Breaking Down Goong as Pop Culture

I have to agree with Melanie in that, I am also very glad Goong was included in the syllabus for us to study. It was obviously very pleasurable to study as I had absolutely no problem “taking a break” from my other school work to spend extra time to finish the first episode on YouTube, and was able to breeze through the comic. :)

Throughout watching and reading Goong, the answers that came up in class regarding the question “What is pop culture?” proceeded to turn up in my mind. The mediums in which Goong is presented not only are forms of current Korean pop culture, but the very plot itself can be thought of as a result of pop culture.

We identified pop culture as something that is mass produced, and accessible to the general population. The forms of comic and television drama in which Goong is presented are clear mediums that are examples of this. We also defined pop culture as something that is directed toward a specific age group or group of people. My guess is that Goong is most appealing to the pre-, adolescent, and young adult populations, as the characters fashion current styles and use certain contemporary lingo and slang. And Goong is most definitely a work that evokes pleasure and a realm of escapism, as the story starts off with the creator allowing us to imagine a modern Korea with a monarchy. “Yes, let’s imagine… …Instead of an empty, cold palace… …One that is made vibrant by the lives of the royal family” (Park 3).

I guess what intrigued me the most, regarding the works of Goong being pop culture, was applying Raymond William’s definition of culture- defined as “a particular way of life of people or period of group”- to Goong. The story of Goong includes a historical culture of the Korean monarchy, and it’s interesting to see how the writer/creator incorporated this “particular way of life” into a modern time setting. For example, such traditions as the queen’s quarters being separated from the king’s quarters, and the formal discourse and language style used by the royal family are kept within the plot. But contemporary dress is combined with traditional dress, as the men seem to consistently wear suits, while the royal women are in tradition clothes. This merge of folk/historical culture and modern culture gave me a clearer idea of what pop culture could be defined as. If taking William’s definition into the context of Goong, it could be seen as taking a historical way of life and merging it with a contemporary way of life that creates a certain fusion that could be called pop culture. .?(Or am I stretching it a little too far?)


On another note, did anyone else have a hard time getting through High-Pop, “Style and Perfection of Things”? I really struggled with the text... hopefully we’ll cover it in class?