This was a topic I have been fascinated with for some time now.
Think about it. This little peninsular nation called Korea has been able to capture the imagination of the world and impact them like no other nation has.
Prof. Samuel M. Richards, Teaching Professor of Sociology/Honorary Chair Professor; Penn State University/Konkuk University, began by stressing the point that we are living in the Asian century.
He said that most innovative and dynamic changes to systems occur at the margins. Those in the center of the system normally keep repeating what is in practice. Those on the margins, innovate. But in Korea, this maxim has been turned on its head, the professor observed.
People at the center have been able to put out what Korean culture is – those at the center who stick to what they have always known, and are proud of. For example, as per the speaker at AdAsia 2023 in Seoul, Koreans are reserved and respectful; they are modest and self respecting.
Even sexuality in films, is not portrayed overtly, he noted. The modesty, he noted, is very appealing. He added that they portray even violence as surreal and unrevealed, devoid of blatant gore. As one can notice even in an extreme example like Squid Games, where there is no graphic exhibition of violence.
Lessons from Korea imparted by the Professor:
- Present the best of who you are. Each culture should show their own best side. And the audience will come.
- Korea has been able to gift the world the best of what it is. Not by replicating what others are doing. Replication is unappealing.
He ended with a similar example and said, “Be like Bollywood, Keep Dancing.”
Yet to a casual observer like me, K-pop has nothing really Korean about it, except the language and the artistes. The look, sound and feel are very similar to Western hip-hop, in my opinion.
So in summation, I believe that Bollywood presents a better example to the Professors’ hypothesis. And that leaves me still pondering over how Korea spread its music and films to the rest of the world.
(The author is a delegate at AdAsia 2023. He holds a Global Double Masters from the London School of Economics and University of Southern California and has 2.5 years of digital marketing experience. He is passionate about brand and product marketing, and hungry to tell meaningful brand stories.)
