The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture Paperback – August 5, 2014

Amazon's targeted email marketing definitely works, and I one-clicked this book's icon through my Kindle app in the middle of the night (it is too easy to purchase books these days, requiring less than a minute to download). As a Korean-American who is very familiar with both cultures, I can testify that the most of this book's content is dead-on accurate, with just the right amount of sarcasm and humor (though I am more sarcastic than average to begin with).It is a must-read for Americans with Korean blood who might always have wondered about the corky nature of Korean culture and things their parents (or grandparents) are obsessed about. For Americans who have more than just curiosity about the Korean culture in general, this book provides very unique perspective that cannot be found in other books about Korea, and it will make you smile every few pages along the way, too. The author chose her words very carefully, and such craftsmanship comes through each paragraph.This author was born and raised in the States and moved to Korea with her parents in 1985 and attended middle school and high school in posh district of now infamous Gangnam. That is great for me personally, as I moved to the States in 1983 and missed much of Korea's recent economic and cultural transformation up close. I am still very familiar with most of the subject matters touched in this book, but I have to admit that I have learn a few things, and I laughed out loud like a mad man more than a few times.I strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about Korean culture beyond the scenes in Psy's music videos.

I spent 4 years living in South Korea and have maintained a strong interest in the country ever since. Hong's book is, along with Kevin Maher's "No Couches in Korea", the most entertaining book I have read so far on this fascinating country. Other reviewers have commented on her wit and frankness when discussing some of the features of Korean life, which she dealt with up close having moved to Seoul from the US at the age of 12, and this was certainly one of the strengths of the book. Hong covers a lot in the 260 pages, as she tries to explain why a country mired for so long in extreme poverty rapidly ascended the ranks to become the economic powerhouse it is today. Her comparison of school life in 1980s Korea with the Korea of today is perhaps the greatest strength of the book, with her description of one especially vicious teacher during her school days leaving a lasting impression on me. She is right to comment on the almost insane devotion to study that Koreans have, and how this leads to unbelievable pressure, but this now-common analysis (see also the recent BBC documentary "School Swap: Korea") is flawed, in my opinion. The suicide rate for teenagers in Korea is only slightly above the OECD average, but it is the exceptionally high rates for the elderly that drive the overall average up. Hong doesn't mention this, perhaps because she wasn't aware of it, but it is an important point, in my opinion. Furthermore, Korean students' tendency to sleep in class (one study put it at over one-third of each class) is less a result of intense study pressure, in my view, and more a result of stale teaching methods that allow for almost no in-class communication between students. This lecture-based method to teaching stands in stark contrast to those of Singapore, a country with a much more efficient approach to education. The international test scores for both countries are similar, yet Singaporean teachers emphasise pair and group work far more than Korean teachers do.I think Hong makes a lot of valid points, though there are areas - like her correlation of irony and wealth - that come off as being quite superficial and unsupported. I would have preferred a tighter analysis of some issues, and I think it's a pity that she neglects to even mention the growth of entrepreneurship in the country outside of the usual suspects (Samsung, LG, etc.). Korea, for instance, is ranked by the World Bank as one of the easiest countries in the world in which to do business, and any visitor to the country will notice an enormous abundance of shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, etc., most of which are locally owned (apart from the big brands like Starbucks and McDonalds) and which have done a huge amount to help lift Korea out of poverty. Hong instead focuses solely on the crony-capitalist relationship between government and conglomerates, which, she argues, have allowed Korea to rapidly grow its wealth. Some of this is convincing, some isn't, and the last chapter, in my view, is muddled and often contradictory. She suggests, for example, that Koreans believe that everyone should rise equally, but also notes that their fierce competition allows them to rise above each other and is essential to their development. She does admit that this seems almost paradoxical, but I don't think she elaborated very well on these points.Another criticism I have is of this supposedly uniquely Korean emotion known as "han", which, she says, is as responsible for Korea's ascent as anything else. I have heard this before and she claims that "han" is not even translatable, but to me, "han" just seems like a form of intense bitterness or resentment, and not this mysterious force unique to Koreans. They may feel it gives them some sort of special identity, but I don't buy it and I'm not sure any other reader will, either.That said, it is highly enjoyable to read and very hard to put down, and despite occasionally dubious analysis, this book should be seen as a memoir rather than a historical documentation. Michael Breen's "The New Koreans" does a better job of the latter, though I didn't find it as much fun to read. I would still recommend this book to those unfamiliar with Korea's amazing story, or even to those, like me, who had many wonderful experiences in Korea and need occasional reminders as to why I found the country so appealing yet maddening in equal measure.

I quit watching American TV years ago because as it is described in the book, American TV is "stagnant." Same tired clichés, same revenge plots, same shallow characters, same constant juvenile sexualization of American women. American screenwriters are advised to gear their screenplays to those people with 8th grade educations, and the lowest common denominator. (If you don't believe this, go look it up yourself.) Given that the U.S. is so far behind the rest of the world as far as education is concerned, I can understand why American TV is dumbed down. Not my demographic So, I started watching Asian movies, and then started watching Korean movies and TV and it was a revelation. It was a breath of fresh air, with intricate plots and complex characters. This book explains very well some of the cultural differences I have seen and why Korean entertainment is so popular. Korea is willing to change and adapt without compromising their culture and heritage, while Hollywood is stuck in its stagnant rut of pumping out trite, juvenile, and easily forgettable rubbish. I am not the only one tired of it.

A truly great perspective and interesting book to read about South Korean softpower and visionary public policy behind supporting the creative arts and production industries.

Dommage qu'il n'existe pas une mise à jour récente! C'est vraiment un livre interessant pour décrire la stratégie des gouvernements coréens pour développer l'"industrie" artistique coréenne!

I had heard of K-Pop, of course, but I had no idea that South Korea was making a concerted effort to conquer large parts of the global entertainment industry. The author has done a huge job of researching this book, and my only complaint is that sometimes there's just more information than you really need or can absorb.

I loved this book. It is essentially a collection of essays on the various aspects of Hallyu and reads like one long magasine article. While it's not a research/ clinical study with control groups etc. and thus is anecdotal and empirical in its analysis, but born out of numerous interactions and chats with successful Korean stakeholders. So there should be enough validity in all of it. The prose is tongue-in-cheek and witty and makes it a fun and easy read. I do not remember the last time I read a book that I felt was unputdownable, that too a non-fiction, but this one was it! The writer talks about how non-koreans cannot feel 'han'- the feeling of collective and individual angst at being wronged. I disagree. India with our similar history of being colonised and taken advantage of, certainly has a wellspring of 'han'. This book can then be an important pointer to how we can own and channel our own 'han' and create a striving population with equal cultural achievements.

Great read describing South Korea's transformation from a poor country in the 80s to the booming, prospering and trendy Korea of Psy, video games like Starcraft and Samsung as main competitor of Apple. I was very surprised to learn how much calculated government effort is behind all this, but also found that the author provides deep insights into the Korean psyche and society, which explain their success in many areas as well. For anyone interested in Korea or the Korean people, this is a highly recommendable read. The author has researched her subject well, talked to many governmdnt officials and industry experts and gives impressive facts and figures. Also she provides a very unique perspective because she lived in the USA throughout childhood, then moved back to South Korea as a teenager, so she definitely has all neccessary first-hand experiences e.g. being a high-school student in Korea yet has maintained a somewhat distanced view on everything, making her an excellent teacher on Korean culture in terms people from the West can understand.