Assignment On The Korean American

Running head: ENGLISH
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Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Introduction
The Korean-American writer Euny Hong might not have purposed to weaken several
myths as she has done in her book “The Birth of Korean Cool”. The book can be accounted as a
highly entertaining account of the way “South Korea” which was once known as the world’s
most economically unstable and least fashionable nations has turned into a hub of cultural
superpower. The book is primarily illustrates that Korea is proficient in restructuring the image
of the nation by establishing things which used to appear extensively cool, irrespective of its
unequivocal old-fashioned or conservative history, cultural patterns, social practices and
specifically geopolitics. Hong (2014) has provided a myriad of illustrations, although mostly
anecdotal, the author has been successful to resolve the question, how Korea has been able to
transform itself and overpowered its lack of innovation and creativity. The following paper will
review and explore the insights and concepts gathered by the author in this book.
Discussion
In the view of Hong (2014), one of the critical approaches Korea has accepted is to
implement typically controversial, government driven assignments related to the formation of the
Ministry of Future Creation, irrespective of its socio-politico-financial justifiability. Furthermore,
the book has mentioned that Hallyu, another name for K-Pop, illustrated mostly by Psy’s
Gangnam style, soap operas along with few award-winning movies which are unquestionably
highly renowned internationally, across all continents, has been not seen as a by-product of the
possibly imprudent top-down approaches, but has been considered as the highly projected
outcome. Other scholars while critically delving into the claims of Hong has stated that similar to
developed Western nations, Korea undoubtedly has comprised of socio-cultural issues. However,
the issues did not exhibit as much criticality as mentioned through the writings of Hong. Hong in

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her book has cited insights of the issue of gendered society experienced in the Korean society by
stating, “No boys allowed in French class and no girls allowed in German class.” On the
contrary, other critics have claimed that Korean educational institutes comprises of equal number
of boys and girls in both German and French classes. On the other hand, similar to the view of
Hong (2014), other scholars have noted that youths in Korea appear to be divergent.
Nonetheless, these issues cannot be referred as Korea-driven or time or space specific, since
many have still been dealing with similar types of apparently bulletproof glass ceiling even in the
United States, strengthened specifically by the presidential election led during 2016. Hong in her
book has recounted the way South Korea has been introducing itself into the 21st century,
eventually turning up as an international leader in business, expertise, education as well as pop
culture. According to other writers, the book comprises of dynamic, comprehensive broadcasting
besides various discussions with Koreans employed in all extents of government and society. By
drawing relevance to these reports, “The Birth of Korean Cool” has fundamentally revealed a
categorically conservative nation developed cool, and the nation like Korea which once has
forbidden girls to wear miniskirts, long hair on men as well as rock ‘n' roll could originated to
mass produce boy groups, soap operas and the world's most significant smart phone.
While reviewing the book, it has been found that the concept of the book roughly pursues
the progress of South Korea since mid-60s, when the per capita of the nation had been accounted
to be less than Ghana. As per the claim of Hong (2014), the rise of Korea has been seen as
attributable which has been referred as ‘soft power’ by Harvard political scientists, whereby the
nation exerts its authority through desirable country status, and not through military power. At
this juncture, it has mentioned that the ‘Korean Cool’ interpretations have exhibited Hong’s
epoch of attempting to fit into the cultural patterns. The book has offered distinct insights of

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corporal castigation and a highly rooted Confucian questioning which has challenged elder
generations’ results in unbearable shame. Similar to fear and apprehensions experienced by
youths of Western nations, Korean children who lived overseas have faced constant threat of
being ‘sent back to Korea’ for delinquent behavioural patterns such as indulging into cigarette
smoking or getting a C grade in examination. The chapter based on academic demands
mentioned in the book has merged appropriately into the upsetting or traumatic evidences of
suicidal attempts (Hong, 2014). By drawing relevance to this chapter, it has been claimed that
during this period such cases of suicidal attempts have been considered as the most common
reason for death for the Koreans below the age of 40. Meanwhile, review of the book claims that
all the insights obtained by Hong in this book through the indirect viewpoint of a tween
advancing to a new prospectus along with national image which appeared to be bewildered.
Additionally, significant level of self-consciousness has been compounded by noonchi, which
has been known as a Korean art of precisely determining the insignificant indications of any state
of affairs to circumvent social mistakes. It has been noted that in accurate stages tend to be
disloyal to individuals’ identity as a tourist in the homeland, which further has been
consequential of disparagement, lack of deference and associated disgrace.
While, critically analysing the underlying dynamics of Hong’s book have found that the
book enriched in peculiar anecdotes as well as unique reportage, has principally facilitated
enthusiastic marginalia from Korean expatriates or intrusive immigrants. The chapter on ‘Han’,
the extremely Korean rancor which emerges from around 400 invasions along with the
regulation of Japan from 1910 to 1945 has been considered as highly thought-provoking, since it
opens with a quote cited from Ian Fleming’s James Bond classic “Goldfinger” (Hong, 2014).
Han has been identified as a concept and a medical disorder which has been primarily

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experienced by the Koreans, thus distinct as disheartened and as abandoned antipathy, agony,
and unidentifiable agony. Additionally, it has been claimed that “wrath” has been chiefly
triggered by the abundant incursions Korea has had in order to undergo all over its elongated
history. Such type of “racial memory” still has attained a position at the core of several Koreans
who dance like Psy, resonate similar to Girls’ Generation and also produce films like Oldboy as
well as perform like Yon-sama and showcase their innovation and creativity to invent advanced
technology based smart phones. These performances and activities have been seen as cultural
and scientific crusades on the former domineering out-dated powers produced by the East as well
as the West. Furthermore, the chapter clearly has indicated that regardless of the social and
political factors which conquered such achievements, determinations and motivations of the
South Koreans have been chiefly driven by an amalgamation of fear as well as profound
antipathy, specifically associated with the apprehensions and anxiety of their disturbed and
treacherous malevolence similar to the north besides the antipathy such as “Han’ during periods
of recurrent coercion by their local neighbours with Japan in the top aperture. In the book, Hong
has found that several Koreans attributed to the achievements of Korean to Han, while other
scholars have asserted that ‘han’ as a concept have the propensity to take someone’s life.
Examples of therapeutically accepted disease known as ‘hwa-byong’, which means “anger
illness”, have been cited in the book. Thus, irrespective of the aforesaid probable perversions,
Hong’s book on The Birth of Korean Cool has received substantial level of credit for
familiarizing the notion Han. Such an introduction has been essential for the improved
understanding of the ‘Korean’, as the supernatural drive of the nation, in addition to the national
consciousness.

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The book further distinctly explored some of the tech-associated angles in chapter on
Samsung. It has been noted that the chapter explicitly illustrated on the way Samsung has
transformed from unexciting products to customer focused electronic victors in the domain of
advanced technology. With Koreans invention and creativity, Apple might still use Samsung
microprocessors notwithstanding its rumours signifying that Apple Inc. has the propensity to
collaborate with other corporations in the near-future. The competitive strategy of Samsung
having their products cover every price point even though showcasing their high-end substance
effectively acquires their products in their domain (Hong, 2014). In contrast, other critics have
claimed that video games which have been discussed in the book did not critically deal with
comprehensive analysis. It has noted that Koreans show great inclination towards StarCraft 2.
Such an inclination would pose critical threats on the lives of their children for some immediate
strategy agreement. Thus, it has been highly impeccable for Hong to state that Americans and
Japanese have been engrossed on representative illustrations such as games which have engraved
dissimilar niches, which did not show any unruffled illustrations. While, reviewing the later
section of the book, it has been found that the nation as an individual would be detected with
sense of neuroticism, further hesitating between subservience as well as dominance complex.
Thus, giving rise to the negative perceptions and thoughts to be significant deeply into the
society. Koreans would eventually gather the capacity of overcoming such dominance, with the
realization that pop culture has been simply seen as a façade of any assumed culture besides the
exchange rate for the money, cool has been remarkably extraordinary. However, Hong’s insights
gathered in the book would show relevance and presence until the queries on whether Koreans
would obtain the ability to celebrate Halloween even firmer deprived of any national
sociocultural outcomes get resolved.

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Conclusion
Hence to conclude, the aforementioned chapters of Hong’s book illustrate insights
gathered by the author revealing ways of being a Korean. These chapters can be considered as
the best and highly informative chapters as it comprises of an analysis of Korean culture with
highly perceptive manner. The author’s narration begins with a recollection of events and
decentralizes into the Gladwellian social science that has been noted as the constructive landing
field contender or a corporate reading. The book “The Birth of Korean Cool” owing to its
inclusive insights can be considered as an excellent case study of determined entrepreneurial
moxie and will attain extensive appeal from the readers. Furthermore, although The Birth of
Korean Cool has offered insights of providing vivid way of enlightening national beginners
about Korea in addition to its culture, the book has also presented simply bordering perspectives
for pop0cultural enthusiasts. Nevertheless, the author, Hong has proficiently driven a convenient
discourse on nationalism and delving into the modern ‘pop’ culture.

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References
Hong, E. (2014). The birth of Korean cool: How one nation is conquering the world through pop
culture. Picador.