Interview mit Professor Dr. Keith Howard

K-Pop in the 1990s

Professor Dr. Keith Howard (SOAS, University of London)

Wann? Mittwoch, 28.05.2014, 18-20Uhr

Wo? Koreanistik, Wilhelmstraße 133, Raum 30

Herr Professor Dr. Keith hat sich bereit erklärt, The Koins ein paar thematische und persönliche Fragen zu beantworten:

1. Where are you from? (Country and City)

United Kingdom; London

2. Could you give us a short summary of the topic you presented at our university?

I am discussing the development of K-pop in the 1990s, with a quick zoom through to the present day. My argument is that the way Korean Wave (K-pop, films, TV dramas, costumes, cuisines) have emerged on to the global scene in recent years is based on a solid foundation developed during the 1990s. At that time, having successfully hosted the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and as the economy grew with Korean products being exported, so the emergence of democracy allowed a new generation of highly educated and socially aware artists scope to develop what we now associated with ‘brand Korea’. K-pop illustrates what happened superbly, from the first broadcast rap (by Seo Taiji) through reggae, hip hop, jungle and dance. The new Korean popular culture became competitive in the region with the 1997 economic crisis, but its quality had been honed at home, and this quality is why Korean Wave has proved so successful.

3. When did you first get in contact with Korea? How did you gain interest in Korea?

I first visited Korea in 1981. From then until now, I have spent almost five years in Korea, mostly in South Korea but with some short visits to North Korea. I was interested in exploring how old Korea was meeting new Korea – as many of the old traditions struggled to survive, but as modernity took hold. I have now published 13 authored or edited volumes on Korean music and culture, along with more than 100 articles.

4. What was the most memorable experience you made during your years of teaching in Korea? 

Actually, it is easier to talk about the many great experiences I’ve had in Korea, based on the fact that Koreans are so friendly to foreigners. I’ve been able to interview and work with so many people, from the most senior musicologists and scholars through to the most famous musicians and artists. I don’t usually teach in Korea (though have been a visiting professor at both Ewha Woman’s University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), but I teach about Korea in Britain, where one of the greatest pleasures is to work with a student who goes on to successfully write a PhD thesis and become an academic working on Korea – some of my former PhD students are now professors in America, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea and Poland…

5. Have you travel Korea a lot? If so, which place did you like the most?

I spend a lot of time in Seoul, since the capital is home to so many great universities, archives, and cultural groups. Outside Seoul, I have travelled the countryside many times, spending almost a year in the southwestern island archapelago of Chindo (Jindo) – the area where so sadly the ship recently capsized and sank.

6. Which is your favourite musical instrument (in general/Korean)?

I play Korean percussion instruments professionally, and in the past have performed on haegum fiddle, kayagum zither and more – in fact, way back in 1987, I gave a solo music concert in Tubingen!

7. Do you consume Korean entertainment like TV shows or contemporary music?

Mainly Korean music – though I am one of those who feels that ‘Gangnam Style’ is not K-pop. I watch Korean films, but can’t find enough time to tune in to the multipart K-dramas on TV.

8. What is your favorite Korean dish?

When I’m outside Korea, I always want kimchi, but when I’m in Korea, after a few days my yearning for kimchi is satisfied.

9. Korean pop music is rumored to conquer the world next. Do you think it can successfully spread across the globe, and if so, why?

It already has done. It doesn’t need to be the primary pop music style that our youth listen to, but it is quite remarkable how many young people consume K-pop. I’ve recently done work with Thai teenagers studying classical Thai music and dance, and discovered they know far more than me about K-pop. ‘Gangnam Style’, even though not strictly K-pop, has now been viewed on Youtube more than 2 billion times, or put another way, has been watched more than three times the amount of times that Justin Beiber’s top hit has.

10. What is the most essential aspect of your topic you would like us to remember?

When we explore culture, we can do so in a very descriptive way. But it is far more important to see the socio-cultural, political and economic aspects of cultural production. This requires a multidisciplinary approach, and should teach us all that supporting cultural production is highly important in modern cultures. Look, Jurassic Park took more money at the box office in the year it was released than Hyundai earned in exports for cars in the same year. Today, the South Korean government calculates that each $1 earnt by a Korean culture export (pop music, film, drama) generates an extra $5 income from consumers buying more Samsung, LG, Hyundai and Kia TVs, phones, computers and cars. That’s quite a thought…

Sehr geehrter Herr Professor Dr. Keith, wir danken Ihnen nochmal recht herzlich für Ihre Zeit und Mühe!
Dear Professor Dr. Keith, thank you once again very much for your effort and time!