Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Mashimaro]

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2872225

Celebrity music producer Park Jin-young took a stand against nationalism yesterday, saying the word Korean should be removed from the phrase �Korean wave.�

�I don�t understand why the Korean wave is taken as the rah-rah material,� Mr. Park said. �Now is the time to overcome nationalism, but instead we are intensifying that sentiment.�

Mr. Park, who produces the music of the star singer Rain, was referring to hallyu, the Korean pop culture wave. He said the nationalism causes other countries to criticize Korea.

He made the comments in an interview in New York with the JoongAng Ilbo. Mr. Park is scheduled to make a keynote speech on Feb. 16 for the forum �Hallyu in Asia: A Dialogue,� at the Kennedy School of Harvard University.

The media is at least partly to blame for fanning nationalism, Mr. Park said. �The press says things like �The Korean wave is conquering Japan and China,� and that leads to anti-Korean wave sentiment overseas,� Mr. Park said.

Mr. Park said he�s been surprised to hear criticism expressed by producers and TV executives overseas.

�Now, the Korean wave is strong, so they are playing our music in their countries,� Mr. Park said. �But I get the sense that if the Korean Wave shows signs of dying out, they would go ahead and stop playing our music. It only hurts us if Koreans stress the Korean label too much.�
He also said politicians share in the responsibility. �Politicians do not look at pop art as a way to communicate culturally, but use nationalism for their own benefit.�

The producer noted that his own singer, Rain, received criticism on Web sites at home because he wore a Chinese-style costume and made dance moves based on kung fu. �Such a narrow-minded attitude does not help at all,� Mr. Park said.

The comment boiled up more online controversy, as Internet users reacted sharply both for and against Mr. Park. Those who opposed him said people can�t deny that the Korean wave comes from Korea.
The producer wrote a response yesterday on his Web site, saying, �It is my dream to overcome this modern age in which we think our country and our nation are only the best,� he said.

Mr. Park, himself a former star singer, has fostered a round of successful pop singers through his company, JYP Entertainment.

By Nam Jeong-ho(JoongAng Ilbo)/ Chun Su-jin(Staff Writer)

[crazy_arcade]

Pee is terrible, but his producer is right.

Korean artists and works have been hurt in other countries because of too much nationalism. The wave has been dampered.

[seoulsucker]

Rain's handlers replace his producer in 5....4....3....2....

[Yu_Bum_suk]

As someone on this site noted in another thread, just imagine when the backlash starts and the Korean Wave becomes the object of satire. It's a good thing there's really no market for it in the west or else Koreans would be going apoplectic over western comedians being presented with such an easy target to satorise.

[venus]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I'd like to know what all these sites are, too, especially as when I go into a PC-bang I'm usually the only one surfing the Internet and not playing computer games.

[Sister Ray]

[quote="venus"]

[Vancouver]

[seoulshock]

Mr. Park is a smart man -- and a client and a neighbor.

[Smee]

Obviously self-serving and getting out in front of a trend.

But it's impossible to take the Korean out of the Korean Wave. It was marketed as an antidote to the trashy values exported by American culture. The draw of K-dramas was Asians would have an easier time relating to the values portrayed on the shows. Also, they showed a level of (artificial) opulence maybe not available to others in the continent. Movies and music rode the wave and had no problems proclaming the wonders of Korean culture to the masses. Unfortunately, cultural imperialism doesn't sit well with too many people, and Koreans are getting called on it. That, plus K-pop isn't too interesting anyway.

[migooknom]

[rothkowitz]

I remember New Zealand's attempt at a "Kiwi Wave"-for the sake of drumming up tourism-back in the 80s.

They had Loretta Swit from M*A*S*H saying how America was getting into kiwifruit and Kiri Te Kanawa(an opera singer)

Fruit and a fat chick.Great.

At least we didn't take it seriously,unlike Korea with it's kimchi,bubblegum pop and cheesy dramas which really only appeal to SE Asian countries with even direr pop culture,lonely, bored and horny Japanese and Hawaiian housewives and millions and millions of Korean ex-pats

[JJK1]

[hubba bubba]

Wait a minute...

Is This the Korean Wave we are talking about?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xynfgcsj41E

You mean this is "taking over Japan and China?"

Man, I'd LOVE this to be played in the states. Imagine the jokes on Letterman!

[sjrm]