Final Reflection
Television proved to be an important part of the initial Korean Wave. Plots revolving around education, mental health, and friendship strongly correlate with the values of Korean Society. Winter Sonata, a South Korean television drama series, clearly relates hard-work, ambition, and economic success, yet beyond this, appeals to middle-class conflicts that audiences can become invested in. The South Korean government realized how valuable this asset could be to their global recognition and economic prosperity. In the article Catching up to Hallyu?, authors describe the implementation of the Basic Law of Culture Industry (1999), Culture and Content Agency (2001), and the Online Digital Contents Industry Development Act (2002) displaying South Korea’s possessive investment in popular culture. The success of transnationalism is demonstrated by the upsurge of tourism, enthusiasm towards South Korean television, and the recreation of analogous television shows in several East Asian countries. However, the harmony of the Korean Wave would not have been attained without the popularity of k-pop music.
The form of Korean pop music has a wide embrace because of the relative ease and convenience of downloading music, in addition to the utilization of internet transmission. Placing K-pop at the forefront of the second Korean Wave and complimenting it with social media and internet presence was an ingenious way for South Korea to further their global reach and strengthen soft power. The beloved k-pop group, BTS, takes advantage of YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to create a broadly accessible network for fan consumption across the map. These social media outlets give the opportunity to further glorify South Korean culture by giving backstage access to the lives of its most prominent artists. Similarly, to South Korean television, K-pop is conscious of the culture that it shares. Despite, its influence from hip-hop and electronic dance music, the messages discussed within their music abandon the negative motifs associated with these genres and instead reinforce South Korea’s admirable culture. Even though the Korean Wave is directly associated with soft power and the export of culture, it can also induce hard power through economic means.
The article Catching up to Hallyu? refers to the Korean Wave as a “postmodern convergence of economics, culture, and soft power”. The interrelatedness of television, music, internet, state actors, and private actors, construct the Korean Wave as a transnational phenomenon and establishment of soft power for South Korea. The relationship between the Korean Wave and South Korea as a nation can be described as bidirectional. In one instance the popularity of the multiple media facets presented in the Korean Wave increase South Korean soft power and economic power, whereas in another precedent, the resources provided by the South Korean government and institutions advance the dispersion of the Korean Wave. This intricate relationship binds transnationalism and nationalism, forming a cohesive agent of overall accomplishment for the country and people of South Korea.