South Korean Pop Culture Facing New Challenges

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Clockwise from top left, Korean blockbuster film“, Shiri”directed by Kang Je-gyu; BoA of SM Entertainment; Korean TV drama “Jewel in the Palace”starring Lee Young-ae

Is hallyu, or Korean Wave, waning or still booming? There has been lots of talk about the sustainability of hallyu among industry insiders as the overseas success of some of Korea's TV dramas and movies seemed to have declined in recent years.

Freelance writer Mark James Russell, however, dismisses the term, hallyu. He once jokingly called it "Zombie Wave" for these worriers, arguing that there never was a Korean Wave in the first place, so it couldn't really be said to be dying or anything.

Then, what is the Korean Wave? Korean pop culture crosses many media, demographics and regions and it means very different things to different people.

"I don't like the term, Korean Wave, because it is like a black box. It doesn't really explain anything. Why is something popular with older women in Japan and with younger kids in Southeast Asia and middle-aged men in America? These are very different trends and forces that are happening," Russell said in an interview with The Korea Times.

Russell, author of the new book "Pop Goes Korea", said that there are a lot of negative connotations associated with Korean Wave ― shortsighted fad, poor financing and crude nationalism.



"Korea was at the forefront in Asia supplying this kind of lessons from the entertainment industries. Hong Kong is getting very aggressive in its movies, making its movies pan-Asia's blockbusters. Taiwan is trying very hard to emulate the Korean movie industries. Korea was very fortunate to be at the forefront of this change. ... You have to fight and struggle to keep that cutting-edge trend," he said.

The journalist came to Korea from Canada to teach English in 1996, and worked as a correspondent for the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard. In his new book, Russell analyzes the evolution of the country's pop culture from the past to the present.



The lively-looking book with colorful images of Korean celebrities delves into various genres of pop culture and features his abundant in-depth profiles of the entertainment moguls.

He portrays the film industry and infrastructure through the story of how big corporations such as CJ Entertainment stepped into film production and multiplex-building, transforming the local cinematic landscape and the economic dynamics of producing a blockbuster, shedding light on Kang Je-gyu's big productions.

Concerning the screen quota, he said that "it is a placebo."

"At best, it was a psychological aid," he said. In his book, he argued that people buy tickets to movies they want to see; if there is nothing playing that they like, then they don't buy tickets. Forcing theaters to show movies no one wants to see does not mean more box office receipts, it only hurts the theater owners and distributions.

Instead, he said that there are a lot of things that the government can do to help make the industry stronger. "Having a strong, reliable rule of a law or having good financing ... things that you can trust ... Enforcing copyrights. The government and the film industry have to put more energy into enforcing copyright than they do for the screen quota," he said.

Japan has a protective market and strong copyright protection. DVD sales in Japan are also going down but physical sales in Japan have been strong for a long time. When it comes to Korea, everything is already full of piracy, he said. "Every street corner has tape guys and video CDs or whatever. The most important thing is creating good alternatives. I don't think you need to put all your energy into cracking down on illegal stuff ... you need to put more energy into providing reliable, convenient and affordable alternatives," he said.

Also, one of the most serious problems facing Korean pop culture is the lack of historical connection, Russell argued. People buy today's hit songs but they don't buy the hits of yesterday. They flood the movie theaters, but they don't watch films at the repertory cinemas or buy DVDs.

Compared to the Japanese who love to collect, Koreans are kind of the next generation, he said. "They don't need such things as books or DVDs at home and they want to just hook up to the Internet and read it there. It's a more immediate and next generation culture," he said.

In America and Europe, movie theaters are less than half the revenue of a film. More revenue comes from all the other things ― TV and home videos. But in Korea, 80-85 percent of revenue comes from the movie theater. "Very risky and very unhealthy. People have shown that they are willing to pay for contents in many different ways," he said.

Catalog sales are essential to any country's pop culture, bringing in steady revenue streams that can tide companies over in the lean times and when big projects misfire. "That means the industry has to look at long-term development. It's not about today's hits. It's about cultivating artists and it's also making the companies more stable. Today's hits tend to be things younger people are interested in. It's limiting the market. The 35-year-olds don't watch the same movie the 25-year-olds watch and the 45-year-olds don't listen to music the 15-year-olds listen to," he said.

He also pointed out that Korean music has become less diverse. "It's easy to blame SM Entertainment or JYP. But if people start buying good music and different kinds of music, the record companies will respond," he said.

