How South Korea became a Cultural Superpower?

Shubham Patil
33 Min Read
How South Korea became a Cultural Superpower?

Introducation

Hello friends, the fastest growing developed economy in East Asia in the last 70 years is called the Asian Tigers. The four Asian Tigers are Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. Out of these, South Korea is very special because this country is not only an economically developed country but is also today a South Korean song has also become a cultural superpower. The song Gagnamstyleyoutube0 crossed the views. Squid Games, a South Korean TV show which became one of the most watched TV show in the world. YouTube1s and Black Pink are becoming famous all over the world. The popularity of K dramas is increasing and South Korean movies like Old Boy and Parasite are winning awards all over the world, in fact Parasite also became the first non-English film in history to win the Oscar for Best Film How is all this happening? Is it a matter of random chance that all South Korean things are becoming so popular in the world or is it This is a well-understood strategy of the South Korean government. Let us understand in today’s video how South Korea became a cultural super power. Let’s start our story from 15 August 1945, the day when Japan officially surrenders and the World War ends. Germany, Italy and The countries of Japan have to face a big defeat but the country of Korea which was under the Japanese rule gets its independence, that is why National Liberation Day is celebrated on 15th August in South Korea but not only in South Korea but also in North Korea because at that time In North Korea, South Korea were not two separate countries but there was one country named Korea. It was only after the end of the Second World War that the Soviet Union and America decided that they would divide the country of Korea into two parts, one Southern Korea which was under the US Command. The plan was that these two Koreas would be kept inside a trustee ship for 5 years, where Korea’s progress would be measured and it would be decided what its future should be. After these 5 years, the plan was this. That Korea would be made an independent country again but alas, this does not happen. Tensions begin to increase between America and the Soviet Union and the Cold War begins. In 1948, an attempt is made to conduct United Nations supervised elections in North Korea but this is not possible. But in US controlled South Korea, elections are definitely conducted and a new constitution is made. Due to this, the Republic of Korea is established on August 15, 1948, which becomes a new liberal democratic country. General of the Army and Miss Mar to attend ceremonially proclaiming. The End of United States Military Government in Korea and the Formation of the Free and Independent Korean Republic The following month, North Korea is also declared a communist country. After two years under dictatorship, in 1950, North Korea tries to unify the two countries, not through a peaceful agreement. Rather, by invading South Korea, a war breaks out due to this, a war which lasts for the next 3 years, it is called Korean War. In this, United Nations troops push on and the push advances against the communism and the result is that South Korea is the most powerful country in the world. becomes one of the poor countries.

How South Korea became a Cultural Superpower?

South Korea

This country was so poor at that time that its GDP per capita was lower than today’s Somalia and Haiti. These two countries are today one of the most poor countries in the world. Due to this poverty, democracy also travels in South Korea. President Ri Syngman Authoritarian Birth They accept the Constitution as a way, the country starts slipping towards dictatorship. When elections are called in the year 1960, it is revealed that the elections were also rigged. Protests are seen across the country. Due to these protests, people leave the country and run away. Elections are called again. In these elections, a new Prime Minister of South Korea is formed but after some time a military is seen. In Korea, General Park Chung Hee overthrows the government and establishes a military dictatorship. In 1979, he is definitely appointed but after that another military. Where another new general comes to power, it was only in 1987-88 that a revival of democracy was seen in South Korea. The effect of years of dictatorships was also seen on South Korean culture. Censorship was also seen in the year 1962 by Pak Chung. Brought a motion picture law. In the next 10 years, this law was revised four times and made strict. Under this, whatever film was released in South Korea, its script had to be first approved by the South Korean government. After that, even after the film was made, the film was watched many times. This is to see whether the film is matching with the approved script given by the government or not. Which films were allowed by the government? Violent films were allowed. Many martial arts films were seen in South Korea at this time. Propaganda films were obviously allowed by the government. They used to finance obscene films, which were also named as hostess films, in which there was often a character who played the role of a prostitute or a bar girl, but what was not allowed was to make films on real socio-political issues, leave alone criticizing the government in any way. There was no idea that no film could be made here on any problem happening in the country. There was a huge contrast from today’s Korea. Today’s Korean content is so diversified and is thriving completely. Gaganstyle BTS Squid Games Puri If you don’t believe it, you can go and see it yourself. Amazon’s is Year Up Worm Meet You Weightlifting Fairy Kim Buk Joo She Was Pretty and Tempted Out of all of these, the one with Year Up is Josh, he has stood out the most for me, the friendship, life, dreams and Story of an inspiring underdog about passion, which resonates with many people. One of the problems in watching movies and shows is that you cannot understand their language but Amazon’s is available and Tamil and Telugu dubs of some shows are also available, so this is a very interesting medium for you. You can watch content from different countries in your own language and this gives you access to different cultures of the world. It is supported by Amazon’s website, so you can watch all the content for free and the best thing is that they keep adding new content every week.

How South Korea became a Cultural Superpower?

So see this article from amazon’s: Since 1975, South Korean band The Foreign Music South Korea has banned every foreign song which did not meet the moral standard. Two long blacklists were issued in which there were more than 260 songs. Protestsongs, Rock Songs, Bob Dylan’s Legend Song, Blowing. In the Wind was also banned in South Korea. It was only in 1990 that when democracy came back, things slowly started changing. The 1993 Hollywood film ‘Jurassic Park’ became very popular all over the world and earned a lot of money at the box office in South Korea. He submitted a report on science and technology to the South Korean President saying that look, this one Hollywood film has earned as much revenue as it would have earned by selling 1.5 million cars. After this, their government felt that we should promote media production as a strategic industry in our country. One year the Korean film Seo Panje was released, not many people had expectations from this film because at this point of time only Hollywood films were hit at the South Korean box office but this film was based on traditional folk musical storytelling and people liked this film so much in Korea. That it became the first Korean film to sell more than 1 million tickets only in the city of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Now the Korean government started realizing that there is a lot of potential in this media industry. They came up with the idea why not make Korean culture a global export and here the government Played a big proactive role. Here it is also important to talk a little about the Korean economy, why the Korean government was focusing so much on exports. Between 1962 and 1989, Korea’s nominal GDP per capita had increased 50 times, from $4 in 1962 to $5438 in 1980. General Park had nationalized many private banks. Due to dictatorship in the country, Pakistan had control over almost everything. What would be the interest rate, who would get tax benefits in the country, how would be the foreign exchange allocation and how would licenses be given? All these were under the control of Pakistan and the licenses for import and export were under the control of Pakistan. used this control to promote chaebol. Chaebol here is a Korean word which basically means very big family businesses, they were protected from foreign competition and the government allowed them to exploit labor in the country. If you remember, I did a whole case on Singapore. Had studied how the country of Singapore became such a developed country. It was talked about in this video. If you have not seen the video, its link is in the description. The problems that Singapore was facing at that time were quite similar to the problems of South Korea. A small message whose domestic market is very small, poverty. Due to lack of domestic savings, there are no natural resources in the country, which means that if the country wants to grow, it will have to focus on exports. Export Oriented Industrial Ization. Like Singapore, South Korea also focused on this thing. Many manufactured items Wigs, Stuff, Toys, Ship Building, Automobiles, Home, Electronics, Products, Chemicals, Semiconductors. All these things were put on the export list. Our country will export all these things to the world and in this way our country will grow and when it came to export, the government thought why not we export the Korean culture also. It is from this region that the Korean government was established in 1994.

How South Korea became a Cultural Superpower?

Now a new Film Promotion Law has been brought by removing the old and outdated Motion Picture Law of the Cultural Industry Bureau. In the previous law in 1996, it was written that such films cannot be made, such films cannot be made on this censor, now it has been said that whatever has to be made, all the film makers of the country can make it. And artists should work with their full creativity. Meanwhile, a media policy report is submitted to the government in which concern is raised that how will we Koreans compete with those big multinational foreign companies? Samsung’s business will soon start expanding in the media sector as well. Literally, domestic film production, foreign film import distribution exhibition, these companies start doing all these works. These companies did not have shortage of money, otherwise for the first time they could do film production in a proper manner, market research was done on audience test, MBAs and graduates studying in prestigious universities are hired by film companies. He was hired and with the help of Chaebol, films with big budgets were made, such as this Swiri film which was the first Hollywood style big budget blockbuster film in the Korean film industry. This melodrama action film used Hollywood storytelling but the content was strictly Korean. In fact, more people came to watch Samsung.in than a blockbuster movie in South Korea. It became Korea’s highest ever grossing movie of its time. After this, Koreans also started getting interested in watching their local movies. Film production companies started being encouraged that now even outside Korea. Show your films, but in 1997, a terrible financial crisis occurs. Wrong marketer and a financial crisis. The worst impact was seen on the countries Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea. IMF had to help these countries, but IMF put some conditions. The reason behind this economic crisis of South Korea is Chable and Crony Capital. Was held responsible. A lot of illegal insider trading was seen. Tax evasion was seen. Indirect cross ownership was seen. International Monetary Fund told the South Korean government that if we need help, then clean up this mess. South Korean government made eight new rules. One of these rules was that big local family owned businesses should not be allowed to enter into all types of businesses, they should focus only on their core sectors, that is why Samsung’s withdrew its businesses from film production and new small players got a chance to enter this space.

Culture Of South Korea

This financial crisis of Marenka had not only ruined the economy of Korea but also the international image of Korea had gone down, then Korean President Kim Dae Jung thought that culture is a very good tool here not only to revive the economy but also to rebrand the country. Kim Dae Jung is a highly respected person and is also called Culture President in South Korea. It was because of him and his successor Roh Ma-Hyun that a cultural revolution was witnessed in South Korea. Interesting Kim Dae Jung is the only Korean to win the Nobel Prize. What steps did he take? In 1999, Kim made the first allocation of money for the cultural change. Industry Promotion Project established; 148.5 million dollars kept for this project; A specific department was created within the Ministry of Culture; Development of another infrastructure for Korean pop music; Multi-million dollar concert auditoriums were built; Culture Industry Departments were created in universities across the country; Nare banks emerged across the country. What are Laga Nare Banks? These are basically Kake bars where people can drink and sing Kake. Third Digital Korea. Many people believe that these Korean TV shows and movies became so popular because at the time of Corona, everyone was sitting in their homes and watching YouTube0. Everyone was looking for new content on the platforms, so everyone started KoreanDramaOnline. In the year 1998, for the first time, broadband services came to the people living at home in South Korea, but broadband connections were promoted so fast that by 2004, almost 12 million households had broadband connections. Korea got the title. Due to this, the world’s most wired nation got the fourth removal of censorship. Kim relaxed all the restrictions of censorship. Earlier, as I had told, if someone had made a serious film on the socio-economic issues of the country, then it could have been declared national. He could have been told that he So the enemy is promoting the country of North Korea and he could have been arrested under the National Security Act, but Kim believed in artistic and creative freedom. The review board which used to be reviewed was completely abolished and an American style rating method was introduced. The problems of the common man in the country can be shown openly in films, that is why films like Parasite became extremely popular all over the world. Parasite won the Best Film Award at the Cannes Film Festival and became the first non-English film to win an Oscar for Best Film. What was shown in this film? South Korea’s extreme inequality, which is a divide between the poor and the rich, was shown to the world within Korea, but no one said that director Bang Joon Hoo has spoiled the country’s name. No one said that this country’s poverty is a shame in front of the world. In fact South Korean President Manje himself praised this film and called it the most Korean story. People celebrated the fact that this film became so popular all over the world and a big reason behind its popularity is that the real issues which are talked about in the film. Not only the Korean audience but also the people of the rest of the world can relate to it. Poverty, unemployment, crime, gender discrimination, these are the issues which are not specific to Korea, they are seen in other countries of the world too and if this film resonates with everyone on an emotional level, then it will become a 386 in Korea. These were the people who were born in Korea in 1960 and were very politically active during the democracy movement of 1980. By the early 1990s, these people were in their 30s and this was the first generation who got the opportunity to go outside their country. Did you hear that before this, foreign travel for Koreans was very limited, doing foreign trips only as tourism was restricted to citizens, the reason behind this was that their government was worried that there could be a depletion in foreign currency.

How South Korea became a Cultural Superpower?

But when the condition of the economy improved and liberalization came, these bands were removed and these 386 generation people started going to other countries. They studied in foreign film schools. By travelling, they got to see new perspectives in life and film making. Many people of this generation later became famous film directors. Left Leaning Directors who made very important films on social issues: Bang Joon Hoo and Kim Ki Dukh are notable examples of this. Bang Joo Hoo’s one film, Parasite, has been mentioned, but apart from this, he has another film, Okja and Snow Piercer. These films are also critical commentaries on capitalism, on the other hand, Kim Ki Duk. The film Pita tells the story of a heartless loan recovery agent. The film won the Golden Lion Best Film Award at the Venice Film Festival. The most popular Korean film internationally at that time was Old Boy by Park Chan, a violent dark revenge drama which was also unofficially remade in India. A film was made by the name Zinda. Officially, a remake of it was also made in Hollywood by the name of Old Boy with the same title. Dark thrillers were once the most popular genre in Korea. A villain film, which is ours, is inspired by the Korean movie I Saw the Devil. Bollywood film Murder. To The Chaser is a copy of the Korean film Out Loss. Now in Radhe and Most Wanted Bhai, the Korean film industry did not want the entire industry to be stereotyped that it only makes dark thriller films, so there are many romantic and comedy blockbusters from Korean cinema. Also came like Il Mare, a film released in 2000 which became the first Korean film which was remade in Hollywood. If we talk about the drama named The Lake House, then the first Korean drama which was successful was What is Love, it was the first TV show which was also in China. It was officially exported and was also shown on China Central Television in the year 1997. Many people believe that this was the first sign of Hallu. The word Hallu means The Korean Wave. After this, in the coming decades, the Korean Wave spread all over the world. Hallu had now reached the next level. Known as a Korean Wave Wave The Korean Wave The peak of the Korean Drama Wave came when Squid Games became the most watched web show in the world. What is so special about Netflix’s that it is so addictive and popular. The main reason here is the emotional realism seen from the emotional perspective. If we look at it, the story that is being shown is very realistic, secondly, the stories shown in it are of people from different backgrounds, whether it is historical Korea being shown in Royal Secret Agent or the world of journalism is being shown in Hush or Tell. Why is Off the Night Tale not only a fantasy? The third one being shown is an interesting act in the making of KDramasonline. The screenwriters of the dramas on 94.6 are actually women. It has actually been estimated that when it comes to songs, the Korean Broadcast Writers Union will actually ban Japanese content. It was banned in South Korea as a part of decolonization process but Kim took the relations between Japan and South Korea on the right path when he lifted this ban. After this, Japanese pop songs entered South Korea which is called J Pop. AOT One of the First Generation The band was a Korean boyband whose 1996 debut album We Hate All Kinds of Violence sold 1.5 million copies. A company named SEntertainment and you know that before forming the band, the founder of this company had gone to the school and asked the children in their opinion what an ideal pop group should be like and after this he conducted auditions and picked the band members and then gave them training and made his idol. The ideas behind the system were initially taken from Japan, but today Kpop has become famous in itself. Often, talent agencies pick out idol trainees through street castings or global auditions. They are trained not only in singing but also in acting. When talking to the media in dancing, the company decides their stage name and stage personality and their fan interactions. Some people also criticize this system, saying that these music companies work like factories where their contracts are like slave contracts but Some people argue, on the other hand, that with the help of this system, everyone gets a chance to become popular on the basis of their talent and looks. Friends, this is how I got popular. Open PSY’s Gaganam Style. GaganamStyle is a Korean song whose punch line was in English and its tune was It was very catchy and had a very interesting dance step. Because of these reasons, it became so popular all over the world that it reached the first billion views in December 2012. Since then many Korean songs have used this format. The entire song will be in Korean but the punch line of the song will be Because it is in English, this song appeals even to people around the world who do not speak Korean. Today we see bands like BTS and Blackpink. BTS is a band made up of seven boys, which reached the White House and even met American President Joe Biden. They also performed in the General Assembly of the United Nations and their Dynamite song became the first pop song on spotify.com. Not only the Korean economy is benefiting but Korean tourism is also benefiting from it. What do you think we can learn from this case study? To make the country better, write in the comments below. In my opinion, many things can be learned. Firstly, we saw how economic crisis came in Korea due to Che Bols, crony capitalism, monopolies and wealth concentration are not a good thing for any country. It is not good for the country if coal, electricity, port, airport and gas all go into the hands of a few friends and the rest are forced to take free food grains. This is not good for the country and to a large extent we are seeing such monopolies somewhere in Indian cinema also, with a few big production houses. If you do not get your film produced through them, then it is very difficult for you to get your movie shown in any cinema hall. Secondly, censorship is not a good thing. The reason behind this is that whenever censorship has been seen anywhere, it has always been censoring serious artistic films with positive messages. If we look at the past in India, we will see the story of Kursi, India’s flying Punjab, such films were censored, but films like Animal Grand Masti would always pass through the censors, hence it is better. That there should not be any censorship. Third, here the government needs to intervene so that things can improve. In the case study of China, I told how Dang Jao Ping played a major role. In the case study of Singapore, I told how Lee Kuan Yew had taken a highly proactive approach and in the case of Korea also we saw how leaders like Kim Dae Jung played a big role in the Korean Wave. There are many states in our country whose population or size is bigger than South Korea, they have their own language, they have their own distinct culture. If we can see the K wave in South Korea, then why can’t we see the Kumaoni wave in our country, the Kashmiri wave? Gujarati cinema. Why can’t Haryanvi cinema be made a global export? Why can’t Manipur’s rock bands become popular all over the world? This should happen by chance itself. It is very difficult. The government needs to do positive intervention here. Take the example of Haryanvi cinema. It started around the year 1980 but till now no one has emerged much. All the cinema halls in Haryana give their slots to big budget Bollywood films. And Haryanvi local films have to struggle to even get a screen in the cinema hall, hence film producers also do not want to invest money in these local industries. Perhaps a solution to this could be that the state governments reserve some slots in the cinema halls for the regional films of that state. Either the government should promote mini cinema halls or the government should conduct open auditions for actors and singers and give budget for producing 25 to 30 local films. Many things can be learned from South Korea’s strategy and here I would like to say to all the state governments. Be it any political party, take some proactive steps from your side.

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