![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
ashiva.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
omonatheydidAnother round has begun in the K-Pop/Korean Wave debate. The “idol” training system is once again appearing alongside the achievements of the so-called "post-Korean Wave" as a problematic topic of discussion. As is well known, K-Pop, as represented by “idols,” is the product of a very particular star system. Most characteristic of this is an education and training system that has been referred to as the “apprenticeship system” or “academy.” Based on this system, entertainment companies have overseen and controlled all areas and processes from planning and production to management. This bears a connection with the immense and complex organizations that companies have become compared to the past, as well as their adoption of a “one source, multi-use” strategy.
As a result, the training subjects have expanded and differentiated over time. In addition to singing and dancing, language studies have become an essential, along with personal skills such as acting talent and an entertainment sense, and adjustment of physical appearance. Apprentices are selected at a young age and subjected to a long and arduous training process.
The recent pop music produced by idols, which many have said represents an evolution, was born out of this process. The diverse array of images seen in pop groups and their dynamic and coordinated dancing are things that were manufactured this way. The creation of brands for the different entertainment companies and, further, the development of a “made in Korea” Asian pop with a meaning beyond that of popular domestic music also owe a debt to this system.
But as the training and development system has become more thorough and systematized, it has taken on a negative sense. Criticisms of the coordination and management of even the creative aspects, and of the mass production of uniform music, are nothing new. In addition, increased investment in entertainment companies has led to the firm establishment of a system designed to recoup as much of it as possible within a short period of time. As a result, apprentices have to go through a lot of efforts even after making their debut, and they have to remain as “exclusive property” for a long period of time. The unfair contract practices between companies and individuals, and the inappropriate compensation systems, will continue to be the topic of discussion in the days ahead, and they will also create a dilemma in terms of overseas expansion when compared to the current situation in the West.
But this emerged from a process of the idol star system becoming incorporated into the logic of capital and industry. This also bears connection with an economic and social structure in South Korea that demands excessively intense labor and fails to compensate it appropriately. It offers an unvarnished picture of a capitalist society that emphasizes extreme competition. It would not be strange to describe the myth of the overseas expansion of K-Pop as homologous to the Korean-style industry structure in which companies are compelled to emphasize exporting. In this sense, the system may be a cultural version of the “myth of economic growth,” which sought to integrate the work force and overcome other problems with the “fantasy of dedication and effort” and the “diligence ideology.” Such a star system becomes a double-edged sword.
The views presented in this column are the writer’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Hankyoreh.
Source: Choi Ji-seon (music critic) @ The Hankyoreh
As a result, the training subjects have expanded and differentiated over time. In addition to singing and dancing, language studies have become an essential, along with personal skills such as acting talent and an entertainment sense, and adjustment of physical appearance. Apprentices are selected at a young age and subjected to a long and arduous training process.
The recent pop music produced by idols, which many have said represents an evolution, was born out of this process. The diverse array of images seen in pop groups and their dynamic and coordinated dancing are things that were manufactured this way. The creation of brands for the different entertainment companies and, further, the development of a “made in Korea” Asian pop with a meaning beyond that of popular domestic music also owe a debt to this system.
But as the training and development system has become more thorough and systematized, it has taken on a negative sense. Criticisms of the coordination and management of even the creative aspects, and of the mass production of uniform music, are nothing new. In addition, increased investment in entertainment companies has led to the firm establishment of a system designed to recoup as much of it as possible within a short period of time. As a result, apprentices have to go through a lot of efforts even after making their debut, and they have to remain as “exclusive property” for a long period of time. The unfair contract practices between companies and individuals, and the inappropriate compensation systems, will continue to be the topic of discussion in the days ahead, and they will also create a dilemma in terms of overseas expansion when compared to the current situation in the West.
But this emerged from a process of the idol star system becoming incorporated into the logic of capital and industry. This also bears connection with an economic and social structure in South Korea that demands excessively intense labor and fails to compensate it appropriately. It offers an unvarnished picture of a capitalist society that emphasizes extreme competition. It would not be strange to describe the myth of the overseas expansion of K-Pop as homologous to the Korean-style industry structure in which companies are compelled to emphasize exporting. In this sense, the system may be a cultural version of the “myth of economic growth,” which sought to integrate the work force and overcome other problems with the “fantasy of dedication and effort” and the “diligence ideology.” Such a star system becomes a double-edged sword.
The views presented in this column are the writer’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Hankyoreh.
Source: Choi Ji-seon (music critic) @ The Hankyoreh
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 01:48 pm (UTC)aka, SURGERIEZZZZ! :D
For all the tl;dr crowd: Kpop is now a factory farm.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-19 08:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 02:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 01:54 pm (UTC)i don't like how they are called 'exclusive property' ugh.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 02:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 03:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 03:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 04:34 pm (UTC)This basically. All your dedication is just propaganda to earn the cash back to the slave farm.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 08:49 pm (UTC)