The Institute for Global Engagement held the opening for its Year of Korea on Sept. 14. This is its third year of events, following 2016’s Year of Brazil and 2017’s Year of India.
The goal of these events is to educate students on other nations and help them better understand other cultures and practices. This year, IGE chose Korea to focus on because of its relationship to both global politics and economics.
Suk-Young Kim was asked to kick off the Year of Korea with a presentation on K-Pop, focusing on music videos.
“We found that Dr. Kim’s work on K-Pop, emotional citizenship in both North and South Korea as well as her background in performance art made her an ideal scholar to introduce Korea to our students,” said Evelyn Clark, associate professor of sociology and IGE fellow.
Kim began her presentation by discussing the quick rise and popularity of K-Pop across the globe and why it has caught on so quickly among millennials.
“One of the most exciting aspects of K-Pop is that it has this amazing ability to bring communities like never before,” Kim said. “Sometimes, it has this amazing ability to really launch a movement to turn our attention to the social ailment that is being faced by millennials.”
Kim focused heavily on how K-Pop groups market themselves and what effect it has on their popularity. For example, girl group “Girl’s Generation” presented themselves in roller skates, jeans and white T-shirts during their United States debut as a way to invoke nostalgia for the 1980s and attract the last 20s – 30s male demographic. However, in Japan, they marketed themselves in nautical outfits, as a way to attract those interested in “Sailor Moon.”
She then spoke about “Twinkle,” a musical video from the group “TaeTiSao,” which is made up of three former members of “Girl’s Generation.” Throughout the video, the three women were seen in glamorous ways, getting their makeup done and walking down a red carpet. Kim said this could be based on the genre of theatre known as “backstage musicals,” which emphasizes stars’ lives.
“This genre thrives on nostalgia,” Kim said. “The emphasis on female stars and beauty, I think, that’s tradition in the U.S., which started with the genre called the Ziegfeld Follies. This was a very popular entertainment form that thrived in the early 20th century.”
Kim noted other connections between K-Pop groups and the Ziegfeld Follies, discussing how both tend to involve large group performances, with individual stardom being acknowledged at the same time.
In the music video, there were hints of Motown, which Kim pointed out can be huge inspiration for K-Pop, since Motown is not only a place, but a brand. That dual meaning is something K-Pop producers are striving to attain for their groups.
This method of borrowing themes from various other places and time periods came as a surprise to some, including Oswego State junior Nicole Insolia.
“Going into it, it wasn’t what I was expecting at all,” Insolia said. “Overall, I thought the presentation was well thought out and very intriguing. It gave me a viewpoint of K-Pop that really made me appreciate the music.”
Kim ended her presentation by answering questions and talking about what K-Pop could mean for North Korea.
“For the kids of North Korea, it serves a different function,” Kim said. “It gives an outlet to express themselves and deviate from the very-much-controlled society.”
Last year, IGE put on 18 events for the Year of India and had almost 800 students attend. It hopes to have similar, if not better, results this year.
“We are off to a good start in introducing SUNY Oswego to Korea, both North and South,” Clark said. “I am really looking forward to our series and hope that both students and faculty will take advantage of engaging in this series and all the events IGE has planned.”
Photo by Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian
