The Korean Pop Music And The Korean Wave

Imagine tuning in to a French radio – the songs, commentaries, and even commercials are all in French. Suddenly, Korean blasts out of your speakers: “Oppa Gangnam Style!” That is what Hallyu all about. The Korean wave, Hallyu in Korean, refers to a surge in the international visibility of Korean culture, beginning in East Asia in the 1990s and flourishing more of late in the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Europe (Ravina 3).

The fame of Korean pop music and TV shows in China and Taiwan sparked the Korean Wave abroad. The outbreak of the Korean Wave can be traced back to 1997, when the Korean TV drama, What Is Love All About, broadcast on state-run Chinese television, CCTV, set the stage for Hallyu in China (Kim

Yi Jonghwan wrote an article for Dong-a Ilbo, entitled, “No End in Sight for the Korean Wave in China” (149-50). He reported that “[t]he Chinese were captivated when Korean ballads and dramas started airing on TV” and that “mania groups” had formed for Korean pop singers. Soon, all newspapers covered the news of “the heated surge of the Korean Wave”.

Ever since, the upsurge of Korean popular culture in the neighboring Asian countries has extraordinarily increased over the past several years. Since its birth, Hallyu became multidimensional, spanning on dramas, TV shows, movies, fashion, and the like. But ask a person what he first thinks of when he hears about Korean culture: Korean pop music. One interesting thing to note about Korean pop, or K-pop, is that it is different from other music genres. According to Jeff Benjamin, K-Pop embraces "genre fusion" with both singing and rap, while highlighting solid performances and visuals at the same time. It also has become diversified into many different genres like country music, blues, jazz, and rock & roll. The combination of Asian singers singing Western and European style music contributes to the unique features of K-pop and makes it “more global” (Rothman), thus increasing its

The whole music industry grossed nearly $3.4 billion in the first half of 2012, which amounts to a 27.8% increase from the same period last year, according to Billboard. In addition, it can greatly affect the domestic wealth, so much so that a single performer has the ability to influence the Korean stock market. Entertainment company YG's shares dropped 10% after Big Bang member G-Dragon, was involved in a marijuana controversy. Similarly, IU, the K-pop's girl next door, caused her company's stock price to drop 2.46% after she mistakenly uploaded a picture on Twitter considered indecent by Korean netizens