So when did all this hoopla happen around Korea? Why are we even aware of Kpop & Kdramas? Well...that's an interesting story.
Apparently during the late 20th Century the Korean Government looked around & noticed powerful China to their west and powerful Japan to their east and brainstormed how to become a 'world player.' The South Korean government decided one way to gain strength was through the use of 'soft power.' That is a term that refer to things like music, movies, tv, performing arts....cultural things. And boy have they succeeded!
Korea intentionally focused outwards; they wanted to provide entertainment to the rest of Asia; western countries would be icing on the cake if they could succeed there as well. They focused money and established government agencies to help in this area. As an example, for a period of time they required their movie theaters to screen Korean movies....not just 100% movies from Hollywood. They provided financial support to the entertainment industry, the established strong tourism departments, and generally tried to encourage the spread of all cultural Korean concepts. Thus, by the early 2000s we began to see Kpop and Kdramas become established throughout the world. The song, Gangnam Style, was a huge hit and was the first music video to ever hit a billion views. Korean culture has continued to expand.... 2020's Best Picture at the Academy Awards was a Korean film, Parasite. In 2021, the Kpop group, BTS, was the first Korean group to be nominated for a Grammy. The TV Show, Squid Game, has won countless awards for actors, directors, etc. Koreans use a specific term when talking about this global boom... it's called Hallyu...or the Korean Wave. There are Hallyu music groups, Hallyu actors, Hallyu fashions, etc.
I found this book a great and funny read... it explains a lot about Korea and its success!
Pat and I feel like we're on the cutting edge of this cultural wave...we are familiar with Hallyu stars and Hallyu Kdramas. Look to us for tips on becoming hip in the 21st century!
I love that you read this book too! I was also curious about the phenomenon and picked up this book from my local library.
See, we're not just interested in Boy Toys!
Interesting information that I was completely unaware of. I feel so internationally updated now ;-)
Thanks for the eye opener.