Sinpongsporn, Isaya (2018) Exploring Thai Cultural Identity through the Remakes of Korean Dramas : A Study of Transnational and Hybrid Culture on Thai Television. PhD thesis. SOAS University of London. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/32459 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Exploring Thai Cultural Identity through the Remakes of Korean Dramas: A Study of Transnational and Hybrid Culture on Thai Television Isaya Sinpongsporn Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD 2018 Centre for Media and Film Studies SOAS, University of London 1 ABSTRACT This thesis adopts the perspectives of media and cultural studies to interrogate ‘cultural identity’ and ‘cultural hybridity’ through an analysis of the influence of South Korean popular culture on contemporary Thai media production and audience reception. It posits that the deeply hybridized nature of Thai media, especially television drama, can be taken as a starting point to interrogate questions of Thai cultural identity in relation to authenticity, diversity and hybridity. Although Thai media have long been influenced by different cultures, typically from Western and East Asian countries, the official television remakes of foreign materials started as late as 2012 after the influx of South Korean pop culture, or the so-called ‘Korean Wave’, into the country. Hence to explore the features and definitions of Thai culture and to reveal the appropriation of foreign culture, as well as negotiation and reception in Thai contexts, three first remakes of South Korean television dramas in Thai versions, namely The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince, Autumn in my Heart and Full House, are studied through three approaches: textual analysis, interviews with Thai remake directors and focus groups with Thai audiences. The findings from this analysis reveal that none of above-mentioned remakes fully follows the form and content of the original versions. Each has been revised, yet with a differing degree of cultural adaptation based on the directors’ own experiences and understandings of their national culture. In terms of audience reception, although Thai audiences in this study also hold a variety of differing views on Thai culture, they share similar opinions regarding Thai remakes of Korean dramas. To them, television is more of a local than a global medium. No matter how much they appreciate Korean television drama, if it is transformed into a Thai version and is called a Thai product, Thai audiences will expect to see what they believe to be Thai culture rather than other cultures. Thai remakes with a greater degree of localisation prove preferable to remakes that offer less adaptation. Disagreement regarding Thai cultural interpretation from Thai producers and audiences provides evidence that the definition of Thai culture is subjective, variable, and sometimes inseparable from other cultures. Furthermore, it suggests that a definition of ‘true’ or ‘authentic’ Thai culture is difficult to achieve. Despite this, however, Thai culture, by law, is something Thai people feel obligated to preserve. Therefore in order to search for a consensus on the definition of Thai culture or what to preserve, instead of describing Thai culture with tangible criteria and characteristics, this thesis alternatively suggests it is necessary to take into account the dimensions of subjectivity, flexibility and hybridity in viewing Thai culture. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Undertaking a PhD is truly a marathon task, and I would not have been able to complete this journey without the kind support and help from a number of people. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to all of them. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my dear supervisor, Professor Rachel V Harrison, for her guidance, encouragement and patience throughout my tenure at SOAS. I could not have imagined having a better mentor for my PhD study. I am also very grateful to my co-supervisors, Dr Griseldis Kirsch and Dr Ben Murtagh for their constant support and constructive suggestions for improving and completing my thesis. I am highly indebted to Bangkok University for offering me a scholarship to study further. I will definitely continue to do my best and contribute to the organisation in return. Special thanks and appreciation also go to my colleagues and friends in the UK, Thailand, and other countries. Their academic and mindful support really do mean a lot to me. I am truly thankful for their always prompt help, whenever I have needed it. Last but not least, my acknowledgements would be incomplete without thanking the biggest source of my strength: my family. I would like to give a heartfelt thanks to my parents, my younger brother and my beloved husband for always believing in, and being with me, through this tough journey. I would not have come this far without them. All of them are truly part of my success, and I love them all dearly. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract………………………………………………………………………………... 3 Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………............. 4 List of illustrations…………………………………………………………………… 8 Note on transliteration and referencing………………………………………….. 11 Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………... 12 Research rationale…………………………………………………………………….. 12 Research objectives…………………………………………………………………… 19 Research questions…………………………………………………………………… 20 Research methods…………………………………………………………………….. 20 . Textual analysis……………………………………………………………….. 21 . In-depth interviews……………………………………………………………. 22 . Focus groups………………………………………………………………….. 24 . Thesis outline………………………………………………………………….. 27 Chapter 2: Contextualising Thai–Korean Relations and Reinvention……… 29 Historical and Social background……………………………………………………. 29 . Korean pop culture across the globe……………………………………….. 29 . Thai–Korean relations and the ‘Korean Wave’ phenomenon in Thailand 34 . Television and Thai television……………………………………………….. 47 o Television studies……………………………………………………. 48 o Thai television and related media………………………………….. 53 o Thai television drama………………………………………………... 57 o Broadcasting Censorship in Thailand…………………………….... 67 Theoretical framework……………………………………………………………....... 74 . Globalisation and globalised media………………………………………… 74 . Cultural and identity…………………………………………………………... 78 o Cultural identity……………………………………………………..... 78 o Asian identity………………………………………………………..... 82 o Thai identity / proposed criteria…………………………………….. 84 . Theory of Adaptation………………………………………………………..... 99 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………... 104 5 Chapter 3: Transculturalism and ‘Thainess’ on Screen……………….……… 105 Criteria of Thai cultural identity………………………………………………………. 105 . The monarchy…………………………………………………………………. 107 . The Thai language……………………………………………………………. 108 . Lifestyle and personality……………………………………………………… 109 . Buddhism…………………………………………………………………….... 109 . Agriculture……………………………………………………………………... 110 . Thai food and herbs…………………………………………………………... 111 . Thai festivals…………………………………………………………………... 112 Findings from textual analysis: Exploring (hybrid) Thai culture…………………... 115 . The remake of The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince…………………………….. 115 . The remake of Autumn in my Heart………………………………………… 126 . The remake of Full House……………………………………………….…… 135 ‘Thainess’ beyond the official criteria………………………………………………... 143 The perplexity of ‘Thainess’…………………………………………………………... 150 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………… 154 Chapter 4: Cultural Negotiation in Thai Remake Productions………………. 155 What is a ‘remake’? …………………………………………………………………... 156 Thai remakes of South Korean television dramas…………………………………. 161 Findings from in-depth interviews: Korean stories in Thai settings………………. 164 . Behind-the-scenes of the Thai The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince…………… 164 . Behind-the-scenes of the Thai Autumn in my Heart……………………….. 170 . Behind-the-scenes of the Thai Full House………………………………….. 174 Directors’ perception of Thai culture………………………………………………… 182 Cross-cultural remake: the contest between ‘self’ and ‘otherness’….…………… 185 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………… 189 Chapter 5: Transcultural Consumption………………………………………….. 191 Audience reception……………………………………………………………………. 192 Transcultural media consumption……………………………………………………. 196 Findings from focus groups: A cross cultural and generational reception………. 199 . South Korean–Thai adapted media consumption and engagement……. 200 . Perceptions of, and preferences for, Korean dramas and their remakes. 203 . Differences and similarities between the originals and the remakes……. 208 . Perspectives on ‘Thainess’…………………………………………………... 211 . Suggestions for future Thai television dramas…………………………….. 214 6 ‘Soft’ Power…………………………………………………………………………….. 218 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………… 222 Chapter 6: Conclusion………………………………………………………………. 225 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………….......... 244 7 List of illustrations Page Chapter 2