What Really Matters in the Discussion of Hallyu?
Summary
□ The Hallyu boom of the mid-90s brought with it a series of unparalleled, dramatically intense
moments that will be remembered for all time. At the time, Korean dramas and pop music underwent
a stunning and breathtaking transformation as they took on a leading role in popular culture through
television and print media. However, it was not just Hallyu that changed too fast for people to take in.
Korea had to struggle against all odds amid the violent changes in world history in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. During the era of government-led economic development full of “industrial
nation-building” slogans, the country was confined in a nationalist paradigm. And now that the times
call for the Fourth Industrial Revolution to expel the old ways, the waves of change seem to be too
high to overcome. Much is said about innovation in the field of culture, but the strong winds of
change often blur the direction in which it should be headed.

□ KOFICE’s recent publication Hallyu and Cultural Policies is probably the first attempt to throw a
social question that should be included in the discussion of Hallyu and to explore its historic pedigree.
The book’s contents appeal to those who engage in the discussions about Hallyu that emerged in the
territory of post-capitalism represented by the Internet Revolution and social media while delving into
the grave conditions of life in different sides of the territory, as well as those who acutely sense the
changes in the world surrounding Hallyu. The book thus has two pillars, the history of cultural
policies and the times’ call for cultural industry and concrete tasks.

Hallyu and Cultural Policies: Diverse Perspectives on Hallyu
Key Features
□ The book introduces the development of diverse perspectives on Hallyu and cultural policies and
their changes in plain language. It is a publication for professional researchers, but it also offers easy
access to Hallyu and cultural policies to general readers who have just begun to get interested in those
topics.
□ The first chapter focuses on Korea 15 years ago. Film director Lee Chang-dong and Professor Yoo
Jin-ryong of Kookmin University look back upon the days when they faced the birth of Hallyu and
forged towards its climax. Having worked as culture ministers, the two speak on the achievement and
limits of their respective policies and give sincere advice to people who are currently in the cultural
field or who plan to work there in the future.

□ The book also provides Hallyu-related policies and regulations taken by different administrations
from President Kim Young-sam to President Moon Jae-in, and an objective analysis of the change of
policies and the true nature of ideological dilemmas. The book is extraordinary in its proposal to map
out a greater cultural policy that embraces “social elements” that are excluded from utilitarian
capitalism.

□ Also noteworthy is the endeavor to perceive the changes of the world sensitively and to explore the
many challenges and responses involving Hallyu. While shedding light on digital transformation, a
concept essential for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and innovation strategies for the cultural
content industry, the book points out the problem of employment in the field of media resulting from
an aging population and technological development and tries to find solutions to the problem.

□ Lastly, the book suggests application of “Good Hallyu,” which has been recognized as a desirable
method of international cultural exchange. It provides conceptual grounds and a framework to cope
with the issues arising from the unilinear dissemination of culture.