When I teach my Globalization and Culture class, many of my students assume that globalization is the spread of Western culture, or even specifically of American culture. There’s certainly a good reason to believe that in a world where Starbucks, Transformers, and Beyonce appear to have achieved global domination.
But the Chinese have become so obsessed with pop culture coming from a foreign country that even the government is concerned, and the source of the problem is not coming from the West. Instead, it’s the “Korean Wave” (Hallyu). It started with soap operas, but now Chinese consumers are also infatuated with k-pop, Korean fashion designers, Korean movies, Korean food, and even Korean products. One member of the Chinese National People’s Congress moaned, “It’s more than just a Korean soap opera. It hurts our cultural dignity.”
According to “A Korean Hallyu Threatens American Cultural Dominance,” by sociologists Sangyoub Park and Lisa Wade, popular culture isn’t trivial. The issue is national soft power: “This is the kind of power states can exert simply by being popular and well-liked. This enables the country to influence transnational politics without force or coercion.”
Professor Carolyn Hsu