KOCCA (Korea Creative Content Agency), tracks the cultural industries and releases the latest gov't figures. As of now, the most recent figures are until Dec 31 of 2021. #KOCCA won't release the 2022 figures until next year. So, do you want to see how the industry is doing? #kpop If you look at this you can easily see that music remains a small part of Korea's cultural exports. Even though we see growth year after year, the growth is not happening on the same rate as the growth in games (Wow! Almost 70% of Korea's cultural exports!).

Everyday I see posts in different internet communities from people who are in love with #Korean culture and now want to live (study/work) in #Korea. This is both beautiful and somewhat worrying. It's beautiful that everyone is enamored with #KoreanMedia products, but Korea is not a fantasy. It's a complex country with good things (food) and bad things (price to buy a home). To have the type of life you may fantasize about after watching some #Kdramas, the best step is to push your Korean language #fluency to the utmost possible.

Just take a bus. Or take three buses. If you don't have enough money to travel in Korea... don't come here? It's well known that it's not particularly cheap in Korea.

https://twitter.com/bluemellowjello/status/1641782293495943168

Apparently this begpacker's response is that Korea is racist. I'm not saying Korea isn't xenophobic, but young lady, YOU. ARE. WHITE. White people get SO MUCH slack/help from Koreans compared to every other foreigner.

Just in case anyone was confused:
Korea has amazing activists who are working so hard. Creative protests. Original approaches. Long-standing dedicated fighters for social and cultural change. If you are not Korean, and you want to help Korean society become XXXX, donate. Over the years I've frequently taught units on Korean protests, b/c protests are so intimately tied to so much of Korea's history: Korean people have continually fought to make their country, their workplace, their community better. As a non-Korean it's my place to support them.

One of my totally awesome students wrote today "everyone complains about #Koreaboos but the Korean gov't is actively making them."

And oh my gosh, so much truth.

The Korean government does not see the cringe in the #Koreaboo. They see an enthusiastic consumer. They see someone who reflects back to them a vision of Korea that they love. It strokes their ego. They do not correct the errors and misunderstandings of the Koreaboo, they *do not care.* They will feed the Koreaboo with exotified elements, or over the top praise of an idol.

Do you spend a lot of time thinking about the intersection of tradition and K-pop? Well, I do. It is because of releases like this. #강민수 #AQUINAS And of course this powerful video that dropped earlier this week: #StrayKids #소리꾼 #스트레이키즈

The way "do research" has been dumbed down in the present day is... making me wish I had a different word for what I do. Anti-vaxxers and the like with their "do your research" even though their "research" is only finding random information online that agrees with them, regardless of the accuracy of said information.

Exhibit A: an opinion piece in a newspaper.
Exhibit B: a peer-reviewed academic publication.
Exhibit C: information you collected by going to the source/ creating new studies.

Which one of these is less reliable?

Why do (international) fans (or critics) expect #kpop to somehow espouse strong social positions? 1). Koreans get their pointed social criticism in music from independent Korean music. Being independent means you actually can express your ideas as you choose, right?

Men assume that all women (who must be heterosexual, of course) lust after attractive men, and would, given a chance, leap upon a celebrity. There are enough women who have done that that anecdotal evidence exists. However, in my conversations with women friends we almost always agree that we enjoy looking at other people for many reasons other than sexual desire.

But because of male gaze media, even many women seem to assume that visuals, body parts, etc. are what get them "going" so to speak (rather than only part of it).

So, the narrative

On the subject of getting a PhD to study about Korea:

The single thing you need more than anything is excellent Korean language ability. You shouldn't even enter a program with intermediate Korean (if your native language is very far from Korean, like English). The number of ways that excellent Korean will help you to do great research simply cannot be counted.

BUT some universities will accept you, because they don't know how long it might take you to have Korean that's good enough to do research. Even if you master the language

If you're considering studying about Korea, or doing research about Korea for your PhD, here's a hard truth: if you're not a Korean national (and it's a good idea even if you are) you need Korea specialists on your dissertation committee. FULL STOP. Why? 1) If you want a job dealing with Korea or funding from Korea you need the rec letters of people who are *known to know about Korea*

They literally are confirming your legitimacy and worth as someone who would know.

Worried about #COVID-19? Adopting Korean manners and bowing appropriately will allow you to be sanitary, keep a little distance, and still be polite.

Do you bow with two hands in a 'prayer' position? Not unless you're at the Buddhist temple and also saying "성불 하십시오" 1/ So, where are your hands?
Pre-colonial Korean manners had the two hands just below the bellybutton (men- left over right hand, women- right over left hand).
Currently many Koreans bow with their hands at their sides. 2/