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'K' in K-content has become indicative of 'premium': culture experts
By Kwak Yeon-soo
There is no doubt that Korean cultural content has taken the world by storm.
Netflix's smash hit drama, "Squid Game," won major Emmys, including Lee Jung-jae's Outstanding Lead Actor award; director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho brought home Cannes awards for films "Decision to Leave" and "Broker," respectively; a K-pop category has been newly added to the American Music Awards; and BTS member Jungkook participated in the official soundtrack of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and performed at the opening ceremony of the global sporting event.
With the global reach of online platforms like Netflix and YouTube, Korean dramas, films and pop music continued their dominance in 2022, and are likely to maintain their popularity in the coming years.
According to data provided by the Korea Creative Content Agency, exports of "K-content," including Korean pop music, dramas, movies, entertainment TV shows and games, set a new record in 2021. They jumped 13.9 percent to $13.5 billion from the previous year. Korea ranked 12th in the world in terms of soft power in 2022, according to Brand Finance's Global Soft Power Index.
The origin of K-content's popularity dates back to roughly 20 years ago when "hallyu," or the Korean wave, gained traction in Asia following the popularity of drama series such as "A Wish Upon a Star" (1997) "Winter Sonata" (2002) and "Jewel in the Palace" (2003).
Content expert Noh Ga-young, who previously worked at entertainment giant CJ Entertainment, attributes the success of K-content to its universal appeal and nationalistic fervor.
"A majority of filmmakers and producers that are making waves right now were heavily influenced by Western films and TV series, so they follow the Hollywood formula but with a little bit of originality. That's why K-content holds universal appeal. Also, Korea is one of very few countries where local audiences support their homegrown films," she said.
"From the industry perspective, tech companies in Silicon Valley have helped K-content gain international traction. Unlike hallyu dramas that were exported to individual countries in the past, K-dramas are now available globally thanks to streaming services."
The year 2022 has seen some incredible K-dramas that stunned global audiences.
From the zombie horror series, "All of Us Are Dead," to the courtroom series, "Juvenile Justice," and "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," the themes and subjects have also become more diverse.
Noh, the co-writer of "2023 Content is Everything" (literal translation), noted that the meaning of "Made in Korea" has evolved from cost-effective to high quality.
"The 'K' in K-content has become an indication of a 'premium.' When we eat a delicious food, we wonder, 'Who made this?' The same applies for K-content. When the audience consumes enthralling K-content, they wonder who Koreans are. That is why American studios made big bets on 'Minari' and 'Pachinko,'" she said.
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| Co-writers of "2023 Content is Everything" (literal translation) Noh Ga-young, right, and Kim Bong-je pose before an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Dec. 16. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Kim Bong-je, the head of artist management at Why Not Media, said the creator economy has also contributed to the K-content boom.
"From game streamers to beauty influencers, digital creators also played a role in bringing K-content to the mainstream in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Thanks to them, words like 'chimaek' (chicken and beer) and 'mukbang' (binge-eating livestreaming show) were added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Of course, YouTube has enabled this trend," he said.
"Nowadays more and more people think TV is boring. Many star producers and TV production teams have shifted their playing field to YouTube, which doesn't have limits in terms of genres and longevity, and launched their own shows on the digital platform."
Kim, the co-writer of "2023 Content is Everything," predicted that the convergence trend (such as the convergence of drama and entertainment shows) and short-form content will become more popular in 2023.
"Short-form videos of scenes from popular TV dramas or films go viral on social media, which brings more interest among people," he said. "The majority of 2022's releases raised the bar high, so creators should diversify genres."
Noh stressed that local productions should seek ways to reduce their financial dependency on streaming giants and protect their intellectual property (IP) rights.
"I think the case of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' has taught content creators a lesson on the importance of securing the show's IP and getting the upper hand over streaming platforms. They should always keep in mind that without IP, a company has to depend on outsourced deals," she said.
Music critic Kim Young-dae argues that BTS members' solo careers have created a new paradigm in K-pop. Speaking at an end-of-the year seminar organized by Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, he argued that the sum of each member's fans has stronger power than the fans of the group itself. Furthermore, he explained that "the fourth generation of girl groups" reshaped the K-pop universe in 2022.
To give an outlook on the K-pop industry for 2023, Kim said, "From a regional perspective, the Middle East and Africa ― formerly uncharted territory ― are turning into new realms for K-pop artists. A new territorialization of the fandom of K-pop is in progress."
The influence of K-content has spread just as quickly across highbrow culture like classical music and visual art.
Pianist Cho Seong-jin's 2015 victory at the Chopin competition resulted in an explosion of interest in classical music, particularly among younger musicians in Korea. In 2022, pianist Lim Yun-chan won the top prize at the Van Cliburn competition; pianist Lee Hyuk took first place at Long-Thibaud competition; cellist Choi Ha-young won the Queen Elisabeth competition; and violinist Yang In-mo took a trophy at the Sibelius competition.
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| Executive Director at Suum Project Lee Ji-yoon, left, and documentarian and music director for Belgium's RTBF public service broadcaster, Thierry Loreau / Courtesy of Suum Project, Thierry Loreau |
"K-pop, K-drama, K-movies paved the way for opening up Korea to the world. Korea now realizes that the country can also be proud of its classical musicians," said Thierry Loreau, a documentarian and music director for Belgium's RTBF public service broadcaster.
"In Europe, people always thought that the musicians from Asia had a wonderful technique but that they were not moving because they didn't understand this music. The situation completely changed. Now, the jurors in competitions and audiences everywhere in the world are amazed by these young Korean musicians, full of energy, freshness and sensitivity."
Korea's art market is expected to surpass 1 trillion won ($780,662) for the first time on the back of brisk sales by galleries and art fairs, according to the Korea Art Market 2022 report. Frieze, one of the top global art fairs alongside Art Basel and FIAC, was held in Seoul in 2022 for the first time. Globally established players like Perrotin, Lehmann Maupin and Gladstone opened new galleries in Korea.
Lee Ji-yoon, executive director at Suum Project, a contemporary arts curation office, said Korea's growing arts ecosystem ― renowned artists, dynamic galleries, museums and ambitious collectors ― have established the country as a major art destination.
"The Korean art market has become global at the expense of political turmoil in Hong Kong and lockdowns in Shanghai. Above all, the arts ecosystem is well-established in Seoul. Modern and contemporary Korean artists are recognized on the international stage. Leading galleries are investing a lot in Korea," she said.
According to her, Seoul's status as a fast-growing art market in Asia has been acknowledged by many gallery representatives and industry experts, due to its expanding cultural and economic network of collectors, artists and exhibitors.
"If Korean artists and galleries demonstrate their ability amid the growing influence of foreign galleries and international artists, Korea's art market will continue to prosper," she said.
