inquiry essay follow up

Suju's 3rd album "Sorry Sorry" came out yesterday (Korea time). Congrats to them!!

Follow up of the inquiry essay…….just because I want to talk more about Super Junior.
I’m not Korean so I don’t know enough about trot music. I know for a fact that I would not even bother looking up what trot music is if Super Junior did not have a subgroup SJT. Trot music has a very long history. It developed along side/from Japanese enka (enka is speeches set to music) when Japan occupied Korean (1910 – 1945). Trot has a distinctive background rhythm and is pretty fun to listen to. You can listen to SJT’s “Rokkugo” and “No One Like Me” on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV8uTCErh2M and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69eTzlO4Ub4).
The clothe SJT wears when they perform is very different as well. Bright colors, flowers and feathers everywhere, and big polka dots go with the music. Trot music fell out of favor in the early 1990s but is now “revived” because of singers like SJT. Again, it’s only because of SJT that I care what trot is.

My inquiry essay was mainly on the relationship between fans and celebrities so I did not talk too much about the ramifications of adding a Chinese member to Suju. But I will now. First I will give a brief history of media in Korea. Before the 1980s, media (newspapers mainly) was censored and controlled by the government. In 1897, governmental reforms gave South Korea a free press, but foreign artists still had a hard time entering the main stream market (due to controls by the government). Koreans want to preserve their own culture and market therefore really discouraged/blocked foreign artists from performing in Korea. The break through came in 1997 when the Taiwanese drama “Bao-Qing-Tian” set the record of the highest audience rating in Korean foreign dramas.

Hangeng debuted as a member of Suju in 2005, less than 10 years after the media is “open” to foreigners. His story is very significant and probably will be recorded in history. Many fans and critics believe that SM is just using Hangeng to get deeper into the Chinese market. On purpose or not, Hangeng certainly has this effect. Super Junior and SJM are extremely popular in China. I personally agree that SM is “using” Hangeng in a way. But I also believe that this gives Hangeng an opportunity to “show off” Chinese culture. Even though because of his visa, Hangeng is only allowed on 3 TV stations in Korea, he constantly talk about China and Chinese culture. As a Chinese, I’m very proud of him. Of course the disadvantage of including Hangeng in Suju is attacks from patriots who want to preserve Korean culture. When Hangeng first debuted, there was lots of attention on the difference in nationality. But Suju members and ELFs all publicly proclaimed that nationality does not matter. The “Korean Wave” has been taking over Asia in the past decade. According to Noh’s abstract (1), the “Korean Wave” is slowing down and its domination of Asian pop culture is slowly coming to an end. Noh believes (and I agree with him/her, can’t tell from the name) that China will lead the next big wave. May be Hangeng can be the start of that wave?!

Because the addition of a Chinese member, Korean and Chinese ELFs are generally united. For example Cassiopia (DBSK’s official fan club) is only compose of official Korean fans (foreign fans can not join, 3). So Suju is more inclusive than most Korean celebrities. Many people in China think people like me who support Super Junior, DBSK, and other Korean (or Japanese) artists are unpatriotic. The “Korean Wave” actually creates a divide between Chinese people. But I don’t believe that listening to Korean music is unpatriotic. I want to enjoy and appreciate all cultures. I’m not going to reject them just because they are not Chinese. Honestly, even my mom agrees that Korean pop dramas and music are of better quality than Chinese ones (in general). I say I treat all nationalities and culture the same; but even though Hangeng is not my favorite Suju member, I pay more attention to him. For example, listening to Suju’s music and watching Suju shows, I pay close attention to how big of a part Hangeng has. Is he the lead vocal? Where does he stand in the dance routines? Is he included in 1/13 of the pictures? I make sure that he is treated fairly (even though I “can’t do anything” even if he’s not). There is still a difference in nationality. I don’t get upset when Shindong (another Suju member) stands at the back of the line. In conclusion, Asianization of pop culture has decreased the barrier between audiences in different countries, but I am still most loyal to my own country (which is China not America, something many people don’t understand).


Sources:
1. http://www.cct.go.kr/data/acf2006/aycc/aycc_0101_Noh%20Hae%20Rang.pdf
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_in_South_Korea
3. http://blog.yam.com/alice90223/article/8601254
4. What I know from reading/watching a lot of Suju stuff everyday.