The Korean Popular Culture Reader

“Lively and informative. . . . One of the most comprehensive looks at hallyu, phenomena past and present.” - Bill Drucker, Korean Quarterly

“There is plenty of interesting material for those interested in Korea. . . . The book doesn’t lack for intriguing topics, which also include challenges facing the country’s drive to market Korean food abroad, media portrayals of female Korean athletes and the country’s unique gaming culture. . . . Korea’s standing on the international stage and the challenges of explaining sudden cultural phenomena such as the ‘Gangnam Style’ craze seem to necessitate the need for better contextualization of hallyu. The Korean Popular Culture Reader is welcome in this respect."
- Kim Young-jin, Korea Times

"This volume is a pleasurable and intellectually stimulating excursion across the many genres of Korean popular culture. Bringing essays originally written in English together with well-chosen and beautifully translated Korean-language essays, The Korean Popular Culture Reader is a vibrant contribution to the field. This who's who of Korean cultural studies will certainly enjoy a wide readership.",  - Nancy Abelmann, author of The Intimate University: Korean American Students and the Problems of Segregation

"A must-read for scholars, students, and fans alike, this path-breaking volume explores vitality and diversity of Korean popular culture. Through an international collection of experts, we discover the both the importance of local contexts of production and of the global reach of Korean film, TV, dance, music, and more. It’s a stunning work that will stand as the cornerstone of an emerging field." - Ian Condry, author of The Soul of Anime: Collaborative Creativity and Japan's Media Success Story

"It is exciting to observe the emergence of an academic field in relation to a new historical situation. The move to establish a field of Korean popular culture studies resembles the formation of British cultural studies in the 1960s through research on the politics of postwar mass culture. This past year sadly witnessed the passing of Stuart hall, but the publication of The Korean Popular Culture Reader is a substantial tribute to hall’s far-reaching legacy."   - John R. Eperjesi, Amerasia Journal

“The essays are in the majority of cases extremely well written and logically categorized, providing for each topic (e.g., music, technology) a well-connected group of readings . . . .  [I]t should prove intriguing to those interested in developments leading to the current state of Korean popular culture." - Craig L. Shufelt, Library Journal

"Telling as much about Korea, its society and history, as about popular culture, The Korean Popular Culture Reader should satisfy the intellectual thirst of scholars and students in Korean studies, cultural studies, and Asian studies." - Youjeong Oh, Journal of Asian Studies

“[T]his volume nurtures the readers with a generous abundance of information on Korean popular culture. It is well designed and thoughtfully presented and makes a convincing contribution to a growing body of literature on Korean studies, media studies, and anthropology. It is a must-read book for those who desire a common introduction to the diverse local cultural landscape and those interested in popular culture in tandem with Korean society and culture.” - Dal Yong Jin, Pacific Affairs

“This is a solid collection of articles on Korean popular culture, which moves beyond hallyu analysis and provides important historical background. This book is suitable for postgraduate and undergraduate cultural studies courses but also for the current crop of Korean Studies university students, many of who have developed an interest in Korea largely because of the influence of South Korean hallyu. At university level, a true understanding of contemporary Korean popular cultural practice requires an appreciation of the historical context and also some theoretical insight, and this book provides both.”

“The Korean Popular Culture Reader is a rich interdisciplinary cultural studies text. . . . The breadth of the volume is refreshing. . . . [It] fills a void in Korean cultural studies in English, and should reach a wide audience. I am hopeful that it will be read not only by Korean Studies scholars and used in Korean Studies classes, but that its general high quality and thoughtful presentation will allow it to reach those working on other areas of East Asia, and to be used in broader East Asian Studies university courses.” - Bonnie Tilland, Acta Koreana

"[S]timulating and illuminating." - Damien Spry, Media International Australia