1

The Effects of Korean Pop Culture on Present-day Cambodia: Why Culture Matters?
Heng Sreang
For the Korea Institute of Southeast Asian Studies

(A draft, May 2016)

1. Introduction

South Korean popular culture (known as K-pop) has been seen as most dynamic in recent
decades. Television dramas, movies, pop music, and associated celebrities and their lifestyles
have gained immense popularity in many countries in Asia. And over the past few years Korean1
popular songs and movies have been spreading very fast to, and gaining remarkable recognitions
in different parts of the world.

Only more than a decade, the “Korean Wave” (a pop culture phenomenon also dubbed
“Hallyu”)2 has been flooding Asia‟s airwaves and winning the hearts of fans region-wide in the
process, and now washing to Cambodian shores.3 Currently, it has been attractive to many
Cambodian people, especially youth who have been getting a deep interest in the Korean pop
culture and lifestyles. Cultural performances, arts and TV dramas, popular music such as
Gangam Style and pop bands have gain strong supports from the people.4 Korean cultural
activities are now spreading from the capital city of Phnom Penh to some provincial towns in the
country. This paper looks into the effects of Korean pop culture on present-day Cambodia. The
paper will seek to answer the questions: How people, especially youth in Cambodia perceive the
Korean pop culture? Why they get interested in the Korean pop culture very fast? To what
extent does the Korean pop culture have impacts on their lifestyle? And how they compromise
all these with their local culture? This paper employs ethnographic methodology by means of
fieldwork interviews with fifty two Cambodians aged between 30 to 40 years old, and four group
discussions with eighty-five university students and lecturers who are living and studying in
Phnom Penh capital city in order to understand their perception and the ways the Korean pop

1
The word „Korea‟ here and throughout this paper refers to South Korea.
2
Lara Farrar “Korean Wave of pop culture sweeps across Asia” (CNN report, December 31, 2010).
3
Joel Quenby and Tha Piseth “Leading a Korean invasion: K-Pop and all that Hallyu.” In: Phnom Penh Post,
(Tuesday, 25 August 2009).
4
Amy Nip and Christy Choi “How Korean culture stormed the world.” In: News Asia (30 November, 2012).
 2

culture effects people‟s way of life. It also includes my personal observations for many years
about the dynamics of the Korea Wave in the country.

2. The concept and dynamism of ‘Korean Wave’

The Korean Wave (Hallyu) is a neologism referring to the increase in the popularity of
South Korean culture since the late 1990s. The term was originally coined in mid-1999 by
Beijing journalists who were surprised by China‟s growing appetite for South Korean cultural
exports.5 They subsequently referred to this new phenomenon as “Hánliú” (in Chinese), which
literally means “flow of Korea.” First driven by the spread of Korean dramas (K-dramas)
televised across East and Southeast Asia during its initial stages, the Korean Wave evolved from
a regional development into a global phenomenon due to the proliferation of Korean pop (K-pop)
music videos on YouTube.6 Nowadays, the spread of the Korean Wave to other regions of the
world is most visibly seen among teenagers and young adults.

The growing acceptance of South Korean pop culture as a valid form of entertainment in
many parts of the world has prompted the government of South Korea to use the Korean Wave as
a tool for soft power. As a result, the Korean government hopes that the acceptance of its culture
in foreign countries would be reciprocated by an embracement of foreign cultures among South
Koreans, thus realizing the ideals of a bidirectional flow of culture, goods and ideas in order to
achieve the following goals: Prevention of anti-Korean sentiment, Reunification of Korea,
Advancements in world peace and prosperity, and so on.

3. Brief background of relationships and the inflow of Korean culture to Cambodia

Korean culture has been known in Cambodia as early as the 1960s and 1970s. Elderly
people in those periods called „short haircut style around neck‟ the „Korean haircut style‟ (in
Cambodian language – mote-sak-kare). Singers and film stars adopted the Korean clothing and
hair styles and makeups. The styles have been known in this country up to today.

K-pop is a new form of Korean culture penetrating into Cambodia in the early 2000s and
becoming so popular to many fans particularly among many Cambodian youngsters.

