The Past, Present and Future
• Lecture Outline
• 1. Hallyu: An Introduction
• 2. Factors for the Popularity of Hallyu
• 3. Perspectives on Hallyu
a. nationalist perspective
b. neoliberal perspective
c. postcolonialist perspective
• 4. A New Korean Wave
I. HALLYU: AN INTRODUCTION
• Hallyu, also known as the Korean Wave, refers to the spread and surge of South
Korean popular culture, particularly its dramas and music, around the world.
• The term was first coined in 1999 in
China by Beijing journalists who were surprised by the rapidly growing popularity of Korean popular culture in
China.
• The origin of hallyu can be traced back to the late 1990s when Korean dramas began to penetrate the Asian television market as the popularity of Hong Kong and Japanese popular culture began to wane. • Korean television dramas such as
Autumn Fairy Tale, Winter Sonata, and
Daejanggeum (Jewel in the Palace) became phenomenally popular in the
Asian countries.
• The Korean Wave began with television dramas, but it now extends beyond TV to movies, popular music, comic books, fashion, video games, food, and language.
• Example: A Korean pop icon "Rain" (비) named in the "100 Most Influential People
Who Shape Our World."
• While popular throughout the Asian continent, hallyu has had the greatest impact in East Asia, namely Japan, Taiwan, and China, and is now spreading to India, the Middle East, Central Asia, Iran, Israel,
Turkey, Russia and even Latin America.
• Of all the forms of Korean popular culture, it is Korean popular music, simply referred to as K-pop (an abbreviation of Korean pop), which has in recent years become the most important part of the Korean wave and is very popular among teenagers in many parts of the world, especially in Asia.
• K-pop, consisting of diverse musical genre, ranging from pop, dance, and electropop to hip hop, R & B and electronic music, has grown into a