The “Korean Wave”, translation of the word Hallyu, has run over the Western World, as a global scale diffusion of South Korean pop culture. The vast success acquired outside the border of this Asian peninsula was probably not forecasted, however, South-Korean government didn’t hesitate to “ride the wave”, financially supporting film and music industries.
Many governments invest in their national creative industry although conspicuous economic revenues or rise in status are not guaranteed. K-culture wave, on the contrary ,is one of the most significant successes of this political move, so that it has been associated with the political concept of soft-power theorized by Joseph Nye, as the use of non military tools to promote the own country abroad.
It is possible to find two different Hallyu that boosted South-Korean soft power. The first one in 2002, when the national tv transmitted the soap opera “Gyeoul Yeonga”, first Korean romantic drama registering a vast audience all over Asia. The second Hallyu 2.0 started in 2007 and crossed Asian borders, conveyed by K-pop music. A survey conducted by BBC in 2012 reported that from 2009 foreign public opinion about South Korea steadily improved year after year. In countries such as Russia, China, India and France, the opinion changed from “slightly negative” to “overall positive”. Le rise of the Korean phenomenon implied also a rise in the exports values, reaching 4,3 billion dollars in 2011. To this day, also thanks to the widespread use of streaming platforms,it is common to use on our spotify suggestions groups such as BTS or BLACKPINK, while Netflix proposes a new Korean drama per month.
Korean dramas: more than simple tv series
The popularity reached in recent years by Korean TV series is undisputable, as they have caught the attention of many people all around the globe and contributed to get the foreign audience close to the Korean dream. In particular, romantic dramas are the most appreciated: they have a quite schematic plot where the love story plays a pivotal role and the good ending is assured.
At a closer look it is possible to note some unique sociological and political features in these productions, representing a cross section of a Korean society rich in contradictions and shadows, in the mid between innovation and traditionalist legacy.
Indeed, many of the most popular Korean dramas picture the slow falling in love of the two protagonists. Once their feeling are known to each others, they have to face several obstacles to live their love, such as their different class condition, the economic difference, even the borders between North and South Korea.
“Crash Landing on You” (2020) tells indeed the story of a rich South-Korean heiress who, after an unfortunate landing in North Korea during a paragliding flight, falls in love with a young North-Korean officer who offers to help her going back. This drama, besides being one of the most known abroad, has been analyzed through the identity representation of the two Koreas, showing the respective views and believes that they feel towards each other. At the same time, it represents a common ground between the two factions, promoting the hope for a future cooperation. The drama Descendants of the Sun (2016) focuses on the value of Korean soldiers, who are represented as peaceful heroes who in dangerous situations are ready to care for those most vulnerable. Scenarios presented by these two Korean dramas, which rely on a more original set than the crowded Seoul or the quiet Jeju island, are the more useful to catch the idea of the Korean soft power.
Through these TV series, love, the fil rouge guiding the protagonists’ actions (probably also what make us empathizing with the plot, is backed by subtle propagandistic messages or social criticism which are now matter of interest of several scholars who have started reflections and studies linked to the sensational development of South-Korea.
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Fonti consultate per il presente articolo:
K-drama Narrates the National: Korean Identities in Crash Landing on You, Sarah A. Son, Juliette Schwak, Asian Perspective, Volume 46, Number 3, Summer 2022, pp. 501-521
Kyungjae Jang (2019) Between Soft Power and Propaganda: The Korean Military Drama Descendants of the Sun, Journal of War & Culture Studies, 12:1, 24-36, DOI: 10.1080/17526272.2018.1426209
Ji-yoon An (2022) New directions in K-drama studies, Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema, 14:2, 91-97, DOI: 10.1080/17564905.2022.2120280
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L'Autore
Graziana Gigliuto
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Graziana Gigliuto è nata e cresciuta in Sicilia. Ha conseguito la laurea magistrale in Relazioni Internazionali Comparate, curriculum Global Studies presso l'università Ca' Foscari di Venezia. Ha conseguito la laurea triennale in Lingue,Culture e Società dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea, curriculum Cina presso il medesimo ateneo.
Durante i suoi studi non solo ha sviluppato un forte interesse per l'apprendimento di lingue straniere, consolidato durante i soggiorni di studio all'estero, ma anche una spiccata curiosità verso tutto ciò che riguarda la cultura, le dinamiche sociali e la politica estera, in primo luogo dell'Asia, per poi estendersi ad altre aree geografiche.
All'interno della stimolante realtà di Mondo Internazionale ricopre il ruolo di Caporedattore per l'area tematica Società.
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Graziana Gigliuto was born and she grew up in Sicily. She graduated in Master degree in Comparative International Relations, curriculum Global Studies at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. She obtained a Bachelor Degree in Language,Culture,Society of Asia and Mediterranean Africa, curriculum China at the same university.
During her studies, besides developing a strong interest for the process of learning foreign languages, consolidated during her periods of studies abroad, she also developed a particular curiosity regarding culture, social dynamics and foreign policy, initially of Asia, and later of others parts of the globe.
She is working as the Editor in Chief for the Society thematic area in the stimulating reality of Mondo Internazionale.
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