In many households across the globe, television has been and continues to be a source of information, a link to global affairs, and a medium for entertainment and mass communication. I remember my childhood in China, waking up to 7 a.m. news coming from the living room TV. After coming to Canada, because of the language barrier, neither my mother nor myself were fond of watching local TV programs, instead we would be watching Japanese or Korean dramas from online sources together.
Much of the audiences that used to rely on television in North America has changed their viewing habits, mostly due to emergence of internet-based companies such as youtube, Netflix, Hulu, these options stand as strong competitions to major networks (Lee 2018, 107).
However, South Korean television is not experiencing the same change and shift in its audience’s viewing preferences. Being the TV nation that South Korea is, television’s place in people’s home remain consistent, and internet is 
merely an add on for “disseminating the entertainment and information already produced and aired by television” (Lee 2018, 107).
The television’s role in contemporary popular culture in South Korea, in comparison to our smartphones or tabloids, it remains “a prevalent mass medium in the digital age”, for “its simplicity” (Kim 2018, 55). The qualities that it holds, “immediacy and intimacy” (Kim 2018, 54) brings the liveliness of theatre to the privacy of one’s home. Our viewing habits changed largely from the day and age where cable TV channels were initially introduced, 23 years from where the changes began, we notice an uprising trend of a more complex consumer habit: “creating intermedial activities between TV and other platforms”(Kim 2018, 55), multitasking, from tweeting to texting, it all shapes the viewing experience into a larger social activity than what it was before.
TV also function as a medium to distribute and aid the production and circulation of K-pop, programs like “kBS’s Gayo Top Ten” which ran from 1981-1991, and present day music chart shows that continues to be popular such 
as M Countdown, Music core, Music Bank, and Ingigayo (Kim 2018, 58). This type of programs are widely popular in Korea although they don’t have much presence in North America nowadays. The reason behind is the “demand for live performance” in order to satisfy “the desire for the visual mark of authenticity.” (Kim 2018, 72).
In conclusion, South Korean television industry still holds the key to people’s hearts. The simplicity of the experience it provides allow for immediate and intimate connection to its audience. This trend will likely continue for its ability to combine multiple functions together and the social influence it holds, it is harder to be replaced than the Western counterparts.
Lee, Jin-Kyung. “Visualizing and Invisiblizing the Subempire: Labor, Humanitarianism, and Popular Culture across South Korea and Southeast and South Asia.” Journal of Korean Studies, Vol. 23 No.1 (2018):95-109.
Suk-Young, Kim. K-Pop Live: Fans, Idols, and Multimedia Performance. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2008.
Hi Mishelle,
This was actually some nice writing. You have a few minor things to fix to make the format better, but the actual essay seems quite solid. First, you should include the (in-text citation) before the . at the end of the sentence. Otherwise it looks like it’s starting the next sentence!
In the bibliography the title needs to be ALL there.
But otherwise I think you’ve done a good job, and used the Kim in discussion with the Lee to make a strong essay.
Thank you for the feedback Dr. Saeji! I’ve fixed the problems you mentioned.
I definitely agree with your statement that television is still a huge “medium for entertainment and mass communication” in South Korea. As a person who has lived in South Korea for 20 years, I would see a lot of old and young people on their Android phones (manufactured by Samsung) using the “DMB” app whenever they would commute to work, home, school or hagwon (extra classes). The Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) app allows the audience to keep up with the latest Korean TV shows, songs, and local news. However, once I moved to Canada, I noticed that a lot of people here use YouTube, Netflix and Hulu etc. (which you have mentioned) as a source of entertainment than watching television. In addition, I’ve also been using YouTube a lot more after I moved to Canada to keep up with the TV shows back home such as “Show Me the Money 777”, “Knowing Bros”, “I Live Alone”, and “Running Man” in order to keep up with the latest episodes.
Moving on to your statement about how television brings the same “liveliness of theatre to the privacy of one’s home”, I personally believe this is the main reason to why television is still “a huge medium for entertainment and mass communication” in Korea. In Korea, everyone is always busy with work or school, which doesn’t allow them to have much privacy (they’re always with people around them) or time to attend events. Therefore, having the TV at home allows them to have more privacy while also being able to watch a concert that they couldn’t attend to (even though it’s not the same vibe of physically being there). In addition to your statement about how consumers have changed their habits of watching TV by multitasking (tweeting or texting) during shows is definitely true. For example, when I was at home watching the World Cup, my friends and I would always chat through Facebook messenger whenever there was a game going on rather than just casually watching the game.
