The political economy of the global mediascape: the case of the South Korean film industry

Abstract

Globalization encompasses multiple changes in all areas of social life, especially economics and culture. While it is hard to deny the recent expansion of global interconnectivity, the specific ways in which globalization is stipulated as an objective reality are not always tenable, since globalization remains an ongoing project whose final realization might yet be interrupted. Intentionally neglecting the nature of globalization as an ongoing project, globalization advocates from both the right (e.g. adherents of the 'end of history/end of ideology' argument) and the left (e.g. those who still defend the cultural imperialism thesis) often ask misleading questions about the nature of globalization, such as the extent to which the world is globalized (Ryoo, 2005).Most discussions of the role of the state given globalization highlight relationships between state and market and yield two common but contrary positions. Neoliberals tend to offer a negative view of the state in developing countries, characterizing it as corrupt, self-interested and incompetent (Mosley et al., 1991). The imposition of privatization, deregulation, decentralization and further integration into the global economy have, not surprisingly, coincided with a decrease in public expenditures in such countries (Gonzalez, 1996). Under the force of such trends, some see the state as increasingly powerless or even obsolete given globalization, while liberated market economies progressively fulfill the traditional functions of state power. But other observers take the view that, although globalization is changing the role of the state, it will remain an important actor (Featherstone, 1990;Giddens, 2004;Ryoo, 2005).Within this context, many globalization theorists forecast the end of national boundaries, national corporations, national industries, and the end of national economies, where all will merge into corresponding transnational

Manga vision: cultural and communicative perspectives

“…This study shows that manga provide a rich source of linguistic data because they depict characters' relationships and contexts, often via their visual nature, while also providing a variety of communicative interactions, including those not normally accessible to researchers. (Baek, 2005;Groves, 1997;Ryoo, 2008).…”

Korean Dramas and Films: Key Factors for Their International Competitiveness

“…Lee and Lee (2007) analyzed the Korean wave with different variables: good writers, producers, appearance of actors and actresses, and consistent investment for factor conditions; sophisticated Korean consumers and fervent preference for dramas for demand conditions; considerable exports of Korean films for related and supporting sectors; and the oligopolistic structure of Korean broadcasting stations and competition over audience measurement for business context. Shim (2006) and Ryoo (2009) presented cultural hybridization, very interesting views on the Korean wave's popularity that local culture interacts with foreign culture, and as a result a globalized local culture is produced. This globalized one can be a resource for the future development of local culture.…”

“…Cultural hybridization of Shim (2006) and Ryoo (2009) is meaningful. Yet, the scope of Shim's (2006) hybridization is narrow, referring only to market size and quality (or sophistication) when it is analyzed with the diamond model.…”

“…Yet, the scope of Shim's (2006) hybridization is narrow, referring only to market size and quality (or sophistication) when it is analyzed with the diamond model. In addition, Ryoo (2009) argued that the Korean wave is a clear indication of new global and regional transformations in the cultural arena. However, the units of analysis need to be more specified.…”

“…To improve existing studies, this study employs the generalized double diamond (GDD) model developed by Moon et al (1998), an extension to Porter's (1990) diamond model. Since Hallyu arises from an interaction between local and international cultures (Shim, 2006;Ryoo, 2009), GDD model is better than Porter's single diamond model to analyze Hallyu. Porter's (1990) diamond model has four determinants and two additional variables: four endogenous and two exogenous.…”