The Power Of Hallyu - But At What Price? | Deciphering South Korea - Ep 1 | CNA Documentary

Is Korean masculinity being challenged? And what does it take to be happy in South Korea? Watch more as we continue Deciphering South Korea: krplus.net/p/PLkMf14VQEvTavKsFL0I-pLCmelDO4WG6-.html

As Korean I feel sorry for immigrants feeling they don't actually belong to the country. Korea has lived with their own people for 5,000 years and it was only 30 years ago when foreigners actually started to show interest and come to this place. No matter your skin is white or black, Korea society is not fully ready to accept others as their member yet since we lived too long by ourselves. You might be welcomed as a foreigner, but you might have some difficulty to be actual member of this society. Korea is just another country and we also have tons of problems, so I hope you don't romanticize my country just by watching dramas or movies.

Ok everyone is saying that Korean pop culture is the greatest power Korea has right now. But I think the most influential, powerful thing that has ever come out of Korea is Samsung. They literally create everything, and the best phones in the market. Samsung is everywhere that people forget that it's a Korean brand.

As a Jonghyun fan, I wish people would just stop using him as "posterboy" of depression and suicide. He's more than that.

I'm a comic geek, and truth to be told, manhwas are so appealing. Their complexity and art style in general, can get you hooked and engaged in the story in short amount of time. Kudos to whoever get involved in the making, you are one of the reason I'm still living now, breathing and waiting for another chapter.

I want to say that I have an entirely different view of this new interest in S. Korea and learning about the culture and the people and the language. I too became interested because I was introduced to KPop, specifically the band BTS. But I am a 76 y/o gramma and this interest is one I share with my daughter who is 55 and my granddaughter who is 22. I was struck by the dedication of the young men in the group and went on, because of the pandemic.....to exploring the whole Korean culture, including wanting to learn the language, and also the history. It has opened my mind to exploring even more and has given me a new purpose in life. It gave me hope for the future of youth all over the world. I hope others come to have respect for the real worth of the Korean culture and country. I hope the good from this outweighs the bad. It certainly has for me. I was fortunate enough to attend my very first concert, BTS's Permission to Dance in LA, California. Totally Epic and worth expanding my mind even at age 76.

Thank you for shining a truthful light on the K-pop industry. Turning human beings into "idols" is going to distort what it means to be a human being - both for the "idols" and the people who revere them to such an extreme extent. What worries me about the children in the pipeline is the hyper-sexualization of the dance moves and some of the outfits. Will they learn their only value is how much they are admired/desired for their physical appearance? Their bodies? How does that prepare them for healthy adulthood? Just asking the questions...

This was a VERY GOOD video showing what this cool Korean Wave is all about. This video could’ve easily been 2hrs long, with much more details, but for only 47mins long, it did an excellent job!

The reporter is so good explaining her background as a Korean American. Although I am many many years older my thoughts are the same in terms of not being “cool” to be Korean in America going up. It’s a good thing that many non-Koreans are embracing the culture. I both proud and protective just as the reporter but very happy for Korea and the success of tourism for the economy. Great video!

They never touched on the benefits of soft power. It help builds bridges with other countries to build political and economic ties.

I just discovered this documentary series and I look forward to watching more. It especially hits home as a Korean American myself. As an adoptee I have a very mixed relationship with Korea so watching reports like these hit differently. I really hope ya'll cover an esports episode as well. Thank you for creating a comprehensive and enjoyable documentary series.

I moved to Korea because I love the culture (and especially the food) but there is NO WAY I'd tolerate being called a Koreaboo. It's an extremely negative term for someone so obsessed with Korean culture, they think they ARE Korean - other foreigners see Koreaboos as embarrassing and some could be seen as culturally appropriating Korean culture. Makes me sad that the journalist described all foreigners who love Korea and move here as Koreaboos.

I think people still cannot fathom what BTS has done for Korea..... The impact of Kpop is so strong it cannot be explained

Every country or culture wants to sell fantasy, ie Hollywood movies, Korean dramas, etc. but it is up to each and individual if he/she is going to buy on that. How you live your everyday life depends on how you let yourself be influenced with that you saw and heard. I watched KDrama and sometimes listen to Korean songs but I don't go out of my way to buy whatever I saw and heard. Anyway, to each his own.

