i RETHINKING THE EXPEDIENCY OF THE REGIONAL FLOW OF POP CULTURE: THE CASE OF THE KOREAN WAVE IN JAPAN by SUNYOUNG KWAK B.A., SogAng University, 1999 M.A., SogAng University, 2001 A dissertAtion submitted to the Faculty of the GraduAte School of the University of ColorAdo in pArtiAl fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy College of MediA, CommunicAtion And Information 2017 ii This thesis entitled: Rethinking the Expediency of the Regional Flow of Pop Culture: The Case of the Korean WAve in Japan written by Sunyoung Kwak has been approved for the College of MediA, CommunicAtion And Information Dr. Shu-Ling Chen Berggreen Dr. Hun Shik Kim Date The finAl copy of this thesis hAs been eXAmined by the signatories, and we find thAt both the content And the form meet AcceptAble presentAtion stAndArds of scholArly work in the Above mentioned discipline. iii AbstrAct KwAk, Sunyoung (Ph.D., CommunicAtion, College of MediA, CommunicAtion And Information) Rethinking the Expediency of the Regional Flow of Pop Culture: The Case of the Korean WAve in Japan DissertAtion directed by AssociAte Professor Shu-Ling Chen Berggreen This dissertAtion study Aims to identify the role of nAtionAl markets in the regional flow of pop culture, focusing on how nAtionAl markets reAct to foreign pop cultures And take advAntAge of them. TAking the internAtionAl populArity of South Korean pop culture, called “Korean Wave,” or “Hallyu” in Japan As the case, this study analyzes the discourse of JApAn’s mainstreAm mediA from 2009 to 2016 in order to find out the national market's role And desire behind the regionAl And transnational flow of pop culture. The findings show thAt the JApAnese mediA attended to the benefits coming from the boom. In politicAl dimension, the KoreAn WAve wAs regArded as significAnt As A symbol of culturAl eXchAnge And mutuAl understAndings. The two-way flow of culture was considered as necessary, and Japanese politicians, celebrities, and fans reproduced the trAditionAl image of bridges between JApAn And KoreA. PAying Attention to the economic effects, the Japanese mediA took AdvAntAge of the Korean Wave contents’ advertising effect As product plAcement. While the JApAnese domestic economy And locAl governments benefited from the Korean Wave contents for town revitalization And new business opportunities, the product plAcement effect in the internAtionAl market wAs viewed as a iv threAt to the internAtionAl presence of JApAn And its economy. In terms of the pop culture market, Although the JApAnese mediA And pop culture industry continuously introduced And promoted KoreAn WAve contents, with the desire to have the superiority of the JApAnese market confirmed hidden in the bAckground. After All, the KoreAn WAve in JApAn wAs presented And promoted within the JApAnese system operAting its pop culture industry And bAsed on the contributions thAt the KoreAn pop culture made to the JApAnese society. When such vAlues do not eXist Any more, there is little need for the JApAnese mediA to report And promote the KoreAn WAve. The desire of the larger markets such As JapAn suggests thAt the KoreAn WAve phenomenon, which has been regarded to hAve complicAted eXisting power structures, may represent a new form in which the stAtus quo is reproduced in a different wAy. v Acknowledgements First of All, my deepest gratitude goes to my Advisor, Professor Shu-Ling Chen Berggreen. I cannot thank her enough. Despite the hardships Along the wAy, she did not lose confidence in me And helped me to get through this long journey. Without her pAtience, guidAnce, And support, I could not have finished this dissertAtion. I Am Also deeply grAteful to the committee members. Professor Janice Peck has inspired me in terms of making Approaches to research topics and elaborating ideas. Professor Andrew CalAbrese’s comments led me to AlwAys keep in mind which stAnce I should take as a researcher. Professor Hun Shik Kim hAs been willing to support me And give advice in the Korean context. Professor FAye Kleeman’s insightful comments on JApAnese society And culture hAve helped me refine my interest in AsiAn mediA And culture. I also want to thank the stAff of the College of MediA, CommunicAtion And Information, pArticulArly MArthA LaForge And Matt Laszewski for their help with registration And All the pAperwork. The lAst severAl yeArs in Tokyo, And pArticulArly the lAst severAl months couldn’t be more tumultuous to me. I Am indebted to everyone who has been beside me And supported me during the period. I Am deeply grAteful to Eunyoung ChAng, Kyonghye Kim, Juhee Lim, Chunkyong Lee And the members of the KoreAn service teAm of NHK World Radio JapAn. They hAve been AlwAys there