Korea - Coping with K-Pop

Does K-Pop have any future? 

Korea Tourism Organization's K-Pop Hall of Fame (K-Star Gallery)

For those who may think that K-Pop is a new brand of cereals, let me clarify that K-Pop is actually the abbreviation of Korean Pop, or Korean popular music. To be more precise, K-Pop is a “made in Korea” version of pop music, though it may also be qualified as Korean branded popular music. 

K-Pop is one of the variations of Hallyu (or Korean wave), a cultural phenomenon that started in the 90s with the spreading of the Korean dramas, now renamed K-dramas, in Asia first, then in the Middle East and Latin America and reportedly "almost" everywhere in the world. Building on that success, the first boys / girls bands worth a mention started to show their baby faces in the mid-90s. However, the international recognition of K-Pop came very recently, through the spreading of the social network services (our little big brothers Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.). 

Same as above picture

In December 2011, YouTube opened an official music channel especially for K-Pop (check it here), marking the first time a YouTube channel is dedicated to a country’s music and not a specific musical genre. K-Pop is described there as a “musical genre consisting of dance, electronic, electropop, hip hop, and R&B music originating in South Korea”. I understand that this decision may have been taken to satisfy the growing K-Pop fandom even if I find it a little bit unfair, as many other countries could legitimately claim the same treatment. If geographic indications were to be applied to the music industry, K-Pop would have to deal with several solid competitors, as long as they are willing to mobilize the same resources and show the same persuasiveness as Korea. 

Anyway, let’s not react too fast as K-Pop could be disappear as swiftly as it has invaded the global cultural landscape, since it mostly targets a young audience characterized by a tendency to get bored easily and a promptness to be lured by any novelty. But then again, K-Pop is like ketchup: kids and teenagers are addicted to it because it is bright, funny, colourful and sweet ... and it makes anything edible and less miserable. As they grow up, their tasting buds may be more selective ... or they may just keep addicted and convert their own kids. 

Now I must confess I am not a big fan of K-Pop, though it does mean I do not like it. Out of curiosity, I have spent a whole evening watching K-Pop videos on YouTube and I really found them entertaining if not soothing. But if I had to bring only one single kind of music on a desert island, K-Pop would not be my first choice. Otherwise, I would probably die of boredom. This may be a sign that I am no longer a teenager (not that I need any confirmation). 

Having said that, I can perfectly understand why K-Pop groups are so attractive since they are actually reflecting many positive traits of the South Korean society: discipline, diligence, team spirit, determination, harmony (or rather homogeneity), energy, respect for the elders and the hierarchy, straightforwardness, etc. And unlike many Western stars, K-Pop artists are usually well-behaved and multi-talented, not to mention the fact that they are supposed to stay away from drugs. Additionnally, their songs are not depressing or shocking. Conversely, members of K-Pop groups are often illustrating the fierceness of the Korean society and are not exempt from extreme working hours and rather low salaries, unfair contracts, brutal competition, bullying, depression, etc. as shown in BBC News’ article The dark side of South Korean Pop music. 

Another peculiarity of K-Pop is the beauty of the boys and girls band members, one of the key factors of their successes. As a resident of Seoul, I find it almost normal that nearly all young South-Korean aged from 18 to 30 years are pretty, skinny, well-dressed (overdressed) … and always trying to catch a glimpse of themselves in any reflecting surface. However, they tend to look all the same since the Korean beauty is getting less and less natural. Sometimes I feel like I am living in a giant Barbie factory … I have also noticed that many Koreans teenagers had nothing in common with their young stars, until their mothers decide to bring them to Apgujeong or Gangnam districts, where a nice doctor will make them acceptable. 

The fact that K-Pop stars have a real bond with their fans and that they have suffered to achieve success also contributes to their popularity, making them accessible role models. Yes, they are cultural creatures but they show us that we can all do better, in this world of crises and uncertainties. 

But what makes K-Pop music a genuine South Korean cultural product, outside the fact it starts with a K? 

