Some recent articles on the spread of K-pop in 2010, and on the darker side of the industry. K-Pop Online: Korean Stars Go Global with Social Media – TIME http://bit.ly/c5oA73 #. Underage celebs suffer mistreatment, says the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (Korea Times, 27 Aug) Sexy moves provoke debate over teen idols, says … [Read More]
Category: Hallyu (page 7)
Whose generation? The hallyu in South-East Asia
Darren Southcott finds the Korean Wave alive and kicking in South-East Asia Had I heard of the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, while I was in the UK I would probably have assumed it was an Asian take on a Central American football terrace tradition. The closest I ever came to being subsumed by it was … [Read More]
Book launch event: What a Difference a Region Makes
Four years ago there was a fascinating two-day seminar at Birkbeck College examining popular culture in East Asia on a regional basis. How did one East Asian country present others in their popular culture products? Why was it that some countries’ popular culture sold well in other countries? What can be done to support cultural … [Read More]
The Economist on the hallyu
“China is used to running a trade deficit with South Korea, but its deficit in the trade of cultural goods is ten times greater than in industrial goods.” The Economist has an interesting piece on the hallyu. http://bit.ly/dCQxvx # [Read More]
A belated look back at 2009
For the past 3 years LKL has concocted a quiz of the year as a way of gathering together some of the news stories which have most caught our eye. This year, as I came to draw up the list in mid December I found it hard to think of anything amusing or diverting: most … [Read More]
Wonder Girls One to Watch
The Wonder Girls have been picked as ‘Ones to Watch’ for 2010, by advertising agency JWT. First Koreans to make it into US Billboard charts top 100. # The “girl group has conquered Asia and has its sights on the rest of the world,” JWT said. Source: Chosun Ilbo [Read More]
The Chaebolization of the Korean music industry
The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Mark Russell on how Vietnam is following Korea’s example in how to produce pop stars http://bit.ly/68KLpD #, while in a related series of articles Richard Stansfield talks about The Chaebolization of the Korean Music Industry http://bit.ly/8W37mD #. [Read More]
“Asia! Asia!” – Stephen Epstein at SOAS
Stephen Epstein had a busy week last week giving lectures in Cambridge, Oxford and London. He is on a lecture tour of Europe, using the trip as an opportunity to test various chapters from his forthcoming book with a critical audience. Friday’s lecture at SOAS focused on the portrayal of some of Korea’s Asian neighbours … [Read More]
The Axis of Vaudeville: Images of North Korea in South Korean Pop Culture
Elizabeth Grace reports on Dr Stephen Epstein’s talk at Cambridge earlier this week We are all too familiar with the Western media’s portrayal of North Korea as a rogue communist state, complete with an evil dictator whose regime is seen as an unrepentant member of the “axis of evil.” Although these one-sided portrayals are increasingly … [Read More]
The wave that never was? Mark James Russell’s Pop Goes Korea
Eighteen months ago, Mark Russell caused a minor stir at Naver and in the local Korean press by christening the hallyu the “Zombie Wave”. At the time, industry watchers were concerned that the momentum behind the overseas success of some of Korea’s TV dramas and movie seemed to be waning. Was the Korean wave dying? … [Read More]
Korean wave: growing or receding?
It was the last seminar of the winter term. With the title of Contemporary Korean popular culture, Kim Shin Dong’s talk was sure to be well-attended. The SOAS Korean Society had mobilised in force for the occasion, and were selling kimbap outside the lecture room. It was a pity, then, that the lecture itself on … [Read More]
Pansori and bibimbap – fusion in Korea’s cultural content
By Peter Corbishley Last Thursday and Friday 24-25th September an itinerant band of Pansori sellers displayed their wares at the Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) and the School of Advanced Study, University of London. The main event was Yonsei University’s (Institute of Media Art) Jeong Taeg Lim and Jung A Huh’s talk on ‘The Aesthetic modernity … [Read More]
Rain 8 – Colbert 4: an unscientific survey of hallyu in Asia
Devoted followers of Korean popular culture will remember the Rain v Colbert battle in Time magazine last year. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5c7fj_stephen-colbert-vs-rain-dance-off_fun The much smaller population of devoted LKL readers will remember that I did a straw poll of my US co-workers last year: how many out of an unrepresentative sample of US bank regulatory specialists had heard … [Read More]
LKL 2007 Quiz of the Year – the answers
Question 1: Corporate crooks and corruption Match the alleged quote with the appropriate chaebol The conglomorate had run a vast network that bribed government officials, prosecutors, tax collectors, journalists and scholars I don’t want to take a gamble on causing a crisis in the country’s economy The sentence of one year and six months is … [Read More]
Us and Them in Kenkanryu
Wednesday’s talk on the Japanese manga Kenkanryu was packed to overflowing — a strong contrast with the generally much sparser attendance at the Centre for Korean Studies seminars. Whether that’s a reflection of the greater number of people enrolled in Japanese Studies courses, or the popular culture subject matter I don’t know. In these few … [Read More]
The Japanese anti-Korean wave, at SOAS
Although this is a bit last minute, readers might be interested in tomorrow’s Japan Research Centre Seminar, which concerns the nationalist manga phenomenon ‘Kenkanryu’ and the so-called ‘Anti-Korean Wave’ in Japan. Wednesday 28 November, 5pm, SOAS main buildings G51 “Surfing the neo-nationalist wave: a case study of the manga Kenkanryu” Dr Nicola Liscutin (Birkbeck College) [Read More]