5
The Economist “South Korea‟s pop-cultural exports: A „Korean wave‟ washes warmly over Asia” (Jan 25th 2010,
Seoul and Phnom Penh, Asia).
6
Lina Yoon “Korean Pop, with Online Help, Goes Global.” In: Time (Seoul, Aug. 26, 2010). Also see: Lara
Farrar “Korean Wave of pop culture sweeps across Asia” (CNN report, December 31, 2010).
 3

The dynamic widespread popularity of this culture in Cambodian society started after the
official establishment of diplomatic relationships between South Korea and Cambodia in the
following years.7 It was the time when the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen officially visited
South Korea in 2001 and then in March 2006, and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun visited
Cambodian in November 2006. After returning from his visit to South Korea in 2006, the Prime
Minister Hun Sen declared publicly to welcome Korean investors, educational and cultural
exchanges with Cambodia.

As the matter of fact, bilateral cooperation between Phnom Penh and Seoul was
strengthened and began to enlarge with close personal ties between South Korea‟s former
President Lee Myungbak, who used to serve as special economic adviser to Prime Minister Hun
Sen from the year 2000 to 2008 when he became the president. It was through this personal
relationship that bilateral relations between Cambodia and South Korea had reached a new
turning point. As economic adviser, President Lee Myungbak had provided advices on how to
develop Cambodia economically and helped coordinate various investment projects from South
Korea to Cambodia, particularly from companies within the Hyundai group, where President Lee
had worked for 27 years before he left in 1992.8 And soon after he took office, Mr. Lee visited
Cambodia (in October, 2009) and brought with him a Korean delegation of business
representatives in order to build up economic relationships between the two countries. A
memorandum of understanding was signed for official trade deals between the two countries at
that time.

The bilateral trade agreement serves as an important bridge for both countries to exchange
trade information and to help boost trade links with each other.9 To date, South Korea is one of
the important foreign players in Cambodia, especially in the field of trade, investments,
humanitarian, educational and cultural fields in Cambodia.

7
The history of diplomatic relations between Republic of Korea and Cambodia could be traced back to 1970 when
American-backed government of Lon Nol came to power. The relations, like the regime itself, were short-lived and
severed in 1975 when Khmer Rouge came to power. Bilateral diplomatic relations between the two was again
established in 1997 after official state visit of Prime Minister Hun Sen to South Korea in 1996. Within the last two
decades, the partnership and cooperation between Cambodia and South Korea have witnessed rapid advancement,
especially in recent years.
8
Finch, S. and Mullins, J. “South Korean president visits today for signings”. In: The Phnom Penh Post (2009,
October 22)
9
May Kunmakara “South Korean president's visit set to include trade agreement.” In: The Phnom Penh Post
(Tuesday, 15 September 2009).
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Increase of Korean social and economic activities in Cambodia

The agreement primarily enables South Korea companies to gain a strong economic
standing in Cambodia. Only in a short time, there has been a rapid increase of Korean
investments and new business startups in many sectors including apartment buildings, such
Kamko City, business centers (Phnom Penh Tower and Golden Tower) and hotels; commercial
banks; electronics, vehicle companies (with various kinds of tourist cars, trucks and lorries) in the
capital city of Phnom Penh and in some major towns, such as Siem Reap, Sihanoukville,
Battambang and Kompong Cham; and some agro-businesses in a certain provinces.

It is important to note that investment and trade in the field of economy, in 2013 South
Korea replaced United Kingdom as the largest investor, invested 287 million USD. Now South
Korea is the second largest investor, following China, with cumulative investment of 4.46 billion
USD in 2014 (The Cambodia Herald, 2015).10 As of March 2013, there were around 700
investment projects being implemented in Cambodia by Korean investors.11 Bilateral trade has
also witnessed rapid surge in recent years. The volume of trade between Cambodia and South
Korea has increased significantly from 152.73 million USD in 2005 to 540 million USD in 2011
and to over 1 billion USD in 2014, a 15 times increase (The Cambodia Herald, 2015).

Korean aid to Cambodia

In tandem with investment and trade, South Korea also provide development assistance to

Cambodia. Assistance is reported to be based on sharing experience of building up war-torn

South Korea, which is claimed to be similar to the current situation of Cambodia.

