HALLYU AND ITS IMPACT ON MEXICAN SOCIETY

Abstract

ABSTRACT

HALLYU AND ITS IMPACT ON MEXICAN SOCIETY

Nayelli Ló pez Rocha Department of Korean Studies Graduate School of International Studies Hanyang University

In the last two decades, the Republic of Korea has taken huge steps in developing its economic and political sectors impacting mainly on the international level. The unquestionable economic progress that Korea has achieved is reflected in the country’s development but also, more recently, other factors like the socio-cultural aspect have been integrated into this dynamic, helping in the projection and dissemination of the country beyond its borders.

As a result of this developmental strategy, a socio-cultural phenomenon has risen in the form of a fusion between modern and traditional Korea. The “Hallyu” or “Korean Wave” appears as one of the elements which is placing Korea in overseas societies and, at the same time, it is playing an important role as a Korean culture disseminator agent that helps not only with the promotion of the Korean products that it represents but also with the construction and reaffirmation of the Korean image inside other societies.

This study touches on how “Hallyu” or the “Korean Wave” impacts Mexican society, emphasizing its characteristics as a socio-cultural phenomenon. It is also important to understanding why this phenomenon has occurred as no prior cultural movement from Korea that has been absorbed into Mexican cultural taste has been able to get such a grasp on the minds of the average Mexican person.

The paper proposes to study Hallyu as a cultural phenomenon considering that from this perspective, Hallyu can be properly described and studied as part of the Korean popular culture. The relevance of establishing the creation of Hallyu as popular culture, helps in the understanding and full comprehension of this phenomenal behavior at both local and extra-local levels. Moreover, this research shows how Hallyu is diffused into other societies from a cultural diffusion theory.

This study will focus on the impact of Hallyu on Mexico City’s society and will stress the main characteristics of the impact. This focus will prove the popularity and consume rise in Mexican society of the Korean entertainment world which includes dramas, movies and music. Additionally, it is possible to say that Mexicans are also integrating other elements of Korean culture into their everyday lives even though those practices are not expressed on a massive scale. The increase of Korean language studies, the development of the perception of Korea, the local understanding of Korean diaspora, and the interest over other cultural expressions of Korea are some of the results found by this research into Hallyu.

By looking at all of these factors, it is possible to say that Mexicans have been impacted by Hallyu. Mexicans have not only accepted, but also have integrated Korean cultural expressions in to their lives and this confirms the objective of this research.

| 초록

멕시코 사회에서의 한류와 그 영향

Nayelli Ló pez Rocha 한국학과 국제학 대학원 한양대학교

지난 20여년 간 한국은 경제적이고 정치적인 면에서 세계적인 추세의 발전을 거듭하며 성장해왔다. 의심할 나위가 없이 한국의 경제적인 성장은 국가의 발전에 일정하게 반영되고 있고, 또한 최근 사회문화적인 부분에서의 다른 요인들도 기획과 보급 등의 여러 측면에서 국경을 넘어 이러한 발전에 큰 기여를 하고 있다.

이러한 발전 전략의 결과로서 한국의 현대적이고 전통적인 면이 두루 갖춰진 퓨전 형태의 사회문화적인 현상이 대두되었다. 외국 사회에서 한국의 모습을 보여주는 요소로 나타나는, 이른바 ‘한류’ 혹은 ‘Korean Wave’ 라고 일컬어지는 현상은 단순히 제품을 판매하는 역할 뿐만이 아니라 현지에서 한국의 이미지를 개선하고 만들어 가는 중요한 한국문화 보급자 역할을 하고 있다.

본 연구에서는 이전까지는 없었던 한국의 문화적인 흐름이 멕시코 국민의 취향에 부합되고 열풍을 일으키고 있는가에 대한 사회 문화적인 현상의 특성과 그 이유를 이해하는 면에 중점을 두고 어떻게 ‘한류’ 혹은 ‘Korean Wave’가 멕시코 사회에 영향을 끼쳤는가에 대해 접근하고자 한다.

본 논문의 목적은 문화현상적인 측면에서의‘한류’가 한국 대중문화로서 묘사되고 적절하게 학습될 수 있는가에 대한 것이다. 대중 문화로서의 ‘한류’ 형성에 대한 타당성 연구는 지역적, 비지역적인 현상을 이해하는 것을 돕는다. 또한 본 연구는 ‘한류’가 문화적인 확산이론(diffusion theory)과 연관된 다른 사회로 어떻게 성공적인 진출을 했는지에 대한 방법을 나타낸다.

본 연구의 결과로서, 멕시코 도시 사회에서의 ‘한류’의 영향이 명확한 특성을 보이며 나타난다. 이것은 드라마, 영화, 음악 등으로 대표되는 한국 연예산업에 대한 멕시코 내의 선호도와 소비형태에서 증명된다. 더군다나, 멕시코 인들이 한국 문화의 또 다른 요소들을 자신들의 일상 생활의 일부분으로 받아들이고 있다는 것으로 해석될 수 있다. 한국어 학습이 늘어나고, 한국에 대한 개념이 개선되며, 멕시코에 거주하는 한국인에 대한 이해심, 혹은 한국 문화에 대한 흥미단계를 넘어서는 표현 등이 본 논문을 통해 제시된 내용이다.

이런 측면에서 멕시코 인들이 ‘한류’의 영향을 받고 있다고 말할 수 있다. 멕시코 인들은 이러한 한국 문화적인 표현을 받아들이는 것 뿐만 아니라 그들의 삶의 일부로 흡수하고 있다는 것이 본 연구를 통해 증명되고 있다.; pez Rocha Department of Korean Studies Graduate School of International Studies Hanyang University

In the last two decades, the Republic of Korea has taken huge steps in developing its economic and political sectors impacting mainly on the international level. The unquestionable economic progress that Korea has achieved is reflected in the country’s development but also, more recently, other factors like the socio-cultural aspect have been integrated into this dynamic, helping in the projection and dissemination of the country beyond its borders.

As a result of this developmental strategy, a socio-cultural phenomenon has risen in the form of a fusion between modern and traditional Korea. The “Hallyu” or “Korean Wave” appears as one of the elements which is placing Korea in overseas societies and, at the same time, it is playing an important role as a Korean culture disseminator agent that helps not only with the promotion of the Korean products that it represents but also with the construction and reaffirmation of the Korean image inside other societies.

This study touches on how “Hallyu” or the “Korean Wave” impacts Mexican society, emphasizing its characteristics as a socio-cultural phenomenon. It is also important to understanding why this phenomenon has occurred as no prior cultural movement from Korea that has been absorbed into Mexican cultural taste has been able to get such a grasp on the minds of the average Mexican person.

The paper proposes to study Hallyu as a cultural phenomenon considering that from this perspective, Hallyu can be properly described and studied as part of the Korean popular culture. The relevance of establishing the creation of Hallyu as popular culture, helps in the understanding and full comprehension of this phenomenal behavior at both local and extra-local levels. Moreover, this research shows how Hallyu is diffused into other societies from a cultural diffusion theory.

This study will focus on the impact of Hallyu on Mexico City’s society and will stress the main characteristics of the impact. This focus will prove the popularity and consume rise in Mexican society of the Korean entertainment world which includes dramas, movies and music. Additionally, it is possible to say that Mexicans are also integrating other elements of Korean culture into their everyday lives even though those practices are not expressed on a massive scale. The increase of Korean language studies, the development of the perception of Korea, the local understanding of Korean diaspora, and the interest over other cultural expressions of Korea are some of the results found by this research into Hallyu.

By looking at all of these factors, it is possible to say that Mexicans have been impacted by Hallyu. Mexicans have not only accepted, but also have integrated Korean cultural expressions in to their lives and this confirms the objective of this research.