Significance of the Video "Gangnam Style" in Korean Pop Culture
Course description:
This course presents multiple aspects of popular culture in South and North Korea, from K-pop to dramas, internet culture, video games and socialist mass culture. It approaches Korea’s cultural industries historically and critically, questioning their relationships to colonialism, militarism, social hierarchies, national identities, and economic globalization. The course offers students the opportunity to reflect about the aesthetics, socio-historical roots and global significance of some of Korea’s most famous cultural exports, linking contemporary dramas to colonial-era melodrama or questioning the interplay of nationalism and multiculturalism in hallyu fandom. In so doing it equips students with the theoretical tools and critical thinking skills necessary to analyse the sociological aspects of cultural consumption, the economics of contemporary cultural industries and the relationship between culture and power.
Midterm essay:
A 1000 to 1500 words critical essay on an item of Korean popular culture of your choice.
Any work of popular culture is fine, as long as it's modern (20th-21st century), related to Korea (in a loose sense, you may, for instance, chose to study the reception of a foreign pop culture product in Korea) and you think you can make a case for why it is significant (do not pick your favorite K-Pop song just because you like it, you need to be able to show that what you chose is significant/worth studying).
Your paper should include:
An introduction with your thesis statement.
A brief paragraph presenting and/or summarizing of the item you chose and your reason for doing so. If the item you chose is not amenable to summarization (music, dance, visual arts...), the paragraph should still provide a general description and mention all the elements needed to understand the arguments developed in the body of your paper.
The body of your paper should consist of a well-structured, nuanced and properly argued response to the thesis statement put forth in the introduction.
SIGNIFICANCE OF “GUNMAN STYLE (VIDEO SONG)” IN KOREAN POP CULTURE
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“Significance of “Gunman Style (Video Song)” in Korean Pop Culture”
Korean pop culture has produced a number of masterpieces since its inception that depict the complex interplay among cultural, social, and historical influences on Korean realities. This paper focuses on the music video released by South Korean rapper Psy that gained global recognition. The song contains aesthetic and artistic elements, primarily mocking the ostentatious nature of the modern lifestyle and obsession with materialistic pursuits while touching on sociocultural realities and divides within South Korean culture.
It is noteworthy that the song, soon after its release, became a global hit. It secured 10 billion views on YouTube worldwide and sparked social commentaries throughout the world (Koo, 2022). In this way, the song has played a vital role in showcasing the realities of Korean culture to the global audience and making people from different cultures relate themselves to the video and music at different levels.
The song begins with the chorus repeatedly playing "Oppa Gangnam Style," which can be translated as "your brother or older brother has Gangnam style." Throughout the video, the singer performs queer dance steps. The steps and moves can sometimes be described as humorous and unorthodox or cringe-worthy. After repeating the chorus, the singer delves into modern life's habitual patterns or rituals. Gangnam, which is a modern place in Korea populated by wealthy communities, is presented as the archetype of the modern lifestyle (Tobsi, 2013). Apparently, the singer expresses his obsession with that lifestyle, which involves having fun, being at parties, engaging in merrymaking, and enjoying all the pleasures at one's disposal.
Firstly, it is important to understand the aesthetic effects of the song that lie in the rhythm, syncing between music and video, and rapid transition of scenes. The emotions excited through these features can be described through the lens of the 'aesthetic theory' of the culture industry, which appeals to 'love at first sight' (Bourdieu, 2018). It is one of the reasons that the video went viral worldwide and impressed an audience that did not even understand the meaning of the song (as it was sung in the Korean language).
However, it is important to understand that the real beauty and purpose of the song lie beyond its aesthetic appeal. The song can best be described as a satire aiming to poke fun at modern life's meaningless pursuits and frivolities. It is evident from the expressions, settings, and characters in the background that the singer is rather exposing the follies of the so-called high-end lifestyle than purely wishing to portray himself as a Gangnam. Hence, the song's deeper meanings require patience and thoughtful consideration of possibilities by the audience instead of getting absorbed into its instant musical effects.
The song’s purpose is also evident by the elements of exaggeration. It highlights the ugly realities of modern popular culture and the pressure of expectations drawing people away from what nature demands (Lee & Kuwahara, 2014). For example, at one stage, the audience can see the bomb blast in the background without the artist noticing. Similarly, when in the lift, the singer can be seen lying on his face at a dancer's feet. The audience finds a hard time decoding these visuals that are deliberately meant to expose the unnaturalness of showy and ostentatious life. It also shows how people become unaware of their surroundings when absorbed in power, status, and wealth.
Another noteworthy point is the speed at which the visuals shift. The background changes, and the singer can be seen floating across a range of backgrounds. This dynamic imagery also symbolizes the speed of modern life, aiming to highlight the meaningless and short-lasting nature of each pleasure. Again, the singer attacks the modern lifestyle that became popular among the wealthy Korean communities beyond the economic boom of the 70s and 80s (Mason et al., 1980; Koo, 2022). The rapid transition of scenes suggests that one cannot live any pleasure to its fill before it ends, and people engage with another pursuit or pleasure. Alternatively, it also means that the end of life is fast approaching, but people obsessed with lavish lifestyles are reluctant to embrace this reality, taking pride and drawing satisfaction from their frivol and short-lasting pleasures.
The song also offers a glimpse of how the transition of Korea from a poverty-stricken and war-torn country to an economically developed country under the influence of Western colonialism begot new realities. In this context, the capitalism introduced by the colonists can be seen as a divide between rich and poor, where the rich and upper class remains th...