Gangnam swept through pop culture in the 2010s, having been widely celebrated by an unlikely K-pop superstar called Psy in 2012, but its beginnings started decades before.

We invite you to join the Korean Studies Research Network, an International Programs affinity group, for a lecture featuring Pil Ho Kim, associate professor of Korean studies at The Ohio State University on Thursday, November 21, 2024, from 4 – 5:30 p.m. (CST) in the International Commons, University Capitol Centre room 1117.

Kim’s lecture, Place Maketh Man: Gangnam, the Hallyu Entertainment Industry Capital and the Locus of Social Evil, will dive into how Gangnam, the epicenter of Hallyu, the Korean Wave, is an exclusive zone of wealth and privilege that has lured pop culture industries to take root and flourish since the 1980s. But at the same time, Gangnam is widely regarded as a breeding ground for ‘social evil’ (sahoeak) in South Korea as it has firmly established itself as the shrine of the unholy trinity of Korean capitalism: real estate speculation, adult entertainment/sex industry, and college-prep private education business.

Gangnam’s foul sense of place, associated with such social evils as organized crime, sex work, and overheated educational competition, has helped create compelling villain characters in South Korean film and television drama. Moreover, Gangnam often makes the evil contagious to other characters, who become complicit either in evil acts perpetrated by villains or in corrupt social institutions.

“Anyone genuinely curious about what makes South Korean pop culture tick should look no further than Gangnam, the shrine of the unholy trinity of Korean capitalism: real estate speculation, adult entertainment/sex industry, and college-preparatory private education business,” said Hyaeweol Choi, professor of Korean studies, gender history, and religious studies; C. Maxwell and Elizabeth M. Stanley Family and Korea Foundation Chair in Korean Studies; and department executive officer of the Department of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa. “Dr. Pil Ho Kim will take an unflinching look at the dark side of South Korean society ranging from school bullying to entertainment industry scandals to misogynistic violence, all of which have provided compelling narratives for an increasing number of Hallyu media products.”

Pil Ho Kim is an associate professor of Korean studies at The Ohio State University. A sociologist by training, he has covered a wide range of topics related to modern Korea in his research and teaching, including popular music, cinema, urban culture, and social polarization. He is the author of Polarizing Dreams: Gangnam and Popular Culture in Globalizing Korea (University of Hawai‘i Press, 2024). His next book project investigates the trans-Pacific cultural impact of Black freedom movements on modern Korean history.

The Korean Studies Research Network aims to bring together scholars whose research focuses on Korea-related topics and to provide mentoring to the younger generation of scholars. It serves as a platform to facilitate collaborative and interdisciplinary research among scholars and graduate students at the University of Iowa and institutions of higher education in the Midwest through seminars, speaker series, and workshops.

This event is made possible through generous support from the Stanley University of Iowa Foundation Support Organization and International Programs.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Daniel Vorwerk in advance at daniel-vorwerk@uiowa.edu or (319) 467-1619.

International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement.  IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.