I do respect the production team how they try to show every aspect of the K-entertainment!

imagine doing an innocent interview with a reporter and being labelled a koreaboo lmaooo

Korean Wave has its ups and downs. Yes in one way, I'm proud of my homeland's success but on the other hand, I sometimes feel annoyed because I always face typical stereotypes...I get compared to Korean celebrities or asked if I do makeup or skincare or hair perm JUST because I'm Korean. I'm just an ordinary Korean guy, not an idol, not an actor...just living my life 🙂 Don't fully trust what the media portrays Korea and Koreans as...what you see on dramas and variety shows are true yet doesn't portray the 100% reality of Korea.

Get education, finish the school, and pass the exam first! The probability to succeed in entertainment and sports is only 0.001 percent or 1 out of 100,000. The risk is just too high.
So before even dreaming of being an idol, they should prepare themselves to be the 99.999 percent that fail.

Hallyu is the best marketing campaign - ever!! As a marketer, I am in awe of how such a small Asian, non-English speaking country has conquered the world with their culture. But of course, like all marketing campaigns, those of us in the business know the reality can be quite different from the marketing hype LOL. Trends come and trends go but hopefully in that time, there is some genuine exchange of understanding between cultures so we become more tolerant of each other's differences - and even come to embrace them.

I feel like this documentary is the initial reaction most of us foreigners have when we first come across the South Korean entertainment industry phenomenon. A combination of irony, perplexion and a bit of sarcasm, while looking for the dark side. I was like that too. But if we move past that, here are some things that weren't mentioned in this video, and I think they're worth mentioning since they are related to the industry and this phenomenon overall:
1. Kpop isn't just the pretty faces (and the talent that goes with it). K music production, as much as it has been influenced (some say copied) by western music, it has managed to differentiate itself, and create a genre that in my opinion is far superior than current western music. To be specific, I had given up on modern music until I found Kpop, even though before that the only music I listened to was western. So. Props to the writers and composers.
2. Kdramas. Even though they share similar themes to western ones, there are so many differences that they make them appealing to people fed up with western series/movies. Korean humor was an insanely pleasant surprise to me, it was so random that I was laughing so much at jokes I was never used to seeing in movies. And of course the lack of sex/drugs/nudity etc was also a pleasant surprise, these are so overused in Western movies you'd think that a movie wouldn't be able to exist without them. Kdramas prove otherwise. So again major props to the writers/producers.
3. Hangul. The Hallyu got the rest of the world to learn a bit about the Korean language. The Korean alphabet is a magnificent invention that's worth knowing about. Most Americans never even try learning a second language, so if BTS can do that, I personally find that incredible.
For every positive I could post a negative. But this comment is focused on the former.

Loved this episode will be watching the series, keep them coming!

I really like this documentary. It's well balanced. I got into Korean culture in 2006 when I was 11. We lived in the Philippines, I attended an international school. Most of my classmates were Koreans and learned about the culture through them. I began to appreciate the culture more when I was old enough to travel to Korea and live there for a short time. Although, I'm not a kpop fan, I do love K-dramas, the food and how well they take care of themselves. I appreciate their effort to to spread Korean culture. I wish more countries would do that because there is so much to learn from others. Even if we just know a little bit, I think it breaks barriers and misconceptions. But one thing for sure, mental illness is a taboo subject in many countries not just Korea.
Although, my Korean American friends did feel weird seeing foreigners flock to Korea when hallyu just exploded. Some just have this unrealistic fantasies about a certain culture only be be shocked when they actually decide to visit the country.

Very interesting. Since COVID started I began watching more and more online content and I've been exposed to S Korea through K Dramas; as a result I have sought to learn more about Korean culture, language and history. I hope that doesn't make me a "Koreaboo" but I do get excited to learn more about this fascinating country. Also, historically speaking, in any country where one race or culture is dominant, the minorities almost always get trampled on in some way. The host obviously experienced that misery here in America, and white Americans shouldn't be surprised to be discriminated against as. minorities in S. Korea. Tribalism is difficult to overcome. I hope the host of the program can find pride instead of resentment in the wave of interest and love for South Korea by people of every race in the world.