South Korea is currently the fifth largest aid and loan provider to Cambodia.
Development assistance from South Korea is concentrated on two sectors including infrastructure
development including roads, bridges, health and rural development and capacity building in the
fields of education. Development assistance of South Korea is coordinated by Korea International

10
The Cambodia Herald (May 14, 2015)“Hun Sen says satisfied with Cambodia South Korea ties” (Retrieved on
25th, May 2016, from http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/hun)
11
Cambodian Business Review (October, 2013) “Ambassador’s Profile” (Retrieved on 06th, May 2015, from
http://www.cambisreview.com/pdffile/profile-korea.pdf)
 5

Cooperation Agency (KOICA), a fore front of Korea‟s international development efforts created
in 1991. KOICA started its cooperation program in Cambodia in 1991 by providing office
equipment, and in 2003 an oversea office (KOICA Cambodia) was set up in Phnom Penh.

Subsequent Korean aid to Cambodia also includes medical assistances (with funds,
equipment, medicines and doctors) on humanitarian basis for a number of state hospitals (aside
from charities for social welfare purpose made by Korean people coming to donate toilets, funds
for drilling wells and other things in schools and villages in different rural communities since the
early 2000s.)

There are also collaborations and exchanges between Korean and Cambodia universities,
researchers and scholars. There are also scholarship positions provided by South Korean
government to Cambodian students and officials who wish to study in Korean universities. Many
kinds of scholarships have been given to Cambodian students for academic activities and higher
learning exchange programs, and other interactions involving Cambodian state officials and
scholars for meetings, workshops and conferences with their counterparts in South Korea.

Inflow of Korean culture to Cambodia

The early 2000s was also the „legitimate‟ time for Korean pop culture to flow and take
root in Cambodia. And since then, both countries started to have exchanges of cultural experts
for exchanges of knowledge and experiences for cultural development with each other. Korean
cultural activities started to be displayed and televised publicly in the country – including
commercial advertisements of Korean products by Korean pop stars and artists. Some years
later, a Korean cultural institute for cultural studies and languages was built within the compound
of the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

4. The effects of Korean culture on Cambodian society

Korean pop culture explicitly exerts influential effects on Cambodian society in several
ways, most significantly on the cultural, economic and social lives.

Cultural and economic impacts

The booming presence and enjoyment of Korean popular culture has also transformed
into preference for other Korean products and lifestyles alike, leading to an increase in Korean
product sales overseas. Only about a decade ago, Korean pop culture has gained remarkable
 6

popularity and support from many Cambodian people, especially youngsters. Korean pop music
and songs, Korean dramas and movies attract many viewers as audiences. Television shows in
Cambodia often display Korean pop music and movies making many young boys and girls
become fans of K-pop stars, actors and actresses. And they get fascinated and adopt Korean
modern lifestyles. They perceive K-pop as modernized culture symbolizing civilized lifestyles of
people in modern age; and thus they have been so obsessed not only with K-pop, but also trying
to make up themselves with colorful hairstyles, clothes and facial makeups to look more like
Korean.

Many Cambodian pop singers are interested in the ways Korean pop stars perform and
dress, imitating dancing styles and copying song melodies of Korean pop bands and singers
seeing them as the most famous bands in Asia.

Moreover, some kinds of Korean food such as Kimchi, Galbi (pork or beef ribs, cooked
on a metal plate over charcoal in the center of the table) become known to many people. And a
number of Korean restaurants have been opened in Phnom Penh and some provincial towns.

As a result, the cultural influence has been leading to an increase in various types of
Korean business activities and investments in Cambodia. The popularity of K-pop enables
Korean products to be widely circulated and sold out almost everywhere in Cambodia. Korean
TV dramas and movies enable Korean commercial products to gain strong support in Cambodian
markets. Korean brands range from cosmetic to electronic products, such as LG and Samsung
(phones, computers and other electronic devises), to vehicles, most popularly Kia Motor and
Hyundai, and clothes and so on.

The growing interest in Korean products, for the most part, has been due to effective and
attractive marketing strategies by way of K-pop stars performing on public stages and
broadcasting live on local TVs screens.

