Why have Korean popular culture products (e.g., music, movies, TV dramas, etc.) continuously expanded their fandom in Western countries? This book project began with this question. To answer this question, this book invited scholars who were either born in Western countries or conducted pop culture research at universities in Western countries for decades. Research on Korean popular culture in the Western cultural market can yield multilayered intellectual avenues that analyze issues of vernacularism of pop culture globalization, changes in cultural centrality, celebrity studies, transformation of aesthetic hierarchies in the Western countries, and many more. Methodologically, this book included, but not be limited to, comparative analysis between the Korean Wave and the influence of other foreign popular cultures in Western countries, historiography, text analysis, discourse analysis, and participatory ethnography. This book will help readers not only understand the global popularity of Korean popular culture, but also see a great potential for further diffusion of Korean popular culture through presenting authentic perspectives of Western popular culture consumers. This book will also explain how advanced communication technologies contribute to the globalization of popular culture in this technology-driven global community.

Kim Do Kyun David

Do Kyun David Kim is Professor and the Richard D’Aquin BORSF Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He has served as president of the Louisiana Communication Association and founder/director of the AI Communication Research Consortium. His research and praxis focus on the diffusion of innovations (DOI) and social marketing for social/organizational change and public health promotion. Specifically, he examines how the advancement of communication technology induces individuals’ attitude and behavior changes and contributes to public health promotion, how opinion leadership can be harnessed to transform organizations and communities, and how communicative influences affect decision-makings at the individual, organizational, and community levels. He has applied his knowledge and skills to diverse communication projects in many countries including the United States, South Korea, Japan, India, and Botswana. His research has appeared in many scholarly journals and books.