Boston College Global Korea Project Presents...

Event description

Anyone genuinely curious about what makes South Korean pop culture tick should look no further than Gangnam. Having been wildly celebrated by an unlikely K-pop superstar called Psy in 2012, it is the epicenter of Hallyu, the Korean Wave. Gangnam is an exclusive zone of wealth and privilege that has lured pop culture industries to take root and flourish since the 1980s. But at the same time, Gangnam is widely regarded as a breeding ground for ‘social evil’ (sahoeak) in South Korea as it has firmly established itself as the shrine of the unholy trinity of Korean capitalism: real estate speculation, sex industry, and college-prep private education business. Analyzing Yeon Sang-ho’s animation The King of Pigs (2013) and Yoon Jong-bin’s film Beastie Boys (2008), this talk will take an unflinching look at the dark side of South Korean society and its impact on Hallyu media production.

Dr. Pil Ho Kim

Associate Professor of Korean Studies at Ohio State University

Sponsors and Co-Sponsors

This event is sponsored by Boston College Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Office and The Institute for the Liberal Arts, and it is co-sponsored by the International Studies Program, Asian Studies Program, and Department of Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies.