Message from victoriachan

[Anonymous]

The idea of hallyu, the Korean wave, was a smart strategy to influence people to view South Korea in a more positive light, especially considering how oftentimes, people focus on the fact that it went through a war and split from North Korea.
Moreover, I would argue that the soft power has influenced Korean-American children to take pride in their culture. I used to work at a Korean after school, and many of the students were obsessed with K-pop. While it was somewhat of a distraction from their studies at times, it was great that they felt such an affinity to Korean culture and felt strongly about maintaining it.
It is equally interesting that so many people from other countries/cultures has embraced Korean culture. I know that in China, there have been many reported incidents related to people binge-watching the Korean drama “My Love from the Star,” which Professor Jung-Kim had talked about during her lecture. Below is a Buzzfeed article outlining some of the ways that some Chinese people went over the top with their obsessions.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/kimberlywang/an-insanely-popular-korean-drama-is-ruining-lives-in-china?utm_term=.auPwM3oL6B#.weBd9l2yvw
I haven’t met any student who has expressed liking Korean dramas, but I do wonder if some of my students do. Many have already expressed liking Japanese anime, but the K-pop lovers might be in hiding.