Lean back, lean back

Hello class. My apologies for the late post. Due to the Spring Fling festivities and keeping true to my Korean nature of alcohol consumption, I was mentally, physically unable to submit a coherent post yesterday. Anyhoo, let me just say Wow. I can’t believe we spent over 40 hours talking about Korean popular culture. To be honest, like Teresa, I enjoy the consumption of Korean pop culture and did not expect to extrapolate deep meaning from them. However, Jina totally pushed me to my academic limits with this class. I guess since I am a science major and the farthest I’ve digressed from science intensive classes would be like a writing seminar, I never really took these deep thinking almost philosophical classes. I mean that Cultural Theory was so convoluted to me. No matter how many times I would read Storey’s book, I was completely lost on what he was talking about. I’m still unsure about post-modernism vs modernism. With that being said, I can definitely say I’ve learned a new aspect of learning. Instead of learning concepts and remembering how things work like in the science world, I was exposed to an abstract thinking type of class which I am still in the process of learning. I mean who seriously watches “Jewel in the Palace” to extract the significance of the plethora of Korean food presented in the film and relate that to Korean nationalism? Personally, I saw the food and just wanted to call mommy and tell her to have that pahjun made when I arrive home. But no. I am an edumacated college man now. I shall try to see beyond the food and try to see why this food is being shown so ostentatiously. Is the government trying to impose some new culture on us in a form of Marxism? So yea. To make a long entry short, I just want to say after taking this class I’ve learned to look past the entertainment factor in Korean popular culture. Sure, Korean popular culture is addictinly entertaining; however, leaning back, stepping back and examining why it’s popular and digesting concepts like Hallyu will enable me to learn about the society that I live in and about myself and my interests. I know am not gifted with So-Jin’s articulating skills or Geoff’s audacity to comment on everyone else’s comments, but I hope what I tried contributing to our discussion in my vernacular form didn’t detract from all your guys’ learning experience. With that said, there is only one last topic we haven’t covered: Korean soju. Let us take full advantage of this Spring Fling atmosphere and experience first hand this great beverage that is not only part of high Korean culture but with the low as well. One shot homies! Thanks for a great semester!

Done Already?!

Looking back, it was interesting to make the connection that I started and ended with Hwang Jin-I in the class. As I am watching that drama for my paper, I've noticed so much more subtleties than before. I noticed and understood the messages that the drama tries to pass (in which I won’t discuss now since it is my paper), and identified elements in the drama with all of the isms we’d discussed in class. This class also made me aware of that there are other aspects to the Korean pop culture other than their drama. Although drama is what is most popular, I have neglected their music (not the soundtracks) and history. I began to take note of the actors’ and actresses’ mannerisms, speech, even the language itself.

Among the readings–to be honest–the articles were much more enjoyable than the texts because they pertained to the Korean culture, and felt a little detached when reading the texts since their examples didn’t. I can’t wait until there actually would be a condensed text of Korean Pop Culture. I especially liked the section about the internet and technology because it shed light on a new aspect of the Koreans. However, it seems to be a neglected segment of popular culture: internet is what spreads the culture. Learning that this also permeated the lives of youngsters in Korea and how the governments tried to regulate some of their behaviors was most interesting. It was also interesting to know how the government tries to preserve the traditional integrate those elements into the current lifestyles of the Koreans today. I can really see the effort in the drama out there. Although this class may be over, I will continue watch Korean drama with a critical eye and listen to pop music with an appreciation that I never had before.

Closing thoughts on kpc

As my motivation for taking a class on Korean popular culture was to learn about Korean popular culture, I am satisfied after these three months. I have gotten exposure to all sorts of mediums and exotic audiovisuals I would otherwise never have experienced (drama, k-pop, etc). I found some brutal tunes for my playlists while doing research on Korean alternative, and I joined the Lee Young-ae fan club. I began watching more Starcraft tournaments and gained a new respect for that cultural and culinary phenomenon of a dish called budae cchigae. I have become attuned to spot the inescapable influence of history in popular culture and hummed the tune of Arirang in an elevator. The very fact that we are all reading this means that we have each found something intrinsically appealing in Korean pop culture.

