When the phrase “K-pop” is brought up, what comes to mind? It may bring to mind a can of pop, but try thinking again, and reconsider it from another perspective. Think of it in terms of music, and culture. Now take the time again to meditate again and use another perspective point of view, would you get the concept? If not, to ease the thought process, Korean Pop, also known as “K-pop”, doesn’t only focus on genres of music but “…a musical movement that swept South Korea in the early 1990’s and continues to dominate…” You will learn that K-pop isn’t only about music, but plays a role in fashion, culture, television dramas, and Asianizing as well “which means national culture processes have to be examined in relation to trans-regional culture process.” Learning about K-pop many will learn that westernization plays a major role in Korea, as well as being influenced by China by adopting their language and not only in South Korea has Korean pop and culture has been recognized, but also in other parts of Asia, such as Thailand. But, for the most part Korea did not begin with Korean pop; it began with its traditional customs, as far as music and clothing which will be discussed to view the cultural movement from then to now, as well as the “Korean Wave.”

            The rise and popularity of the Korean culture which has spread throughout Asia is called, “The Korean Wave.” Korea did not begin with Korean pop or modernized western styled clothing; it began with traditional Korean music and clothing, just like any other country would. Music is an important part of Korean life. Some traditional music “It is performed to accompany ceremonies in traditional Korean dances, men and women perform separately…” (Shepheard 68, 69) There are various types of dance that includes court, folk, and religious dances. There are popular and modern dances recognized today such as ballet, and disco. The oldest form of Korean music that has been performed is said to be probably twice a year at the Confucian shrine in Seoul. Westernized music also plays a role in the Korean life and is being studied at many schools.

Dating its history, “Korean music is an ancient form and there is written material documenting its history back to the 15th century…” (Korean Music) Traditional Korean music is divided into several genres of music. To name a few there is: Korean folk music, Korean court music, and aristocratic chamber music. “Korean folk music includes: dong-bu folk songs that are mostly simple and bright songs, but their style varies according to the region they originate from…” (Korean Music) This is an example of Korean folk music and varies depending on the regions they may originate from. Korean court music can be traced back to the Choson Dynasty in the XIV century. This traditional music is also divided into 3 different categories: Aak, which is imported from Chinese ritual music. Hyang-ak (translated as “village music”) is “purely performed with Korean instruments…” (Korean Music) These instruments include string instruments and oboes called, piri. Another category of Korean court music is, dang-ak (meaning “tang music”), which is an influence of Korean and Chinese music. The last type of traditional Korean music is aristocratic chamber music. This music has been aimed toward members of the aristocracy informally as a source of entertainment. This genre of music can be sung by male or female in a form called, kagok, or performed instrumentally.

Korean music is of course sung in Korean, but Korea has had a strong link to China adopting many cultural skills. “The Koreans also adopted the Chinese system of writing, involving thousands of separate characters, each denoting a whole word, although it was only the rich and highly educated who were able to learn to read with this complicated system…” (Shepheard 27) Despite adopting this intricate language, Koreans had been strongly influenced by its literature and philosophy. Although they clung to their independence “…the Chinese often tried to absorb Korea into their own country…” (Shepheard 27) And because of this the Koreans drifted and were forced apart within decades due to their own independence as a country within itself.

Since Korean drifted apart from China they developed their own native language called “hanguk,” along with the “hangul” alphabet meaning, “The great writing.” The Korean language consists of seven dialects but varies regionally. An example would be “Central dialect” which is the standard language. There is a “sociopolitical dialect between North and South Korea…” (Cho et al1) which is due to the division of these countries in 1945. North Korea has replaced various Chinese character-based words, while South Korea has adopted “loanwords” or borrowed word from English. Although Korea has adopted a part of the Chinese language and loanwords from English, it has a close relation with the Japanese language. “…Both Korean and Japanese have borrowed a large number of Chinese words and characters throughout the course of their long historical contact within various Chinese dynasties…” (Cho et al 2) These borrowed words have become a part of the Korean and Japanese vocabularies, although pronunciation has made a difference.

