Transnational Proximity and Influences of K-Pop Culture on the Western World
Disciplines
Korean Studies | Other Film and Media Studies | Visual Studies
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The phenomenon, known as the “Korean Wave” or “Hallyu Wave”, has been now more impactful than in previous decades because of today’s globalization. K-pop culture has not only influenced the Western world but has also transformed South Korean culture itself by changing how Koreans approach the Western world. Through Korean TV series and films, this research explores how Korean pop culture has evolved and how its interaction with Western culture - more specifically with American culture - has influenced it. Through visual discourse analysis, this research analyzed chosen scenes of the films and aimed to understand the transnational proximity and influences of Korean pop culture on Western culture. The findings indicated that Korean local popular culture attracted global audiences while sharing common understandings through transnational proximity. The chosen Korean media included social and political issues and messages such as social classes, capitalism, single-parent families, and underprivileged people’s lives, which are common in Western countries. Thus, this research suggests that despite the fact that K-pop culture does not demonstrate a strong cultural proximity with the Western culture, Korean local popular culture still has an impact on global audiences from Western countries. This research will discuss the future implications of using transnational proximity and K-pop culture to understand the popularity of Korean media among young generations from Western countries.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Foreign Languages
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Jee Hye Park
Transnational Proximity and Influences of K-Pop Culture on the Western World
The phenomenon, known as the “Korean Wave” or “Hallyu Wave”, has been now more impactful than in previous decades because of today’s globalization. K-pop culture has not only influenced the Western world but has also transformed South Korean culture itself by changing how Koreans approach the Western world. Through Korean TV series and films, this research explores how Korean pop culture has evolved and how its interaction with Western culture - more specifically with American culture - has influenced it. Through visual discourse analysis, this research analyzed chosen scenes of the films and aimed to understand the transnational proximity and influences of Korean pop culture on Western culture. The findings indicated that Korean local popular culture attracted global audiences while sharing common understandings through transnational proximity. The chosen Korean media included social and political issues and messages such as social classes, capitalism, single-parent families, and underprivileged people’s lives, which are common in Western countries. Thus, this research suggests that despite the fact that K-pop culture does not demonstrate a strong cultural proximity with the Western culture, Korean local popular culture still has an impact on global audiences from Western countries. This research will discuss the future implications of using transnational proximity and K-pop culture to understand the popularity of Korean media among young generations from Western countries.