The collaboration between the two countries becomes beneficial for the economic
production and thus development for both countries. The economic interest is, in fact, not only
gain by Korean business people, but also Cambodians. Korean buyers also export many kinds of
Cambodian agricultural products to Korea. Some Korean industries in Cambodia provide a
number of jobs for local people – and thus enabling them to improve their situation of living.
 7

Social and political impacts – a cultural spillover

Aside from cultural and economic impacts, K-pop particularly the Gangnam Dance has
been used for social and political purposes. The dancing style was performed in group by civil
societies, rights activists, and affected people by land grabs and violations to attract attention of
the Cambodian general public, international communities and donors countries to the issues of
land grabs in the country. In this aspect, the cultural capital can be used as a significant force for
social change. It has influential impacts on the behavior of the people. Group dance becomes a
powerful means to mobilize supports in their appeal and protests for solution from the
government. As a result, the Cambodia leader has decided to stop land concessions and land
tenure with a number of companies in order to avoid land conflicts, and taken measures to solve
land disputes by creating a committee to work on the issues.

A question has been raised by academics and intellectuals about why K-pop has gained
strong influence in Cambodia in only a short period. So far, there is no any answer to such
question. The current research found out a few factors that can be thought of as the main causes
of the influence. The growing effects of Korean pop culture in Cambodia can be due to the
expectation for modernization by Cambodian people; the majority of them are youth
(approximately 70% of the country‟s population) who were born after the fall of Pol Pot‟s regime
of “Killing Fields” in 1979. In the last 15 years, Cambodian has enjoyed remarkable economic
development as a result of many foreign direct investments in the country such as garment
industries, constructions, and tourism. Modern lifestyles among many Cambodians have been
growing mostly among youngsters; their expectation for modernization is also high, but their
cultural life has not been advanced as some developed cultures in the region and in the world – as
such the K-pop. They see K-pop as most advanced pop culture compared to several other pop
cultures in Cambodia such as the Thai, Vietnamese, and Western ones.12

What we see in this context is that the flourishing of a culture on „foreign‟ land,
therefore, can be possible because of the willingness of the locals – the Cambodians – who enjoy

12
This can arguably be true that Korean content, especially dramas, song melodies and musical tunes seem to be
more popular than Western series simply because Asians relate to it more. “So based upon that cultural background,
we exchange our emotions, what we think and what we feel. We share an Eastern mentality. Asian people love to
enjoy Korean stuff.” This can be one thing, however. But it may be more due to the quality of the products made by
the Korean cultural reactors and experts. (See, Lara Farrar “Korean Wave of pop culture sweeps across Asia” (CNN
report, December 31, 2010).
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and feel open to accept a new form of cultural development and modernization. Without this, a
sound cultural influence cannot be possible.

Another reason for this influence is that the Cambodian traditional culture has not been
developed since the destruction of cultural life in Pol Pot‟s regime from 1975 to 1979, during
which cultural activities were completely stopped and many experts in cultural arts, performers,
writers and singers were persecuted. Moreover, the aftermath government being ruled by the
current groups of elites has not paid much attention and efforts to promote cultural activities in
the country. They have created many new cultural activities, but mainly for their political
propagandas. Sadly enough, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts have so many staff and offices
ranging from cultural departments in the ministry in the capital city of Phnom Penh to cultural
offices in provinces, and from cultural offices in provinces to offices in districts in the whole
country, but no real work to preserve and develop the country‟s traditional culture. Many young
educated experts of culture and modern musical arts and performances have not been recruited to
work in the cultural field. They are jobless. Most of them survive on incomes they earn from
working for private TV stations and performances in some ceremonial celebrations at private
homes. What has an opposite reality is that „when the Cambodian general public and private
companies complained about many unexpected holidays – as many staff took leave, and students
skipped school without official information – to celebrate cultural practices influenced from
outside such as Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Valentine Day, involving officials from the
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts came out to explain that „they lack qualified cultural experts,
human resources, to promote the country‟s culture in time when foreign cultures are penetrating
cultural life of the country‟.

