• 비교문화연구
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• 제39권
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• pp.97-125
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• 2015

Significance of the R16 Korea Contest as Culture Contents. Known for relentless practice and intense moves, widespread presence on the Internet, strong ethnic elements highlighting Korean physical attributes and collective culture, b-boying occupies a special place in Korea today. News of four consecutive wins in major b-boy contests around the world have changed the common public conception that b-boys are simply a group of problem boys and students in hip-hop clothes intent on showing off their dance moves. B-boying is no longer perceived as a dance that is performed in the shadowy underground but as a dynamic and beautiful art form of physical expression that is part of today's popular culture. This paper examines the significance of R-16 Korea as culture contents and its main event, the World B-boy Masters Championship. It introduces how the contest has developed since 2007 to reach popular influence and gain international recognition. The paper also compares R-16 Korea to the world's four major b-boy contests, Battle Of The Year, UK B-boy Championship, Free Style Session, and Red Bull BC One to see if any distinctions could be found among them and to evaluate the significance of R-16 Korea as cultural content in its rise to one of the world's top 5 major b-boy contests. Finally, this study makes suggestions for b-boying to become more established as part of Korea's culture contents.