CedarBough T. Saeji

10.18399/acta.2022.25.2.006

Kugak K-pop Korean traditions appropriation of tradition

In recent years, K-pop idols have increasingly served as ambassadors of Korea to a world audience. One novel aspect of this ambassadorship is their role as presenters of Korean traditional culture, even though they frequently know little about the traditions in question. In this paper, I conduct a close reading of the K-Community Festival 2021 as an example of a program in which K-pop idols introduce their viewers to traditional Korean arts by presenting themselves as inexpert learners. This festival, with its contradictory positioning of the idols as spokespeople for Korea who need instruction in Korean tradition, appeals to viewers by inviting the audience to identify with the idols, emphasizing its entertainment value, and using the idols as cultural intermediaries. I argue that in doing so, it devalues cultural expertise and the essentialization of tradition. Nevertheless, this and similar programs serve an important function for fans in that they offer a cultural product that can be consumed in opposition to the hegemonic cultural flows from the United States.