Now some may wonder what this has to do with Korean pop or ‘what really is k-pop?’ but this is just to give those who knew very little about the music and traditional language, an idea of how Korean culture came derived. Now to begin on K-pop, Korean pop has become very popular and an influence among the Asians as well as abroad in western regions. “Korean pop culture has become one of the most beloved pop cultures among Asian fans over the last 10 years.” (Sung 1) It all began with the ‘Korean Wave’. The Korean wave is an era in which the popularity in cultural flow swept through Asia. Many have perceived Korean pop culture as fresh and trendy, “…as well as something that contains Asian values and sentiments.” (Sung 1) Since the 21^st century, Korean pop has been a popular cultural item as far as Korean movies, music, TV dramas, food and much more. The sudden rise in the culture popularity in Asia has been said to be new and fascinating to many. “In the early 1990’s before the ‘Korean Wave’ Japanese cultural exports dominated the popular youth imagination.” (Ubonrat, Shin 1) Not long ago was Japan it’s self was influential among Asia and the western regions from the Hello Kitty dolls to the Pokemon game. In downtown Tokyo there is a “Korea plaza, and it’s packed with all things Korean: Korean movies, Korean books, Korean clothing and, most of all, Korean music or K-pop,” (Weiner 1) a reporter stated realizing the cultural flow of Korea was taking over even in Japan that had once been known for their cultural movement.

Not only has the ‘Korean Wave’ reached Japan, but Taiwan as well. Between the years 1999 and 2006 Sung Sang-yeon reports, “I have seen dramatic changes in people’s attitudes towards Korean popular culture as well as the increased presence of Korean culture in Taiwan.” (Sung 1) This change is due to globalization, or Asianizing of Korean pop and culture. Asianizing isn’t just about Asianism but the popularity of it and this process is promoted through commercials products and their images and symbols. A second way it’s done is through national cultural process that is examined in relation to trans-regional cultural processes, and more. Since Asianizing has taken place in Taiwan, Taiwan has played a major role in Korean pop culture by marketing their music. “Korean pop music was one of the later products of Korean popular culture to penetrate Thailand.” (Ubonrat, Shin 112) This culture initially grew popular due to two major companies in Thailand. In order to import and publish Korean pop music, the Thai companies had to deal directly with Korean music producers; a contract between the artists is secured as well. This meant that Thai music companies were entitled to publish all recordings and related artifacts of the artists under the contract. Then music files are sent from the Korean music companies to their Thai counterparts and then they’re published in their original form.

Since globalization played a role in the spread of Korean pop music, it also brought along Korean dramas, movies, and fashion which was recognized in the mainland of China in 1997 when the Korean drama, “Stars Is in My Heart” broadcasted in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other Asian countries. After the popularity of this drama Korean soap operas rapidly gained airtime on television channels in Asian countries. During the rise of popular broadcasting of Korean dramas, Korean music videos also became popular due to teenage groups and the Asian sentiment contained in music video. These teenage groups were attracting young audiences in Taiwan, and china. The reasoning for Korean pop music attracting so many Asian fans is that it has adopted Western pop music and recreated it into a Korean style through fashion and performance style. As said before, Korea has been highly influenced by the western region by music but fashion as well. In today’s society in Korea fashion, appearance, and image plays a major role in the entertainment industry. Their style doesn’t have a specific outlined appearance since it’s much modernized to grab the youth audience attention.  

Although fashion plays a major role in the Korean pop culture, Korea was known for its traditional attire during the “Three Kingdoms Period” (57 B.C. -688 A.D.). Korean clothing is made of various materials, and is worn during special occasions, such as wedding ceremonies, or festivals.  Hanbok, the traditional Korean clothing, “…represents one of the most visible aspects Korean cultures.” (Life in Korea) These clothes are worn by men, women, as well as children and each of them are worn differently and are fabricated according to gender and ranking. “Clothes for the upper classes were made of bright colors and indicated the wearer’s social status.” (Life in Korea) As for commoners they wore white, except during festivals and special occasions such as a wedding. The traditional clothing consists of two different parts for men and women. Both men and women wear jeogori a blouse-like top with long sleeves. For men the sleeves are extended and stretch down to the waist. As for the bottoms, women wore a chima, which is a skirt while men wore baggy pants called paji. Clothing material varied in regions and the materials and fabricating techniques mirrored the Korean culture and society. Some clothing has been made from hemp, silk, satin and more. The fabric had varied upon the diverse climate for example; during the winter heavier fabric was worn and lined with fur. During the summer thinner fabric was used and worn to allow breeze to get to the body. Colors were also a part of the traditional clothing which represents a variety of things depending on the color. An example would be white, which represents purity, integrity, and chastity, and was worn among commoners. As for the upper class they wore white except during special occasion such as wedding or festival. Also their clothes weren’t as expensive as someone of a royal ranking.

