K-pop had an explosive year in 2018, but it didn't arise from a vacuum. Since 1998, one web community - Soompi - has been sharing the latest information about Korea's thriving pop culture scene and steadily building a community. It would be no exaggeration to claim that a lot of South Korea's soft power is built on this community.
Korean Kontext sits down with Soompi's founder, Susan Kang - who is also the 2019 Korean-American Day honoree for her contributions to advancing awareness of Korean culture in the United States. But as the interview with her reveals, the community she built was more than a place for K-pop fans to gather - it was a safe place, a home away from home, and a place of understanding. And perhaps that's the biggest takeaway from the Korean Wave: that we are not all that different from one another.
[Rebroadcast] The Revolution will be Thumb Drived: North Korean Access to Outside Media: Nat Kretchen
When Cold Warriors Met to Talk About Peace: Mark Tokola
[Rebroadcast] Achieving Peace through Sanctions: Stephan Haggard
We Go Together: Ambassador Kathleen Stephens and General Skip Sharp
When the Party Writes About Itself, It Writes With Purpose: Dr. Meredith Shaw
China’s Dream and The Korean Peninsula: Dr. Lee Seong-hyon
Neighbors not by Geography, but by a Shared Vision: Park Jae-kyung
Trade Wars Strike Back: Dr. June Park
What the Korean Wave Brought to the American Table: Michael Hong
Danish Furniture, Korean Skincare: Charlotte and Dave Cho
2018 in Review from the Korea Economic Institute
Children are our future, our present: Dafna Zur
Remembering President George H.W. Bush's Legacy in Korea: Ambassador Donald Gregg
How Koreans Define Koreaness: Christopher Green and Steven Denney
Across the Tumen River: A Journey through North Korea
[Rebroadcast] Home is Where Our Story Begins: Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko
North Korea, The Global Arms Dealer: Dr. Bruce Bechtol
How Things Look from the Peninsula: WSJ's Jonathan Cheng
War's Impact on the American Homefront: Robert Powell and Sam Yoon
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