K-POP: Roots and Blossoming of Korean Popular Music

(Contemporary Korean Arts Series #6)

By Kim (Author), Chang Nam (Author)

K-pop, referred to pop and dance music performed by idol groups mainly
targeted at teens, has been expanding in popularity beyond Asia to Europe and
South America. It was the 1990s when this school of music first appeared in Korea,
but its emergence was not abrupt and its roots are sunk deep into decades of
Korean popular music history. This book is designed to introduce to international
audiences interested in Korean music how the modern form of Korean pop music
began and evolved. Understanding the history of Korean pop music, which has
shifted and progressed in the currents of social transformation, means figuring out
just how Korean society has been transfigured.
This book is mainly divided into two sections. The first deals with the
developments in Korean pop music from Japanese rule up to the early 1990s.
Exploring this period, which falls into a prehistory of K-pop, will serve as an
opportunity for understanding the historical context surrounding K-pop. The second
section illustrates the processes of the formation to K-pop throughout the 1990s and
the stages in its development into its current form as a globalized cultural element.
The main focuses of the second portion include K- pop's representative idol groups,
the social circumstances that yielded K-pop, and its production system.

Gaining a thorough grasp of the K-pop fever around the world requires a more
multi-dimensional perspective that encompasses its historical context and structural
conditions. In this sense, this book will prove useful to those who desire to learn
about K-pop and Korean popular culture, and further about Korean society.

The History of Kpop (Korean Pop Music)

By Brett Tesol

Korean pop, or Kpop as it is more popularly known as, is a huge hit among
Korean and international students. With Korean music getting recognized on the
Asian market, as well as at a worldwide level, Kpop is becoming extremely popular
among both Korean speaking people and non Koreans.
The history of Korean pop music is not very old. Pop music has become quite
popular in Korea due to the Western influence of pop music. This doesnt mean that
Western culture is overtaking the Korean culture, but more that it was the start of
various popular music channels like MTV and internet sources, that have spread pop
music and had a great influence upon the inspiration of Korean musicians, as well as
general music lovers.
When we look at the history of the Korean pop music, we find out that
the Kpop music radio has indeed played a great role in promoting it and bringing it
to the masses. The Korean youngsters are absolutely in love with their Korean pop
music bands and are really proud of the fact that many of them have gained
recognition on an international level as well.
The history of Kpop music is quite exciting, although quite short, with the
rapid spread of Kpop music radio shaping it. In fact, over a period of only 20 odd
years, South Korea itself has evolved from being a poor country, to being a major
international player with incredible commodities and technology. With the coming of
many great bands like FINKL and Super Junior, many music lovers which are not
familiar with the Korean language are also loving the Korean music a lot. Meaning
that in a very short period of time, Kpop has in fact become a major export for the
country.
The Korean pop music history does not date back to very old times, as It was
just back in the 1990s that pop music started to becoming really popular in Korea.
Since then, many bands and singers have emerged on the scene, some of which
even proved to be world class players.
However, Korean TV shows have spread the scene further, with many 'soaps'
being a huge hit across Asia and some finding niches in the west. Although many
people say that bands like Wonder Girls are actually inspired by the Western girl
bands from their make up, to the music that they make, it is in fact that most
modern dance music actually has a universal language and style ... it is not set in a
specific place, or from a particular descent, although I guess it must have started
somewhere first, way back in history.

The History of Kpop (and Korea)

