Kimchi over Flowers: A Qualitative Research on the Filipino Youth’s Imitation of South Korean Pop Culture Shown in Mass Media

Abstract

The propagation of Korean culture and pop culture could be dated back to the 90s. This phenomenon is called Hallyu, a Chinese word which means "Korean Wave," which had been steadily rising since 2003 in the Philippines. The recognition gained from international public figures or trendsetters is considered one of its turning points. This research is specifically for understanding the factors behind the Filipino youth's interest and reasons for imitating South Korean pop culture shown in mass media. Qualitative research was used through data collection in a natural setting sensitive to the people and places under study, and data analysis that is inductive and establishes patterns or themes. The phenomenological research design was used to describe, explain, and understand the people's perceptions, perspectives, and understandings of a particular phenomenon. An in-depth semi-structured interview and audiovisual materials were used. The Filipino youth (ages 15-30) who have sufficient knowledge and experience involving the imitation of South Korean pop culture and are located at Quezon City was chosen as the population through Purposive Sampling. Also, an authority was consulted by the researchers. Thematic analysis of interviews and audiovisual materials or finding similar themes and codes were the data gathering instruments used by the researchers. In today's youth, there are five main aspects of South Korean pop culture, the youth imitates, namely fashion, cuisine and dishes, gestures and expressions, music, and drama and movies. The different forms of mass media, such as television, internet, published works, and radios, provided the youth with various information and ideas on the aspect that they imitate. The characteristics that made South Korean pop culture appealing are dynamic, unique, and aesthetic. As a whole, it has affected how they view things, perform their creative tasks, socialize with others, and motivate themselves. In relation, the authority described South Korean pop culture as dynamic with a perfect-like image and explained that the internet is the major contributor in disseminating South Korean pop culture. Reasons on the imitation of the said pop culture were also discussed wherein various characteristics were given for South Korean pop culture and each aspect, namely fashion, cuisine and dishes, gestures and expressions, music, and dramas and movies. Among all the various characteristics, there were three reoccurring characteristics for all aspects, namely unique, dynamic, and aesthetic. The researchers recommend the Filipino youth to engage themselves in a world of diverse cultures, the media and entertainment industries to add a taste of South Korean pop culture to their products, and the future researchers to focus only on a particular aspect of South Korean pop culture to explore its unique characteristics and avoid generalization.