to help me when I wAs in trouble And were willing to share their wisdom so thAt I could concentrAte more on dissertAtion writing. Also, I would like to thank Director Iguchi for his kind effort to help And Arbitrate. The Korean colleagues in the GSII of the University of Tokyo including KAyoung Kim, Minjoo Lee, Eun Jeong Choi, Eui-Young NAm, Jooeun Noh, Dajeong Park, Yezi Yeo, Sung-dong Cho, hAve been A source of my energy to survive the dAys in Tokyo. I wAnt to eXpress speciAl thAnks to Guk Chin Song And Jiyoon Kim, for reAding And helping my chapters although they are also busy finishing their own dissertAtions. Also, I owe A very importAnt debt to SusAn TAylor. Without her help, support, And encourAgement, I could not hAve made it. I Also wAnt to thAnk Akiko Onish of the InternAtionAl Center of the University vi of Tokyo. Without her kind understAnding And Advice, I would have been unable to endure the pressure. My grAtitude Also goes to Jiyoung Lee And Seil Kim, who sAved me when I wAs going through A terrible slump After my comprehensive eXAms. I also would like to thAnk Professor KAori HAyAshi And the members in the HAyAshi lab of the University of Tokyo. Discussions with the lAb members, including KAwol Chung, Hiromitsu Fuku, And Rong ZhAng, helped me in identifying and narrowing down the topic in the early stage of this study. I Also wAnt to thAnk Tomomi MAruyAma of Hosei University, whose eXperience And insight As A fAn of Tohoshinki hAd me to pay attention to the issues relAted to the KoreAn WAve consumed in JApAn. I Also wAnt to thAnk the JApanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science And Technology for its scholArship that gave me An opportunity to study and research in Japan. My utmost grAtitude should go to my fAmily. Without their understAnding, support, And sacrifice, I could not have even stArted this journey. This dissertation is for my pArents who hAve sAcrificed their lives for my siblings And me. FinAlly, I would like to thank All the so-called Korean Wave stars. Their popularity in Japan not only inspired me to stArt this study but Also made my life in Tokyo less stressful. I could always run to Shin-Okubo to hAve KoreAn food whenever I wAnted, And sometimes I ran across my fAvorite KoreAn drAmas on the TV in my room, which has been a big consolation for A pAthetic international student. vii CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 The Case and the Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 6 Definition And ClArificAtion of the Terms Used .................................................................................... 12 Notes on AsiAn NAmes .................................................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 2 Theoretical and Historical Backgrounds: Transnational Flow of Pop Culture in East Asian Context ........................................................................................................ 16 1. CulturAl ImperiAlism And the MAtter of CApitAl .......................................................................... 16 2. International Flow of Pop Culture and the Role of Nation-States ....................................... 21 3. History And Pop Culture in JapAn And Korea .................................................................................... 24 1) JApAn’s Use And Consumption of (pop) Culture ........................................................................ 25 2) Korea’s BAn on JapAnese Pop Culture And the Open-Door Policy ..................................... 28 3) FIFA World Cup And IncreAsing EXchAnges ................................................................................ 30 4) History Issues And Pop Culture ........................................................................................................ 33 Chapter 3 The Korean Wave in Japan ......................................................................................... 36 1. Winter Sonata and the Korean Wave in Japan ................................................................................. 36 2. The Reason And the Significance of the Boom ................................................................................. 40 1) Pure Love As the MAin Theme ........................................................................................................... 41 2) DissAtisfAction with the JApAnese MAinstreAm Society .......................................................... 44 3) ChAnged Images of KoreA And Improved BilAterAl RelAtionship ....................................... 47 5) The MediA Environment in JApan ...................................................................................................