Korean Wave| When Indonesians Routinely Consume Korean Pop Culture: Revisiting Jakartan Fans of Korean Drama Dae Jang Geum

Jae-Seon Jeong, Seul-Hi Lee, Sang-Gil Lee

Abstract


The consumption of Korean popular culture has increased continuously in Indonesia since the early 2000s. This article investigates how “Hallyu” (the Korean Wave) is appropriated and experienced by Indonesian fans in their daily lives. Following up on our work in 2006, we carried out interviews in 2013 with 12 Indonesian supporters who had participated in the prior qualitative research on the Indonesian reception of the Korean television drama Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace). First, this article examines the historical development of the Hallyu phenomenon in Indonesia with rapidly digitalized mediascape of the country. Next, we examine the salient features of the appropriation of Korean pop culture and investigate the hybrid cultural resources and experiences. We focus in particular on how our interviewees construct and use a certain imaginary of “Koreanness” as a consequence of negotiation in relations of symbolic power. Finally, we discuss implications of the routinized consumption and habituation of Hallyu by its transnational audience to understand its cultural impact and significance in the global context.


Keywords


Hallyu, Indonesia, the Korean Wave, national symbolic power, cultural appropriation, Koreanness

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