The Korean Wave consistently piques the interest of media outlets. Especially in the German context, it is still perceived as a new trend. Sceptic voices remain most visible and question reasons for its success. Most popular view is the soft-power perspective, painting Korean cultural industry and its artists as embedded in foreign policy processes. Other views characterize Hallyu as a passing-trend, a short-lived anomaly. Lastly, success is sometimes attributed to consumerism, stating that K-pop and other Korean cultural contents are designed to appeal to everyone and especially the inexperienced youth. In short, Korean cultural content and their consumers are eyed with both wonder and distrust.
Beyond popular media discourse, academic discussion on how to understand the Korean Wave and its impact on a changing media landscape has emerged. However, until now, the German case was largely sidelined in discussions. Focusing on K-pop, the special lecture series ¡°Sailing or drifting? The Korean wave, self and fandoms¡± addresses this gap by providing an opportunity to discuss the impact of the Korean Wave on youth. Are individuals simply swept up by the wave or consciously riding it? Moving beyond arguments of maturity of consumers and/or manipulation by media, the series highlights the artistic dimension of internationally popular Korean music and dances.

"Who is behind the Prodigy K-pop Dancers?"

Who is behind the prodigy K-pop dancers and teen K-pop influencers? Globally talented young trainees?come to South Korea and become professional artists even before getting accepted to K-pop agencies. Based on her #1 Amazon New Release bestseller?K-pop Dance (Routledge, 2022), Dr. Chuyun Oh, the pioneer of K-pop dance studies, shares her insight on conservatory performing arts education in South Korea and how young prodigy?children claims their voice and agency on social media in accordance and against with competitive neoliberal capitalism and training system.??

Lecturer:

(Associate) Prof Dr Chuyun Oh (Associate Professor of Dance Theory/Practice, Affiliated Faculty in Women's Studies, Core Member of Institute for Dialogue and Social Justice, San Diego State University)

Registration: https://fu-berlin.webex.com/weblink/register/r56493353843a7a94ff984e0b49b65b99