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Beyond The K 1

Beyond The K: The Effect of the Korean Wave on International Interactions

Maria Pham

Glen Allen High School


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Abstract

This review discusses the research and observations of the Korean, or Hallyu, Wave

within and outside South Korea. South Koreas national history is examined, beginning with

Japanese colonialism of the nation into the second half of the twentieth century, in order to

explain the conception of the major exportation of South Korean popular culture. Besides the

reason of the Asian financial crisis of 1997, many researchers have studied South Koreas desire

to use popular culture as a major source of income. Following is an exploration into Koreas

strategic soft power and how this soft power influences international relations between South

Korea and neighboring nations, as well as an analysis of relations with the United States. The

conclusion also suggests areas of further research in which other countries may imitate the

success of South Koreas international influence through soft power.

Introduction

The United States has, for decades, been recognized as a cultural center that attracts

foreigners, but with the rise of South Koreas Korean, or Hallyu, Wave, the East Asian nation has

become a contender for such a title. Therefore, not only has the United States historically

influenced foreign nations through governmental structure, but also to what extent a nation is

impacted by its entertainment industry. This paper seeks to examine the effects, or lack thereof,

of South Koreas Hallyu Wave on international interactions between South Korea and foreign

nations, particularly Asian neighbors and the United States. Much research has been completed

into South Koreas extensive soft power efforts, especially through large entertainment

companies who specialize in putting out idol stars and actors. These artists of South Koreas

own genres of pop music, K-Pop, and soap operas, K-Dramas, have been key components behind

the ever-increasing influences of South Korean soft power. Through this examination, the history
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of the phenomenon that is South Korean (or hereby known as simply Korean) pop culture helps

explain the development of the culture waves influence on foreign nations, and the paper also

examines the historical and current diplomatic, social, and economic impacts, particularly

through the concept of soft power.

South Koreas National History and Its Impacts on the Korean Wave

Since experiencing Japanese colonial imperialism in the early 1900s and U.S. military

administration from 1945 to 1948, Korea has turned the tables and taken charge of their cultural

exports by exporting their own media. Joanna Elfving-Hwang in 2013 cites the Asian financial

crisis of 1997 as one of the drivers behind the exportation of Korean popular culture, where it

was not driven by the governments desire to promote a certain image of South Korea

especially given the singular merging of the two Koreasbut rather grew out of the necessity

to explore new export markets. After South Korea experience[ed] colonial domination, war,

and rapid economic growth all within the same century, and struggled to cope with a

compressed period of modernization, they sought to create not only a new image, but also new

markets in which to conceive a sustainable source of income (Cho, 2005). Furthermore,

nationalistic sentiments coursed through South Korea in a large effort to ensure that the country

would join[ed] the ranks of advanced nations, especially in the early 2000s when the Korean,

or Hallyu, Wave first began appearing in outside nations media outlets. Since the turn of the

century, the South Korean government has ridden this wave at full force to guarantee long-term

economic and social success through this form of soft power.

South Korea: A Prime Example of Soft Power


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Hans Tuch defines public diplomacy as a governments process of communicating with

foreign publics in an attempt to bring about an understanding for [the] nations ideas and ideals,

its institutions and culture, as well as its national goals and current policies (as cited by Elfving-

Hwang, 2013, p. 15). Soft power, a form of public diplomacy, can be defined as cultivating

popularity and influence in the international community through the spread of culture and ideas.

Given South Koreas rough history with neighboring nations such as China and Japan,

Steven Kim (2016) in The National Interest asserts the importance of Koreas actions to

increase their soft power, but even surpass the hard power of larger nations such as China.

With powerful Asian neighborslike China, Japan, and Taiwanemulating the Korean Wave in

hopes of reaping the same diplomatic benefits, South Korea should be considered a contender

against the United States for its strategic use of popular culture (Kim, S., 2016). South Korea

leads by example in their thoroughly strategic entertainment industry, from government

involvement to sprawling entertainment companies who cultivate stars.

Furthermore, Jin (2012) argues that since the turn of the century, a new Hallyu Wave

follows the older one in which the development of digital technologies and social media have

initiated and supported the popularity of local culture in many countries. By generating the

Korean Wave through digital technology, soft power spreads easier because the entertainment is

not only more readily available, but cheaper. Through the boom of technology and Korean

culture conventions around the world, Koreas soft power has proved to be a genuine political

issue because other countries must now consider the ability for creators to thrive, particularly

if the government chooses to use popular culture to influence consumers (Trunfio, n.d.). Similar

to Trunfios argument, Steven Kim (2016) emphasizes the need for other nations to allow citizens

the ability tofreely use their creative talents to develop innovative cultural content that can
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appeal to a global audience if a nation hopes to achieve diplomatic success through soft power.

Although hard power strengthens large nations such as China and the United States, South Korea

proves that soft power, appealing through culture, can exceed military might.

Conclusion

The Hallyu Waves success overseas lies partially with the South Korean cultural values

rooted in Buddhism and Confucianism, which are easily relatable due to the close proximity of

other Asian nations. It seems that Asian citizens buy into the popularity rather than the

dominance of American culture because of historically aggressive military and soft power

influences of the United States (Trunfio, n.d.). Nations like China, Japan, and Taiwan follow

suit not just because of similar values but also similar government structures, albeit except for

China. Also, by mentioning that the South Korean government has invested millions into culture

as a potential chief export, it is shown how the government plays a major role in cultural

diplomacy. Even without the hard power of military might, smaller nations can hope to make an

impact internationally by imitating the example of South Koreas soft power. The soft power of

the Korean Wave positively influences the international relations between South Korea and

neighboring Asian nations and the United States through South Koreas strategic spreading of its

popular culture.

References

Cho, H.J (2005). Reading the Korean wave as a sign of global shift. Korea Journal, 45, 147-

182.

Elfving-Hwang, J. (2013). South Korean cultural diplomacy and brokering K-culture outside

Asia. Korean Histories, 4, 14-26.


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Jin, D.Y. (2012). Hallyu 2.0: The new Korean wave in the creative industry. II Journal, 2, 3-7.

Kim, S. (2016). Koreas cultural juggernaut is a soft-power strategy worth copying. Retrieved

from http://nationalinterest.org/feature/koreas-cultural-juggernaut-soft-power-strategy-

worth-copying-17246.

Trunfio, M. (n.d.). Hallyu and soft power: The impact of the Korean wave. Retrieved from

Academia: https://www.academia.edu/13645031/ Hallyu_and_Soft_ Power_ The_

Impact_of_the_Korean_Wave.

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