The international sensation PSY and his 2012 record-breaking single “Gangnam Style” was many people’s first introduction to the world of Korean Pop Culture (K-Pop). This singular figure has created a very specific image of K-Pop—an image that Jackie Kim ’14 believes does not truly reflect the nature of the musical genre. Kim, a native of South Korea, sought to examine the origins of K-Pop and how modern stereotypes and misconceptions on the genre have contributed to what it is and how it is perceived today in her Global Scholars presentation: “Cultural Technology: Examining the Transnational Advance of Korean Pop Culture.” “I think people have a lot of certain stereotypes about K-Pop, so I wanted to expand that to see the development, where K-Pop originated and where it is going currently… I wanted to expose people to the behind the scenes of K-Pop-making, as well as the spread of it and the globalization of it,” said Kim. The music genre of K-Pop set roots in South Korea after the Korean War in 1953. Because American troops stayed in Korea after the war for protection, American products and culture, including the music industry, began to spread across Korea. K-Pop emerged from the cross between American and Korean culture, according to Kim. In the 1990s K-Pop saw a major turning point with the group Seo Taiji and the Boys, who incorporated American popular music styles like rap into their music, and became very popular to teens, starting a trend of music groups across the country. Though these were not the first K-Pop groups, they were incredibly successful. They became known as “Idol Groups,” because teens would idolize the group members, said Kim. K-Pop soon began to spread, so much that the Chinese gave it the term “Hallyu,” or means Korean Wave, because it was becoming so popular in China and Southeast Asia, said Kim. The K-Pop movement faced opposition and ridicule, however, even being voted one of the “Top 10 Most Embarrassing Trends in the Nation” in Vietnam. “I have always been really interested in music, I am part of the orchestra here as well, and I really enjoy listening to K-Pop. And as an International Club board member, I really enjoy multiculturalism as well as music, so combining both, I thought, would be a really cool idea,” Kim said. Kim’s presentation was part of Korean Awareness Week and the Global Scholars program, a summer research opportunity through CAMD.
