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Final Reflection

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In South Korea, much of the pop culture the country engages in is K-pop and Korean Dramas. When I think of South Korea, these are the first two things that pop into my head. I have grown up watching Korean Dramas from time to time and I think they are well known and popular throughout the world. The entertainment sector in South Korea really started to become popular and gain followers because there were no overtly political subversive topics. I think it is interesting to point out that K-pop broke out in South Korea after 1997 and Korean Dramas started before that, but in the United States, people were not really aware of K-pop or did not get super into it until 2012 when Psy came out with his music video for Gangnam Style. I think K-pop is a great example of how the internet has really helped the spread of popular culture in one country land on a worldwide stage. Without the internet or YouTube, would Psy be as popular as he is globally? Would Gangnam Style have been a hit internationally? I do not think so. The internet greatly helped spread Psy’s music video. On YouTube, it has over 3 billion views. His popularity would not have spread to so many people if it had not been for the internet and it would not have spread as quickly. In class, we also talked about BTS and how they made their way to international fame. The most interesting thing about this group is that they rose to the top by going to schools who recruit kids to become K-pop stars. This form of popular culture is taken very seriously by the country. They have schools that raise people to become K-pop stars. This demonstrates how much pride and dedication there is to this form of entertainment in South Korea and how much the people really enjoy it. This is one way they keep K-pop growing and make sure it stays relevant. This same sort of upbringing of stars is true of Korean drama actors. Similarly to K-pop stars, Korean drama actors go to school from a young age to learn and practice.

I have personally been a fan of Korean Dramas for a long time. I grew up watching them in the summer when I would go visit my Aunt in Hawaii. I think what makes this so appealing is that it can be seen on many different platforms such as a DVD set, online, or on some tv channels. This makes it easily accessible to people globally. One thing that may make it difficult to view is that if you do not speak Korean, you would have to read the subtitles while watching and I find it hard to multitask. Typically, when I watch an American show, I can be on my phone and listen to what is happening, but when you do not understand the language and have to read subtitles, it takes a lot more concentration. This may mean it takes longer to watch this show that it would if it was in English. Being able to have the show translated into another language through subtitles does make it more appealing to a wider audience.

Something that has helped spread pop culture to make it no only popular in a country, but also across the world, is technology. Technology has really helped to facilitate the spread of pop culture by making it more easily accessible to people. YouTube can be watched on your phone so, people who are into K-pop can easily watch music videos wherever they are. Sites such as Vikki make it easy to access Korean dramas that you can watch on your phone or even stream it from your phone onto your tv.

 

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