The Los Angeles Convention Center for KCON LA was filled with thousands of enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans. This would prove that K-Pop music and Korean culture are a major American phenomenon. This raw energy, however, must eventually exhaust. Right?
Two high-profile U.S. professors were on hand on the sidelines of this weekend’s K-culture confab to offer high-minded analytical of the current Korean wave and suggest ways in which it may be made sustainable.
Kim Sukyoung, a professor at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, stated that K-Pop is in close sync with Gen-Z, which can be defined as anyone born between 1995 and 2010. YouTube, TikTok or online fandom can all be used as vectors to this group.
Kim describes Gen-Z as inspirational, idealistic and welcoming of globalization. This means that they are open and willing to embrace global culture, free trade and the ideals for unlimited online consumption. They can be socially liberal but conservative or moderate in their finances. Korean pop culture is awash with these themes and places a lot of emphasis on “small things in exquisite harmony and looking lovely,” says Kim.
“To take a look at a BTS video, you’ll see so many cute gestures and lyrics about the pleasure of spending today, because the future is futile. [What could be seen as] a satire about a bleak future is sublimated as cute and affective. Healing,” says Kim.
It is possible that Korean culture has grown faster than cultures from other countries. This may help explain the potential for sustainability.
“Korean is a mid-sized power. It is economically advanced, but without a colonial past. The Korean brand has underdog power,”She says. “And for cultural sensitivity.”Multi-species even have kinship and sensibility.
She points out “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,”Netflix recently released a new series. “Whenever the [autistic] heroine has an insightful breakthrough, she conjures up whales and dolphins,” says Kim.
The premiere season of “Squid Game,” Netflix’s biggest hit of all time, was successful because of its study of human relationships, Kim argues. This is in keeping with Korean culture and brands, which are “accessible, vocalize social justice and a network effect.”
Sam Richards is a Penn State University professor. “magic mixture”Korean pop culture is currently thriving because of its absence of violence or sex.
“It is not revealing, explicit, gratuitous, or in your face. Sex is rarely shown and not discussed. A lot of people appreciate this. Most people in the world are shy” says Richards. “Indian people’s conceptualization of sex is much closer to Korea than to that of America.”
Although violent was a common adjective to describe it, “Squid Game”Richards simply says, “Can you imagine what ‘Squid Game’ would have looked like if it had been made in the U.S.?”
Richards warns, however, that Korean pop culture must evolve if it is to be successful in the long-term.
Richards is critical of the Korean pop industry’s high burn rate. Profit model is primarily about introducing new artists and hinders long-term fan engagement for any Korean musician. Problem of “aging out makes it difficult for anyone 25 years old or more to follow Korean music, if it is constantly being reinvented,”Richards.
Even bigger issues loom, says Richards. Korea will have to deal climate change.“so big that we can’t visualize it”), demographics that make Korea a shrinking and fast-aging society and social inequality.
Entertainment value is a key feature of multi-Oscar-winning Korean films about social injustice. “Parasite”In “Squid Game,”However, Korea is no longer a role model.
“Korean sophistication is one of the things that attract us about Korean culture. There is almost nothing negative about [South] Korea. But when inequality in Korea grows, Korean culture will lose its luster,” says Richards.
K-pop artists are looking to expand their appeal by including non-Korean musicians, but there could be social resistance. This is similar to the resistance to immigration being used as a tool for dealing with an aging populace.
“There are so many opportunities to not follow the Hollywood model of sex and violence. But don’t make the mistake of generalizing to a population you don’t understand,”Richards was trying to find a way to keep Korean culture popular, said Richards.