The global popularity of Korean popular culture, or the Korean Wave (Hallyu), has been examined by many scholars from diverse disciplines. Although Youjeong Oh's Pop City: Korean Popular Culture and the Selling of Place is on the same trajectory, her work is distinct in the way that she delves into how and why Korean popular culture has created an instrumental relationship with local municipalities and urban places. By focusing on K-drama and K-pop, Oh explores the impact of the reciprocal relationship on the industry and fan consumption. She argues that “popular culture confers affective values on place” (p. 17), and Korean landscapes play a big part in the way Korean popular culture is produced and consumed. This book invites readers to look closer at how the synergies between abstract popular culture and physical places emerge, and what kind of cultural and socioeconomic impact they have.
Pop City consists...