Chogori, the traditional women clothing, went all the way to the hips and were tied at the waist which is the earliest version. But by late Chonsun Dynasty (1392-1910) they went as far as the armpit with a long panel to cover the s, and the Dongchong, detachacble paper collars, which helps accents the woman’s neck. Similar to the men’s they are worn like a bow and tied across the chest. The ch’ima,a rectangular or tubular shaped skirt with a high waist pleated band is tied above the s with long sashes, and completely covers the woman’s figure. Similar to the men’s paji, the ch’ima is designed to allows movement freely and squatting comfortably, as well as doing household chores. While wearing traditional clothing, the women preferably wore several layers of undergarments to give a fuller appearance to their body.

            As for men, they wore a cheogori (traditional top) and paji (traditional pants), which were longer than the women’s and reached down to their waist or lower; similar to the women’s version it is tied across the chest. Earlier versions of the men’s paji, had narrow legs for horseback riding or hunting, but in today’s society the legs are made wider and baggier for squatting in the fields and for sitting comfortably.

            As mentioned before, those of a higher status wore more expensive and decorative clothing than commoners. “Certain types of clothing and special colors were reserved only for those of royal family.” (Life in Korea) Certain levels denoted multiple levels of government hierarchy. “During the Choson Dynasty (1392-1910), symbols representing the wearer’s rank began appearing on the hem of clothes.” (Life in Korea) As an example, a dragon represents an empress while a phoenix represents the queen. As a princess or royal concubine, they wore floral prints, and high ranking court officials wore clouds and cranes. The color gold was used to represent royalty throughout Korea’s history.

            During ceremonies or special occasions, people wore colorful attire. At a wedding a formal gown is worn with bright intricate coloring and in addition to their wardrobe head gear was worn as well. The groom wore a black hat, while the bride wears a veil that covers her face half way throughout the ceremony, as well as a long hair pin. Unlike traditional weddings, the western style has an influence on modern day weddings. The bride would be seen in a white gown and the groom in a tuxedo.

            For those who are interested in Korean pop culture, Korean dramas may be the starting point. Korean dramas are where a lot of people begin their interest in the Korean culture. While watching Korean dramas many discover Korean pop music through the OST (original soundtrack), which is played throughout the dramas. These tunes are fairly catchy and attract the audience. When OST’s are played often throughout the drama, this leads to many discovering their favorite Korean pop music artist, or bands. The dramas and music videos also have an influence on their audience from the learning the hanguk language to learning dance routines to their favorite music videos. Despite the language barrier this doesn’t put an end to fans communicating with their favorite artists. “They want to know all the news and gossip first hand if possible.” (Ubonrat, Shin 123) For those who want to learn the language they purchase Korean language book and for those who can’t afford it join fan clubs. Also some fans may catch onto to a few words or phrases of the Korean language to overcome the language barrier. For many people worldwide becoming fans of music videos, the fashion is also an eye catcher to their audience by wearing trendy and up to date fashion making fans want to join in on the trending fashion. More ways to go deeper into the Korean pop culture is by having an appetite for their food or visiting the country if possible.

            Now that K-pop has been detailed and explained some may take into consideration on showing more interest in the Korean pop culture. Korean culture has made a huge impact on Asia as well as other countries. Korean pop was spread by the “Korean Wave” which led to Korean dramas that are internationally known. The Korean pop music, music videos, and fashion that are westernized trendy, an influence to fans; later on to leading to the spread of the entire Korean culture which is internationally known. Was K-pop what came to mind at first? If not, this is an idea of what it is and what it’s about and now it’s time to begin a personal journey through the Korean pop life.