I'm a Korean American in my mid-forties. I completely relate to this Correspondent.. I found this documentary so interesting, thank you!
Edited to add: I've recently got into K-dramas lately, after watching parasite...and it's so good! I've seen Kingdom and Sweet Home so far. I heard Squid Game is good, can't wait to watch it!

Love the honesty and vulnerability of this journalist.

I know it's off topic, but she's absolutely gorgeous.

i think it's important to also add that most idols in korea pass as _east_ asian (not just asian in general) regardless if they're chinese or thai or japanese, since i've never seen a south asian ever succeed in kpop either. it's not just on the basis on whether or not the idol is foreign, but also if they have fair skin and facial features accepted/praised by the korean general public. also white people are more readily accepted as idols because they are seen as an acceptable type of foreigner. a lot of bias and racism still exists in east asian countries against people with darker skin and different features, and that was dismissed entirely in this video

It's amazing how South Korea used to be one of the poorest countries to becoming one of the most influencial countries in terms of music, movies, drama and technology

OMG! The host’s hair is so beautiful! 😯

Another great report. Thank you!

I actually stumbled across kdramas in 2015 because I was mindlessly scrolling for something to watch. The first drama I watched was School 2015 with Kim Soo Hyun. Then, I moved onto kpop and became a BTS Army.

I found it interesting that when she was at the drama filming she didn't arrange to speak with Danny Ahn, 1st generation idol in g.o.d. turned actor. He would have had a very interesting story to input. I caught the korean wave 19 years ago! Still going strong 😊

woo.... i feel like someone just slapped me so hard... and the saying " all that glitters is not gold " started resonating across my auditory hallucinated senses....... indeed a beautiful perspective was woven through this documentary .. it restores ones perspective thinking ...

I’ve been in that restaurant because of BTS 🤧

The lady who runs the BTS restaurant is so wholesome

I love korea...started with watching kdramas with my grandma since we were little to learning about the culture. Learned to read and write hangul, leaned to speak korean (not alot but enough to get me by a quick convo) and then visiting korea. Korea is so beautiful. I love the food and culture. I want to make another visit and explore more.

I'm South Korean and I'm learning about South Korea watching this video.

Ahhhh! The Japanese trainee is doing the choreography from Dreamcatcher's Odd Eye and it's a really difficult choreography to learn. Odd Eye has a lot of precise movements with the hands and requires good timing because Dreamcatcher not only has to be careful of themselves but also of dancers, which are used to emphasize the theme of the song and create more complex pictures. Props to her! There are a lot of foreign members these days and Japanese members are very common.

I think a lot of Kpop fans are Koreaboos because they are into the image rather than the actual culture of Korea. Korea like other countries suffer from social ills like depression, weight issues, age denial, gender identity, LGBTQ, feminism, etc It is sad. Korea is a complex country. It is very steeped in history which a lot of fans do not really understand.

Pokémon Korea banned foreigners from playing in the tournament 3-4 years ago. Japanese HQ said they were not allowed to do that. Racism is high, even in international childrens games.

Why is it that most of these documentaries sound so.... critical/biased/against it?
Wannabe-everything...how about aspiring trainee
(And about foreign trainees...thats not new, many groups have foreign members, and not only rookie groups. (Take Girls Generation for example)
The "korean dream".... well, isnt that hollywood? Noone talks about it that way.
The "dark side" shown in pretty much every single documentary. But its just as visible in the american music industry, from eating disorders, drug problems and depression, social anxiety etc. (I wont name single people because fans already know about it, not-fans dont need to know or can look it up). Take disney for example... many of these postergirls/posterboys dont really follow that image anymore, and often did not either back then.

Like how she reports!

I totally understand her sentiment and initial bitterness over the 'Koreaboo' phenomenon. It is the same for many other Asian countries on a smaller scale. As a Chinese American immigrant who grew up being berated and sneered upon by my fellow peers for my 'Chineseness' only to then rave over very shallow aspects of what Chinese culture is about, it's quite jarring. I often felt protective and indignant over the thought of 'my' culture and history being overrun by 'foreigners' who don't even know the significance and background behind the cultural norms and aspects they are idolizing.
To balance this out though, I'm also distraught at a parallel phenomenon happening among the Chinese themselves with the 'Hanfu Movement'; they shallow acceptance, romanticization, and using of Chinese culture without fully understanding or accepting it's significance and history as a whole....

