “its rootedness in actual material conditions and lived experiences”. He believes that “popular” is about “wide circulation and commerciality” whereas “popular culture” can be often understood in relation to “manipulative consumerism” and is said to be an ongoing process.

Incorporating popular culture, the primary purpose of CFs have grown to seem less advertising-like as it is more about telling a certain story or demonstrating an ideal lifestyle that engages with the audience in ways that may allow them to feel relatable and entertained. In particular, k-pop idols have made music videos and songs specifically for brands and products that they are advertising for. One well-known example is Big Bang and 2NE1’s collaboration on the song “Lollipop”.

The song was released for the promotion of LG CYON’s Lollipop phone. Not only was the song often considered a song from an actual album, but it has also boosted 2NE1’s popularity before their actual official debut.

Songs and lyrics were created in relation to the product and brand image to not only entertain the audience but for the song to be stuck in their head. This “musical advertisement” allows the audience to immediately associate the song with the brand and product promoted even when it is not on sale anymore; this not only raises the popularity of the idol group but builds on the brand image as well. Another recent example of brainwashing CF songs is Heechul (A member of Super Junior) and Seohyun (A member of AOA)’s addictive Gmarket song. It is known to be the “Korean PPAP” where they repeatedly hammer keywords like “hot, hot, hot”, “specials, specials, specials” and “sales, sales, sales”. Gmarket, with the effect of this song, took the lead in 2018’s summer sales as users are continuously exposed to the brand.

Overall, Korea’s use of compound advertising, “praises the commodity indirectly by the use of models and stories that are tied to the brand”, have not only successfully “moved people’s hearts” as the audience started desiring the lifestyle and values of the brand (rather than the product itself), it has also outstood other countries’ advertisement effects as they packaged the CF industry as a form of popular culture itself.

Referenced sources:

http://seoulbeats.com/2013/04/k-pop-as-a-means-of-advertising/

https://soranews24.com/2017/07/14/korean-shopping-sites-commercial-series-is-brain-washing-in-more-ways-than-one%E3%80%90videos%E3%80%91/

https://culturalstudiesnow.blogspot.com/2011/07/stuart-hall-notes-on-deconstructing_22.html

Olga Fedorenko, 2014, “South Korean Advertising as Popular Culture,” The Korean Pop Culture Reader, 341 – 62.

For years, Asian men have had their masculinity questioned. Online, it is not uncommon to see strangers accuse Asians of wearing a more feminine fashion or looking more ‘girl-ish’ than other races. According to Rachael Miyung Joo, author of ‘Playing Hardball’, many Koreans have even adapted this train of thought and have put pressure on their men to ‘man-up’. She discusses how male athletes are well-praised and a source of national pride in Korea, not only for their skills but for their muscular look as well. Joo heavily emphasizes how in Korea, not only are “the fit body has been understood as a productive body, not one leisure” but also are seen as proof that Asian men can be equal to their western counterparts. Joo pushes the view that Korea places pressure on their men to encompass more of the traditional western masculinity as a way to compete in the global market, as they feel inferior to white men.

However, one should note, for all that Joo has to say on Korea’s fascination with Western men, her article, ‘Playing Hardball’ was written in 2012 – a whole seven years ago – and a lost has changed in South Korea since then. In their article, ‘Flowerboys and the appeal of ‘soft masculinity’ in South Korea’, BBC News notes how South Korea has begun to slowly move away from the traditional western masculinity to one which resembles more of the Japanese flower boy look. They explain that “compared to the 80s and 90s, now there are a lot more soft masculinities – pretty boy images and gentle male images – represented in media, and consumers welcome and widely consume them”.

Just by comparing older Kpop videos to the newer ones, it is obvious how Korea has changed. For example, Jung Ji-hoon, also known as Rain, is a singer who many saw as one of the biggest trends from 2002-2006. Famous for his strong facial features and masculine body, he was heavily sexualized by his female fans and much of his male audience looked up to him as the ideal man. However, nowadays, just by looking at BTS, which many consider the face of Korean pop culture currently, one can see that a new ‘soft’ look is being pushed. In promotion for their album, Wings, BTS sported stockings, corsets, and skirts in a photoshoot (as seen below) and instead of rejecting the photos for not aligning with traditional masculine ideals, many of their fans and the general public praised the shoot.