Hallyu has indeed been an interesting topic to study. Reading different dramas or songs through the lens of the culture theorists was challenging (if not painful) at times, but has given me a useful vocabulary to discuss popular culture and its relevant issues and industries. As an expert on the subject, I will be interested in watching how the permittivity and prevalence of Korean media expand or change in the future.

My favorite section was definitely the music section. My opinions and views on music tend to be somewhat polarized. I found some groups such as Drunken Tiger or the ballads in general painful to listen to, but that was counterbalanced by some of the fresh riffs and grinding vocals from some of the alternative bands I encountered.

As the course ends, I reiterate something we spoke about in class last week: it’s really about enjoyment and pleasure in the end. The phenomenon of hallyu may be some unique confluence of economics, politics and creativity, but discourse of that nature obscures the fact that Koreans are simply making more media that is enjoyable to consume. In that sense, hallyu has been effective in expanding the audience and increasing the amount of regional and global exposure of the many, talented Korean artists. Thus are my final thoughts. Korean popular culture has a little bit of something for everyone.

Final thoughts on Korean Popular Culture and Hallyu

My love for Korean dramas is what led me to take this class. However, before this class when I watched Kdramas, I watched them on a superficial level, looking only at the actors while not paying much attention to the plot and possible theoretical/historical/literary underpinnings. After reading John Storey's book, I was introduced to the many perspectives that I could view these primary texts from like postmodernism, marxism and post-marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis, etc. Analyzing the primary texts from these perspectives made me think more about why these texts were made and what they were trying to convey.

For example, music especially is an interesting category because of all the foreign influences that Korean music possesses, from Japanese enka to British punk to American hiphop. Yet these products don't seem to be straight copies and instead includes Korean aspects like traditional instruments, references to folksongs like Arirang or the sadness evoking the feeling of "han". Thus it seems to be a negotiation process that falls into the category of postmarxism.

More interesting was the wider range of Korean popular culture products I was introduced to. Before this class I never really paid much attention to the Korean historical genre of dramas. However, after watching Yi sunsin and emperor of the sea, I was impressed the the amount of effort and skill that went into the production of these dramas, especially in technical direction of the boat fighting scenes. I feel that the Korean drama industry was able to use these dramas to tell a very compelling, albeit possibly fictionalized, story and stimulate the audience's interest in Korean history. Similarly, Jewel was able to do the same thing for Korean food. Feffer's article on food and globalization (or possibly glocalization) was one I found particular interesting as it mentioned the foreign influences on Korean food, and how the Koreans were able to adapt these foreign influences to create a unique Korean product.

Finally, our study of Hallyu was something I found especially interesting. Previously I had heard of the term from the Taiwan news media but I had never really knew what it meant and entailed. The class not only gave me a better understanding, but also helped make me think about why the Hallyu was able to sweep through Asia and if it could possibly endure. As we talked about in class last week, I feel that as long as the Korean culture industry churns out good products, the Korean wave will go on, though possibly not with the current intensity. If you think about the popularity of Japanese dramas in the late 1990s, I feel that the situation is quite similar. Kimura Takuya was as popular as Bae Yong Joon is in Asia (or at least in Taiwan) now and women literally cried when he got married. Tokyo Love Story is supposedly a romantic classic, while Hero and GTO were popular because of how wacky they were, yet the golden age of Jdramas seem to have passed, though there are still some decent offerings each season and thus I still watch it religiously.

Thus, though I learned from this class that Korean popular culture has much more breadth and depth that I had previously thought, the question of sustainability of the Hallyu is something left to be determined.

My Last Thoughts on Korean Popular Culture

It's been over three months since we started thinking about Korean popular culture in an academic setting. I never have imagined that something so contemporary can be imbued with traditional concepts (such as a continuation of Confusian values), and at least even worthy of studying. I decided to take this class because I wanted to know more about what Korean popular culture has to offer. To be honest, my expectations were not high. Contrary to my initial doubts about the breath and depth of the course, I got more out of this class than I expected.

Culture is a difficult term to define. In my previous class on cultural anthropology, we defined the term as a set of beliefs, ideas, practices shared by a group of people that gets transmitted through generation. Even with this definition, it doesn't encapsulate every nuance about different cultures. With that convoluted thought, you then tag on the word popular. What does that mean? If culture is something that is shared by the people in that culture, what makes some popular whereas others are unpopular? I think it's a fine line to draw. As we have seen previously in the Storey chapters, scholars like Leavy will argue that studying popular culture is a waste of time. It's a source of distraction, and it creates illusions of real life. Others like the postmodernist theorists will argue that high and popular culture have no real distinctions. While scholars argue about what popular culture entails, it galvanizes and propels forward. It has not died out.

One of the accomplishments of Korean popular culture is the creation of the Korean Wave (I'm anthropomorphizing here). Yes, the cheap price helped, fast dance music also helped, but is that all? I highly doubt that Hallyu would have been as successful if it wasn't for the entertainment value. It really is a time sucking monster. It also would not have been as big of a hit in Asia without the recent technology. We discussed earlier that technology has allowed us to keep in "contact" with Korea. Global technology such as the internet has served as an agent to mass circulate Korean dramas and Korean music. As we have talked about earlier whether or not Korean dramas or music would be successful in the U.S., I agree with the majority of the class. It probably would not be a huge hit. However, I don't think success should be measured as an all or nothing phenomenon. If it can manage to get attract new audience like those of us who are interested in learning new culture, it deserves some credit. I also think that watching dramas can be a useful tool in learning a new language.

Going back to what I got out of this class, I have a deeper appreciation for Korean popular culture. Initially I thought it would be more along the lines of celebrity gossip and compare/contrast dramas. I mean, in the U.S. people treat popular culture light heartedly. Korean popular culture, when going beyond the surface, serves various functions. It is an instrument that sustains Korean history with historic dramas. The tension between Japan and Korea is still portrayed in the dramas that we have seen. Historic figures are venerated, but also challenges the viewers to think twice about the meaning of history. The Jewel in the Palace, for example, presents history in a whole new level. Besides getting hungry while watching the episodes, it deals with the lives of women in the palace that are often neglected. I think this drama, in particular, has provided Korean women with a model to emulate. It is a shame that she did not get much recognition until recently even when she was the first female doctor in Korea. In this sense, the drama does justice.

I think my attention has shifted from the storyline or lyrics to the functional role of dramas and music. They serve purpose. Like we said, punk rock is a way for Korean youth to free themselves from social oppression. Music videos are not just a visual replica of the lyrics. It has a value of its own. I guess the take home message from the course (at least for me) is to look at Korean popular culture in a grand scheme of things rather than having a tunnel vision.

Final Thoughts on Hallyu

Final Thoughts on Hallyu

Introduction :
Throughout this semester I had thought that I knew almost all there was to know about Korean pop culture and the Korean wave. I was already engrossed with the music and immersed in many Korean dramas. Little did I know that there was so much more to learn, especially when it came down to the deep analysis of Korean pop culture. I knew nothing about post-modernism, Marxism, the use of gender roles and globalization. I used to watch Korean dramas with a grain of salt and never really thought about the elements that are used for production. I am still a little confused on the differences between nationalism, regionalism and globalization, but I do understand that every culture deals with all three.

Music :
Ever since I was young I have always listened to Korean music. It has been my favorite genre and while I never understood the lyrics till college, I was always able to follow along the tunes and beats. Korean music has gone through many processes throughout its history and has adopted many new genres and styles. Starting with Seo Taiji, who is known as the father and founder of Korean hip-hop and dance music, Korean music has adapted in so many ways. This poses a tough question. Has Korean music developed throughout the years on its own accord, or has is been the influence of other cultures that has helped to stimulate the growth and changes? From what I have learned in this class, it seems that globalization combined with the lifting of certain restrictions has helped in opening the ears of Korean listeners. As people start to listen to these new genres, they develop their own creation by mimicking the elements they enjoy and adding it with a unique twist of their own. Many genres such as hip-hop, punk, techno, and ballads have all been created through this way.

Dramas :
Korean dramas are very hard to analyze since there are many different types of dramas, including historical dramas that are exclusive to Korean culture. It seems that although all Korean dramas display some cultural background that only pertains to Korea, through the process of globalization many of these dramas have become a hybrid of Korean culture and Western influence. It is very similar to Korean music in the sense that many of these dramas mainly have a Western theme but also carry a sense that lets the watcher know that the drama was produced in Korea.
Dramas are regionalized in the sense that they appeal to many regional viewers and in the sense that viewers other then Koreans can capture a sense of coevalness with these dramas. I believe this is the cause of foreign popularity with these dramas. The fact that foreign housewives and students receive the same feelings as Koreans while watching these dramas definitely is a major factor for success.
I personally had an affinity for the historical dramas such as Yi Sun-Shin and a Jewel in the Palace. These historical dramas definitely produce a sense of Korean culture that is its own. I had never really ventured into historical dramas, but enjoyed them very much nonetheless.


Poetry :
Throughout the course we have read and discussed a few Korean poems in class. Most of these poems were about love and sounded as if they could be the lyrics for many Korean ballad love songs. Indeed it seems that these poems may have been in the past, but they still contribute a great deal of culture to the present and future. They retell part of Korean history while also using the same lyrics as modern songwriters.

Conclusion :
Overall this class was a very enjoyable and educating experience. Coming into the class with some previous knowledge about Korean pop culture, I am very shocked to find out there are so many fields that I have not cared to venture in before. I was particularly interested with seeing the way Korean culture has adapted foreign themes and genres to produce music and dramas, but has still been able to maintain the Korean atmosphere. I am glad I was able to hear the in depth analysis from fellow peers. As a previous viewer I never cared to venture into the meaning that a lot of these dramas and music carry, but after this class will definitely be watching them with a new pair of glasses. =)

K-pop Reflections

Korean pop culture... I don't even know where to begin! When I started this class in January, I literally did not know a thing about K-pop. I'd never heard of Rain or BoA or seen any of the dramas. I'd never read a manwha or watched any of the movies. All I knew was that when I asked my Chinese roommate what she thought of Korean pop culture, her response was, "I've never heard of anyone who got into K-pop and didn't like it." And how right she was.

My initial impressive of Korean pop culture was that it was a bunch of boy bands and pop princesses which were put together by managers for their looks and dancing ability and then paraded around. Coming from a background as an American girl who grew in the 90's (the reign of New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC) I thought this was wonderful. The 90's were alive and well in Korea with an updated look and feel, and I thought that was great! But the thing I've learned from this class is that K-pop is so much more than that. Sure, maybe these pop stars are similar to my beloved 90's boy bands, but they are distinctly Korean. Their music videos and performance styles are unique, their clothes, their hair, their style. They are much more a reflection of Korean sensibilities than I think their American counterparts ever were.

And that's the thing which I think makes K-pop so great. The history and the traditions of Korea are a part of everything which comes out of it. From the historical dramas celebrating national heroes like Yi Sunsin to the more modern dramas which reflect the value of the family and of modern urban life, the stamp of Korea is all over these products. I think Koreans have done a great job of taking popular cultural products like music (especially punk) and TV dramas and really making them their own.

The thing which I think makes K-pop so, well, popular though is that while it is truly a Korean product, it also reflects universal values which everyone can relate to. We talked about "coevalness" amongst East Asians which has help K-pop to spread to other Asian nations, and I think that "coevalness" exists even outside of that region. Anyone who's ever been in love, or wished to be in love, or been hurt by love, or who has a family, or has lost someone or felt any emotion of any kind can connect with Korean pop culture. If you like to look at beautiful people, you can appreciate Korean pop culture. Even if you don't know a thing about Korea, you can still appreciate Korean pop culture. And that, I think, is where the value truly lies.

The Hallyu wave is going strong, and I think it's only going to continue. Korea has knack for making great cultural products which can easily be loved all over the world. As they become more and more popular, I think it will honestly be hard for people not to jump on the bandwagon. Everyone can find something to love in K-pop, and as long as that remains true, I don't think there's anything that could stop it.

Thinking about Korean popular culture

Before taking this course, I had a much more ambivalent attitude towards Korean popular culture due to my limited exposure to it. While there had been some Korean shows and films that I had enjoyed, I thought mostly of maudlin dramas that produced unrealistic expectations of love, media images that sent women to the nearest plastic surgeon, and gimmicky pop music. At the same time, I conceptualized Korean popular culture as assimilating to Western models. So, I was thinking about Williams' second definition of "popular"--"inferior kinds of work"--when thinking about Korean popular culture (Storey 4). However, this class has also made me think of Korean popular culture in terms of "culture actually made by the people for themselves" (4).

What I found most interesting about the direction of this course was thinking about the intersection of the past and present. More so than in my experience with American pop culture, history has a great influence on what is presented in Korean popular culture and is more prominently displayed. We talked about how historical dramas translate past events in ways that are related to current events (i.e., The Immortal Admiral Yi Sunsin and present-day territorial disputes). It was also interesting to think about how thinking about the past allows contemporary Koreans to think about their own identities (What does it mean to be a good woman? How do traditional values and customs fit into a modern lifestyle?). By using the past, Koreans are also able to translate Korean experiences for non-Korean consumers and possibly allow other East Asians to identify with Koreans through their shared Confucian heritage. Going back to the first chapter of John Storey's text, popular culture is definitely a "site where 'collective social understandings are created'" (Hall qtd. on 3).

When thinking about Korean popular culture, discussing mass production, mass consumption, commercial culture, and hegemonic imposition of ideas and values definitely makes sense. But, what I wanted to highlight in my final blog posting was how I have come to see Korean popular culture in a more positive light. Korean popular culture is not just about escapism or creating fantasies that take away from productive action. There is room in Korean popular culture for alternative viewpoints (presenting women's issues in dramas such as Jewel in the Palace and providing youth an outlet for their frustrations in punk music), which is necessary in a postmodern world. I also think that through popular culture, Korea is able to show how modern, globalized, and worthy of attention it is to different kinds of people. So, that's cool.

Initial Thoughts and Conclusions

I had a very naive perception of Korean Popular Culture back in January. I initially thought that Korean Popular Culture was completely a product of modern capitalism and that it was all about offering Americanized products. I also thought that Korea's current popular culture had nothing to do with any former Korean history or cultural practice. Furthermore, I falsely equated Korean Popular Culture to only Korean popular music, or current kpop (BoA for example). Many of these thoughts were disproved though during our first few weeks when we studied the immensely popular historical dramas.

The historical dramas contained authentic Korean elements like the battle scenes from "The Admiral Yi Sun-Sin" and the Korean cuisine in "Jewel in the Palace". The dramas were not purely entertainment though; they commented and reflected on tensions with Japan and women's roles. John Storey's cultural theory book complicated things for me though in the middle of the semester. It seemed that Korean popular culture was simply recycling or quoting history to generate nostalgia which in turn would increase profits for the cultural industries. I began to think that maybe my original thoughts were correct and that Korean Popular culture is something forced on cunsumers and that it does not reflect the acutal sentiments of the people. I learned though through post-modernist theories that it is almost impossible to seperate the cultural from the economic.

For example, Korean punk music initially seems like something completely created from below (or from the masses) and not from capitalistic entities. It is not that simple though because the 'punk' image itself is marketed and treated as a commodity in many instances. So essentially by the end of this course, I have realized that Korean and popular culture in general does not follow a single linear model. Popular culture bounces around in a continuum between both cultural and economic forces. Furthermore, the relationship between the two forces is never static but constantly redefining itself.