This week, I read “The Korean Wave: An Asian Reaction to Western-Dominated Globalization.” The paper examines the Korean Wave (also known as Hallyu, referring to various forms of popular Korean cultural products) and its profound influence on the South Korean national economy, cultural unity among Asian peoples, and the future of globalized culture. The most inspiring takeaway for my MA project is the realization that early K-pop groups aggressively pursued Westernization to achieve cultural proximity with Western audiences for global dissemination. This reveals that integrating traditional Korean culture with pop music did not start from the beginning. It is an evolved cultural export and soft power strategy built on years of practice.
To build the cultural proximity, nearly all the early K-pop groups adopted English names, and individual members also used English names instead of their Korean names. For example, in the nine-member girl group Girls’ Generation, members use common Western names like Tiffany and Sunny. Similarly, the boy group JYJ—formed by three former members of TVXQ after a lawsuit against SM Entertainment regarding a 13-year “slave contract”—used the initials of their first names. As the article notes, the practice of emphasizing first names or initials is deemed a distinctly Western cultural trait (Ho, 2012, as cited in Hogarth, 2013). Secondly, the Westernization can be found in members’ appearance. Early K-pop idols intentionally altered typical Asian physical traits, such as straight black hair, by dyeing their hair brown, red, or blonde and styling it in waves (Hogarth, 2013). Meanwhile, their preferred fashion items included mini skirts, skin-tight jeans, sneakers, and thigh-high boots, closely mirroring the style of Western teenagers and pop stars. Thirdly, the choreography and musical performance of K-pop were fundamentally reshaped by Western influences, particularly Afro-Caribbean culture (Hogarth, 2013). While traditional Korean dance focuses on graceful arm and shoulder movements, K-pop choreography shifts the emphasis to dynamic hip and leg movements.
For the next step, I will investigate the factors that triggered the K-pop industry’s gradual shift toward integrating traditional Korean culture with pop music. I will also explore whether BTS played a pioneering role in leading this transition. By tracing the timeline of when they began incorporating traditional elements into their musical production, I hope to understand how this evolution culminated in their latest album, Arirang, and how they ultimately succeeded in resonating with global audiences.
Due to a busy schedule, Professor Mueller is unfortunately unable to serve on my committee. So I need to reach out to another potential committee member. Before sending out the invitation email, I plan to advance my website development so that potential committee members can see more progress on my project. Also, I will revise the website and project description based on the valuable feedback received from the “Project Treatment and Initial Media” assignment. I plan to send the invitation email next Monday.
References:
Hogarth, H. K. K. (2013). The Korean wave: An Asian reaction to western-dominated globalization. Perspectives on global development and technology, 12(1-2), 135-151. https://doi.org/10.1163/15691497-12341247
Ho, S. L. (2012). Tokyo at 10: Establishing difference through the friendship networks of women executives in Japan. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 18(1), 83–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9655.2011