• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.80
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• pp.115-142
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• 2016

This study aims to reveal the content of and logic behind a recent negative public sentiment toward female idols with the example of a debate over songstress IU's fourth album that was released late last year. While previous studies on fandom have focused on the identification process towards entertainers and making community, a recent phenomenon of "anti-fandom" or "malicious comments" implies that more research is needed on negative emotions such as hostility or schadenfreude (feelings of pleasure from others' misfortunes). Schadenfreude is a social sentiment that originated in modern liberalism, which features contradictions between public equality and private ownership, and that has been intensified in neoliberalism, which features a maximization of this contradiction centering on a meritocracy. Celebrities in Korea often become the targets of schadenfreude, which is associated with the suspicion that they gain popularity not from their abilities but from "just being popular." It should also be noted that this kind of schadenfreude operates differently between male and female entertainers. Specifically, the acquisition of money and fame by modern women whose presence used to be located in the private possessions of males is considered to be due to their unjustified use of sexuality. This is also the background of the recent online misogyny culture in Korea. In this context, IU, who had been successful at building a differentiated image of "sister-like idol artist," became a valid target. Although accusing IU of utilizing pedophilia reflects a stalemate that a current politics of sexual violence faces, it rather damages the name of an individual than attracts public attention to the structural causes of childsexualabuse. This is why I see the way that pedophilia was used in the debate over IU as a schadenfreude. Consequently, the term pedophilia here contributes to an expansion of the entertainment economy that is sustained by rises and falls of the celebrities' stock prices.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.651-664
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to first examine the relationship between appearance-enhancing beauty practices and feminism, and secondly, to analyze public images of contemporary women using this paradigm. Through the lens of this relationship, we present a literature review and empirical research focusing on the evolution of public image trends among girl groups, with special attention to the Refund Sisters, a South Korean supergroup currently drawing mainstream attention as female icons. The scope of analysis includes girl groups dating from the 1990's to the year 2020 and photos of the Refund Sisters. Our results indicate that firstly, free sexual expression is evident based on active use of sexuality; images contain bold demonstrations of females desire, expressions previously considered taboo. Secondly, we note deviations from more standardized female images, unique adornment of outward appearance, and rejection of normative female images through freer forms of self-presentation. Lastly, there is greater cultural and racial diversity, rejection of modern race and gender binaries, and increased representation of queer identities. However, the relationship between appearance-enhancing beauty practices and feminism is sometimes considered paradoxical, with some arguing that beautifying one's outward appearance is a compulsory strategy and that it should be rejected in order to resist aesthetic pressure.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.1-15
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• 2021

With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic situation, the attention on Metaverse has been soared throughout media and publications. Recently the entertainment industry is also changing to actively utilize the virtual world with artists working through Metaverse platforms. With the recent high interests on Metaverse, this study attempts to illuminate how the public perceives and accepts Metaverse experiences. While research on Metaverse has been mainly focused on specific technologies or technical objects, this study focuses on exploring how fans recognize and understand the concept of Metaverse through newly debuted idol group 'aespa', composing of 4 human members and 4 AI avatar members that integrate real and virtual world. For this, this study seeks to analyze the reaction and recognition of fans by exploring online community 'DC Inside'. As a result of analyzing the reactions of fans in the early days of aespa's debut, the perspectives of understanding AI members of aespa are categorized into three groups: first, the type of equating and accepting the real and the virtual world; second, the type of recognizing the real world and the virtual world separately and recognizing the virtual member as an avatar or concept, not a genuine member; and finally, a type of recognizing virtual worlds separately from reality. Based on these results, the implications that Metaverse contents may have in the entertainment industry are suggested.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.74-84
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• 2020

In November 2018, virtual pop band K/DA, with the use of holograms and actual K-pop girl group members, performed its debut album titled "POP/STARS" at the opening ceremony of the League of Legends S8 final, hosted by Riot Games. The fan culture that exists for real singers adapts itself to virtual bands, and K/DA, consisting of virtual characters, encouraging the production of user created content (UCC). However, this form of UCC is different from the most common one, meaning that this type of band generates another way of consuming content. Therefore, this study examines how K/DA's digital characters are transformed and reproduced by UCC and how the original producers' content differs from them. Firstly, the development of this study considers the open characteristics of UCC, such as user type, created motivation, created process, content type and sharing method. In the second part, the virtual idol Hatsune Miku and virtual band Pentakill will be analysed to understand UCC. Thirdly, K/DA will be analyzed as a case study based on three factors: created motivation, content type and sharing method. In this manner, this study aims to explain how UCC for virtual bands reproduce and consume original content and expand their commercial value.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.36
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• pp.91-119
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• 2014

