How can Korean idols balance the need to be nationalistic (as demanded by Korean audiences, the government, media companies, and advertisers) while still attracting international audiences who (if they notice them) may dislike/react negatively to these nationalistic elements?
In order to achieve their “highest value”, Korean idols must meet the demands of nationalism by Korean audiences, the government, media companies and advertisers, while still appealing to the global audience who may react negatively to these nationalistic elements. This can be seen in Korean pop music, where they took localised hip-hop and “toned down the harsh beats of the American genre and dealt with issues more resonant with the Asian youth” (Joo 2011, 492). By taking the already popular American genres of music and incorporating issues supported by Korean nationalists, K-pop and Korean idols are able to attract international audiences with a sense of familiarity while still meeting the demands of Korean nationalism.
South Korea’s music industry has played a huge impact on the country’s success in globalisation, as it has been conceived as a vehicle for enhancing national competitiveness in the world markets not simply as a matter of economic prosperity but of nationalist pride” (Joo 2012, 5-6). For example, the Korean government hopped onto the “Korean wave” by implementing measures such as “appointing K-pop stars as tourism ambassadors and hosting events for overseas fan clubs” (Joo 2011, 498) to advance K-pop and increase foreign awareness. In order to further gain the attraction of international audiences, Korean entertainment companies cooperated with local distributors in foreign locations to have global investors invest in Korean idols to further improve their exposure on a global platform. This led to fans praising Korean idols by offering another opportunity to see them in advertisements.
Korean idols are “compatriots, national representatives, cultural ambassadors and patriotic role models that are also in an intimate relationship with their foreign audiences, who expect celebrities not just to come to their countries to earn money but to care about them and calibrate public behaviours to please, or at least not offend local sensibilities” (Fedorenko 2017, 511). Korean idols must meet all the nationalistic rules of Korean expectations whilst still being established as people who care about their fans and the international audience. It would be a failure on the side of nationalism if the “fan’s affective investments in trans-border celebrities [compel] those fans to negotiate their fandom loyalties amidst competing political discourses which they accomplished by framing their idols as innocent victims of malevolent political forces” (Fedorenko 2017, 500). Just being nationalistic and creating an intimate relationship with the international audience is not enough if the international audience sees the Korean government in a bad light. In order to truly balance nationalism and the appeal to international audiences, Korean idols must make Korean popular culture “not ‘Korean’ but ‘ours’ in that sense – and it is this ‘ours’ quality that makes [Korean idols] into a valuable transnational commodity” (Fedorenko 2017, 507).
Author: Alex Lin
Citations
Fedorenko, Olga. “Korean-wave Celebrities between Global Capital and Regional Nationalisms.” Inter- Asia Cultural Studies 18, no. 4 (2017): 498-517.
Joo, Rachael Miyung. Transnational Sport: Gender, Media, and Global Korea. Durham: Duke University Press, 2012.
Joo, Jeongsuk. “Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of “Pop Nationalism” in Korea.” The Journal of Popular Culture 44, no. 3 (2011): 489-504.
AILEE 
Nowadays, there seem to be more and more K-pop groups with band members who are not of Korean nationality. Many are scouted from China, Thailand, America etc. In this sense, do these idols become representatives of the Korean identity just as much as their Korean counterparts (e.g responsible for knowing the traditions, formalities, history), or do they have to find a balance to become representatives of two different nationalities equally?
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This is just my speculation, but I think that since they’re under a Korean agency and mainly promoting in Korea, idols in K-pop groups who aren’t Korean probably need to focus on what their agency wants them to do. So, because they are part of a K-pop group under a Korean label, even if they are of a different nationality and may also try to represent their own country, they’re most likely required to prioritize representing Korea.
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It’s true that many Kpop idols are scouted from different parts of Asia, not just Korea. However, the most popular and long-lasting Korean groups are the ones where all their members are Korean. I speculate that the reason behind this trend is due to the fact that once a Kpop group becomes a hit, a lot of members choose to fly solo. Especially members of Chinese descent, Chinese idols usually see the Korean kpop industry as a gateway to fame. They go through the training of the different agencies and establish a fan base in Korea in order to gain success back in China. Since for the past decade China has been a big audience in Kpop. In theory that is why idols groups with mixed heritage backgrounds seem to be short-lived and may not be as successful as the groups with all Korean heritage backgrounds. On the other side having idol groups with mixed heritages may actually make this group more appealing internationally. Since audiences from different parts of Asia may feel a sense of resonance with the members.
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I agree that having idol groups with mixed backgrounds are a good way to attract international audiences. That way even though they may have to prioritize displaying Korean nationalism as a group, the individual members who are of different nationalities may allow non-Korean fans feel more closely connected to those particular members who are of the same nationality as them.
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I agree, this is definitely an ongoing trend in recent years. Many idol groups include non-Korean artists into their lineup to attract international attention. In particular, I think they help the Korean industry establish a connection with the artist’s home country. By recruiting artists of different backgrounds, idols hold more appeal to international fans and build a deeper connection. For example, when EXO first debuted as a South Korean/Chinese boy band. It garnered a lot of attention in both countries and led to many Chinese fans discovering K-pop. It’s a great example of balancing Korean and foreign cultures together. It’s also interesting to note that although Korean agencies are more open-minded on recruiting non-Korean artists, they are still expected to perform and present themselves based on Korean standards and expectations, to show nationalism even though they are not originally from Korean.
