The Korea Society Educates New York Teachers On The Origins Of K-Pop [EXCLUSIVE]

Hailed as "South Korea's greatest export," K-pop became the topic of discussion for The Korea Society's conference, "K-pop: Origins and Developments."

Held exclusively for teachers and educators, the seminar featured Dr. Hyangsoon Yi from the University of Georgia and Olga Fedorenko from the Department of East Asian Studies at NYU. The event dissected the popularity of K-pop and how non-Korean youths could gain interest in Korean culture and language through this entryway.

"K-pop was the window through which I got into Korean culture and it blossomed into this career for me," said Luz Lanzot, the program officer at The Korea Society.

"I recognize that something like [K-pop] could be a starting point for people to appreciate another culture. I thought it would be interesting for teachers to get that context about, 'What is this phenomenon that my students are obsessed with? What makes it so special? What's uniquely Korean about this pop music?'"

These were some questions tackled during the conference.

"It has become a subculture amongst teenagers and young adults," said Dr. Yi.

"It's not just the musical elements. [There's] a lot of content that entertains in terms of imagery. And then there's a fusion of digital technology, synthesized music, wonderful editing skills, dance routines and colorful outfits."

The conference exposed teachers and students to some of K-pop's most popular acts including Psy, Girls' Generation and 2NE1, but also discussed the crossover between North America and K-pop.

"[There's] a heavy American influence," said Dr. Yi. "As you can clearly see, some of these singers are from the US from the Korean-American community. They bring something very interesting...American but not quite American. It's an interesting mediation between two cultures."

Through discussions like these, The Korea Society hopes to continue the interest and education in Korean culture.

"K-pop and also the traditional arts that we do are good points where people can develop a personal connection to Korea, and that can develop into something more substantial," said Lanzot.

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