Hallyu: Actually Lost in Translation

For those of you not up on your Korean, Hallyu—literally, the “Korean Wave”—describes South Korean pop culture’s super-fast rise in popularity in Asia and among Asians abroad. The panel discussion on Hallyu was scheduled to start at 4 p.m. last Friday, but people were rushing into the Starr Auditorium at the Kennedy School of Government 30 minutes earlier. Only a lucky few got front row seat for the event’s main attraction, Park Jin-Young (who goes by J.Y.P.), former Korean pop-star, current producer, and Korean household name. By 4:05 p.m., the venue was way overcrowded. A desperate student begged the guard outside to be allowed to stand next to the door: “Sir, I realize it’s a fire hazard to an extent, but don’t you think I’d get the hell out of here if there was a fire?”

The prevailing image of Koreans in America is more StarCraft pro-gamer than sexy pop star, but the jam-packed Starr Auditorium is more than enough evidence that, while Harvard might not know it yet, the Hallyu is gaining momentum.

At the panel, Park Jung-Sook, a former television news anchor in Korea, discussed the phenomenon from a reporter’s viewpoint, while J.Y.P came with a more personal perspective. He talked about his experiences working with Korean and foreign artists alike as he tries to strike a balance between popular hip-hop and music with a more Korean sound.

While the spinning rims-route might lead to quick success, fans hope Hallyu remains a Korean phenomenon that is, in fact, Korean. “I strongly identify with the collaborative intentions of J.Y.P., but I also feel that we need to acknowledge the Korean aspect of this cultural wave,” audience member Grace S. Kim ’09 wrote in an email, “because without that, it really isn’t anything.”