‘Hallyu’ Exhibit at Asian Art Museum Celebrates Korean Pop Culture

KQED's Forum

South Korea is living in the future. It has the fastest internet on the planet. Nearly 100% of its population owns a smartphone. And for the last decade it has become a center of global pop culture. The popularity of Korean drama, cinema, beauty and pop music has given Korea a soft power that has allowed it to emerge as a cultural and economic leader among Asian nations. A new exhibit at the Asian Art Museum “Hallyu! The Korean Wave” picks up on this theme, exploring all things K-culture. We’ll talk to its curator, experts, and you: are you a K-fan?

Guests:

Yoon-Jee Choi, assistant curator for Korean art, Asian Art Museum. Choi is overseeing the "Hallyu: The Korean Wave" exhibition.

Todd Inoue, freelance music journalist

Kyung Hyun Kim, professor and chair, East Asian Studies, UC Irvine; author, "Virtual Hallyu: Korean Cinema of the Global Age" and "Hegemonic Mimicry: Korean Popular Culture of the 21st Century"

Chesca Rueda, co-founder and co-owner of Sarang Hello, a retail shop that focuses on K-pop