The Identity and Emergence of K-pop - by Jimmyn Parc (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book analyzes the key factors driving K-pop's global rise, including cultural hybridity, digital connectivity, and fan engagement, while also exploring how these elements have shaped K-pop's unique position in the global music industry.

Book Synopsis

By analyzing the various factors contributing to K-pop's unprecedented global rise, this book delves into key elements such as cultural hybridity, digital connectivity, and the role of fan engagement, while also interrogating the ways these factors have shaped K-pop's unique position within the global music industry.
In addition to exploring K-pop's identity, the book addresses the often overlooked competitive landscape in which it has flourished, including a detailed analysis of K-pop's strategic innovation and its ability to resonate across diverse cultural contexts. This book provides a thorough and compelling account of the multifaceted forces behind its international success. For readers seeking a deeper understanding of the true drivers behind K-pop's global phenomenon, this work offers critical insights into its cultural, economic, and artistic dynamics.

Review Quotes

The Identity and Emergence of K-pop is an incredibly valuable contribution to the discussion of Korean pop culture. It defies a number of conventional wisdoms and myths that have simplistically explained the reasons and factors for the global success of K-pop by relying on anecdotal evidence and ad hoc observations. Jimmyn Parc has taken a very prudent approach, looking beyond Korea in comparison to music scenes in various countries across different decades and even centuries. The book, written in an accessible manner, not only helps develop research in creative industries but also breaks new ground in the study of cultural globalization.
Nobuko Kawashima, Doshisha University

K-pop's global success didn't happen overnight-it evolved through decades of transformation and innovation. In The Identity and Emergence of K-pop, Jimmyn Parc traces the historical development of K-pop and examines how it compares to music scenes and industries around the world. By analyzing cultural hybridity, digital connectivity, and fan engagement, the book reveals the unique factors that have shaped K-pop's identity and positioned it at the center of global music. This is not just a story of music but a deeper exploration of how K-pop rewrote the rules of the global music industry.

Unlike so much of the rapidly increasing literature on its subject, this is not a book solely about the 'K' in K-pop. From a background in international studies and economic history, Jimmyn Parc unpacks the 'pop' as much as the 'K' in what, since the beginning of the millennium, has rapidly become an unstoppable, global phenomenon. . .Usefully, he demonstrates how Korea's all-conquering entertainment companies have learned to overcome financial disasters and difficult-to-control singers as they have imposed strict training regimes on wannabe stars and standardized ways to debut, promote, and develop those stars.
Keith Howard, professor emeritus, SOAS University of London

About the Author

Jimmyn Parc is associate professor at the University of Malaya.