With no real care and supports, almost all good writers and composers have given up their
career while some song writers, singers and musicians who produce songs for private companies
have copied many song lyrics and melodies from foreign singers/bands. Some others have
produced songs with their own „authentic‟ lyrics and melodies, but there is no any protection for
their copyrights. Pirated song CDs are sold everywhere in the country. As a result, cultural arts
and performances are almost dead. And as a result, most young Cambodians have nothing better
to enjoy, but taking for granted the Korean pop culture that is spreading in the country. They
 9

have been keen on sharing with family members and friends the aspects of Korean culture,
lifestyle and developments.13

Another factor that enables the Korean culture to grow in Cambodia very fast results from
the efforts of the Korean government. One culture, of course, cannot or does not flourish easily
without any effort to promote it. It needs creativity and strategy by key stakeholders to push it
forward – to „other lands‟. As a matter of fact, so far, the Korean government has done a lot of
works successfully to promote its cultural activities – which are appreciated both within their
country and abroad.14

5. People’s views about Korean culture in Cambodia

Cambodian people have different views regarding the effects of Korean culture on their
society nowadays. Some hold a modernist view claiming that people have rights and freedom to
appreciate and celebrate what they think „good‟, developed or more modernized than what their
country can provide. In a series of interviews, university students living in Phnom Penh showed
their “appreciation about what makes them enjoy/happy… as long as it does not cause harm to
anybody.”15 In their words, “there is nothing wrong to enjoy modern lifestyle as it makes us feel
good about ourselves, good-looking and civilized…”16

They advised that “we should not see impacts of cultures from other countries as a threat,
but as a growth of civilization of human creativity which we should appreciate and imitate,”17
and that “advanced cultures of other countries can help modernize our local culture if we know
how to combine.”18 They also call for the government to pay attention to improve and advance
their own country‟s traditional culture in order to attract the people and somehow prevent foreign
cultures from penetrating into their society. And they think that their country‟s traditional culture
needs to be improved or updated to avoid being stagnant – and „outdated‟.19

13
In a media interview after returning from his study in South Korea, a Cambodian media student noted that “Korea
is a developed country in the world; there are so many places to visit, many things to learn, and many wonders to
remember…Korea is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. That‟s why we want to visit Korea.”
(See: Amy Nip and Christy Choi “How Korean culture stormed the world.” in: News Asia 30 November, 2012).
14
See also: Fay Gale and Stephanie Fahey (eds.) Youth in Transition: The Challenges of Generational Change in
China. Australia: Association of Asian Social Research Councils, 2005.
15
An interview with a university student in Phnom Penh on 25 March, 2016.
16
An interview with a university student in Phnom Penh on 23 March, 2016.
17
A group discussion with a group of university students in Phnom Penh on 2 March, 2016.
18
An interview with a university student in Phnom Penh on 10 March, 2016.
19
A conversation with a group of university students in Phnom Penh on 8 March, 2016.
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However, there are people, mostly elderly ones, holding a conservative view toward the
inflow of Korean culture to their country. They perceive the influence as a threat to their
traditional culture, and criticize the people for accepting and celebrating cultural activities of
other countries.20 Their main concern is that „foreign‟ cultures, such as Korean K-pop, destroy
their cultural identity.21 And they appealed to their government officials involved to preserve
their local culture, and take some measures to prevent the mass inflow of foreign cultures – not
just the Korean culture.

There is another view being upheld as a moderate one toward the presence of Korean
culture in Cambodia. They regard this cultural influence across borders as a normal
phenomenon. They see it as complementary to one another. For them “there is no purely
indigenous culture existing alone in the world today… except those who live a primitive life in
isolated areas with no contacts with the outside world. But that is primitive, there is no
development.”22 For those moderate people, it should be a choice of people to choose what they
think „good‟ and enjoyable – for themselves. And it should also be a choice of the people to
reject what they think „bad‟ for their lives and their society.23 Finally, it depends on individuals
to consider the meaning of „good‟, „bad‟, „beautiful‟, and „enjoyable‟ things. The government
just provides as good education as possible for the people; people can make decision for their
own lives and society.24

This perspective can be viewed as favorable for a balance in the integration of cultures –
for a more beautiful combination, as „a more delicious piece of cake‟!

