K-pop has gained global recognition on a previously unknown level. K-pop artists are flying out to locations on every continent for events and concerts and are met with legions of adoring fans....Show moreK-pop has gained global recognition on a previously unknown level. K-pop artists are flying out to locations on every continent for events and concerts and are met with legions of adoring fans. Despite the language barrier and culture-difference, these fans feel nothing but understanding and excitement upon interaction with their favourite band. But the rise to the global stage has not been without obstacles. When the eyes of the world are on you, that means one is subjected to a myriad of cultural perspectives, many of which will inevitably clash with your own. In this scenario, cultural faux passes, or worse, are inevitable. Global fans, confronted with these instances, have reacted in various ways, ranging from witch hunts to blind defense. Knowing they have global fans should have made them more aware, is one of the sentiments, whereas another vocal group points out that perhaps cultural differences are to blame. Based on a review of the theory of parasocial interaction by Horton and Wohl (1956), two surveys were conducted. A quantitative survey was conducted among 328 respondents in the period of April 2020 to May 2020. Following the emergence of K-pop as a hot topic during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, a list of 15 open-ended questions was distributed in June 2020 among 26 respondents to gain more qualitative commentary to function as contrast and illustration to the survey’s results. Results showed a disconnect between the real-life experiences of the participants of the qualitative survey, and the numerical results of the quantitative survey, with the first suggesting a high level of parasocial attachment, and the latter a negligible level. Most important is the clear outcome that fans demand social action from their idols in return for their emotional labour as fans, as illustrated by the events involving K-pop fans during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Further research is needed to fully reconcile the results, and keep an eye on the development of K-pop and its fandom among social movements.Show less
This thesis closely examines the North Korean film Hong Kildong, which is a film adaptation from 1986, based on the tale of Hong Kildong. It then compares the film version with a pre-modern...Show moreThis thesis closely examines the North Korean film Hong Kildong, which is a film adaptation from 1986, based on the tale of Hong Kildong. It then compares the film version with a pre-modern literary version of Hong Kildong Chŏn. The research field of North Korean cinema lacked a nuanced deconstruction of the ideological message conveyed in Hong Kildong. Consideration of the background motifs and themes was found to be generally overlooked. This thesis aims to provide for this lack. By analyzing the North Korean film version, while using the Confucian Five Moral Relationships and virtues as a yardstick, this thesis identified how close the story followed or deviated from the Confucian ethics. The comparison between Hong Kildong (film) and Hong Kildong Chŏn (pre-modern fiction) pointed out what (ideological) changes had been made, changes mostly found in the character traits and the development of the storyline towards the end of each story, and helped to identify Juche ideological elements. Through the hypothesis, “Hong Kildong reflects the same ideological changes as have been made to create the yunsaek type kodae sosŏl,” I was able to lend credit to the implications that come with the ideological changes I detected, since they then do not apply merely to this film. My research results confirmed that the hypothesis was indeed correct. Art theory in North Korea has taken on a unified form which is broadly applied to every artistic activity, including both film and literary adaptations of pre-modern works of fiction. The same ideological development can be discerned in both types of adaptation. The central theme, or “seed,” of Hong Kildong can be defined as the revolutionary transformation from the old, corrupt Chosŏn society to the new, liberated Chosŏn, which is promised to those who move towards the sun, which is symbolism for Kim Il-Sung and his Juche thought. Elements that suggest ideas contrary to Juche ideology were consistently found within the realm of Confucian thought. Confucian thought however was not condoned, nor completely condemned in the film, but rather improved to make a smooth transformation to Juche ideology possible. This suggests that Confucian thought remains, however limited, a component in the North Korean people’s belief system. However, hidden elements that reflect anti-Juche or anti-Party Line thoughts, which might have been an influence of Shin Sang-Ok’s own ideas, could not be found.Show less
