The Advent of the Korean Wave: The social and cultural effects of Korean popular music

and its marketing influences on young Asian teenagers

Introduction
The increase in fascination of the South Korean popular culture products, popularly known as the
Korean Wave or Hallyu (pronounced han-ryu), paved the way for the rising interest for Korean
popular music (K-pop) in South East Asia and North America. Although the Korean Wave
mainly consists of both Korean dramas and K-pop, K-pop resonates specifically well with
[young Asian teenagers] because it created a unique blend of Asian and Western sensibilities
(Reynolds, 2014). K-pop seamlessly embeds itself within the youth culture as it is common to
see members of the Korean tribe of Koreanophiles sporting Seouls fashion from Beijing to
Hanoi (Shim, 2006). There are concerns that the alluring nature of Korean pop stars can lead to a
hedonistic lifestyle for many young Asian teenagers (Cho, 2005). In the following section, I will
give a background overview of the Korean Wave follow by summary of the precedent studies
from previous researchers.

Background
In this proposal and future papers, I will use the term Hallyu and the Korean Wave
interchangeably as both have the same meaning. Hallyu is a Korean cultural production that
comprises of all things Korea such as music, sports, foods, and tourism. However, the forefront
of Hallyu is Korean dramas and K-Pop as these two popular cultural products act as a catalyst to
further promote other Korean popular culture products (Lee, 2011). The Korean Wave contains
two waves which are identified in the following paragraphs.
The first initial wave, or rather the accidental wave, hit China, Taiwan, and Japan with its three
drama series; Dae Jang Geum, Fire Works, and Winter Sonata respectively (Yang, 2012).
These drama series, especially Winter Sonata, was popular enough to ignite an outburst of
popularity of Korean popular culture products in late 1990s and early 2000s in Asia, mainly
Japan. The popularity of Winter Sonata in Japan resulted in a two billion US dollars effect in
cultural exportation, which largely included tourism to Korea (Shim, 2006). The exportation of
Korean dramas to other East Asian countries is viewed as an accidental wave because the spills
over effects were beyond what was originally intended. Traditionally, Korea was not a cultural
powerhouse and it was more concerned with fending off cultural domination from China and
Japan (Ryoo, 2009).
The second wave, the planned wave, resulted in K-pop as Korean boy and girl bands making
headlines in Eastern and Southern Asia, Europe and the United States (Choi, 2011). In the first
half of 2012, the K-pop industry grossed nearly 3.4 billion US dollars (Reynolds, 2014). The
spreading of K-pop globally is seen as a planned wave because of the market researches and
rigorous training process employed by Korean entertainment agencies (Leung, 2012; Shim,
2006; Tuk, 2012). This wave is the main contributor for the longevity of Hallyu as K-pop is the
most popular Korean product in Asia. A survey about Hallyu from the Korea Culture and
Information Service (2011) showed that 55 percent of 12,000 non-Korean respondents from 102

different countries are interested in Korean music. In addition, Hallyu mostly attract female fans
as the survey also showed that 90 percent of people who enjoy Korean cultural product are
women. The surges from Hallyu and these two Korean popular culture products can be traced
back to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the Korean Governments effort to recover from the
economic crisis as explained in the next paragraph.
The 1997 economic meltdown first erupted in Thailand, but the three countries that were affected
the most were Indonesia, Thailand, and South Korea (IMF, 2013). Because of this, there was
enormous pressure from the superpowers and the international financial organizations such as the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) for countries in
Asia to open up their cultural market for foreign importations. The influx of foreign cultural
products such as Hollywood movies led to heavy competition among the cultural industry in
Korea (Tuk, 2012). In an effort to save their cultural industry, the Korean broadcasting industry
formulated the mantra of Learning from Hollywood and emulated America media system
(Shim, 2006). Furthermore, the Korean government also initiated the media liberalization
process, which eased the restrictions on Japanese culture products and allow the Korean
broadcasting industry to have more freedom (B. M. Kim, 2011). This resulted in hybridity within
the Korean popular culture products, which is one of the many factors of Hallyu identified by
scholars in the precedent studies.
Precedent Studies
The rising interest in Hallyu also drew the attention of many scholars. However, most precedent
studies are of Korean origin, most notably Shim (2006), Kim & Ryoo (2007), and Lee (2011).
Yang (2012) mentioned in her paper that that previous studies of the Korean Wave can be
grouped into four broad fields. These are summarised as follow. In the first field, the majority of
researchers looked into the background and the development of Hallyu. The second field
attempted to explain the success of the Korean Wave and looks into the interpretation of Hallyu
from the recipient countries. The third field is concerned with the globalization and the economic
effect such as the booming of Korea tourism and the increase in sales of Hallyu related product
from the Korean Wave over sea. The last field focuses on the cultural effect and the changing
images of Korean people where Hallyu has made an impact.
This first identified success factor of Hallyu in East Asia is cultural proximity (Suh, Cho, &
Kwon, 2000). This theory refers to the low cultural barriers between Korea and the rest of Asia
(Kim & Ryoo, 2007). Korean popular culture products, specifically Korean dramas, are
embedded with Confucian beliefs as Korean dramas typically deal with family issues, love, and
filial piety in an age of changing technology (Lee, 2011). The second factor is hybridity.
Hybridity theory in Korean popular culture was introduced by Dooboo Shim (2006) and it is the
notion of the blending between Eastern and Western culture. The concept of hybrid culture is
seen in both Korean dramas and K-pop, but it is more visible through K-pop as the sound of Kpop is adjusted to make it more appealing to foreign audiences (Shim, 2011). The third attribute
is Asian modernity. Iwabuchi (2002) uses the term Asian modernity to explain the popularity of
Asian popular culture in Japan since the 1990s. In the context of the Korean Wave, young
teenagers use Korean pop music as an outlet to express their desire because they are fascinated
by the sophisticated appearance and stylish dance moves of young Korean singers (Cho, 2005).

