Cultural Displacement of South Korea

Julian Marin
Professor Serant
MCC 1000C

Displacement and Globalization of Cultural Practices

      One variable in the equation of life remains constant at all times, change. There are various kinds of change and applications to which it, becoming beneficial or an obstacle to overcome. Cultural practices compliment imagination to make up the scheme of a community or society in any given place in the world. Different regions around the globe hold a diverse set of practices and values that make up unique characteristics to distinguish themselves from other communities in the surroundings. In an individual level, these cultural practices give a person a sense of identity, and when reduced to basic influence, it is the nurturing that composes a person’s character.

Popular culture varies greatly from region to region in order to accommodate the desires of the targeted population.   The essence of popular culture is a mainstream manifestation of the current situation people live in. South Korea has been subject to affluent foreign influence since the division of Korea following world war two. The United States laid the foundation through various films and shows that were appealing to the population, especially to children. This has evolved to a greater openness to Western influence as well as embracing other Asian cultures.

Cultural traditions have changed the way people eat, talk and entertain themselves in South Korea. Many Koreans now include foods such as pizza, hamburgers, and other Asian foods. Recently, a new dialect has been developed and rising in popularity and use named “Konglish”. This is the result of a fusion of English and Korean to identify newly introduced expressions that have been borrowed mainly from the United States but are not limited to it. The use of this dialect is seen as hip and is openly used in many publications and advertisings. It has been criticized by international critics due to the bad grammar used and the...