My Prince Charming Speaks Korean: K-Pop Fans in France and Lithuania
Hyun, Jeong Im
My Prince Charming Speaks Korean: K-Pop Fans in France and Lithuania - 2014.
13
For several years now, Korean pop music, or K-Pop, has become increasingly popular in the West, even in a small country like Lithuania. One explanation its increasing popularity is the Korean government’s investment in popular cultural products as part of a wider strategy of achieving soft power in the international political arena. However, this perspective is too narrow to understand the global K-Pop phenomenon: why and how have an increased number of Europeans become fans of K-Pop? Field work carried out in both France and in Lithuania shows that K-Pop fans in these two countries have followed a similar path, influenced by Japanese popular culture, a general fascination for Far East culture, and the Internet (using it to satisfy their tastes and desires). The phenomenon of K-Pop demonstrates that the origins of our individual desires and tastes do not necessarily come from the individual, the “I,” but rather from the “we,” and that desire is contagious. This means that a particular cultural form can gain global popularity relatively fast, although its popularity could be short-lived.
My Prince Charming Speaks Korean: K-Pop Fans in France and Lithuania - 2014.
13
For several years now, Korean pop music, or K-Pop, has become increasingly popular in the West, even in a small country like Lithuania. One explanation its increasing popularity is the Korean government’s investment in popular cultural products as part of a wider strategy of achieving soft power in the international political arena. However, this perspective is too narrow to understand the global K-Pop phenomenon: why and how have an increased number of Europeans become fans of K-Pop? Field work carried out in both France and in Lithuania shows that K-Pop fans in these two countries have followed a similar path, influenced by Japanese popular culture, a general fascination for Far East culture, and the Internet (using it to satisfy their tastes and desires). The phenomenon of K-Pop demonstrates that the origins of our individual desires and tastes do not necessarily come from the individual, the “I,” but rather from the “we,” and that desire is contagious. This means that a particular cultural form can gain global popularity relatively fast, although its popularity could be short-lived.
Réseaux sociaux