Why is K-pop so popular around the world? Stephanie Choi discusses how the globalization of Korean popular music has generated new modes of communication and community-building across national borders and continents. Focusing on the digital creation of gendered intimacy, Choi explores how the emotional labor of idols and fans sustains the global economy of K-pop. This talk draws on Choi’s interviews with K-pop idols, producers, managers, and fans in Seoul, Los Angeles, and New York, and is part of her forthcoming book Branding Intimacy: Media, Labor, and Community in K-pop.

Stephanie Choi is a postdoctoral researcher at the Asia Research Institute at SUNY Buffalo.

This event is sponsored by the Global Korea Project, the Dean's Office, and the Institute for Liberal Arts. It is co-sponsored by International Studies, Asian Studies, and the Department of Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies.