K-pop and autocrats: jolt to democracy lays bare South Korea’s two sides
While some say political turmoil has harmed country’s cultural reputation, others say it proves resilienceIn the global battle for soft-power supremacy, a clear winner has emerged in recent years: South Korea. Spearheaded by the boyband phenomenon BTS, the Korean Wave has turned a country that few knew much about into a cultural behemoth.But just days ago, as anticipation grew over the start later this month of the second season of Squid Game – the first season of which is Netflix’s most-watched show – real-life dystopia intervened when the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, announced he was imposing martial law to root out “anti-state forces” and overcome political opponents who were obstructing his policy agenda. Continue reading...
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While some say political turmoil has harmed country’s cultural reputation, others say it proves resilience
In the global battle for soft-power supremacy, a clear winner has emerged in recent years: South Korea. Spearheaded by the boyband phenomenon BTS, the Korean Wave has turned a country that few knew much about into a cultural behemoth.
But just days ago, as anticipation grew over the start later this month of the second season of Squid Game – the first season of which is Netflix’s most-watched show – real-life dystopia intervened when the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, announced he was imposing martial law to root out “anti-state forces” and overcome political opponents who were obstructing his policy agenda. Continue reading...
