Abby's Inklings: Examination of K-Pop

By Abby Cowels
Staff Writer

Netflix recently released a docuseries following a collaboration between Hybe and Geffen records (Hybe x Geffen), called “Pop Star Academy: Katseye.”

The survival show accepted contestants from all around the world in an effort to put together an international girl group; hopefully the next big thing since South Korean boy band BTS.

This type of cross-cultural collaboration really piqued my interest. The influence that Korean culture has had in American media is not easily missed, and it is reciprocated in ways that it has now led to the commercial collaboration of international entertainment. This is pretty new for South Korea.

South Korea and many Southeast Asian countries, up until the late 1990s, experienced a tragic financial crisis due to the lack of those countries’ foreign currency. In short, they were not doing enough international business, and it caused a plummet in their economic stability.

There were some policies rapidly passed due to the widespread suffering, and by 1999 South Korea was back on its feet. The country did this by focusing on creating the national brand we are so familiar with today. So, why are people only now criticizing the brand for its manufacturing process?

Well, the docuseries ended on a strange, and kind of bleak note. It started as a dream for these young women, but ended in bias and business.

In K-Pop, it is all colors, and extravagance and absurdity. We can think back to how influential “Gangnam Style” was all around the world, despite its ironic nature. It portrayed a parody of this new posh culture and all of its wealth.

After wrapping up the docuseries and the debut of Hybe x Geffen’s “Katseye,” I have a new outlook on this pop culture and its great geopolitical influence. Because K-Pop is not only a brand, it has turned into a soft power tool worldwide, masking the ever-so-present oppressive culture of the hierarchical system.

Through the help of widespread film and art, there can be a certain image of opportunity and growth that can be fostered. Netflix is home to countless K-Dramas, but never bothered to distribute the award-winning film “Parasite 2019,” which exposed the injustices of a capitalistic economy.

It is more apparent than ever, the bias and nepotism that plays an enormous part in creating a national image. I had never had much interest in K-Pop, but after “Pop Star Academy: Katseye,” I do now.