By: Cynical KPOP

To have any understanding of the significance of contemporary South Korean

culture and Kpop music let alone South Korean pop culture, you must understand
how the South Korea of today came to be. South Korea has had an incredible
journey over the past 60 years. It had been literally burned to the ground in a
vicious civil war, and now today its a top 15 world economy and Asian pop culture
heavyweight.
This economic success is often called the Miracle on the Han River (the river
which runs through Seoul). Yet this was no miracleit was the consequences of
specific historical events, policies, and actions unique to that place and time. Land
reform in the Korean War, military regimes, the Yushin era, state-run enterprises and
control, the protection of infant industry, the shadow of Japanese colonialism and
Japanese development, cheap labor, and more created the Miracle on the Han.
Yet as the timeline above attempts to show, and is possibly the most
important question to ask, is at what cost this came to the Korean people. Please
explore the timeline above to see a number of significant economic and societal
events in Koreas development to see the memories and experiences of the South
Korean people. The timeline borrows heavily from John Lies Han Unbound, a
fantastic read on Korean Development, not just about how it happened, but what it
did to the Korean people.
Kpop sprung from new found economic surplus, and thus the ability to
develop entertainment and cultural products. Yet, does Kpop serve the needs of the
Korean people? How does it fit into the history of struggle, pain, and hard work of
Koreas Development. Below I will list the contents of the timeline if you find it to be
distracting.
Korea Then and Now This is a brief look at major events and eras in South
Koreas rapid, record breaking 30 year development and the rise of Kpop thereafter.
Called the Miracle on the Han, the development of a devastated post War Korea to
one of the top 15 economies in the world has shocked many. It should have been
impossible they said, and many countries search for the elusive South Korean
model. Yet, as we see here this Miracle is no Miracle at all. It has risen from many
specific, historical events that cannot be replicated by another state. These are the
events and the experiences of the Korean people during development. Unless
otherwise stated, all information on general Korean history comes from Han
Unbound: The Political Economy of South Korea by John Lie. Information about the
Rise of Kpop comes from Shim Doobos Waxing the Korean Wave and given
wikipedia pagesdata on Kpop is quite elusive.
8/10/1945 A Country Torn Apart The division did not just split apart geography
and a state, but families and thousands of years of history. The North was under
Russias sphere of influence, the South to the United States.

9/2/1945 Surrender of Japan After the August bombings of Hiroshima and

Nagasaki Japan formally surrenders to the Allied forces, effectively ending World
War II.The image depicts Japanese prisoners in Manila stunned as news of Japans
surrender is read to them by an interpreter with the 38th division of Lujon.
1948 Yi Seungman Elected Selected by the United States for his staunch
anticommunist views, he is the President of South Korea for 12 years through the
Korean War. He has been regarded as a corrupt dictator.
1949 Land Redistribution The South Korean National Assembly passes a law
capping the amount of land per individual. President Yi and landlords opposed the
law and it is not properly executed until the Korean War. This will serve as the
foundation for Korean development by breaking down the socioeconomic status quo
of Koreas agrarian economy.
1950-1953 Korean War A half Civil War half Proxy war held between the Cold War
powers of the Soviet Union (aligned with North Korea) and the United States
(aligned with South Korea) that kills 2,000,000 Korean civilians (mostly from the
north). The Chinese (fighting for North Korea) and South Korean soldier death tolls
reach around 1 million. South Korean infrastructure is destroyed and (the newly
made) south Koreans are left in an existential crisis after decades of Japanese rule
and a decade of brutal war.
1954 Land Reform at Last Although the war has devastated much of the
countryside, by now the Land Redistribution Act has been executed and large
landowners disappear and tenancy dropped to 7%from 49%. This fundamentally
changes Korean social structure by reducing income inequality, which lays the
foundation for Korean development.
1959 Triple Alliances Up until this point the US, President Yi, and South Korean
elite have been obstacles to Korean development via US aid and the grafting of that
aid between the government and dependent capitalists (could not survive without
the governments bribes). Surplus is not used to invest but is spread out amongst
the elite.
4/19/1960 Student Revolution (4-1-9) On April 19th a student demonstration in
Seoul is violently repressed. 186 people are killed and 1,600 injured. This leads to a
wave of other protests that contribute to the fall of President Yi. By April 26th Yi has
lost US and domestic support and resigns. He flees to Hawaii where he remains in
exile until his death.
1961 Military Coup A relatively unopposed military coup installs Park Chung
Heeand his military regime as the governing body of South Korea. Although credited
with leading Korean Development, Chung has more impact on the social structure of
Korea with his repressive and highly anticommunist regime.
1965 The Big Tiger Awakens The Japanese economy begins to soar and its
business with Korea, enabled by historical ties in colonialism, helps jump start
the South Korean economy. Park Chung Hee normalizes relations with Japan in
1965, with much Korean public opposition.