In conclusion, television in South Korea plays a big part in the entertainment industry because it allows everyone to keep up with the latest Korean songs, TV shows, and news while also providing the important qualities of “immediacy and intimacy” to the audience.
I definitely agree with your stance on this topic Mishelle. If you think back to the days where MTV aired programs dedicated to spreading awareness of new music, it allowed audience to feel connected to the stars they idolized. The golden years of MTV resonances that of present day music programs in Korean popular culture such as M Countdown, as you mentioned. However Western television over the years put a pause on this formatting, only somewhat recently trying to revive the times where TV to promote popular culture, mentioned in CNN 2016 article on past music show “MTV Unplugged”.
I also found your reflection of you and your mother watching Japanese and Korean dramas online oppose to what is broadcasted on Canadian cable networks interesting because it really echoes the consumption of pop culture in our multicultural nation. With such a vastly cultural society it is prevalent for people living here to look to online media platforms to provide entertainment that better reflects their interests. The internet-based platforms you mentioned such as Netflix arguably does a better job than television at mixing various global regions pop culture into their content.
In comparison, South Korean television seemingly created more opportunity for an interactive platform. Kim mentions programs such as After School Club (ASC), as a platform to circulate K-pop worldwide (Kim 2018: 55), which is a great example of a television program that integrates social media platforms to attract a wider audience. Korean audience and other various Asian audiences that have cable that runs these Korean networks, are able to watch these shows live on TV but engage in what’s happening in the show through live tweeting. What’s pretty cool about this is that international fans globally can also tune in to the show through various media platforms, especially since ASC is a predominantly English language broadcasted program therefore known to have an extremely global audience tuning in.
I believe South Korea has made efforts to build a bridge between the television and social media worlds whereas Western society, rather than integrating the two, opted for abandoning television to focus on the growth of online viewing.
Kim, Suk-Young. K-Pop Live: Fans, Idols and Multimedia Performance. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2018.
“MTV reboots ‘MTV Unplugged,’ Introduces Weekly Live Music Series.” CNNMoney. https://money.cnn.com/2016/04/21/media/mtv-upfronts-mtv-unplugged-wonderland/ (accessed 10/24/2018)
It is clear from you post that the simplicity, intimacy, and immediacy can make TV appealing, even in the digital era. You also mentioned the liveness that TV can bring to the audience, by airing live shows and creating interactivity between viewers. However, I would like to present a counterpoint. I’ll argue that while TV does many things well, other platforms of digital media are able to do them even better. Even in Korea it is only a matter of time before TV starts to decline significantly, like here in Canada.
First, nothing makes it easier to bring a sense to liveness to viewers than internet connected devices. There are so many web based services that broadcast live sporting, music, and many other types of events that can’t even be found on TV. Interactivity is unbeatable here as well, as anyone with a smart device or computer can immediately view the event and participate in the live chat/feed. I’ve seen some people even broadcast their own live reactions to these different live broadcasts, having tons of viewers themselves.
It’s true that TV helps the production and distribution of K-pop. But other platforms are not far behind. Personally, the last music related live broadcast I’ve watched was on my computer, on the V Live channel, for a Twice comback. V Live not only broadcasts live showcases and performances of idols, but also shows idols’ personal broadcasts. Whether it’s a travel vlog or a random stream in the middle of the day, fans are always able to watch and even talk to the idols directly. This can never be done on TV.
My last point is how the claim that other platforms are “disseminating the entertainment and information already produced and aired by television” is becoming less true. Much like Netflix creating original content for Western audiences, Korean streaming services such as Naver TV is creating web dramas and variety shows. These are programs that are aired exclusively on the web, and they are becoming increasingly popular.
Hi Mishelle! I thought it was interesting that the language barrier was a reason why your family did not watch TV in Canada- our society is much more culturally and linguistically diverse than the Korean audience, so that could be a reason why Western audiences prefer to flock to whichever medium that would allow them autonomy in choosing what to watch. I also wonder what you might say in regards to how music shows like Music Bank or Inkigayo could contribute to Kim’s idea of “immediacy and intimacy” for the local audience? Thank you for this essay!