I LOVE MANHWAS SO MUCH 😭😭😭

An informative episode. It is a bit old news already but nice documentary

I used to fangirl kdrama and kpop long before I was diagnosed with BD..but after several sessions with Pdoc, I realized something and it was like waking up from my old self..

Maybe it's also about time we talk about the toxic culture of fandoms and the negative culture and effects of obsessing over ranking and KRplus views. There was also a recent interview from the senior actor of Squid Game talking about this issue on obsessing with #1. And then there's T.O.P's answer to an interview in 2011. He was feeling disappointed over the obsession with idols going #1 on the charts.

I feel bad and sorry for the reporter especially when she said she was ashamed of being Korean growing up in the US. Keep your head up girl. Have some self-esteem. Like BTS said: love yourself.

Oohoo they mentioned Imitation 😍

this documentary proves how the power of Hallyu
Thank you CNA

This so-called Hallyu wave had never taken a firm hold until BTS entered the picture. BTS made people around the world aware of k-pop. BTS has paved the way.

The most powerful thing in Korea is their knowledge and education. Look how they did with the covid-19. So smart.

It is really nice to hear these ladies speak so highly of BTS. I very much enjoyed hearing how humble they are. The fact that they are the greatest K-pop group in the world and earn big dollars is because they have worked very, very hard to attain their position in the world entertainment field. They deserve what they have. What people don’t understand is that there is much that they give up to be where they are. It isn’t all a bed of roses, because with the roses come the thorns!! These beautiful young men are superb role models to the young people of the world. I don’t know them, I only know of them, but if if I were Korean, I would be very proud of them.

Could make a similar documentary about football wannabes in the US. Also, I feel like this judges K pop through a western value system -- as if western values are the only legitimate values. (Western values being rights and supremacy of the individual, comfort, etc.) Could also make a zillion documentaries about how the American/western music business eats it young -- RIP Curt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Chris Cornell, etc, etc, etc, etc.

Watching this documentary has made me realize that it's time for us humans to redefine the meaning of the word "Dream" - is it really worth it for us to pursue our "dream" when in the process of pursuing that dream we are actually destroying ourselves instead? I actually agree with that girl who decided to get out of the K-pop group because of the diet restriction... Sacrificing her own physical and mental health only to get that specific body figure, to me is really not worth it.. because at the end of the day, we are responsible to our own well being.. so making decisions for our own good is really important.. ❤ always take care of yourself guys

Foreigners who came to Korea before 2000 were genuinely interested in the culture but now many come to
Korea because of the soft power and their interest in working and making money!!

It is as simple as it can be defined, they provide the world with quality work ethics in their craft and that alone will make one more interested in knowing more about the country and people in more particular.

I feel it’s suffocating if every populated place got idols there, as like idol is everything, it makes me feel uneasy

I find it very strange when people romanticize another culture based on what they see on tv or the music they listen to. Like it's great that you love and bring curious about is a natural progression but for people to get so in their heads about is just not healthy. Underneath it all, the country of someone you idolize is just like any other country. With great things and bad things that affect its people. So if you do decide not move to another country, don't let it because you have a mystical view of what your life will be like.

omg i totally forgot i was reading imitation 😭😭 its been a long time since I last read it. i thought those characters seemed familiar 😭😭 i wonder how the story's going

good take. thanks sis.

I remember seeing Mingyu (Karl) on a show, here on youtube. It was a show that had a game where koreans have to hear not see and guess the foreigner in a group by their speaking only

watching people introduce themselves make me happy c:

It is all fun to me to listen to KPop songs….till I realized my friends even cut their own eating/clothing budgets just to buy their idols’ limited edition albums…But it is fine to listen to their music while I workout/go running so I know their music truly does something good to my life in long-terms.

I remember before when our old Sony TV broke down, we are only able to replace it because of the affordable Goldstar brand of TV. This brand later became LG. Samsung TVs also became popular for Nintendo/Sega rental businesses because of the Sleep timer feature.

This was such an interesting documentary. Thank you cna!

I do love to watch this channel.
I learn so much about Korean stuff like Kpop, Kdrama, Kbeauty, etc.

