Saturday 30 November 2013
10am - 3pm
LSE Hong Kong Theatre (99 Aldwych)
Online Registration is now closed. But don't worry. Tickets can be bought on the day.
On 30th November 2013, LSE SU Korean Society is pleased to present its third annual Korean Economic and Political Forum: "Reborn...the Image of Korea". Our forum will discuss two major topics: for the political session, the impact of Hallyu, the Korean Wave, on the image of Korea; for the economic session, the overview and prospects of Korea's mobile contents industry.
Our keynote speakers include:
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Prof Keith Howard (SOAS)
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Dr Changyong Son
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Director Sukho Yun (Director of the Four Seasons Drama Series: Winter Sonata, Autumn in my Heart and more)
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Mr Mike Won (CampMobile)
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Mr YoungIl Park (Korea Creative Content Agency)
* Opening speech by Dr Judith Shapiro (LSE) and HE Ambassador Sungnam Lim
Registration is required for this event! REGISTER NOW to avoid disappointment! Online registration will close at 4pm Friday 29 November.
Raffle prizes to be won on the day!
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Until recently, the first image of Korea that would have sprung into one's mind would have been the diplomatic tension between the two Koreas, along with South Korea's miraculous economic development. This focus has now somewhat shifted to, and been reborn as, the creative industries of Korea. Through this Forum, we aim to promote a global and in-depth understanding of Korea's creative industries and their overflow into the rest of the world. Although curiosity surrounding the new image of Korea is soaring, we believe there are insufficient means to fulfil these interests. By establishing this Forum, not only will we be able to promote Korea, but we will also highlight its impact on the rest of the world.
Several South East Asian countries, including Japan, China, and Vietnam, have absorbed Korean popular culture into their own since the 90s, and several Korean cultural genres, television programmes and films, in particular, have become major cultural activities in these countries too. But it’s only very recently that these cultural activities have started to penetrate the European and North American countries with popular music. As PSY's Gangnam Style filled the streets of London, there was also a visible surge in Western contestants in South Korean audition programmes. Last year, K-pop exports saw an increase of more than 300% compared to levels from only three years back. TV programmes also enjoyed a sharp thirty-fold increase in just over 10 years. It is thus undeniable that the Korean Wave is currently at a pivotal point. The Korean Wave has been unique because it indicates the unusual growth of local creative industries in the midst of neoliberal globalisation.
The Korean Wave has experienced an especially significant change with the development of digital technologies and social media in the 21st century. These digital technologies, as new driving engines of the Korean Wave, have initiated and supported the popularity of local culture in many countries. However, Korea's mobile contents industry has gained a reputation regardless of its connection with the Korean Wave. Now that smart phones and tablet PCs have become so common, so common that one would miss out on important events without being connected to social media, the importance of the mobile apps industry is immense. We, in the Forum, thus seek to explore the structure of the mobile contents industry and evaluate the prospects of the industry.
Despite once being peripheral and small, the Korean creative industries have now unexpectedly developed their own local cultural products and services, and Korea’s creative industries have been among the most successful contributors to the national economy. Our Forum will thus discuss two major topics: for the political session, the impact of Hallyu, the Korean Wave, on the image of Korea; for the economic session, the overview and prospects of the Korean mobile contents industry.