Korean Wave Theory

The development process of the Korean Wave is generally divided into four stages, starting from the first stage in the mid-1990s. Although the individual years of classification are different depending on the subject of classification, the most recent fourth period is the New Korean Wave (K-Culture), and as Korean Wave content spreads globally and gains popularity, the Korean Wave goes beyond a specific fan-centered culture and becomes a social phenomenon. It is a time to capture even the accepted movements.

As Korean Wave content gained global popularity, the name it easily acquired was “K-”. Since K-Pop was listed in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016, 26 Korean words, including the Korean Wave (Hallyu) and the prefix ‘K-’ representing Korea, have been listed in 2021. Just as the new Korean Wave, which corresponds to the fourth phase of the Korean Wave, is defined as ‘K-Culture’, at some point, the Korean Wave even encompasses cultural and normative elements of Korean society such as ‘K-Quarantine’ and ‘K-Medical System’.

However, within this definition, “What is it that we think is Korean?” I ask myself if there is a consensus on what is Korean. To what extent can we define the term “made in Korea”? For example,

1) Youn Yeo-jeong won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the movie <Minari>. Can we count Youn Yuh-jeong, who is Korean, as a Korean-speaking Korean in movies as well, but she also starred in films produced with American film capital, and is at the center of her Korean Wave craze?

2) <Squid Game> is a drama produced with foreign capital, Netflix. In a strict sense, can it be considered a Korean drama leading the Korean Wave? If this is allowed as a Korean drama, how far is it reasonable for the Korean government to expand the scope of support to help produce a second <Squid Game>?

3) Webtoons are currently the most actively attracting Korean Wave content. The Korean-made format is largely working and has continued to grow despite the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, Naver Webtoon's overseas service 'WEBTOON' was launched in 2018, and the popular work <Lore Olympus> by Rachel Smythe is currently being translated and serialized on Naver Webtoon in Korea. Since this is a work published serially on a platform created by a Korean company, can it be considered Korean Wave content?

4) In K-pop, changes and attempts to form a more integrated form are underway. Japanese K-Pop girl group ‘NiziU’ is an idol produced by JYP through an audition for Japanese people in Japan and is very popular there. If teams formed locally in each country can be considered Korean-style content and the Korean Wave, how far can the Korean government support? In addition, how far should the scope of the Korean Wave be limited in the cultural industry? In other words, games, characters, and food culture are allowed, but how far can other areas be expanded? If expanded, how can its elements be defined?

There are various studies on this, and a proper understanding of Korea and cultural and philosophical consideration are needed. We will continue to study and understand it in greater depth.

Part of the above article was referenced by Professor Kim Sae-mi (Hanyang University Peace Research Institute) published in the summer issue of Hallyu NOW.