I struggle with the concept of K-Pop being something "new" taking over the world. Looking at the kids music video all I saw was a copy of 90s RnB boy bands. They reminded me of a New Edition video when the boys were younger 🤷🏽‍♀️
I just can't see myself on the Kpop bandwagon but I'm fully on the K drama one

Good documentary byJournalist Joi

Kong Yoo-jin is prettier now than when she was in the group

To be fair it’s not just K-pop, South Korea is a hyper competitive environment across the board, it’s just as unsettling in the academic/corporate space.

Wait when was this even released? I think I recognise the choreography around 15:50 and that looks like Dreamcatcher's Odd Eye. Makes sense for a Japanese fan to want to learn that, though.

15:58 they dancing to Odd Eye by Dreamcatcher 😍 my favorite group

Brilliant reporting - thanks CNA !

Please do more documentary of korean manhwa artist please ☺️

SAMSUNG is the god father of South Korea. Let’s not forget that. SAMSUNG owns most of South Korea.

Video about Korea and Joi Lee making it about her. That's so American.

As an experienced K Drama viewer, I can say that they have a lot of creativity and ideas to dish out new and original stories. The production value of their Dramas is very high and they are very good at Marketing their product. But, this Korean Culture thing is something I dont agree to, what Koreans have retained in the name of Culture is only their Language and Food, otherwise they are totally Westernised. Their lifestyles, the way they dress, their music and style of film/ drama making is totally influenced by the West.

Found this to be a bit heavy on the negative for me. For instance, I get that it's natural to be worried for kids to be put through the rigorous regime of kpop training, but is it much different for any kids pursuing a serious career in say dance or competitive sport anywhere else in the world? Is anybody worrying about them as much? What would an elite school ballet teacher say about this?
It's just that negative-leaning views are so popular with people, online and in real life, that to me it feels like people are just echoing each other, like parrots mimicking sounds that they've heard. It's like you have to turn a blind eye to the positive and neutral aspects of things to sustain the more socially acceptable 'it's useless to even try' type of attitude.

"As a high schooler in Wisconsin, Minnesota." Carl is KGB, isn't he?

LMAO!!! With the WebToons, All you do is scroll down????? LOLOL That's the revolution??? I've done that on my iKindle since 2010 LOL

Anything which comes up against western culture and media, will always have its dark side highlighted more than anything else. When theses issues exist with every culture or trend. That “dark side of kpop” narrative is never gonna be left behind by western media, as soon as kpop became a wave, the dark side, the reality,the capitalism, the evil corporates, factory made music was the things being highlighted by every piece. Yes problems should be recognised but it is the pigeonholing and stereotyping of whole industry and complete disregard shown to the talent of ppl who are part of it. As if other industry don’t have the same issues, fashion, sport training system, western music industries labels and their contract. But nobody cares abt them. Cuz the origins are not the same. Western system is what everybody should adhere by, anything unfamiliar is not right cuz western culture is leader of perfect society.

Never b ashamed of wo u're, u were born gifted & cherish that gift until u say bye to this 🌏 b gr8ful to Deities in heaven 🇰🇷 💯

honestly i can understand the journalist. koreans were always made fun off oversees (not that its unique to koreans only) and now everything korean or being korean is considered a "trend". it's cool that there is an interest cos of the culture, media they produced but it just irks me when people only care about the pop, the culture and the glamour and not take a second to look beyond the surface of it; the amount of views this triology-documentary got just proves it.
i always got bullied for being biracial and now people stan and simp me when i tell them where my mom is from, it's make me super skeptical.

It seems that folks are are not really paying attention on the reason this series was even made. She is a Korean American who is trying to connect to culture she doesn't really know. She is going about the WAY her and her company chose to do it. I absolutely understand where she coming from as immigrant American. It's not going to pretty for some but it's honest.

What are the career prospects for the 90% of trainees or would-be trainees that don’t end up Debuting with a K-Pop group? I graduated from music school in the USA and chose to go a different route with my life due to burnout and stress, but, surprise, singing and acting aren’t super marketable skills in most workplaces! This episode was well-produced.

Can anyone tell me the name of the song at 17:17?

K plop is Crap for the sheep
Best singer in Asia is
Zhana Dugolva from Kazakhstan
What a voice

The narrator they have is beautiful.