Many more male K-pop idols are sporting a clean-shaven look and are beginning to wear makeup, uncaring about the small group of comments who may accuse them of being ‘gay’. Beyond celebrities as well, many Korean men are beginning to take part in more ‘feminine’ activities, such as wearing bb cream and utilizing skincare. While it is true that South Korea has not completely moved on from the traditional masculinity – sculpted abs and a strong jawline are still considered part of the male ideal – it is clear that Koreans are not as focused on the western world’s ideal male, and instead are paving their own type of masculinity and image.

 

Article Mentioned: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42499809

Photos: https://www.koreaboo.com/stories/bts-wears-dresses-skirts-new-gender-bending-photoshoot/

When holding two national identities, which one do you choose to represent on a worldwide stage? If you’re Korean American, who do you choose to represent as an Olympian, Korea or America? This concept with athletes also bleeds into the decisions of music artists and those joining into K-Pop groups. Each person who decides to go into the limelight and holds two salient identities will have to usually make a choice of which to highlight as they go step into the spotlight.

A prime example of that decision and multicultural nationalism is found within K-Pop group, NCT 127, a subgroup of NCT. They have several members who were not born in Korea and some that are not even of Korean descent. Johnny was born in Chicago, but he was discovered by SM entertainment when they did auditions in Chicago. He decided to go to Korea to represent in a K-Pop group as opposed to starting a music career in America. Yuta is from Osaka, Japan. He also passed one of the global auditions that SM Entertainment conducted. This in a way could even create a tension for Yuta within the two identities being the history that Korea and Japan have with each other. Would some consumers say that he doesn’t fully comprehend “han”, the innate suffering in Koreans? It is hard to say. Beyond those two, Win Win was born in China and Mark was born in Vancouver, Canada. Why did these four decide to become pop stars in Korea instead of their countries of birth? That’s too deep to get into here, but these four stars are far from the only two examples of K-Pop stars that came from outside South Korea.

This creates a curiosity to fully understand what exactly is it that allows a person with multiple national identities to decide which nation to represent as they rise up in popular culture. Is it convenience? Is it strong emotional conviction? Does it change from individual to individual?

According to Rachael Miyung Joo, many times it is to suit nation’s agendas. Perhaps having members from different parts of the world is more convenient for reaching other audiences across the globe. Example, when NCT decides to tour in North America will Johnny and Mark be most convenient when communicating with fans because they were born there and speak English fluently? China and Japan are also popular consumers of K-Pop so in these cases, will Yuta and Win Win be most convenient? Will they be the mechanism to spread “Koreanness” to Americans? These members from other parts of the world can serve as ambassadors for Korea and vice versa for their nation.

By Stephanie Yang

In “A Leveraged Playing Field: U.S. Multiculturalism and Korean Athletes,”, Rachael Miyung Joo discusses the use of Korean athletes as both a tool for Korean nationalist interests and the representation of “Americanness” to consumers in Korea and abroad. In “Playing Hard Ball: the athletic Body and Korean/American Masculinities,” Joo goes on to discuss how the shift towards exposing the male Korean body redefines Asian American masculinity within the traditional values system of hard work, while also legitimizing Korean male power. I argue that while the U.S. sports industry and the growth of exposed Korean male bodies may in parallel help challenge stereotypes of Asian masculinity, Korea’s fixation on beauty and makeup complicate the masculinity issue.

Joo asserts in “A Leveraged Playing Field” that Korean athletes and athletes of other minorities are subject to U.S. ideology when working within the U.S. sporting complex. The commodification of a minority athlete’s body, on full display in U.S. sporting events, produces a symbolism that Joo argues furthers U.S. soft power. For example, Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku’s performance demonstrated “America’s colonial beneficence” and through his “indigenous uniqueness”, symbolized the benefits of U.S. colonialism. Kahanamoku’s athletic performances, however, do little to benefit his own heritage’s interests, instead attributing his talents to individual hard work isolated from his minority status–also seen through the successes of Michael Jordan and O.J. Simpson who publicly side-stepped racially-charged rhetoric.

