A review by graceishuman
The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture by Euny Hong

3.0

A friend described this book as an interesting starting point for learning more about Korean history and culture, which I think fairly encapsulates both the strengths and the weaknesses of the book. It's not boring, it's often funny (bordering on acerbic at times), and I definitely gained some insights into 21st century Korean cultural products/production and some of the history and culture that informs all of that. There's some really interesting discussion (though I suspect a little overstated) of how the Korean government has deliberately invested in cultivating music, cinema, TV, and other cultural products with the specific purpose of exporting Korean culture around the world—therefore increasing Korea's global "soft power." But I wanted more of a detailed and focused analysis than the book provided. Just when a chapter was getting really interesting, it would wrap up and some new angle or topic would be introduced. I also noticed a tendency for ideas to be not clearly organized and thoughts poorly connected, especially in the second half of the book and towards the ends of her chapters.

I felt like I mostly got out of the book a fast, enjoyable read, and a basic but still useful introduction to various aspects of and issues in K-culture—like a rudimentary lay of the land—that could inform what I decide to explore next within this (very broad!) topic.