Look gys Korea boo is a term originated from western media. Before K-pop took hold in the western market it was already super popular in Japan through SM first K-pop girl solo idol Boa. In china in particular and Asia in general love K-pop since the first K-pop generation like tvxq, 2pm, snsd, super junior, shinee, etc. Back than the word Korea boo never existed. We only term K-pop fans as fans of kpop. Korea boo is a word engineer by the western media when K-pop started gaining ground in western markets to dehumanise or to mock K-pop fans as weird or fetishizing Korean cultures. So it came from bad intention from the western media because they were not happy to see competition in their home music markets. Just like how Japanese animes like Dragon Ballz and Pokémon and manga in the late 90s out manouver or overwhelmed Americans boring family friendly cartoons like Disney and DC comics not only in the western markets but all over the world. Western media were actively criticizing Japanese anime as doing harms to kid's for depicting violence in anime also stated mocking anime fans as weiboo. Ask any Koreans in Korea if they understand the word Korea boo. You will find that out of 100 people you meet(K-pop fans) only like 1 might know the word. I am an Indian K-pop fan and I am not ashamed of being BTS army. I also watch Hollywood movies and talk show like Jimmy Fallon tonight show thus that make me English boo?? Just because I like K-pop doesn't meant I want to be Korean just like how I watch and enjoy Hollywood movies doesn't meant I want to be white. Be real and stop using this Korea boo. Western media really lacks moral issues. Just because you can't compete with foreign entertainment agency don't make up weird names like Korea boo to mock K-pop fans.

I like Journalist Lee’s other docus, but I raised my eyebrow at “accidentally stumbled” upon the BTS restaurant (ARMYs know what I mean 💜). But 💯 Pretty sure she researched on it before going there. Ms. Lee, you didn’t need to do that. Your research content speaks for itself, you ask very engaging and mind stimulating questions, you didn’t need the clickbait

what's the song name of the end just curious thank you or gamsamnida 🙏

I love BTS as much as the next person, but I hate that they are constantly used as the only example of Kpop success in the west. Plenty of others have been successful in some shape or form in other countries. I mean, can we stop and remember Wonder Girls, one of the first Kpop groups to make it to American radio and TV shows? The immense success of T-ara in China? The 2nd generation did SO much work for K-pop and their contributions have been consistently swept under the rug by mass media. For that matter, J-pop was the first country to really develop the idol concept. Without them, K-pop would never exist. Some of the oldest K-pop idols made names for themselves in Japan (BoA, Younha, TVXQ) and cross-pollination between the two countries really helped develop K-pop. There is so much history in K-pop and to reduce it to BTS is simplistic and irritating.

Looking forward to these reports. Fell into Kdrama recently, just gotta say, when was the last time you saw anything in the US with bookstores or libraries or architecture or public spaces or any other part of the 'culture' that is evident in almost e v e r y single kdrama? Where the main character is an artist, a writer, a historian, a translator? I often see more of myself in these K dramas than in lacking US productions. Still wrestling with Idols and appearance and monetary/social inequities, (sorry don't love the food). Gone from only hearing about Moonies and N. Korea/war, to loving the learning of the mythos and nuances of international relations. btw: adjimah ARMY.

omg am I the only person when dope came on I was dancing

I am glad they touched on the subject of Koreaboos. I am a BTS ARMY, seeing how some people behave and talk on YT, FB and even in comment sections and think they are cute make me cringe deep into my soul. Oli London comes to mind, he is very condescending,

it worries me that the new idols look thinner that the ones before them :S I hope this madness falls and they can eat healthily, I mean I am a fan of a group myself and it do really worries me

My wife is Korean and we have enjoyed Korean popular music since the 1990’s. I was curious when I saw how much the government was investing in soft power and in the creation of manufactured Korean pop music. Still, at the beginning there were some interesting things coming out of the creative community. And even a few musicians who began contributing in meaningful ways. But now that it’s been “mainstreamed,” all I am hearing is overproduced music, desperate collaborations and fetishized videos. It makes me feel sad for a Korea that never had to prove anything, was always cool and used to be interesting. Not so much now.

i want to watch this in order. i started ep 3 lol.

19:20 알렉스 진짜 오랜만이다..