In fact, anything starting with the letter K has great chances to be related to Hallyu these days, and not only kimchi. As written in the article All eyes turn to Korean culture in London of Korea.net (available online and offline), “To date, Korean culture has mostly garnered international recognition for its music (K-Pop music) and televisions dramas (K-dramas). To introduce and spread interest in diverse aspects of Korean culture and arts, the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) and KCCUK have organized programs under the categories of K-Arts, K-Music, K-Classics, K-Literature, K-Film, K-Fashion, K-Lecture, K-Food, and K-Culture.” Even the Korea lol (laughing out loud) is : kkk

First, most K-Pop songs are in Korean, sometimes with English and Konglish (Korean English) touches, though they may be translated in order to reach wider audiences. As a consequence a growing K-Pop fandom is willing to travel to Korea and/or to learn Korean in order to understand what their idols say, which should not be too difficult. Secondly, all K-Pop artists are Korean although they tend to (or they are requested to) do everything to look less Korean, mainly through heavy nose, eyes, lips, hips, hair etc. jobs. 

Though I am quite skeptical about the future of-Pop, I have to admit it has completely fulfilled its mission of raising South Korea’s global standing. As a cultural emanation of the nation branding strategy, K-Pop has undoubtedly contributed to the consolidation of the Korean cultural pride and identity, locally and internationally. Plus, K-Pop is a really lucrative business. According to Korea Herald's article Cultural exports draw $800 million in 2011), “The culture industry generated a total of 890 billion won ($793 million) from the Korean Wave or hallyu in 2011, the highest overseas profit since the central bank started collecting related data in 1980. The industry generated no revenue from selling cultural content abroad up until 1996.” 

Not surprisingly, South Korea takes K-Pop very seriously, not only as a profitable industry but also as a tool for cultural diplomacy. Though the music industry itself does generates a lot of profit, many jobs and revenues are generated through K-Pop-related tourism, as explained in CNNGo’s article Harnessing K-Pop for tourism, not to mention medical tourism when it comes to plastic surgery. 

Another factor contributing to the global spreading of K-Pop is the active role played by the South Korea government in promoting this  Hallyu sub-product, the President itself relying on K-Pop stars to bolster bilateral relations with other nations, such as Turkey (also read the article John Park named goodwill ambassador for poverty reduction.) 

So, the good thing is that South Koreans are increasingly taking ownership of their culture (preferably the modern one) while they may have displayed some shyness or even shame in the past, as far as their cultural heritage is concerned. The less good thing may be a potential K-Pop overdose for everybody: overexposure, overexploitation, overconfidence, overuse of the K-letter etc. 

In fact, my main concern is that both the K-Pop stars and their fans are getting old and while the Korean society is also ageing fast, it seems difficult to keep the wave sweeping if nobody takes over. This may be the reason why K-Pop managers are now recruiting abroad  I am also concerned by the diminution of interest for the Korean traditional culture, probably less accessible for the K-Pop public and also less “bankable”.  As the wise man says ... Culture is like jam: the less you have, the more you spread it. 

On a final note, the recent overhelming success of the K-Pop singer PSY, "Gangnam Style", shows us that K-Pop is not immune to "second degré" (some kind of French humour), which in my opinion can be considered as a sign of maturity.
Read this to know more about Psy's hidden message :
Gangnam Style, Dissected: The Subversive Message Within South Korea's Music Video Sensation

I have written this article as a submission to be part of the Team Florens at the Florens 2012 Cultural Environmental Heritage Week (Nov. 3-11, 2012), and I would Like to encourage all of you to do the same!

My purpose here was to bring a personal perspective on the themes "Economy through culture" and "Developping and promoting cultural identity through creative industries", trough this article about K-Pop. Please kindly note that I am not a K-Pop expert (and not an enemy either) so any comments and kind critics are mostly welcome. 

Cultural production is the fil rouge for Florens 2012, in addition to themes like identity, cultural heritage and competition. The Forum’s case-studies and lectio magistralis will provide ample opportunity to delve into research regarding these themes, showcasing a unified vision for cultural heritage that includes everything from landscape and historical archives to food and wine, craftsmanship, archeology, fashion, agriculture and design. Historical, social and artistic aspects will be connected, interpreted and revealed under the auspices of culture, while being indissolubly and bi-univocally linked to the economic/productive sector. 

To know more about the event check the link www.fondazioneflorens.it