The series “A Sourcebook” organizes and provides primary data sorted by subjects and areas on the understanding of and research into modern Korean society and culture in an attempt to meet academic interest on the foreign study of Korea in its rapid achievements of industrialization, democratization, and social change.



This volume consists of three main sections. Part 1, “Institutional Contexts,” draws on documents that encapsulate the rationale and strategies behind the Korean government’s promotion of Hallyu. Part 2, “Industrial Operations,” covers four sectors within Hallyu that have arguably drawn the most attention: television, film, music, and celebrity. Part 3, “International Reception,” treats the presence and peculiarities of Hallyu in seven regions around the world (China, Japan, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East), as seen from a Korean perspective.

Hwang Yun Mi

Yun Mi Hwang is an independent scholar based in Incheon.

Epstein Stephen

Stephen Epstein is Associate Professor of Asian Studies at the Victoria University of Wellington.