[KS] Re: Korean Pop Music

[Charles Armstrong]

Thanks, Keith, for explaining the origins of the oversized and ridiculously
shaped shoes worn by Korean youth, a phenomenon I've been puzzling over for
some time. Does anyone have thoughts on the recently completed third phase
of the lifting of restrictions on Japanese cultural imports, which now
allows for Japanese pop stars to fill large stadiums (previously restricted
to venues of 2,000 or less), among other things? A few days ago the Japanese
pop band Penicillin arrived at Kimpo airport to throngs of swooning Korean
teenagers, looking like the Beatles in New York, 1964. Is Japanese pop about
to colonize Korea? I'm surprised to see no-one out there beating the
nationalist drum, so to speak, on the issue of the Japanese cultural
invasion.

                                                Charles
-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Howard <kh at soas.ac.uk>
To: korean-studies at mailbase.ac.uk <korean-studies at mailbase.ac.uk>
Date: Friday, July 14, 2000 10:55 PM
Subject: Re: Korean Pop Music


>Two snippets of (useless?) information I would like to get confirmed
>relating to Korean pop music. I have no sources for these, but have heard
>them from a number of sources. Any information would be welcome, as would
>any suggestions of other links from the pop world back into other cultural
>patterns!
>
>1. The singer Kim Gun Mo [Kim K?mo] introduced 'clown shoes' to Korean
>fashion specifically for hip hop (clown shoes are the ridiculous pointed
>shoes that have been around Seoul's boutiques for the last couple of
years).
>
>2. The phenomenon of wearing oversize trainers, particularly common at the
>moment amongst Korean teenagers (and a boon for those of us with
>European/American size feet who need to buy foorwear in Korea), started out
>in dance music, with groups such as Clon.
>
>Keith Howard
>
>Dr Keith Howard
>Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies and Music
>SOAS,Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square,
>London WC1H 0XG, UK
>Tel: 020 7898 4687;  Fax: 020 7898 4699; EMail: kh at soas.ac.uk



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