• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.73-88
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• 2008

The media culture influences upon young people while introducing new cultures by every hour. Considering the mainstream culture, in which media has the greatest effect on young people, this article examines the symbolic significances of youth fashion through media culture. The results of this study can be summarized as the following: First, young people's popular culture ("pop culture") is becoming the medium that leads to the creation of similar cultures of the young people globally through various routes. Culture is being created by integration of diverse media, and not by what is seen through a single medium. Typical young people's culture, which is formed due to the influence of media culture, includes community culture, pun culture, virtual culture and fandom culture. Second, in order to examine youth fashion that is seen in those media, the survey has been conducted on media stars, tecktonik dance groups, fashion models, avatars and online communities, which are fashion icons influencing young people. Third, youth fashion, which has been formed centering on media culture, has the flexible property that varies the symbolic significance according to which culture becomes the main axis. The symbolic significance in fashion, which is seen on media culture young people are contacting, has been examined in the aspects of value orientation, diversity orientation, speed orientation and digital orientation.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.221-232
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• 2019

The uniqueness of the K-Pop 'idol' culture, which is a key area of its success, can be found not only through the acceptance of diverse cultures and the strengthening of the performance capacity, but also by the effective utilization of new technological environment. As a result, the Korean idol system, which is distinguished from the Japanese idol system, is established. And these systems are evolving with new technological environments. This paper examines the process of evolution of the Korean idol system that adapts to the technical environment through the case of the idol girl group 'IZ*ONE'. 'IZ*ONE' not only achieved rapid success by actively utilizing SNS and new media and producing interactive narratives, but also establishing stable expansion and homogeneity of fandom through interactive rituals. By comparing the evolution and achievement of such a system with the Japanese idol system, we will be able to present the factors of K-Pop success more clearly.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.79-101
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• 2021

With the steady rise in global popularity of the Korean music group BTS, the South Korean government and surrounding industries have swiftly begun utilizing their image and international recognition for specific nation branding purposes. While K-pop soft power strategies are not novel to the South Korean state, what is new is the rapid speed at which BTS have become a beacon for South Korean culture, language, and symbolism in the international arena. However, few scholarly works have sought to investigate the role fans have played in this heightened position for the group as state representatives, with minimal research conducted into the work fans do within the framework of ARMY fan culture. This paper will thus aim to fill the gap in scholarship on ARMY as an organized labour network, focusing on the role fans play as labourers in online spaces that work to promote, disseminate, and cultivate wider recognition for BTS as artists. Through the conjunct engagement of a political economy framework and theories of participatory culture, this paper will explore the manner through which the free labour of ARMY, premised on affect, has constructed the fandom as active agents of soft power alongside BTS themselves.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.277-311
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• 2013

한류에 대한 기존 언론보도 및 연구 경향은 다음과 같이 요약된다. 중국 일본 및 서구에서의 한류 현상에 대한 편중된 관심과 한류 분석틀로서 문화근접성 이론에 대한 지나친 의존이다. 이러한 상황은 한류 현상에 대한 객관적인 인식과 경험적인 분석을 방해하고 있다. 이러한 문제의식에 기초한 본 연구는 동남아시아, 특히 싱가포르의 한류 현상에 대한 분석을 통해 보다 객관적이고 다각화된 한류 연구를 모색한다. 지리적으로 동남아시아에 위치하고 있지만 문화적으로 동북아시아적 요소를 포괄하고 있는 싱가포르는 아시아 내 초국적 대중문화 교통을 연구하는 데 있어 전략적으로 중요한 공간이다. 본 논문은 싱가포르의 한국 대중문화 수용자들에 대한 포커스그룹 인터뷰, 문헌조사와 참여관찰을 통해 한류 형성의 이유 및 한류 팬덤이라는 문화적 실천이 갖는 의미를 탐구한다. 수용자에 대한 분석은 그가 배치된 싱가포르 미디어 구조에 대한 역사적, 기술적, 정치경제적 맥락화를 통해 보다 체계화된다. 본 연구를 통해 동남아시아에서 발견되고 있는 "외래문화 수용의 진부화"(banalization of foreign cultural reception)라는 상황이 동남아시아 내 한류 전개에 중요한 영향을 끼쳤으며, 동남아시아 미디어산업의 저개발 상황이 한국 대중문화 수용에 우호적 조건으로 작용했음을 확인할 수 있었다. 마지막으로, 연구자는 동아시아 내 문화교통의 연속성 (continuum of cultural traffic within East Asia) 안에 한류 연구를 배치할 것을 제시한다.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.145-155
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• 2015

Into the 1990s, there have been changes in perception of pop culture consumers by making a distinction between groups that are active, critical and creative. This study aims to establish a theoretical reasoning for conventions organized and participated voluntarily by fans, which has been especially noticeable in the American subculture for a long time, while investigating how fans and all the parties concerned interact at conventions then to expand the imaginary world. To this end, an analysis has been carried out on the conventions for the particular American TV series of Supernatural. The results show that the reason for this drama series maintaining such enduring vitality as if a living thing is attributable to the special bond of sympathy developed between fans and actors and the following interactions between them. Furthermore, in the aspect of cultural sociology, a piece of work can only be completed through unconstrained interpretation of the work and the resultant recreation by the creator and the receiver, which has been ascertained by this study.

• 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.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.537-541
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• 2022

As technology advances, various applications linked to the music industry are becoming popular through new media. There have been many changes in the music market. Beyond the existing music market, where music copyright and performance rights were the center of the music business, we are unifying and operating communication channels that connect artists and fans, such as investment products derived from music copyrights. The technology that connects the fandom with additional business digital content has transformed into global platforms such as HYBE Entertainment's and YG Entertainment's Weverse, as well as SM Entertainment's Bubble. In addition, various national support projects to build a 5G MEC (MobileEdge Computing) environment to quickly respond to the rapidly changing 5G industry ecosystem are supporting for the immersive content demonstration, immersive content testing, and technical analysis, we are laying the groundwork to efficiently respond to the ever-expanding metaverse content market. Technology is changing dramatically. Therefore, we would like to study to changes in the music market brought about by technology and suggest strategies for a new era in the music business.