6. Conclusion

Cultures really matter. A culture, when accepted and adopted, plays a significant role in
shaping the way people behave in daily life. As explicitly observed, the Korean cultural stuffs
displayed through television shows and public performances can attract many Cambodians to
appreciate Korean cultural arts, creativity and beauty – which result in adoption of Korean
lifestyles, and imitation of Korean musical melodies and dances by the Cambodian pop stars
today. K-pop also enables growth and development of market activities by Korean business
20
An interview with a woman in Phnom Penh on March 12, 2016.
21
An interview with a man in Phnom Penh on March 13, 2016.
22
A conversation with a group of university lecturers in Phnom Penh on March 20, 2016.
23
Ibid.
24
Ibid.
 11

investments in Cambodia – and attracts many Cambodian business persons to import Korean
products such as electric devices, makeup materials and different kinds of cars to Cambodia.
This includes Korean tourists to Cambodia and Cambodian tourists to Korea.

All this can be said, in effect, that cultural capital, when developed to the level of regional
and global acceptance, can lead to accumulations of social capital25 building up social networks26
through trust27 among the effected people, for economic development – and finally can lead to a
social change. To be influenced by an „external‟ culture thus, I contend, does not mean
„negative; it means „complementary‟. Influence exerted by a „developed culture‟ can help
improve a local culture in some ways or another when it is intelligently merged. In practice,
many young Cambodian artists and pop stars have learned many new things by following their
favorite Korean actors and actresses to „update‟ themselves.

For a sound collaboration and progress, however, there has to be a need to develop
education in cultural arts, cross-cultural studies, exchanges of knowledge and experiences by
involving experts and officials in the region in order to gain an enjoyable „cultural hybridity‟ and,
at the same time, to avoid patronizing and/or hegemonic influence of one culture over the others
that may lead to a cultural clash – or a threat to the culture of the effected countries.

References

Amy Nip and Christy Choi “How Korean culture stormed the world.” In: News Asia (30
November, 2012)

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The Forms of Capital. In: Richardson, J. E. (eds.) Handbook of Theory of
Research for the Sociology of Education. New York: Greenwood Press, pp. 241-258.

Cambodian Business Review (October, 2013) “Ambassador’s Profile” (Retrieved on 06th, May
2015, from http://www.cambisreview.com/pdffile/profile-korea.pdf)

Doobo Shim and Kwang W. Noh (2012) “YouTube and Girls‟ Generation Fandom.” In: Shirlena
Huang et al. (eds) (2012) Managing Transnational Flows in East Asia. Seoul: Korean
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25
Granovetter, M. (1985). Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness. American Journal
Sociology 91: 481-510.
26
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The Forms of Capital. In: Richardson, J. E. (eds.) Handbook of Theory of Research for the
Sociology of Education. New York: Greenwood Press, pp. 241-258.
27
See also: Fukuyama F. (1995). Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Property. New York: Simon &
Schuster Inc.
 12

Finch, S. and Mullins, J. “South Korean president visits today for signings.” In: The Phnom Penh
Post (2009, October 22)

Fukuyama, F. (1995) Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Property. New York: Simon
& Schuster Inc.

Granovetter, M. (1985) Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness.
American Journal Sociology 91: 481-510.

Fay Gale and Stephanie Fahey (eds.) Youth in Transition The Challenges of Generational
Change in China. Australia: Association of Asian Social Research Councils, 2005.

Joel Quenby and Tha Piseth “Leading a Korean invasion: K-Pop and all that Hallyu.” In: Phnom
Penh Post, (Tuesday, 25 August 2009).

Lara Farrar “Korean Wave of pop culture sweeps across Asia” (CNN report, December 31,
2010).

Lina Yoon “Korean Pop, with Online Help, Goes Global.” In: Time (Seoul, Aug. 26, 2010).

May Kunmakara “South Korean president's visit set to include trade agreement.” In: The Phnom
Penh Post (Tuesday, 15 September 2009).

The Economist “South Korea‟s pop-cultural exports: A „Korean wave‟ washes warmly over
Asia” (January 25th, 2010, Seoul and Phnom Penh, Asia).

The Cambodia Herald (May 14, 2015) “Hun Sen says satisfied with Cambodia South Korea ties”
(Retrieved on 25th, May 2016, from http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/hun)