Lecturer: David Tizzard
Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2021. 7:30PM (Seoul)

K-Pop and the Korean Wave: Deconstructed

The Korean Wave has never known such heights or reach: movies, music, dramas, and culture are embraced all over the world, winning awards, hearts, and plaudits in the process. This has also naturally given rise to a whole series of industries that have grown up around it, from government agencies, to university departments, cultural organizations and politically active social media users. While all of this promotes the Korean brand abroad, many of the cultural products produced by the “industry” have become devoid of authentic culture. Yet textual and structural impurity is vital to its success, not an inherent weakness: The more popular Korea becomes, the less Korean it is. And, driven by a world focused more and more on YouTube plays and Twitter followers, its very popularity has become more popular than the products themselves. We are living in a hyperreal period of the Korean Wave characterized by hyperpopularity. This is it deconstructed.

David Tizzard holds a Ph.D. in Korean Studies and is an assistant professor at Seoul Women’s University and visiting lecturer at Hanyang University. Dr .Tizzard is a frequent commentator on Korean issues, appearing in a variety of publications and media channels discussing culture, politics, and societal questions. He is also an artist and musician who has performed in South Korea for the past 15 years.

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