Korean Culture and its Influence on American Culture

This is an essay that I wrote as my final project for high school. I am very proud of it. I hope you enjoy.

In this paper I will be going into depth about aspects of Korean culture, and analyzing how Americans have become so obsessed with it. This includes K-pop, K-drama, and food. These things have become more known in America in recent years.

The Korean Wave all started with the rise of K-pop. K-pop is a genre of music and dance created by South Koreans. The first true K-pop band to perform internationally was in 1992, on a live television talent contest. The band was called Seo Taeji and the Boys. When the judges saw their performance, they were not impressed. The band was voted off the show, which was a big mistake. Their song “I Know” reached the top of the charts and stayed there for 17 weeks. This is when Korean pop was officially born.

K-pop was still an unknown form of music until 2012, when K-pop artist PSY exploded onto the scene with his viral song “Gangnam Style”. The song was extremely catchy and had a funny dance to go along with it that everyone was doing. “It showed that you could be big and not sing entirely in English or be in vogue. The power of the music video transcended language. Just one of the official videos of Gangnam Style, on YouTube, had well over three billion views, the largest number of hits of any video at that time.” (1) From then on, the K-pop revolution was in full swing.

The first Kcon was held in the U.S. in 2012. It was a festival for K-pop groups. A few hundred curious people attended, and found groups that they really liked. The group that became most widespread and started breaking records was Bangtan Sonyeodan, also known as BTS. In 2018, BTS released the song “Fake Love” which went to an American awards show, debuted at number 10 on the charts, and had more than 35 million views on YouTube in 24 hours. After the success of this song, they became the first Korean group to play a sold-out show on a U.S. stadium. BTS set off the bomb of Americans discovering and becoming obsessed with Korean boy bands, and soon, because of Blackpink, girl bands. Before BTS and after PSY, many K-pop groups struggled to breakthrough in the American pop industry. But BTS did the unthinkable.

There could be many reasons why Americans love K-pop. “Everything in the Top 40 is mid-to-low-tempo. The feeling K-pop leaves you with is upbeat and positive,” says Whittle. “Korean pop music likes differentiation and changes,” says songwriter Rodnae “Chikk” Bell. “The average American song is four melodies, maybe five. The average K-pop song is eight to 10. They are also very heavy in the harmonies.” (2) K-pop songs are more complex and fun to listen to because of that.

As soon as American companies realized that K-pop was becoming popular, they started doing product placement. Idols, who are famous members from groups, share their favorite American products. There are Coca-Cola cans placed in videos, and cars with the brand on them. “In their partnership with McDonalds, BTS created a viral “BTS Meal” that displayed 7 different McDonalds meals for each of the members.” (3) There are even commercials with idols starring in them. In the fashion world, 6 of the 7 BTS members are ambassadors for their brands.

K-pop idols are also extremely good at what they do because of the rigorous years of training they receive before the companies let them debut. “In K-Pop, due to the trainee system, some idols started out with hardly any singing abilities. SHINee, for instance, said they were such bad singers that they were supposed to debut as a rap group! Years of vocal training helped them become one of the most popular singing groups today.” (4) In American pop, stars are required to have talent as soon as they start making music. It is very hard to break into the industry in America because of that.

The trainee process starts with auditions. Children can audition as early as ten years old, and can go to as many as 30 auditions, trying to get into a K-pop company. If they are lucky enough to be accepted into the trainee system, it may take years to train. Some idols are there for 11 years before debuting. “Beyond song and dance practices, trainees are expected to manage their public image, maintain a certain weight, and be schooled on sex education, basic etiquette, media training and most of all, stay out of trouble – refrain from drink-driving, doing drugs and scandals.” (5) Boys and girls are strictly separated during training. They are not allowed to date.

The most damaging rule is how strict their diet is, and the weekly weigh ins they have to participate in. This may destroy their self-esteem and their health because they eat as little as possible. “One popular diet that idols follow is the paper cup diet — they eat nine paper cups worth of grains, fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Not only could this type of diet lead to even more stress and pressure on the idols and trainees, but it could also make them more prone to eating disorders such as anorexia.” (6) Korean beauty standards are pushed onto trainees and idols, and it takes its toll on them. It may make the idols feel worthless. Plastic surgery is very common in Korea if the person feels they don’t meet those standards somehow.