This paper analyzed and compared the storytelling of female characters in Korean, American, Japanese animations and revealed the ideal image of woman of each culture. Chapter 2 analyzed the superficial images of the female characters and figured out how these images reflected awareness of a reality. This paper revealed that female characters act as a representative cultural symbols and embodies the paradigm and the order of those cultures. In Chapter 3, this paper analyzed and compared how the female characters solve the dramatic events in the entire narrative structure, and revealed the cultural implications of their action and these events. Korean characters were imitating the idols as an extension of the real world, and American characters were drawn as unreal Super Heroes who were utilized to enhance the order of the world if the United States. Japanese characters, the magical girls are led to create a magic circle and then become surreal goddesses. In this way, this paper revealed that female characters in animation reflect the male-centered ideology of each culture according to the awareness of a reality and cultural paradigm.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.439-445
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• 2017

Summary. Most of American pop music, which are dominating the hegemony of the global pop music market, have been derived from the culture of African Americans, most of whom were slaves of European immigrants. The music of black slaves must be the one of the greatest undisputed achievements that have most influenced the American history. Indeed, All of the mainstream pop music works around the world, including those in America, are the descendants of the black music with the gene of the black people. We can say, therefore, the music born through the Afro-American culture has become the music that every person around the world enjoys in the present. Accordingly, K-Pop music culture, centered in idol group, is also based on the black music. This fact suggests that the K-Pop culture can be spread into people in different customs or traditions with little resistance. The success factor of Motown, at the very center of the black music, which integrated the whole global music, is not only their incredibly outstanding music works, but also the self-consciousness the musicians have that they are strongly reluctant to settle down to present reality. This shall lead to the necessity of self-reflection for the Korean music market, which are obsessed with present popularity and only taking advantage of teenager market, and for those engaged in music business in Korea, who are lack of the artistic value and the consciousness as artist.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.27-36
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• 2019

Today, the Korean wave headed by K-pop is newly named as 'New Korean Wave' in that it has been extended to United States, Europe and Russia. K-POP, the main player of the new Korean wave, has been successful in SNS marketing channels. Furthermore, the content of K-pop has attracted the attention of the global audience. The media and public attention on the Korean Wave is meaningful because it is not merely a cultural export. It also makes Korean people feel national pride, seeing the mental influence of its culture on other regions. Moreover, the development of the cultural industry in our society, which is different from industrial or material development, is a proof that Korean society is at the center of globalization. Until the 20th century, Korean culture had been rather receptive than dominant. In other words, it was focused more on acceptance of other cultures than active creation or outflow of its own. Now, however, K-POP is not anymore copying Western culture. It is creating its own unique characters, which makes K-pop very competitive. Korean culture has been formed for a long time in Korea's unique historical background. Korean popular culture also has to establish a solid foothold in world markets through its distinctive and traditional feature. The positive consumer response to Korean pop culture will create the added value of Korean contents and their derivatives, which will heighten Korea's national image also. In other words, if traditional art and K-POP are converged and equipped with our own unique and highly artistic culture, they will take the lead in the global cultural art market. In this study, we will recognize the possibility, growth and development of K-pop culture and analyze the cases of combining K-pop and Korean traditional art. First, we have to blend traditional art and other various genres to create diverse contents, and we have to actively utilize media channels. Second, we must improve people's awareness of the copyrights of traditional art. Also, we have to mitigate the copyrights of creative dance to expand the disclosure of contents which can be utilized. Third, we have to learn about traditional arts from younger age. Fourth, we will expand traditional arts to the whole of Korean cultural policies, which can enhance the nation's cultural value and create economic benefits. These four are expected to be effective ways to preserve the identity of traditional art and at the same time, globalize Korean culture.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.118-131
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to take a look at the fashion frame of Korean women in their twenties and thirties to sort the actual fashion image and the ideal fashion image according to the fashion frame of Korean women in their twenties and thirties, and also to find out the standards and features that divide such a classification. For this study, we used the Q method, which is valued as an effective way to assess subjectivity. This helps to objectively classify the perception the fashion images of and the response to them as well. The analyzed materials were divided into two actual fashion frames and two ideal fashion frames, and classified them into 12 fashion image types in total, that is, six actual fashion images and six ideal fashion images, and we named each type of the fashion images and analyzed the features of each fashion image type through the in-depth Q workshop in which 14 professionals participated. The results of this study are as follows: First, the actual fashion frames of Korean women in their twenties and thirties was largely divided into 'Fashion Gold Girl', the fashion frame of mainstream and 'Indi-idol', the fashion frame of subcultures, and this was further divided into six fashion image types: 'Basic Casual', 'Vintage Performer', 'Easy Chic', 'Ladies' Look', 'City Office Girl' and 'Club Mania'. Second, the ideal fashion frame of Korean women in their twenties and thirties was divided into 'Urban Refinement', the fashion frame of the mainstream and 'Mismatched Style', the fashion frame of subcultures. It was also divided into six fashion image types: Power Fashion', 'Fashion Conservative', 'Semi-culture', 'Fashion Otaku', 'Sweet Darling' and 'Fashion Panic'. Third, The characteristics of the fashion images' colors are recognizable according to the type of fashion images.