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The Birth of Korean Cool
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture | Euny Hong
11 posts | 8 read | 5 to read
A FRESH, FUNNY, UP-CLOSE LOOK AT HOW SOUTH KOREA REMADE ITSELF AS THE WORLD'S POP CULTURE POWERHOUSE OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY By now, everyone in the world knows the song "Gangnam Style" and Psy, an instantly recognizable star. But the song's international popularity is no passing fad. "Gangnam Style" is only one tool in South Korea's extraordinarily elaborate and effective strategy to become a major world superpower by first becoming the world's number one pop culture exporter. As a child, Euny Hong moved from America to the Gangnam neighbourhood in Seoul. She was a witness to the most accelerated part of South Korea's economic development, during which time it leapfrogged from third-world military dictatorship to first-world liberal democracy on the cutting edge of global technology. Euny Hong recounts how South Korea vaulted itself into the twenty-first century, becoming a global leader in business, technology, education, and pop culture. Featuring lively, in-depth reporting and numerous interviews with Koreans working in all areas of government and society, The Birth of Korean Cool reveals how a really uncool country became cool, and how a nation that once banned miniskirts, long hair on men, and rock n' roll could come to mass produce boy bands, soap operas, and the world's most important smart phone.
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Verity
Verity
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture | Euny Hong
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Pickpick

Absolutely fascinating and very, very readable. Obviously the geopolitics of north and South Korea has moved in a bit since this was written so a few bits feel a little dated but that doesn‘t at all detract from the points the author is making about South Korea‘s approach to world domination via pop culture.

27 likes
blurb
Verity
Verity
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture | Euny Hong
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This morning‘s train book is this look at the emergence of modern South Korea 🇰🇷 and its fascinating and incredibly readable.

26 likes2 stack adds
review
karasu13
karasu13
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture | Euny Hong
Pickpick

A fun, breezy read that is half memoir, half social study. Hong covers every facet of Korean culture that Korea has exported or wants to export (such as its music, dramas and technology). Because K-pop has been my major obsession for seven years, the K-pop chapter was my favourite, but I did learn a lot about Korea‘s history and motivations. The one drawback? I was reminded of the 20 hours I wasted watching “Winter Sonata.” 🙃

1 like
blurb
karasu13
karasu13
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture | Euny Hong
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And now Hot Topic is selling Big Bang and G-Dragon shirts. This book predates the BTS explosion, but I agree with Hong that Big Bang is the most Western-friendly group to represent K-pop.

1 like
blurb
karasu13
karasu13
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture | Euny Hong
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Anyone who knows me knows I am an obsessive KPop fan. I‘ve been a fan of South Korean pop culture for the last 13 years and while I know the basics of the country‘s move from dictatorship to technological leader, I haven‘t read anything that covers the shift in an in-depth way. Looking forward to reading this!

1 like
blurb
BookishRedhead
BookishRedhead
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture | Euny Hong
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Taking a break from the North Korea.

6 likes
blurb
BookishRedhead
BookishRedhead
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture | Euny Hong
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Read this a while ago and I really enjoyed it

2 likes
review
courtofbooks
courtofbooks
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture | Euny Hong
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Pickpick

I'm just fueling the addiction lol ;)

1 like