It's interesting to examine pop culture through personal profiles, such as the TV drama industry through the career of heartthrob Lee Byung-hun, the story of how Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment produced BoA and Shinhwa and other profile stars and how internet file-sharing sites and services such as Soribada impacted the music industry and the manhwa culture.

"People find people stories and personal struggles interesting in terms of individual stories rather than the institutions ― Miky Lee from CJ Entertainment, Kang Je-gyu from blockbuster movies and Lee Soo-man rather than the music industry and Lee Byung-hun in the television industry in general and Sean Yang in Soribada," he said.

The book reveals not only the challenges of Korean pop culture but also triumphs and feats in entertainment and arts with poignant analysis and anecdotes to help the industry move in a better direction.

"The question for Korea is how will its entertainment industries respond to the new challenges and competition heading their way. Ten years is a long time to shine and doubtlessly as other entertainment industries around Asia grow and learn, they will compete more and more intensely with Korea. Contending with this rising competition may be difficult, but it is also healthy, pushing creators and creative industries in Korea and across Asia," he said.

Source

Comments

[xxtranscendence.livejournal.com]

...I'm gonna look for this book, hahaha~

[des-akazim.livejournal.com]

I can't help but think that while the hallyu wave sounded badass, it really hasn't done anything it promised, and isn't a position yet that it could.

[subpain.livejournal.com]

"Also, one of the most serious problems facing Korean pop culture is the lack of historical connection, Russell argued. People buy today's hit songs but they don't buy the hits of yesterday. They flood the movie theaters, but they don't watch films at the repertory cinemas or buy DVDs."

QFT.

[subpain.livejournal.com]

I would buy this book, but the cost for shipping from Amazon costs more than the book itself.

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

It seems to be fairly widely available, try some of your country's big online bookstores.

[avieyal.livejournal.com]

wicked find! I think i may need it.

[karatefeelings.livejournal.com]

Hmp..I've always been confused about the objectives of the Korean Wave. But, this is a different debate..

He also pointed out that Korean music has become less diverse.
uh...YES.

Anyway, interesting find! Pop culture analysis is always fun to read.

[fashionbang.livejournal.com]

I recommend Korean Pop Music - Riding the Wave edited by Keith Howard for anyone interested in hallyu/korean wave/whatever. it covers current things (like how the pop industry started/is going in korea) and the history leading up to it (there's an in depth chapter about seo taiji lol).

[ohlilu.livejournal.com]

thanks, bb. will definitely check it out, as well as this book. both seem like an interesting read.

[ohlilu.livejournal.com]

haha, maybe not. it's like 50 quid on amazon uk, wtf.

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Never mind you meant other book.

[ohlilu.livejournal.com]

thanks, bb. i bought it :) but i was referring to "korean pop music: riding the wave." can't find it at an affordable price anywhere - even on play it's £100

[fashionbang.livejournal.com]

i can poke around my comp. i didnt buy the book, my sister sent it to me as a pdf, so if i find it i can send it to you =P

[ic70492.livejournal.com]

rofl, passing by
would you mind sending it along to me as well?
it sounds pretty interesting :D

[fashionbang.livejournal.com]

links are posted in this thread for download~

[ohlilu.livejournal.com]

that would be awesome :D if you ever find it, let me know - email swapping shall commence!

[fashionbang.livejournal.com]

links posted in this thread!

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

Maybe if you uploaded it to sendspace or something and put a link here that would be good.

[fashionbang.livejournal.com]

uploaded and links posted ;)

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

ty bb

[fashionbang.livejournal.com]

found it.
alright here it is. sorry theres 4 links =P

http://www.sendspace.com/file/8qdjlz
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ns95yk
http://www.sendspace.com/file/f9f4um
http://www.sendspace.com/file/swvyly

I haven't quite read all of it yet, but i'd really like to know what you guys think. ;) be warned that it starts out pretty historical..

[ohlilu.livejournal.com]

freaking awesome, downloading now. ty, bb :)

[jem-aime.livejournal.com]

THANKS SO MUCH. :) I'LL BE DOING MY THESIS ON HALLYU.
YOU SAVED MY LIFE. YOU'RE AN ANGEL. :)

[fashionbang.livejournal.com]

thats awesome! what are you going to be writing about?

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

one of the most serious problems facing Korean pop culture is the lack of historical connection

lol oh and america is swimming with historical connection in their music and popculture every day? I guess I missed those pilgrims doing booty quakes up in those hip hop videos. Obviously if there is any historical connection k-land isnt picking up on it to emulate. And anyways south korea cant and shouldn't be stuck in the past like north korea. I have however seen dramas that reflect back on old korean stories and tales in a new way.

