In-Person Panel PS5.2

AKS/Korea Research and Engagement Centre Roundtable
Korean Popular Culture in Australia: Fans, Culture and Identity

Global K-pop Fandom as a Technology-Enabled Ideal 

Sarah Keith 

Benedict Anderson that the nation is “conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship”. Likewise, online K-pop communities likewise build networks of affinity around artists, and in relation to the genre as a whole. But how does this idea scale to a global level? This discussion will explore how fans and the K-pop industries conceptualise ‘global fandom’, arguing that technology has facilitated an illusory flattening of K-pop's multidimensional fanscape. It considers how K-pop fandoms (ARMY, ELF, BLINK) function as modes of belonging and digital citizenship that straddle national/regional specificity and cosmopolitan borderlessness. Then, drawing from McLuhan’s notion of the global village, it outlines how K-pop agencies and platforms define international fans as an idealised consumer sector, in particular via global fan platforms. The discussion concludes with an examination of how the global fan is defined and demanded by the logic of the K-pop industries.

English in K-pop: A Linguistic Bridge or Barrier in the Global Landscape? 

Megan Moon 

Just as the K-pop phenomenon has experienced a recent surge in global popularity, so too has its use of English. By strategically utilising English, the K-pop industry has fostered an environment in which language barriers are lowered, enabling English-speaking fans to effectively engage with the music and artists. In this way, English serves as a linguistic bridge, closing a gap between Korean performers and international consumers to foster inclusivity, cross-cultural communication and increased outward flows of South Korean media and popular culture. 

However, this growing reliance on English also exposes the complex dynamics of cross-cultural exchange and the inherent power imbalances within the global media landscape. In this vein, K-pop’s increasing use of English may be perceived as a continuation of Western media and cultural imperialism that perpetuates homogenisation and reinforces the notion that non-Western media and popular culture must adopt English to be granted a place on the global stage. 

As such, this paper explores the complex nature of K-pop's ever-growing international popularity by critically reflecting on the dual role of English, as both a bridge and a barrier, and its impact on the global flows of non-Western, non-English media and popular culture.

Aussie Cup Sleeve Events: Maintaining Parasocial Relationships for Aussie Fans and K-pop Idols

Janey Umback

This paper situates itself within the fan space of K-pop cup sleeve events in Australia, to examine the role these events play as spaces for fostering parasociality between Aussie fans and K-pop idols. With the growth in popularity of K-pop in Australia, cup sleeve events have emerged as significant sites for fans to socialise, celebrate, and express their support for their favourite K-pop idol.

Cup sleeve events function as a form of promotion for K-pop idols. In Australia, these events are organised by highly proactive fan communities, celebrating milestones including the birthdays of K-pop idols, and other anniversaries. During these events, fans gather at a designated location, typically a bubble tea shop, or café, where special cup sleeves - insulated cup holders featuring images of a K-pop idol, are distributed to customers who purchase drinks. Cup sleeves are limited edition and serve as collectible items for fans.

Utilising autoethnographic data, this paper suggests that K-pop cup sleeve events serve as primary sites for developing parasocial relationships between Aussie fans and their idols. This paper will discuss the organisation and logistics of these events, the fan practices and rituals involved, and the ways in which they contribute to the construction of parasociality. Additionally, this paper will examine how cup sleeve events serve as sites for the negotiation of identity and belonging for Aussie fans. By critically engaging with these topics, this paper aims to develop an understanding of the complex dynamics at play in contemporary fan cultures and how these intersect with the global media phenomena of K-pop.

Hallyu and its Effects on Complex Asian-Australian Identities

Sophia Fluin

Growing up with a distinct awareness of their cultural differences, diasporic Asian people can use Asian media as a form of connection to their Eastern values and heritage. This research considers Hallyu (the Korean Wave) as a cultural product – and, therefore, its consumption as a cultural practice – for young Asian individuals exploring, testing, and trying to understand their own complex identities as being both ‘of Australia’ and, simultaneously, ‘other’. 

By looking at how and why nine Asian-Australian interviewees use and engage with K- dramas and K-pop, this study investigates the mediated experiences of being Asian in Australia. Within the context of being racialised through their Asianness, these participants discuss how being Asian-Australian fans of Korean entertainment provides them with a sense of solidarity. As it becomes increasingly prevalent, Hallyu provides positive, ‘cool’ Asian representation. It is shown to encourage participants to build fluid identities of hybridity that negotiate the inherent tensions of diaspora. Studying Hallyu consumption and reception provides insights into the process of how Asian-Australians use pop culture to develop understandings of themselves. Broadly, this research engages with dual-identities, the double consciousness, and how Hallyu acts as a heuristic device for Asian-Australians.

K-Culture on Australian TikTok: Exploring the Shaping of Koreanness and Virtual Cosmopolitanism in "K-store visit" TikTok Videos

Jin Lee

On Australian TikTok, content is easily sighted featuring people visiting Korea-related stores and reviewing their visits. This includes TikTok videos of visits to Korean restaurants, K-beauty stores, and K-pop stores. These videos are widely produced and consumed alongside the growing interest of Korean pop culture (“K-culture”) in Australia and the social media trend known as “cafe/store tourism”. By situating this new genre within the broader contexts of social media pop cultures and Australian multiculturalism, this paper examines how the idea of Koreanness is shaped and manifests on Australian social media. Specifically, the paper discusses how K-culture is reconfigured as new capital at three levels: at the local level, it is used as economic capital to promote and revitalize local economies through today’s social media marketing culture; at the national level, it operates as cultural capital, contributing to the broader narrative of multiculturalism in Australia; at the media level, it works as a digital capital, fuelling the new trend of K-culture that is popular on social media. This paper concludes how these new trends shape and promote a virtual sense of cosmopolitanism in Australia, blurring geographical boundaries and fostering cultural exchange through the lens of Korean pop culture.