Media Representations of K-pop: A Comparative Study of South Korea, the UK, and the US

ABSTRACT

From BTS to Squid Game, Hallyu 3.0 signifies a new global milestone as the Korean wave continues to forge ahead. Given the substantial influence of the media in shaping public perceptions of societal issues, this study conducts a comparative textual analysis of news discourses from the BBC, CNN, and KBS, focusing on their representations of K-pop. The findings indicate that K-pop is characterized as a ‘commodity’ strategically produced by the Korean government to boost exports and stimulate the tourism industry. Moreover, the Western news outlets tended to position K-pop as a news anchor, predominantly associating it with controversial socio-political topics in a negative light. Additionally, they frequently linked contentious societal issues with K-pop stars while portraying K-pop fans as 'the Other.' In contrast, KBS primarily directs attention to the unexpected phenomenon of K-pop's global popularity, accentuating a sense of nationalistic pride in K-pop artists. This article further discusses the ways in which news media represents K-pop, grounding its analysis in principles derived from Orientalist theory.

KEYWORDS:

• K-pop
• K-pop stars
• popular culture
• news discourse
• celebrity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.