South Korea Manages Globalization

SOUTH KOREA MANAGES GLOBALIZATION: STRATEGIES OF SELF-DEFINITION AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION A Thesis by EVAN WILLIAM STEWART Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Chair of Committee, Cynthia Werner Committee Members, Norbert Dannhaeuser James Petrick Head of Department, Cynthia Werner May 2014 Major Subject: Anthropology Copyright 2014 Evan William Stewart ABSTRACT The nation of South Korea transitioned from being one of the poorest countries worldwide to becoming the 15th largest economy. South Korea has attempted to manage globalization by actively developing and supporting cultural based entertainment, such as film and music while also promoting cultural and historical preservation, such as elements of the Han brand and other traditional and national elements. This study counters views against theoretical frameworks of cultural imperialism and particularly media imperialism. Theories of cultural and media imperialism delineate globalization as the hegemonic takeover by American popular culture, which can lead to various forms of cultural demise in non-Western countries. However, this does not seem to be the case for South Korea. Instead, I argue that South Korea has successfully managed globalization, guarding against Western hegemony and has not succumbed to American cultural or media imperialism. This paper’s methodology uses a combination of primary and secondary sources. As a result, two main strategies have been identified in this paper’s thesis which account for South Korea’s success, both of which are endorsed by governmental support and cultural policy: self-definition and cultural preservation. Self- definition entails the global and local proliferation of South Korea’s cultural industry, which primarily encompasses South Korean film and music (K-Pop). South Korean films and K-pop are successful economic outlets and competitive alternatives to Western popular culture. Evidence of South Korea’s successful cultural industry in film can be seen in the number of people attending the films, hold on its domestic market share, and ii overall popularity for South Korean cultural content in films. K-pop has also exhibited much success due to its global sales and wide-ranging fans worldwide. Cultural preservation involves maintaining traditional elements of South Korean culture, particularly the continuation and preservation of traditional, and historical elements of the Han brand, including hanok (housing), hanbok (dress), hansik (cuisine, particularly kimchi), and taekwondo, as well as other traditional elements. Evidence of this can be found in South Korea’s focus and promotion of Korean identity and nationalism. Anthropological theories such as cultural hybridization, nationalism, and cultural identity are thus believed better equipped to understand South Korea’s success in managing globalization. iii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this paper to my mom. You always gave me great encouragement and taught me to never give up. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………….................. ii DEDICATION.......................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................... v NOMENCLATURE.................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 1 Negative Stance Toward Globalization........................................................ 2 Background on Globalization....................................................................... 3 Research Questions and Argument............................................................... 4 Factors to Investigate.................................................................................... 7 Organization of the Thesis............................................................................ 8 Significance................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY........................................................................... 12 Preliminary Stage.......................................................................................... 12 Sources.......................................................................................................... 12 Self-Reflection.............................................................................................. 16 Limitations.................................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER III LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................ 18 What is Globalization................................................................................... 18 Cultural Imperialism and Media Imperialism.............................................. 20 Claims Against Cultural and Media Imperialism......................................... 21 Ideas Behind Cultural Hybridization............................................................ 28 Cultural Identity............................................................................................ 32 Nationalism................................................................................................... 35 Chapter Summary.......................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER IV BACKGROUND ON CULTURAL INDUSTRY AND CULTURAL POLICY.................................................................................... 40 v Page Push Toward Globalization........................................................................... 41 Globalization Strategy................................................................................... 42 Cultural Industry Development and Governmental Support......................... 44 Objectives of Cultural Policy........................................................................ 46 Chapter Summary......................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER V HYBRIDIZATION OF FILM AND K-POP AND THE SPREAD OF POPULAR CULTURE................................................... 51 South Korean Cinema.................................................................................. 53 Korean Pop-Music........................................................................................ 70 Chapter Summary......................................................................................... 79 CHAPTER VI THE PRESERVATION OF TRADITIONAL AND NATIONAL CULTURE................................................................................ 82 Historical Issues of Cultural and National Identity...................................... 84 Efforts to Promote and Preserve the Han brand........................................... 85 Picking and Choosing which National Sport to Promote............................. 96 Promoting/Preserving History and Culture via the Internet......................... 97 UNESCO as a Way to Promote and Preserve Traditional Forms................. 99 Language Schools and Cultural Centers Abroad.......................................... 101 Chapter Summary......................................................................................... 103 CHAPTER VII CONCLUSIONS............................................................................ 105 REFERENCES......................................................................................................... 111 vi NOMENCLATURE CHA Cultural Heritage Administration ICH Intangible Cultural Heritage KOFIC Korean Film Council KTO Korea Tourism Organization MCST Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The topics surrounding globalization have become a hotbed of academic discussion and contention throughout a wide range of academic disciplines, including political science, economics, environmental studies, linguistics, sociology, and international studies. These different disciplines reflect research of a wide variety of globalization topics such as the role of nation-states in a globalizing economy, disparities between first-world and third-world countries, economic/cultural/media imperialism, urban vs. rural, language acquisition/loss, resource allocation/destruction, and political hegemony. For example, are political statehoods shrinking due to the expanding global market or are nation-states still in control? Who or what groups of people are actively involved in globalization? How can third-world countries benefit or contribute to globalization? How do we maintain our different languages in the midst of a global lingua franca? Is everyone becoming culturally homogenized and cultures commodified? These are just some of the many questions that have been asked as the world becomes more interconnected and mixed. Moreover, anthropology seeks to understand the articulation and processes between the global and the local. Anthropologists are concerned with human agency, cultural flows, and how people navigate, negotiate, and mediate the processes of globalization. 1 Negative Stance Toward Globalization Some of the most contested discussions in anthropology about globalization revolve around the issue of cultural demise or, in other

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