Additionally, in “Playing Hard Ball”, Joo analyzes the role of shifting displays of Asian masculinity through the athlete–using the exposed body to express physical power and dominance. She cites examples of soccer players taking off shirts during goal ceremonies, undressing scenes in Korean film and television, as well as shirtless idols performing on-stage. Towards the end of the chapter, Joo asks whether or not this new masculinized Asian male body results from a growing group of middle-class Asian American men “reclaiming their masculinity”, rightly so.

While Joo’s points further the conversation around the geopolitics of the U.S. sports industry and the redefining of Asian masculinity through male athletes, the attached BuzzFeed video does much to complicate the plot. In the video produced by Buzzfeed, a mainstream American media outlet, two Korean men answer commonly asked questions about themselves. Throughout the video, the discussion fixates around Korean male appearances, the use of makeup, and even wearing face masks as a fashion trend.

We see this focus through the very first question posed in the video: “Why do Korean men wear makeup?” The pair’s discussion around the prevalence of Korean men who wear makeup, alongside the growing cosmetics market targeted towards men, seem to instantly complicate the question of Asian male masculinity Joo has analyzed. As discussed in class, Hallyu has expanded beyond Korean pop music to include Korean beauty, Korean cuisine, among other “K-” culture industries. So while Korean-American athletes or shirtless K-pop idols may be shifting perceptions of Asian American masculinity, the Korean beauty industry may be starkly reversing such trends. The video continues to focus on perceptions of Korean male femininity, style, and even flirting tactics towards women. And while the video does address traditionally masculine practices such as enlisting in the Korean army or smoking cigarettes, the conversation around Korean male beauty indeed exists.

As a YouTube video with over 1.5 million views, produced by an American media giant, it is clear that interest in Korean men exists in the U.S. However, their masculinity, or lack thereof, does come into question throughout the video. In “A Leveraged Playing Field”, it is clear throughout history that minorities in the U.S. sports industry have been commodified and leveraged in order to further U.S. ideologies. And while the rise of exposed Korean male bodies may enhance the legitimacy of Asian American masculinity, the 2018 BuzzFeed video demonstrates that Korean culture may self-sabotage this effort through the growing Korean beauty industry and its own male consumers.

Video: Korean Men Answer Commonly Googled Questions About Themselves

South Korean former figure skater Yuna Kim is the champion of 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, silver medalist in ladies’ singles in Sochi, Russia, champion of the Four Continents, three-time champion in Grand Prix Final and many more. 

If Rachel Miyung Joo, in Travelling Ladies, was to feature Se Ri Pak as the chief model to exemplify Korean athletes’ role in glorifying Koreanness and nationalizing Korea globally in the late 1990s, Yuna Kim is certainly the new shining star of Korea beginning from the year of 2010. From the moment she stood on the international stage of 2010 Winter Olymics and won the medal, she became more than an athlete. In a similar way as Se Ri Pak, she became the ambassador of Korea. Her championship in a world wide competition secured Korea’s status in the international market. 

Korean fans adore her and refer to her as “Queen Yuna,” not solely because they all appreciate her figure skating skills. What they truly fancyher for is the Korean pride they derive through her championship in the global stage. As Joo quotes in Travelling Ladies, “In affective economies, emotions do things, and they align individuals with communities—or boldly space with social space—through the very intensity of their attachments” (Ahmed 2004). In front of millions of international viewers along with contestants from more than 30 other countries, she showcased Korea’s female elegance and Korea’s diligent work ethic. Korean fans’ emotional attachment to her originates from this eventual recognition of their Korean traits and the resulting acquisition of national pride. Se Ri Pak and many other Korean athletes have opened up gates for this emotional attachment to form. In 2010, Yuna just opened another.

