Hallyu: A form of American Imperialism or a Cultural Hybridity?
Salsabila Annisa Putri
BTS is probably not a strange name to the music industry. This Grammy-nominated boyband has managed to snag various awards worldwide due to their successful discography. Not only songs, the Korean industry also popular for its movies as shown by the high number of viewers for the drama Descendants of The Sun, which has won millions of viewers from more than 32 countries (Trisni et al., 2019). This high level of interest in the Korean world justifies further investigation. Some scholars such as Seong Won Park (2009) and Alexandra San Diego (2021) have mentioned that the K-pop industry was significantly influenced by the “hegemon” culture due to American imperialism.
Looking back through history, Since the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, thousands of US military personnel have been stationed on South Korean soil to help stabilize post-Korean War conditions (Diego, 2021). The American Defense Ministry launched the Armed Forces Korea Network (AKFN) in South Korea in 1959 to entertain American military troops, broadcasting American culture and sports through western channels such as NBC, CBS, and ABC. The fact that the US has assisted South Korea in the military and economy has created an image of the US as a “blood brother” and “savior,” making people more willing to accept the spread of American culture. This premise was proven by Shin Joong Hyun, the so-called Korean rock and roll father, who claimed to have been inspired by AKFN’s jazz and rock and roll content. Furthermore, the move to adopt American culture in South Korea’s entertainment industry was fueled by the country’s deteriorating postwar economic conditions, which made finding work nearly impossible. As a result, many singers rely on jobs at the Eighth United States Army Base shows. Many music activists describe the platform as an “audition program for Korean singers.” Because the audience was the US army, they had to learn American music genres to get jobs. It establishes “roots for American cultural authority in Korea” (Diego, 2021). The high exposure to American music resulted in the creation of the Trot Music genre and the adoption of the US media system by the government (Doobo, 2006, as cited in Yanti, 2005).
Apart from the military’s role, South Korea’s decision to adopt a liberal economic system and open a market allows cultural products from the US to enter the country more easily — making their domestic industry even more difficult to compete as happened in the early 1980s, when the market was flooded by Hollywood products (Yanti, 2005). The simplicity of travel and the growth of the US entertainment industry has also incentivized art enthusiasts to visit the US and return with knowledge of American culture. Such as Lee Soo Man’s decision to discover SM Entertainment, South Korea’s largest agency, after witnessing the magnitude of MTV while studying at California State University (Diego, 2021). Nevertheless, it is critical to recognize that the flow of American cultural exports to South Korea is not always linear. For example, under the Park Chung Hee administration, which implemented an authoritarian system, the government limited the circulation of music that did not represent Korea’s ‘traditional’ culture. The degree of acceptance of American culture varies as well. According to a 1980s survey, some groups perceived the flows of American culture negatively because they saw the US presence in Korean politics as “destructive.” In contrast, others saw the foreign culture as ordinary (Diego, 2021).
The question is, should Kpop merely be defined as an inferior product courtesy of American imperialism? The Mimicry concept popularized by Homi K. Bhabha (1994) becomes useful in analyzing the evolution of K-pop. In general, orientalism indeed takes place, as evidenced by BTS’s achievements in entering the western market, because its success in becoming “socially conscious music” is only viewed as an “exception rather than a sign of systemic change” (Diego, 2021). The situation implies that western countries’ cultures are superior and difficult to transcend. Bhabha (1994) defines Mimicry as a situation in which a post-colonial subject (in this case, a South Korean) can adopt or contest the colonial knowledge imparted by the colonizer, resulting in knowledge hybridization. However, it’s important to note that the hybridization process is not static and does not always operate in a top-down approach that results in ‘admiration,’ but can also be a process for resistance and empowerment. For illustration, combining the languages used in song lyrics (both English and Korean) makes it easier to enjoy even if many people do not speak Korean because English is a ‘common tongue,’ but this method effectively helps South Korean products enter the western market.
Sinsomboonthong (2020), in Cultural hybridity of K-Pop music: From the west to South Korea, from South Korea to the globe, examined several indicators that show that K-pop is not an extension of Americanization but a product of transnational hybridization. First, the development of the ‘fandom’ and ‘idol’ systems distinguishes K-pop music from other pop groups in terms of both the physical artist and the role assigned to each idol. Second, South Korea has successfully used social media, which Westerners primarily create, as a medium for cultural dissemination. Social media platforms such as YouTube aid in spreading K-Pop by providing subtitles and lyrics that make it more accessible to non-Korean speakers. Third, many bands have won awards in the international arena, which western artists have dominated. Some examples include the success of the single ‘Gangnam Style’ in winning various awards and being the most-played video on YouTube for five years (Savage, 2017, as cited in Sinsomboonthong, 2020). Furthermore, BTS’s remarkable achievement — which has won various top ranks at the Billboard Music Awards, been nominated for a Grammy Award, and even had the opportunity to speak at UNGA meetings — demonstrates BTS’s global recognition. Lastly, collaborations between western artists and Korean bands, such as Dua-Lipa and Blackpink or BTS and Nicki Minaj, as well as a large number of Hallyu fans in foreign countries, demonstrate that the “imitation” process does not occur in only one direction, as both constantly influence each other (Sinsomboonthong, 2020). The hybridization process is also inextricably linked to the government’s role in attempting to promote Korean culture while maintaining its relevance to global trends, as reflected in the Kim Yeong Sam administration’s declaration of “Creativity of the New Korean,” which his successors then continued through the strengthening and formation of cultural institutions (Yanti, 2005). As a result, K-pop can be interpreted as a form of reproduction of Western culture with the objective of promoting a local culture that creates a sense of “uniqueness” and becomes a selling point of South Korean culture.
Generally speaking, it is undeniable that the products of the K-Pop industry have been influenced by American culture, which facilitates their acceptance by the global community. However, viewing K-pop solely as an expression of American imperialism would be counterproductive because Korean-American cultural relations are constantly being constructed and reproduced. The increasing popularity of K-pop in the United States and other hemispheres can also be interpreted as a form of “decolonization.” If the stakeholders make the most of the opportunity, South Korea will benefit politically, economically, and culturally.
Salsabila Annisa Putri is teh Vice-President of FPCI UGM for External Affairs. This article represents her own views and not necessarily those of FPCI UGM
References
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