The Magic of K-Pop

Subtitle: 
A Cultural Consumption Perspective
Activity Type: 
Colloquium
Promo Image: 
Presenter: 
Yun-Oh Whang, Clinical Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Katz Graduate School of Business
Date: 
Friday, October 20, 2017 - 12:00 to 13:30
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Location: 
4130 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
Contact Person: 
Dr. Mi-Hyun Kim
Contact Phone: 
412-624-5562
Contact Email: 
kimmh@pitt.edu
Cost: 
Free and open to the public

The rise of Korean music (K-Pop) around the world in the last two decades has been a mystery to many industry experts. Some compares it to the explosion of British rock and roll in 1960s (“The British Invasion”), calling it “The Korean Wave (Han-Ryu)”. Even though it is not a part of the main stream music worldwide, it definitely deserves our attention as a cultural sensation. What is the magic ingredient of K-Pop for its worldwide popularity? How has a tiny country such as South Korea become a major exporter of a cultural product? We will first discuss the history of the rise of K-Pop and try to identify the answers to these questions. Our focus will be on K-Pop as a cultural product and examine the market forces including the consumers who adopted K-Pop as their music of choice.

UCIS Unit: 
Asian Studies Center
Other Pitt Sponsors: 
Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures