Soft Power Will Define South Korea’s Modern Diplomacy

“Move aside, sanctions and treaties. There’s a new diplomatic tool on the block – pop culture. Instead of traditional foreign policy tools, South Korean diplomacy efforts have increasingly focused on other venues: K-pop, K-dramas, and K-beauty. Indeed, the prior South Korean prime minister, Moon Jae-In, invited K-pop performers to conferences with the United Nations, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, France, and China. The usage of pop culture as a means of diplomacy is not a new occurrence, but the massive popularity growth of South Korean culture is a never-before-seen phenomena – one that will spearhead the nation’s foreign policy.”

FellowsMichelle LiuApril 6, 2022Culture, KPop, South Korea, Music, Essay, FellowsComment

Young Dolph and Death in the Music Industry

“It is not just rappers like Dolph who often die before they reach old age. The premature deaths of pop artists across numerous genres is a phenomenon that has recently received more attention under an academic lens. Unfortunately, researchers have found that it is nothing new for pop artists to die young. However, some have noted that the ways in which they are dying are indeed unprecedented.”

Culture, EssaysNoah GottliebJanuary 18, 2022Culture, MusicComment