What’s behind the global K-pop and Korean film takeover?
Korean media has reached the pinnacle of global success by providing easy access to content, approachable and likable characters, and high-quality production, says scholar Dafna Zur.
South Korea is a country slightly larger than the US state of Indiana. It has a population of 50 million. And yet its popular culture has gone global.
In just the past few months, the television series Squid Game smashed online streaming records, the Oxford English Dictionary added 26 Korean words, and the boyband BTS’ appearance at the United Nations 76th General Assembly went viral—these are just some examples of the world’s obsession with Korean cultural content.
Korean cultural content is popular because it’s really good, says Zur, an associate professor in the East Asian languages and cultures department and scholar of Korean literature. Zur teaches courses on Korean literature, cinema, and popular culture, and is the director of the Center for East Asian Studies at Stanford University.
Here, Zur talks about what makes Korean popular culture successful and explains why it appeals to audiences around the world:
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