The Korean Wave Effect on American Popular Culture:

Abstract

This study’s primary aim is to show the effects of the Korean Wave on the East/South-East Asian American minority and how they are perceived at the present. It assessed the influences of Korean Pop Culture on American culture. Through a qualitative analytical comparison of representations of East and Southeast Asians and Asian Americans in both American popular culture and in the Korean Wave content, the research examined how these representations influenced the American society perception of Asian minorities. Furthermore, the effects of the Korean Wave on East and Southeast Asian Americans’ identity have been analysed. Also, the origins of the wave, the way it spread, and the factors that contributed to its fast growth were investigated and highlighted. Moreover, the dissertation examined the popularity of the wave’s media content and Korean cultural products within the American Popular Culture (A.P.C). It also provided an insight into how country branding contributes to a culture's transnationality. Finally, this work concluded that the rise of digital media, internet use, nation branding, online marketing and globalization were driving factors for the speedy dissemination of the Korean popular culture in the United States. It also concluded that the wave continued to form a panethnic identity among Asian minorities. Moreover, the wave affected the perception of Asian minorities in the US as it brought awareness to a community that was rather marginalized. However, this new perception appears to be more relevant among consumers of the Korean popular culture rather than the American society as a whole.