Another downside of K-pop is that idols’ careers may not last as long. Once they reach their thirties, their popularity starts to wane as their youthful visuals fade. Korea puts a lot of worth on looks and youthfulness. In America, age is just a number and pop stars continue to put out music no matter how old they are. But when it comes to K-pop, the dancing and the looks are a huge part of it, not just the actual music.

Another aspect of Korean culture that has taken off in America is K-dramas. “South Korean TV dramas and films have recently been gaining global recognition. The occurrence of this genre appearing on screens have seen an escalated amount of viewers worldwide. The genre actually began in the early 60’s, but it wasn’t until the 2000’s that the growth of online video services provided the opportunity for K-dramas to reach a wider audience.” (7) People started watching K-dramas once their favorite boy band members started branching out into acting and appearing in these shows.

One reason why K-dramas are so beloved and a real competitor for Hollywood is the writing. The writing of these shows tends to be more realistic and deeper than most American shows. Good plot development, and lots of cliffhangers make it enjoyable. The characters are put into impossible and very dramatic situations. It is easy for audiences to become very emotionally invested in these shows.

A show that really put Korean shows on the map was Netflix’s Squid Game. While it was a bit morbid in nature, it had a huge following. Many up-and-coming Korean actors were discovered in that show. Netflix continues to produce K-dramas after the success of Squid Game.

Something that also gained popularity during the “Korean Wave” is Korean cuisine. People wanted to know what their favorite idols were eating, so Koreans took advantage of that and started selling food in America. It is still hard to find Korean food, but it’s very beloved. Korean food is inventive and a better quality than American food, yet they have incorporated American food into the things they make. “They would recognize things that were of great use and they would take them and adapted it with what they wanted out of it,” said Michael Pettid, a Korea history expert and author. “The things that came to them, they have another existence in Korea. It just didn’t stay the same.” (8)

Traditional Korean food itself has its own unique items. Korea was the first country to really ferment many things. They created kimchi, which is fermented cabbage. Kimchi is universally recognized now and there are many different forms of it. Soy beans are another food which Koreans use a lot. “Fermented bean paste is one of the oldest spices or condiments in Korean cuisine. Probably even older than kimchi.” (9) Rice is served with almost every meal.

Korean food is so unique in the way that it takes American food and makes it better. They do cheese better than we do, and they like to fry things we would never think of frying. They do their own version of barbequed meats, in a traditional yet modern way. Korean food is very healthy and fresh compared to American food. It shows that you can be healthy and still enjoy amazing food.

Overall, the Korean wave has been a mostly positive occurrence for Koreans. It has benefitted the K-pop industry in spreading their music worldwide. K-pop fans are so welcoming and positive, and they make the language barrier virtually invisible. K-dramas are now taking off and are becoming popularized and watched avidly. Korean restaurants are becoming more successful. Korean content on YouTube and TikTok is going viral, and making many creators famous.

There is negativity, though. There is the worry that this is causing some racism. TikToker Sharon Lee “wonders whether the sudden interest is genuine, because a lot of the people she grew up with who made fun of her for being Korean, or her parents for having Korean accents, are now the ones who are obsessed with "Squid Game," Korean food, and BTS.” (10) Lee says she also finds it frustrating when people who listen to K-pop assume they understand Korean culture well because they listen to K-pop. Only people who are actually Korean or from Koran have a full understanding of Korean culture.

Something that popularized Korean culture not only in America but in the U.K. was the YouTube channel Korean Englishman. On this channel, two British men travel through Korea, tasting the food and having other people taste the food, sometimes English or American celebrities. This helps people to understand Korean culture better, but at the same time, it could be slightly offensive since it is a British man introducing it.

I believe the Korean wave has been a very positive thing, but we need to be cautious of covert racism. Just because you listen to K-pop doesn’t mean you know everything about Koreans. You should dive into every aspect of Korean culture. It is an enjoyable thing to explore.

References:

Korean Culture and its Influence on American Culture

Add comment

Comments

Create Your Own Website With Webador