From the hugely popular K-pop acts BTS and BLACKPINK to globally successful series like Squid Game and the award-winning film Parasite – Korean culture has become a worldwide phenomenon. Korean products now fill supermarket shelves around the globe, stadium concerts sell out within minutes, and streaming platforms record record-breaking viewership numbers for Korean series. But how did this happen?
In this engaging lecture, Signe Lilja explores the background to Korea's remarkable rise as one of today's most influential cultural forces. The lecture draws on Hallyu – the Korean Wave – and traces the development from South Korea's economic challenges in the 1990s through a deliberate and systematic cultural strategy. You will gain insights into how the country has strategically built its music industry, exported television series and pop music, and systematically created a global cultural dominance that continues unabated to this day.
Practical information: The lecture takes place at Valby Library. Tickets can be purchased or pre-booked. For questions, you can contact librarian Lene Zibrandtsen at [email protected].
