Next Level K-Pop: Heightened Capitalism from US Imperialism
By Arianne Naranjo and Cezar Solomon
“In the 21st century, culture is power.” These are the words stated by Former South Korean president Park Geun-Hye during her inauguration speech in 2013. Truly the Korean pop culture that we see today, ranging from Korean pop music, dramas and television shows, movies, food, and even skincare, are undeniably taking the world by storm. At the heart of this Korean popular culture is the multi-billion dollar, global industry of Korean pop music, famously known as “K-Pop”.
From the onset of the industry with SM Entertainment’s “H.O.T” in 1996, to the massive 2012 hit of PSY’s “Gangnam Style”, and now to the multi-million dollar idol-groups and worldwide sensations BTS and BLACKPINK, the Korean music scene has truly dominated the global market and have grown as a driving force of global culture. In the past decades, it is very evident how Korean pop culture has transformed into a global phenomenon, influencing the cultures it reaches.
In recent years, the idea of “K-Pop” is used as an umbrella term referring to pieces of the South Korean music industry. While in South Korea itself, it was mostly defined as idol-groups pop music. The term “K-Pop” is generically applied to any piece of music coming out of the South Korean pop music industry. Nowadays, K-Pop encompasses all mainstream idol-groups, bands, and solo acts.
The Global Phenomenon of K-Pop
K-Pop is characterized by its meticulously designed addictive melodies, breathtaking choreographies and production sets, as well as the attractive visuals of performers who spend years from rigorous and excruciating training to achieve their dreams.
K-Pop acts have been hitting worldwide charts in terms of album sales and popularity especially with the rise of streaming practices — wherein fans continuously watch and listen to their idols’ works on different streaming platforms. In 2019, the value of the K-pop industry skyrocketed and reached $5 billion.
With the presence of Korean pop on international stages, it has become South Korea’s top cultural export. K-Pop now possesses some degree of political influence in foreign policy as depicted by the performances of CL and EXO during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, BTS’s remarkable speech at the United Nations, and the growing interest of world leaders such as the likes of former US President Barack Obama as he noted in his speech at the 2017 Asia Leadership Conference that “Americans were learning Korean to keep up with the K-Pop fever”.
A History of Colonization and Imperialism
Historically, the role of the United States in the Korean peninsula has been imperialist in essence. The earliest experience was in the 19th century wherein imperialist forces attempted to conduct missions in the peninsula. In 1882, the US concluded a treaty with Korea, which had Koreans believe that the Americans are their “elder brothers”. In the following years, American military and political forces were sent to Korea. The US started establishing firms and corporations in the peninsula, particularly those concerned with electricity, water, and vehicles. The nation quickly turned into a destination of imported products. In 1905, President Roosevelt disregarded the peninsula and approved the Japanese takeover of Korea. Thus in 1910, the peninsula became under the Japanese empire after being used economically and politically by the US imperialists.
During the occupation of the Japanese empire, patriotic Korean songs were banned to prevent the undermining of colonial power and culture. The Japanese control of the Korean Peninsula was marked by brutal oppression motivated by the intense racism of the Japanese colonizers. The defeat of Japan in the war and the collective resistance of the Korean people led to the surrender of the Japanese. In the post-war years, with the American forces in the peninsula, American pop music was able to reach the Koreans. This resulted in Western pop music being performed by Koreans and soon after, the local genre of Korean pop music was established based on Western pop. This paved the way for modern Korean pop music.
K-Pop is a byproduct of American imperialism. It is the result of the application of the neoliberal ideology into Korea’s economy in the post-Cold War era. As Korea was facing an economic crisis, the key drivers of spreading global capitalism have subjected the now South Korea to their economic reconstruction policies. A wholesale reorientation of the South Korean economy ensued, paving the way for trade liberalization and foreign domination of the economy. And due to the American hegemony, the US gained the upper hand in controlling the Korean economy. Along with the neoliberalization of South Korea’s economy is the commercialization of their culture. Neoliberalism has forced Korea to make their own culture as one of their main economic exports — K-Pop.
Inside the K-Pop Industry
The exportation of K-Pop goes through a tedious process that is highly influenced by capitalist motives. Capitalism focuses on the maximization of profit and is characteristically exploitative. The K-Pop industry leaves artists exposed to cruel conditions such as overworking and physical or mental fatigue. These artists are also chained to their managing company’s “slave contract” as it controls their lives in order to sell services and products. But because capitalist profit gained from the industry is valuable, the mismanagement is concealed with glamorous outfits, aesthetic visuals, and complex choreographies.
“The picture-perfect image of K-Pop idols is the result of the capitalist strategy of these companies to maximize profits.”
Immediately in the training program, trainees go through inhumane practices. For example, trainees are required to lose weight and control their eating habits to acquire the ideal “body type”. Momo of TWICE, during her trainee days, has been instructed by her company to lose seven kilograms within a week before the group’s debut. This indicates the unrealistic body standards for idols to be able to keep with the traditional norms, and keeping with the norms means that there are more audiences that you can sell services to. The industry is also exploitative to children as this rigorous training could start as early as the preadolescence years. An example of this is Jihyo of TWICE who started to train under JYP Entertainment at the age of nine and is able to debut ten years after. These capitalists use people’s passion and ambition for their benefit, wherein idols are always subdued by company control and could only exercise little to no freedom. The picture-perfect image of K-Pop idols is the result of the capitalist strategy of these companies to maximize profits. They maneuver beauty and excellence to appeal and charm the audiences for them to avail the company’s overpriced merchandise or concert tickets.
The “no-dating policy” is also included in this capitalist scheme wherein artists are marketed as a person who is “available for all” to create an illusion for fans and capitalize on their emotions. Therefore, the tendency to dehumanize idols is apparent in fan culture as a result of the way they are marketed. Mental health is often ignored in the industry manifested in the number of idols who face mental health issues. Along with exhaustion and starvation, there are also several reports that idols experience abuse, physical violence and sexual harassment. There can be no ethical consumption under capitalism for everything is rooted in exploitation. The whole K-Pop industry, being capitalist in nature, treats artists as commodities instead of human beings. In contrast with the Western music industry where artists market their music by presenting it as authentic and personally relatable, the K-Pop industry is unabashedly capitalist. The Korean music industry does not try to hide the fact that everything it does is motivated by profit.
K-Pop and “Western Validation”?
The breakthrough of K-Pop in the West started several years ago, but recent groups such as BTS and BLACKPINK were able to be consistently popular and relevant to the American market. These groups have various Western collaborations, the inclusion of American songwriters and producers into their music, and lately, produce songs that are fully in English. A hot topic in social media after these groups dominated the Western charts is the allegations that these idols are hungry for Western validation, and they use Western artists to gain more fame to the point that they forget about their local roots. However, with all things considered, the issue of “western validation” is mainly rooted from the social repercussions of U.S cultural imperialism.
Hence, Korean music artists and agencies are often determined to win international awards, especially recognition from American music award-giving bodies, because the United States is regarded by the Korean music industry as the pinnacle. Breaking into the American awards scene is considered the biggest achievement of Korean music artists and agencies. After all, the United States has the biggest music market and widest audience. Cultural validation from the West and mega-profits fuels the engine of US imperialism and the K-Pop industry.
