Korea and Globalization

The concept of globalization has been a rapidly growing phenomenon in today's world where technology and accessibility to information across the globe have been increasing interactions between countries on personal and national levels. For the purpose of a uniform definition, I would like to define globalization as the process of spreading something around the world through exchange of trade and interactions between countries that almost standardize and make the world "smaller." South Korea's globalization holds unique characteristics in different categories of its economy, popular culture, and migration.

"Economic development has made East Asia more assertive" (Holton 146) and many South Korean companies have been spreading and asserting its presence into the global market. South Korea has been rapidly growing, transformed into a developed economy in the 1980s (Robinson 177), and now is an indispensible part of global trade. The "rise of the automobile as an integral part of Korean life" (177) has definitely been standardized in South Korea. Owning a car used to be a leisure, but South Korea with its flourishing economy through the emphasis on its export economy, advanced its domestic automobile industry, increasing car availability to the common people. Brands such as Hyundai, Kia, and Daewoo are not only thriving in the domestic market, but has expanded its car industries to other countries as well. South Korea has the world's 13th largest economy(Sang-hun). This I believe, ties back to the work ethics South Koreans possess. By the 1970s, Koreans held one of the longest work hours per week, with an average of about 54 hours weekly (Robinson 133). The expansion of South Korea's economy during Park Chung Hee's rule is often referred to as the "Miracle on the Han" because of the amazing speed in development of an industrialized economy. The Korean culture of discipline and hard work traced back from the Joseon dynasty has helped South Korea reach its economy that holds a respected position in world trade today.

Globalization always arises from intercultural give and take. The idea of Korean media and culture influencing other East Asian countries, as well as even western countries, is not such a foreign concept to many nowadays, illustrating the extent to which South Korea has begun to influence the rest of the world. The Korean wave, a broad idea of anything Korean gaining success, has flooded and is embraced by many(Kim 2007,48); Korean dramas, music, and food are all loved by the Japanese, American, and many other countries by old and young alike. One example would be the drama, Winter Sonata that became a huge hit in Japan after its release there in 2003, achieving a level of success that cannot be ignored (50). Then there is also the recent hit song from 2012, Gangnam Style. This is the most viewed video on YouTube today, which is double the amount of views