Soft power and the Korean Wave

Film as cultural diplomacy: South Korea’s nation branding through Parasite (2019)

“…In the context of middle power South Korea’s cultural diplomacy endeavors, Nye and Kim ( 2013 ) pointed out that the country’s global expansion of its popular culture in the twenty-first century signifies the Korean Wave’s potentiality as a set of soft power resources that may have a significant and complex impact on cultural diplomacy as well as on the country’s trade, tourism, the academy, and other national interests across multiple contexts. According to Nye and Kim ( 2013 ), the soft power of any country rests primarily on three resources: the attractiveness of its culture; its political values, when it lives up to them at home and abroad; and its foreign policies, when they are seen as legitimate and having moral authority (p. 32). In particular, Nye and Kim ( 2013 ) suggested that “Korea needs to pay more attention to soft power” (pp.…”

“…Parasite’s global success is a new crest in the Korean Wave (or Hallyu in Korean), a broad theme describing South Korea’s cultural economy and the rapid diffusion and export of its popular culture products to global cultural markets, from digital contents such as video/computer games, webtoons, K-pop and television dramas to food, fashion, and language (Hangul). With the influx and commanding popularity of these products across the globe, the government has leveraged the Korean Wave as both a domestic and foreign policy tool to strengthen its economic diversification, export profile, and cultural and public diplomacy outcomes (Jang and Paik 2012 ; Jin 2020 ; Kang 2015 ; Kim 2017 , 2018 ; Kim and Jin 2016 ; Lee 2009 ; Nye and Kim 2013 ). With a population of 51 million people, South Korea today has emerged as a cultural powerhouse shaping the zeitgeist of global culture; it has become to many a playbook of state-led cultivation of soft power, what Nye ( 2008 ) described as “the ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction rather than coercion or payment” (p. 94).…”

“…Although studies have addressed the Korean Wave and public diplomacy, they viewed the Korean Wave as a single mass of cultural products without differentiation (Ang et al 2015 ; Elfving-Hwang 2013 ; Jang and Paik 2012 ; Jin 2016 ; Kim 2018 ; Kim 2020a ; Kim and Jin 2016 ; Lee 2009 ; Lee 2013 ; Lovric 2018 ; Nye and Kim 2013 ). This study, in focusing on a single Korean Wave cultural product—the film Parasite —takes into consideration the importance the context in which the product functions to provide a more in-depth understanding of public diplomacy and nation branding processes at work.…”

The Gangnam Style Phenomenon as a Global Manifestation of Hybridity

“…with inquiries centered on various factors that plausibly contributed to Psy's success. Some Korean researchers interested in pop culture regard Gangnam Style as an upgraded version of the Korean Wave Lee 2012;Cho and Yoon 2013;Nye and Kim 2013;Lee and Kuwahara 2014), while others have argued that too much emphasis on the Korean Wave can inhibit a broader perspective within a global context (Park 2013;Hong 2013;. However, the range of possible explanations for the huge success of Gangnam Style is not our primary concern in this article.…”

La Honorable Hermandad de Cinturones Negros en las artes marciales coreanas

“…Este proyecto fue posible gracias a inversiones sostenidas desde el gobierno nacional para la promoción de su principal arte marcial, luego devenido deporte nacional, y el apoyo económico e institucional a las organizaciones marciales que lograran reclamar con éxito su autoctonía. En términos generales, la difusión del fenómeno Hallyu (Ola coreana) contribuyó decisivamente a transformar la imagen internacional del país asiático como productor de automóviles, barcos y tecnología liviana (Nye & Kim, 2013). En la actualidad, la expansión a escala mundial de las industrias culturales asiáticas desafía la asociación inmediata entre globalización y occidentalización (Forrest & Forrest-Blincoe, 2018).…”