People buy today's hit songs but they don't buy the hits of yesterday.

booo fucking hooo. Even here people don't really buy music older than the 70's/60's in droves :\ Who gives a shit? and anyways today's hit songs become famous songs in time to the generation that listened to them.

The new part of Korean wave is the korean fashion. I think this article only looking at the obvious music and movies side of the coin.

But I think what the korean music scene needs is more real artists and for them to be exposed at top levels. To show that korea can have talent without 6 years of freaking training behind closed doors. lol Or do kids not have time to refine their talents because they are stuck inside studying for 12 hours a day?

[vanillacat.livejournal.com]

america is swimming with historical connection in their music and popculture every day

Uh, yes? Classic pop and rock stars are still borderline worshiped - Elvis, The Beatles (yes I know, they're actually British, but they have really strong ties to the U.S too), Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, R.E.M, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, even more recent acts like Blink-182, jazz musicians like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong... god, do I need to keep going? I know kids who regularly don't listen to anything newer than 1990. And as for historical connection... don't even get me started on Woodstock, for chrissake.

On the other hand, when I try to strike up conversations about Seo Taiji with 99% of the Koreans I've talked to, I'm met with wrinkled noses and "I don't listen to him, he's too old". The only exceptions I've come across are classic ballad singers like Lee Seung Gi - otherwise, the great majority of young Koreans I've talked to (and I've talked to a lot) only care about the here & now when it comes to music. I remember someone started singing "Tell Me" and her friend went "haha, Tell Me is sooo last year" and then starting singing "Nobody". I was like "... really?"

I think the rapid pace of k-pop can be attributed to the rapid pace of their country in general - remember, it was only a generation and a half ago that they even started modernizing and got a democracy. The Republic of Korea wasn't established until 1948. South Korea wasn't even admitted into the UN until 1991 - and now they have a South Korean, Ban Ki-Moon, as the Secretary General. Just my thoughts, though.

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

All of your historical connections are to music. Not the countries history or the people.

[epona.livejournal.com]

i don't think the author was referring to the country's history, sounds like he was talking about music.

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

Well, it tripped me up then. Because I dont usually hear people say "historical connection" when talking about older music. And people are always complaining about how korea doesnt show any of their personal culture in their popular music.

[vanillacat.livejournal.com]

precisely.

"Also, one of the most serious problems facing Korean pop culture is the lack of historical connection, Russell argued. People buy today's hit songs but they don't buy the hits of yesterday. They flood the movie theaters, but they don't watch films at the repertory cinemas or buy DVDs".

America's youths? there's a great market for old hits - "don't stop believin'" is still a favorite for my parents and for this generation - they played it at proms and other dances.

Of course there's connection to history & people when it comes to music - jazz was one factor of the Harlem Renaissance, a great era for African-American thought, and Woodstock and the accompanying counter-culture of "hippies" and anti-war protests went so far as influence foreign policy, essentially forcing Nixon to pull the U.S out of Vietnam. Bob Marley virtually inspired - or at least, certainly helped further, his own religion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafari).

I'm far from being intensely educated on Korean pop culture, but I do know that music did shape the United States and its people. I can't foresee "So Hot" and "Rainism" shaping much of anything.

[fashionbang.livejournal.com]

i'd sort of argue that it has a lot of historical connection, though probably not in the same way american music does.
i think a big part of it is that korea's government was involved with a lot of their music (whether it was censorship or propaganda-ish songs).

and (if you read that book i uploaded) it discusses korean pop music/wave being a great deal about selling an image/style just as much as selling the music (i think this is still really prominent in kpop today, when my roommate talks about korean groups she was into when she was younger it was always about 'that was they style then'). i'd also attribute this to the high turnover rate of artists and songs...

[cherise.livejournal.com]

That picture of BoA is only slightly ridiculous. Shiri was a fantastic movie and I remember watching a subbed version of Jewel in the Palace on TV ... the English translation was terrible. @.@

As for the article, it's very indecisive and it's hard to understand what the writer is trying to say. But, I think that hallyu is going to last as long as it does. Perhaps it isn't meant to stick around forever. Of course it would suck if it slowed down dramatically and disappeared, but part of its appeal is that people follow quite easily, and because of that they may let go much the same.

I for one am excited about the influence that Corea's pop culture has in Asia and the world, but all of my expectations are based on the hope that it might become something lasting. I'm not expecting it to stick around forever, in short. That seems realistic.

[onerainysunday.livejournal.com]

the hallyu wave is dead, and even at its peak its impact was largely exaggerated