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I agree with you that perhaps the K-pop industry can be a gate way to fame to many idols of other nationalities. However, I believe these idols can become just as popular as true Korean idols and also juggle promoting their talents in their own countries (I find this to be particularly true with Chinese idols). For example, Jackson of Got7 (who is from Hong Kong) is very popular in Korean variety shows for his humour and also very popular in China. There are also many Chinese idols that choose to step out of the Korean limelight and become household names in their home country once they’ve reached a certain level of fame there, not because their careers in Korea were “short-lived”. Victoria from f(x), Kris & Luhan from EXO are good examples of idols who became successful actors in their home countries and decided to pursue that path instead.
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I think that Korean idols will typically prioritize displaying nationalism and being nationalistic regardless of whether they may garner disapproval from international/foreign audiences. This is because they need the support of the Korean audience, government, etc., first to make them popular/relevant enough before they can get attention internationally. But to balance the need from both what the Korean people expect from them and what international audiences may want to see, Korean idols may try to show their nationalism more subtly through their lyrics or by using symbolism in their dances/MVs/performances, etc. Or they could show it through other means, like attending events and being involved with the community which shows their nationalistic pride, while leaving music as an outlet to attract all types of audiences.
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Yes, or even through social media. Many idols nowadays have social media accounts that fans can follow and be updated about their daily life, and I think building a good relationship with fans – both domestic and international alike – is another really good way to attract more support while also letting the idols show their personalities off-screen. Plus, using social media platforms to connect with fans not only helps the idols reach a bigger audience (especially internationally), it also means that those international fans can in turn help promote the idols in their own country or through their own social media accounts and attract an even bigger audience.
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I find that with BTS’ promotion recent promotion of “Idol”, is a really good example of Korean artists needing to balance the nationalistic aspect yet also appealing to their international audiences. They were criticized for being Americanized and catering more to international music tastes. With “Idol”, they made sure there was a balance of the American sound mixed with Korean traditional music and also elements in their music videos so that they can please both fanbases.
I also find interesting that Korean artists who are more Americanized aren’t considered idols and seem to be more underground and not as mainstream. For example, Jay Park (who although is well known in Korea won’t be seen weekly on Music Bank or Inkigayo promoting his music), dumbfoundead, Jessi
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I agree with you that BTS’s recent promotion has been too Americanized for the Korean audiences. BTS’s leniency towards American style music is similar to EXO’s leniency towards Chinese music. I speculate that different idol groups would analyze their fan base in order to please their different audiences. That said, Kpop groups’ music styles and fashion can be very versatile in order to appeal to a specific audience. This may be the reason why successful idol groups often include many members that can shift from one image to another. Lastly, the ultimate goal of idol groups is fame and so promoting more americanized music is more logical when the idol group has a larger american fan base and vice versa. However, idol groups should not forget their Korean roots and work hard to keep a balance. True fans of an idol group would respect the decisions made by the groups in mixing other components into their styles.
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To add on, having idols work internationally also help Korea themselves. The idols would be like a constant advertisement of Korean culture; promoting the tourism industries in Korea. This mutually beneficial relationship may contribute to the reasons behind why the Korean government is so supportive of Kpop groups going international.
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I also think that Korean idols balance the need for nationalism whilst still appealing to their international fans by appearing and performing at major international events. For example, Ailee was amongst a number of Korean artists who performed at KCON this year at New York and Los Angeles. Other idol groups such as Big Bang, BTS and Girl’s Generation would hold K-pop concerts outside of Korea, or even appear on TV programs in foreign countries. By performing at these events, they are able to increase exposure for Korean culture through promoting their music and performing on the international stage. It also gives international fans the opportunity to connect with their favourite idol.
Outside of performing internationally, Korean TV programs are also another venue for idols to attract international audiences. Although most programs are broadcasted in Korean, they are often uploaded online for global fans to watch. Most TV programs such as variety shows, and dramas are full of references to Korean culture and history, but oversea fans will still watch them because they attracted by the idol group’s appearance on the show. Some fans will even take the effort to translate the show into English for other viewers. Examples of internationally successful TV programs include Running Man and Korean dramas such as Descendents of the Sun.
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Excessively long quotations should be avoided– there is usually a way to just quote key phrases and paraphrase the rest of the quote and absolutely a quote should not end a paragraph or an essay– after any quote there should be some of your words explaining how that quote works to support your argument. Because you quote two different “Joo” it would be best to use Joo R and Joo J or something like that in the text to make it easier for the reader. Ms. Wang will be sending additional feedback privately, this is not private, it is meant for your whole group because they may face similar issues. The discussion looks good^^
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Your essay is a very strong exploration of K-pop idols and their ties to nationalism, and was supported by
well-incorporated, appropriate scholarly voices from class readings. You had a good topic sentence that offered your argument. Perhaps to make your argument stronger would be incorporating real-life examples, and to have your own voice and opinion shine through in discussing the methods that you believe would allow K-pop singers to find image balance. I am seeing many examples offered by groupmates in the discussion that are relevant to this topic. Good job!
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