Korea’s media industry and government further idolize her as the ambassador of Korea. According to Forbes, Yuna Kim is the seventh highest paid female athlete in the world. She became the face of leading brands such as Nike, Hyundai, Korean Air and Kookmin Bank. These brands, especially, are Korea’s influential brands that target not only Koreans themselves but also attain significant levels of global exposure. On top of these, perhaps one of the greatest milestones in her career was her position as the official ambassador for the 2018 PyeongChang games. The title just further shows how much Korea as a nation values her. Her frequent attendance and exposure on the mentioned media platforms idolize her as a pure, angelic Korean guardian that holds an important mission to foster Korea’s cultural and economic growth. 

Today, Yuna Kim is a name familiar to many people around the world and not just Koreans.  

News Source: https://www.bustle.com/p/yuna-kims-net-worth-speaks-to-just-how-idolized-the-ex-skater-is-8175944

After decades of the Cold War separation of the Korean peninsula, there are many differences between the polar nations. South Korea is now a country of global influences with a fast growing economy. Contrarily, North Korea is isolated, impoverished, and heavily armed. Putting aside economic political systems of the two starkly different countries, it was only years prior that South Korea was in a destitute position. So what was the determining factor in which South Korea went from a conflict ridden American proxy state into the country with the eleventh greatest economy in the modern era? I believe that one of the main reasons South Korea is able to develop and rise from its economic hardships was the South Korean government’s decision in liberalization of its cultural output.

For the majority of the popular culture landscape, Korean entertainment was completely overshadowed by Japanese culture in all manners. However, during the 1990s with the U.S’ increasing pop culture influences with regard to hip hop and Hollywood cinema began to surface into South Korea’s bubble did Japanese influences begun to decrease. At this time, the South Korean government also abolished many censorship laws which gave a rise to greater artistic freedom to artists who then greatly promoted a wide range of subject matter to discuss. As a result, in the 1990s, the world experienced Hallyu, or Korean wave, interpreted by Lee, Hye-Kyung as

“A transnational demand for, and passionate consumption of South Korean popular culture,” with K-Pop being a primary cultural export (Lee, Hye-Kyung, 185).

The government witnessed the success of South Korean music and cinema overseas, thus furthered the removal of censorship policy and additionally began to double down on its cultural exports by announcing it as a top priority to fund cultural institutions.

The government’s decision on the staying power of Korean popular culture was successful. However, nowadays, South Korea has such an attraction toward the global popularity that thousands of people are willing to travel, study, and even relocate there. For example, in the case Paulina Bonnevier, a 22 year old Swedish student currently studying at the Seoul National University, she stated that she would have never even thought about getting to know South Korean let along study there if it won’t for K-Pop. For her, and many others who are influenced by K-Pop, K-Pop was the key that opened a door to unique experiences of South Korean music, language, and culture. According to Martin Roll in his article, Korean Wave (Hallyu) – Rise of Korea’s Cultural Economy and Pop Culture, as result the of the Korean cultural Wave, it was projected that Korea had earned “USD 15.2 billion from tourism, attracting a total of 13.2 million tourists,” and it is seems to only continue growing with the rise of social media platforms (Roll). Today, there are at least 115 active K-pop groups, all equipped with online presences, particularly the explosively popular boy band BTS. According to a report by the Korean Foundation, there were 35 million hallyu fans in 86 countries in 2015. Most of whom, are not only buying their favorite K Pop band’s music and merchandise, but is beginning to investigate in South Korean cultures and traditions such as foods, and language. According to a K-pop fan from Malaysia, “K-pop and dramas have definitely motivated me to learn Korean” and he is now able to read and write basic korean and appreciate the Korean culture more (Lee, Sangjoon, 7).

Not only does the increase in cultural popularity increase Korea’s cultural profits, but many other industries are able to gain from the benefits of a rising Korean culture. For instance, with the international tourist numbers “hitting 1.1 billion in 2014 and international tourist growth forecasted at an annualized rate of 3.3% to hit around 1.8 billion by 2030” (Roll). South Korea, in a sense, utilized its culture not only as a means to spread its culture, but to also attract international consumers into buying Korean goods, practicing Korean traditions, and travel to or even potentially work in Korea. All factors of which are wholly beneficial to the economy of Korea, making South Korea not only the one of the countries with the strongest or fastest growing economy but also one of the most interesting as well.