A glimpse of American Culture in Korean Popular Culture (or not)

Assimilating to a global setting is one of the discourses of Korean popular culture as we have discussed in our first class. Seen from Rain’s new music video, “I’m Coming,” the usage of a war torn setting and the resurgence of “boy band” style of music echo the essence of American culture to a certain extent. For one, the images that are reminiscent of war remain as a sensitive topic to many Americans. Second, boy bands, at least in the mid to late-90s resided in the heart of many teenagers.

Besides Rain, other artists and dramas have also integrated the ideas and themes prevalent in America and other countries’ media. For instance, a new drama called “Surgeon Bong Dal Hee” has been stirring up a new array of controversies even before the show aired. The critics of this show argue that this drama mirrors the cast of a show that enraptured the hearts of so many Americans – Grey’s Anatomy, which is an American cultural phenomenon. Dr. Bong Dal Hee is not only a first year resident but she gets romantically linked to a doctor who is a divorcee, who reminds the viewers of our beloved Dr. McDreamy. Furthermore, his estranged wife also works at the hospital; she is still in love with her ex-husband (sounds like Addison to me). A further dissection of the characters in this show will tell the viewers that a character played by Choi Yeo Jin is like feisty and assertive Dr. Christina Yang. Although the script writers and producers adamantly deny the accusations brought against the show, so many paralleled aspects of the characters leave you bemused. Although it is too early to judge the quality of this particular show, it would be interesting to examine the trajectory that the show takes in order to disengage itself from plagiarizing Grey’s. In addition to Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, another medical drama called “the white tower” is a complete remake of a Japanese medical show. Hence, one could argue that medial dramas have surfaced as a new leader in dramas just as they have in the U.S or in other countries around the world. Korea might be the newest member in this medical show bandwagon.

The adaptation of these elements from other media culture does not equal Korean pop culture devoid of originality and versatility. Therefore, one should be careful when extracting elements from Korean pop culture either to label it as a copy of an existing cultural phenomenon. When “Surgeon Bong Dal Hee” ends, one might be able to say that this show was able to thwart criticisms by manufacturing something inherently Korean built on top of American cultural sensation. We will just have to wait and see.