The legacies of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Summer Olympics have been widely researched before. They include the impact on domestic policies (among which policies that impacted the relationship with...Show moreThe legacies of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Summer Olympics have been widely researched before. They include the impact on domestic policies (among which policies that impacted the relationship with North Korea), national pride and collective memory. However, the political climate between the DPRK and the ROK during these 1988 Olympics could not be in starker contrast than during the Winter Olympics in 2018, which provided an opportunity for formal talks between the two countries. This raised the question of whether or not these events could lead to changes in ethnic nationalistic sentiments in ROK society. The aim of this study is to explore how ethnic nationalism discourses in South Korea have been influenced by hosting the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. As existing literature showed, ethnic nationalism is still used as an argument for unification. Based on this, it was hypothesized that if the wish for unification becomes stronger, notions of ethnic nationalism in South Korean society follow this pattern. Because the PyeongChang Winter Olympics were promoting an agenda of peace and reconciliation with the DPRK, it was expected that they would reignite the flame of ethnic nationalism in ROK society. Critical discourse analysis was used to distinguish whether there were any changes within ethnic nationalism discourses before and after the 2018 Winter Olympics. By comparing studies that captured notions of ethnic nationalism before and after February 2018, it became apparent that there were no clear breakthroughs in the ever-declining importance of ethnic nationalism in ROK society. Because this result is opposite to what is expected on the basis of existing literature, this thesis therefore puts into question the relevance of the current ethnic nationalism discourse paradigm.Show less
There are many artists in the Korean music industry, but black-Korean singers are not often represented thus far. With an increase in multicultural families in South Korea, this group of people is...Show moreThere are many artists in the Korean music industry, but black-Korean singers are not often represented thus far. With an increase in multicultural families in South Korea, this group of people is likely to grow as well in the near future. In order to explore the role of black-Korean individuals in a Korean context, this thesis researched singer Insooni and her ethnic identity development. Phinney’s ethnic identity model was used to assess how Insooni’s identity likely developed throughout her career as a singer. Phinney’s research focused on two main factors called “exploration” and commitment”. Depending on a high or low level for both factors, this results in four possible identity stages: diffusion, moratorium, foreclosure and achievement. This thesis concluded that Insooni likely went through a dynamic development process, described as such by Phinney. The singer may have shown more interest in her Korean ethnicity at first, but as time went on, her exploration and commitment levels for both her Korean and African-American identity increased, which likely resulted in a multi-ethnic identity. This paper offered more insight on the topic of black-Korean individuals and their identity in Korean society.Show less
In deze scriptie beantwoord ik de vraag “Wat is de invloed van nationalisme op de herdenking van Koreaanse slachtoffers van seksuele slavernij door het Japans Keizerlijk leger in Zuid-Korea?” Bij...Show moreIn deze scriptie beantwoord ik de vraag “Wat is de invloed van nationalisme op de herdenking van Koreaanse slachtoffers van seksuele slavernij door het Japans Keizerlijk leger in Zuid-Korea?” Bij de beantwoording van deze vraag zal ik het herdenkingsmonument de sonyŏsang als belangrijkste voorbeeld gebruiken. Hoewel ik het wel over het activisme rondom de slachtoffers ga hebben, heb ik toch gekozen voor het woord “herdenking”. Een groot deel van de literatuur over dit onderwerp gaat over de ontkenning van de gebeurtenissen door de Japanse staat en de protesten voor erkenning door Zuid-Koreanen. Omdat de gebeurtenissen nog steeds door de Japanse staat ontkend en gebagatelliseerd worden, is op dit moment herdenking per definitie een vorm van protest. Omgekeerd is dit ook het geval. Omdat de protesten, naast monetaire compensatie, vooral om erkenning gaan, is actievoeren een onlosmakelijk onderdeel van de herdenking. Herdenken en actievoeren zijn dus op dit moment niet makkelijk van elkaar te scheiden. De reden dat ik specifiek voor het woord herdenken heb gekozen, en niet actievoeren, is dat ik mij in deze scriptie zal focussen op de invloed die nationalisme heeft op de herdenking binnen Zuid-Korea zelf, en niet op Japan of op de relatie van Zuid-Korea met Japan.Show less
This thesis seeks to answer the following research question: “To what extent can the comfort women be considered the forerunners of the #MeToo movement?”. For this, I used qualitative data to...Show moreThis thesis seeks to answer the following research question: “To what extent can the comfort women be considered the forerunners of the #MeToo movement?”. For this, I used qualitative data to support my thesis statement. This qualitative data is secondary data, meaning I extracted information that was collected by other researchers from their research papers, as opposed to new, primary data. In order to gain a better insight in the workings of both the comfort women issue and the #MeToo movement, I discuss events connected to both the comfort women issue and the #MeToo movement that emerged before, during and after the issues became known in Korean society. By comparing, I have found that there are a significant amount of similarities between the two issues. First, i found that both issues were not completely new to the public, and were just not spoken about often. Adding to this, in both situations, the women who spoke up first had been quiet about theit abuse for a long time. Lastly, it is seen that support for the victims in both cases was built from grassroots organizations, and these organizations pressured the government into taking action. By analyzing how both the comfort women issue and the #MeToo movement have progressed over the years, I can confirm the theory that at its core, the comfort women could very well be considered the forerunners of the #MeToo movement.Show less
