The Korean Wave and Countercurrent: The Possibilities and Limitations of Cultural Diplomacy

The craze for Korean pop culture, named “The Korean Wave,” began in China and Southeast Asia in the late 1990s. Today, none of the six continents on Earth is beyond the reach of the Korean Wave. In addition to regional expansion, the Korean Wave “industry” is globalizing in almost all areas of consumer culture and entertainment culture, such as movies, broadcasts, music, performances, games, cartoons, fashion, beauty, food, advertisements, and tourism. As such, the Korean Wave has a short history of more than 20 years, but today, as the Korean Wave has spread around the world, it is also facing reflux. The Korean Wave is in conflict with each country’s culture, national sentiment, and government policies. The reasons and degrees of acceptance and rejection of the Korean Wave vary from country to country. In order for the Korean Wave to become one of the world’s cultures, it is necessary to understand the nature of this reflux and what is necessary to reverse the trend.
With this purpose, background, and awareness of the problem, this book examines Japan, where anti-Korean reflux has reached its peak, China, where reflux has institutional constraints such as “half-hearted” and “resistance,” and BTS, where the Korean Wave is stagnant. Through this, the necessity of reconstructing the Korean Wave was raised and the plan was sought. The publication of this book will serve as another opportunity to understand the various phenomena of Hallyu and reflux and establish a system of Hallyu research.

Cultural Glocalization and Hallyu_Kim Eun-ki

Japan’s Korean Wave and Anti-Korea_Cho Jin-gu

Characteristics and Political and Economic Impact of China’s Anti-Korean Wave_Kim Doo-jin and Cho Jin-gu

The Status of K-pop in the UK: The Possibility of Korean Invasion_Kim Doo-jin

The Korean Wave reflected in German media: Problems and Possibilities as Popular Culture Content_Lee Gun-ho

Hallyu and Countercurrent: The Possibilities and Limitations of Cultural Diplomacy_Lee Woong-hyun