Seoul National University’s Center for Contemporary Korean Studies held an international conference titled “Korea as Symptom” over two days, on August 22 and 23. On the second day of the conference, the Global Hallyu Team organized the first session, titled “Hallyu in Global Context,” in Room 240, Building 101, at Seoul National University. Chaired by Professor Benjamin Han of the University of Georgia, the session featured the following four presentations.
In the first presentation, Professor Dal Yong Jin of Simon Fraser University presented on “A Full-Package Production Model: The Development of New Runaway Production in the Netflix Era.” He analyzed changes in the forms of international collaboration within Korea’s cultural industries through Netflix, highlighting Netflix’s role in this process.
Second, Dr. Daniela Mazur of Fluminense Federal University delivered a presentation titled “South Korea and Hallyu: An Alternative Globalization in the Multipolar World.” She presented Hallyu as a case of alternative globalization in which the culture of a “peripheral country” reshapes the global cultural order. She further emphasized that Korean popular culture can serve as a model for other “peripheral countries.”
Next, Ziwen Cui of University College London and Chang Liu, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, presented on “Imagining ‘Han Nü’: Discursive Construction of Contemporary Korean Womanhood on a Chinese Digital Platform.” Their presentation analyzed the discourse of “Han Nü,” or “Korean women,” which has emerged among young Chinese women as a postfeminist role model. In particular, they argued that the discourse of “Han Nü” reinforces stereotypes about women’s bodily management and professional standards in Chinese society, while highlighting an image of modern, independent, and highly self-disciplined womanhood through consumerist elements.
Finally, Ringngheti Khenglawt, a doctoral student at Christ University, presented on “Glocalising Masculinities: When Traditional Mizo Pasaltha (War Heroes) Meets South Korea’s Soft Masculinity.” The presentation analyzed how the traditional image of male heroes in Mizoram, India, has combined with the “soft masculinity” found in Hallyu to form new modes of masculinity. It further showed how Hallyu masculinity merges with local values to produce new gender norms.
By examining Hallyu in an international context, this session illuminated how Korean popular culture forms diverse cultural discourses as it is received in other countries, and how it is reinterpreted through its encounter with local cultures. In doing so, the session reconsidered the global influence of Hallyu and drew attention to new cultural forms emerging at the boundaries between cultures.