Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia

Abstract

Recent developments in East and Southeast Asian media markets provide an opportunity to revisit a common assumption about media globalization. A newly coined phrase - Korean wave - which refers to the popularity of Korean media culture across East and Southeast Asia, is a metaphor for thinking about this recent regional media development. Through an examination of the recent big leap of the Korean media industries, this article argues that the US dominance thesis regarding globalization is not entirely justified. Although popular entertainment forms such as film and television are a Western invention, Koreans have provided their own twists to these media by blending indigenous characteristics and adding their unique flourishes in often innovative ways. © 2006 SAGE Publications.