An American Hallyu?

Here is a link to an article in The Korea Times: US Hallyu: Korean-American Roles Become More Visible in Hollywood. While I thought this was an interesting article, I thought it overstated its case for a "Korean Wave" happening here in the U.S. I don't think that a handful of Korean-American actors and roles shows that Hollywood is falling in love with the idea of all things Korean (or Korean-American). Also, I think that having Korean-American actors in dramatic roles is supposed to highlight the fact that just because the actors don't look like stereotypical Americans doesn't mean they aren't American. This takes away from the idea that Korean-American actors are becoming popular because Korean culture is the "in" Asian culture in America.

Actually, I thought that this article was evidence more for the fact that Koreans (although the writer of the article might not be Korean) seem to take great pride in anything remotely associated with Korea. And, as we talked about in class two weeks ago, to be a truly global (pop) cultural success, you have to make it in American media. So, the successes of a few Korean-American actors seem to be appropriated by Koreans to showcase how great Korea is. Also, take for example the hype in Korea after Hines Ward and the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl last year. While Koreans have been notorious for discrimination against people of mixed heritage in the past, it seems that they are now ready to let that history go as people with a Korean heritage are become known globally. Things, such as more Korean Americans in Hollywood and biracial Hines Ward's athletic success, are marketed worldwide to further advance a great Korean identity.

In doing the readings for this week, I saw this theme come up several times. The website about Chang Po-go and the corresponding drama Emperor of the Sea both focused on bringing an ancient Korean hero to modern audiences. Eckert in "Korea's Transition to Modernity" talked about how 20th-century nationalistic historians focused on epic historical moments, showing a "will to greatness" (133). Even now, Koreans use ancient history to promote national greatness. Also, Shin notes in "The Paradox of Korean Globalization" that the government under Kim Dae Jung attempted to use overseas Koreans to promote a Korean nationalistic agenda (11). This goes along with my examples above to show how huge making Korea look good around the world is. Shin says that Koreans "appropriate globalization as a nationalist goal" to promote a Korean identity (6). As the Korean Wave continues in Asia (and perhaps on a greater global scale), Koreans will continue to use pop culture to market themselves as great (and it seems to be working in Asia).