1966-1971 War and Wealth (This span is the peak of the war) Korea provides not
only soldiers to the US in the Vietnam War but also export products. The Korean
economy booms from the export of concrete, fertilizer, and petroleum product
exports to Vietnam. The war develops ties with the US and develops the economy,
albeit by devastating Vietnam.
1970-1979 The Yushin Era Begins, In 1972 Park Chung Hee declares Martial Law
and the next 5 years will be one of the most repressive regimes of Modern Korean.
At the same time South Korea development moves beyond light industry (textiles,
cement, fertilizer) to more profitable heavy industries (chemicals, metals, ships).
The government protected South Korean industry from foreign competition,
developed public enterprises, and maintained cheap labor. Massive conglomerates,
or Chaebols, come into being and dominate Korea to this day (Samsung, Hyundai,
Daewoo). The government pursues anti-labor and anti-farming campaigns. This
economic miracle is built on an exploitation of the working class Korean people.
10/26/1979 And Ends With A Bang Park Chung Hee is assassinated by a close
confidant and a massive call for democracy from the working class begins. The
motives of his assassin and how planned the event are still unclear. The Presidents
Last Bang is a notorious film portraying the assassination and aftermath.
5/26/1980 Kwangju Uprising Chun Doo Hwan rises as a new military strongman
when he suppresses a pro-democracy movement, most famously the May Kwangju
movement where 2,000 people are killed. Yushin had brought economic success but
social devastation and working class Koreans were tired of military regimes.
1980-1989 The 80s: Debt, Democracy, and the Miracle on the Han Debt is a
huge concern in the turn of the decade. Political unrest is rising, and the service
sector is beginning to emerge. Many said it would take Korea until 2020 to get to
where they are in the 1980s, finally able to open trade and be competitive with
rivals markets of Japan and the US. The world is slightly stunned.
1988 The Seoul Olympics In 1980 debt is a major concern for South Korea.
However the triangle of trade between Japan and the US that had developed in the
70s, along with industries that had been able to develop without brutal foreign
competition, cheap labor, and state administered economic policies ensured that
Koreas development is not fleeting. By 1988 Korea has started down the road to
Democracy, is hosting the Summer Olympics, and is now a modern, developed
nation on the world stage. The question in the end is at what cost. An official poster
for the 1988 Summer Seoul Olympics.
1989 SM Entertainment Lee Soo Man founds what would become the largest and
most successful Kpop company to date.
1992 Kpop is Born Seo Taiji and The Boys became a wildly popular group,
implementing American rap, rock, and techno into its music. A dance group, Korean
pop music is still dominated by dance groups to this day.
1997 JYP Entertainment Kpop artist Park Jin Young founds JYPE which would
house mega star Rain and acts such as 2PM, 2AM, and Miss A.

1997 Asia in Financial Crisis The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis that spread from
Thailand to Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and eventually South
Korea put the financial world in a state of high alert. South Korea received the single
largest IMF loan in history at $58 billion and after painful economic times
rebounded. The IMF loan and issues of debt would continue to be held in negative
regard by the Korean public.
1998 Kpop Rises An SM group, H.O.T. tops Taiwanese charts. Kpop, along with
Korean dramas and film, begin to gain international fanbases.
1998 YG Entertainment Yang Hyun Suk, a former member of Seo Taiji and the
Boys, founds the second largest Kpop Company YG. It would house Psy, Big Bang,
and 2NE1.
2001 Japan Enters the Fray Another SM artist BoA tops Japans Oricon chart and
begins the trend of Kpop groups moving on to do large volumes of work and press in
Japan after developing popularity in Korea. Japan will prove to be the largest market
for Korean cultural products.
2011 The New Triple Alliance The Big Three companies and other
Entertainment corporations come together and form United Asia Management.
2/18/2012 La musique de Core Kpop finds its way to Paris as the popular show
Music Bank holds a massive concert in the Bercy Stadium. The 10,000 tickets sold
out within minutes.
7/15/12 Gangnam Style What can be said. It is the most viewed video on Youtube
(thus arguably the internet) and has entranced the world and everyones
grandmothers.