The last element of the Korean Wave involves the new social sharing websites such as YouTube,
FaceBook, and Weibo. These social sharing websites allow K-pop bands to reach a wider
audience and those same fans are turning to the same social networking tools to proclaim their
devotion (Choe & Russel, 2012). In this regard, the internet has allowed K-pop to enter directly
into the teenagers bedroom.
The researchers in the third area of the Korean Wave studies are concerned with the cultural and
economic imperialism resulting from the exportation of the Korean popular cultural products
overseas (Huang, 2009; Ryoo, 2009). This approach views East Asia as the most profitable
market for the Korean Wave (Y. Cho, 2011). This is clear given the greatest fan density is in
Asia. A report from the Samsung Research Institute showed that number of YouTube views for
K-pop music videos reached over 1.6 billion as of 2011. The popularity of Korean Wave may
have to a new form of economic imperialism, in that the benefits, mainly profits, are brought
back to Korea after their popular culture is exported to other countries (Huang, 2009). Parents
are concerned that the consumption of Korean popular culture products can promote a luxurious
and hedonistic lifestyle among the young teenagers (Cho, 2005). This lifestyle ranges from the
purchase of Hallyu related products through adopting the lifestyle of Korean pop stars. AS
exemplified in an online Vietnamese newspaper, a mother who has a K-pop fan daughter
revealed that her daughter threatened to quit school if she could not score a concert ticket to see
her favourite K-pop band (Nguyen, 2012). In addition, it is common to see young members of a
Korea Tribe or Koreanophiles sporting their interpretation of fashion from Seoul from Beijing
to Hanoi (Shim, 2006).

Theoretical framework
There are four stages of Hallyu designed by Samsung Research Institute; Popularity of Korean
popular culture, purchase of Korean popular cultural products, purchase of other Korea products,
and favourable impression of Korea (See Table 1). The first state involves countries that can
import Korean dramas and popular music such as the Philippines. In the second state, the
popularity of Hallyu helps increase the purchase of K-pop record, drama and movies DVDs. This
lead to purchases of other Korean products such as tourism, which is the third state. In the last
state, countries that imported Hallyu will get a favourable image of Korea. Stage 1 and 2 are
mostly relevant for Korean music and broadcasting industry. Stage 3 is important for Korean
companies that export their product overseas such as Samsung and Hyundai. Stage 4 will benefit
Korean government greatly as the Korean Wave can be used as national branding for Korea.

Table 1. Stages of Hallyu

Stages of Hallyu
1. 1. Popularity of Korean
popular culture
2. 2. Purchase of Korean popular
culture products

3. 3. Purchase of other Korean

products

4. 4. Favorable impression of
Korea

Explanation
Korean dramas, movies, and
K-pop become popular outside
of Korea. Other countries start
broadcasting Korean dramas
Beside broadcasting Korean
dramas, movies ticket sales
and DVD sales start rising.
Also foreigners start buying
K-pop records and attend
concerts.
Hallyu inspires countries to
buy Korean products related to
the Korean popular culture
such as food, Korean
language, plastic surgery and
tourism.
Other countries get a new
positive impression of South
Korea lifestyle and culture.

Countries and region

Philippines, Malaysia, Russia,
Uzbekistan, United States,
South America, Europe and
Africa
Thailand, Indonesia,
Singapore, Brazil, Iran

China, Hong Kong, Japan

Taiwan

Stages of Hallyu. Taken from The role of the government in cultural industry. Some Observation from Koreas
experience, by M. Kim, 2011, Keio Communication Review, 22, p.167. Copyright 2011 by Keio University

Significance of the Research

The ethnic boundaries around the globe have become less clearly defined and consumers of
popular culture, members of the digital generation, are familiar with transnational and hybrid
culture product through the digital world (Jung, 2009). The demand for K-pop is rising as there
are approximately 830 fan clubs worldwide with over 6 million members (Park, 2012). On the
supply side, Korean entertainment companies also invest a lot of time and capital in producing
talents (Tuk, 2012). The Hallyu phenomenon has led to new calls for research about the Korean
Wave. While there are several scientific studies and academic literature on apparent success of
Hallyu, most are of Korean origin. These studies look into the historical background and
emphasize the success of Hallyu (Hanaki, Singhal, & Chitnis, 2007; Kim & Ryoo, 2007; Lee,
2011; Shim, 2006). There are also studies that have critiqued Hallyu, some calling the
phenomenon, as a commodity for profit (Cho, 2005; Ryoo, 2009).
Hallyu is a mass consumption, rather than a high consumption products and movement. It is
designed to target a wide range of audiences of different demographics and psychographics.
Even in the realm of K-pop, bands are created in order to satisfy different target markets.
Prominent examples include Girls Generation and 2NE1. Girls Generation were created from
the male fantasy of long legs and short skirts while 2NE1 are born from the act of rebellion from
female youth with their feisty and independent style (Epstein & Turnbull, 2014). These pop stars
are the core of Hallyu and yet there are little studies done about them. Those that are only focus
on the success of K-pop and overlook the marketing effect on young teenagers. In this study, I

hope to shed some light onto the Hallyu phenomenon among the young Asian teenagers and to
encourage future researches on the marketing impact of Hallyu in the affected nations.

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